Guns n' Boys Book 1 Part 1 (5 page)

“No, Seth. Whatever you
were studying, it helped you learn about Americans. That’s done. There will be
more important tasks for you now.” Dino’s gaze then pinned Domenico to the
wall. “You’ll take care of Seth’s schooling.”

Seth sat in his chair as
if he had just received the death sentence. With his lack of ability, that was
pretty much what had happened.

Domenico’s heart
galloped as he looked up at the men, who at this moment focused their entire
attention on him. He was now the barrier that had to be taken down to reach the
man with a target on his back. “Of course, whatever you wish.” He bowed his
head gently, even though his mind was in turmoil. Teaching Seth anything would
be a waste of time. The guy didn’t have what it took. Even now, he was slouched
as if he wanted to hide not fight.

Vincente’s face became a
mask, all brotherly love draining from it as if it had never been there in the
first place. “Whatever you wish,” he rasped to his father, mocking Domenico’s
words.

“That’s more like it.”
Dino leaned back in the chair and smiled. “Now, I believe some wine is in order
to celebrate.”

“Of course,” said
Frederico, whose gaze darted to Domenico again.

“I’ll have some of Mom’s
favorite.” Seth looked down at his own hands. “Is there anything else I need to
know?”

“Not yet.” Dino was a
fountain of joy, smiling and already getting up with the phone. He turned
around to look at his own portrait on the wall, and it was enough for the
animosities to explode silently, with spiteful looks and tense shoulders.

Domenico snorted in
disbelief.

The sorry excuse for a
party resembled a wake. With the Donna’s funeral the following day, people
drank, but didn’t talk much. To say the celebration of Seth’s so-called
‘success’ was quiet would be an understatement. It didn’t keep Seth from
brooding with yet another Bloody Mary in hand, even when everyone else had
gone. He sat in his mother’s favorite wicker swing and looked at the stars.
Domenico couldn’t care less about Seth’s alcohol consumption if it wasn’t for
the fact that he was responsible for Seth’s safety and had to stay with him. At
least he’d gotten a minute to himself and managed to speak to his own mother on
the phone. It looked like he wouldn’t make it home tonight.

He sat on a low stool,
glancing at the sorry excuse for a future Don sitting in a woman’s swing. At
least the bastard wasn’t drinking one of those sweet, colorful drinks with a
paper umbrella.

“Are you done whining? I
need my sleep.”

Seth looked at him as if
he were surprised Domenico was still there. “What?”

Domenico groaned and
pulled on the band in his hair, letting it down. “I need to escort you to your
room.”

“You know nothing,” Seth
burst out and downed his last drink, before making a sad attempt at standing
up. “I can go myself.”

Domenico kept in a groan
and got up, pulling off his open tie. He was off the clock anyway.

Seth was struggling
because the swing kept moving under him, but he finally managed to pull himself
up. Instead of finally going into the fucking house, he made his way to the
drinks table. Again.

“Do you want to puke on
your mother’s coffin tomorrow? Because that’s what’s gonna happen if you don’t
go to sleep soon.”

Seth looked at him but
put the bottle down. “You better show some respect!
I
will be the next
Don.
I
will be your boss.”

Domenico shook his head.
“If you live.”

“Is this a threat?” Seth
laughed and pushed him with the tips of his fingers.

“No, it’s a warning.”
Domenico let out a sharp breath at the warm touch. He wouldn’t mind putting
this beast of a man to sleep.

“I don’t need it.” Seth
pouted and walked off, barely staying on both feet. He fell into a bush before
he could manage to get to the patio door.

“For fuck’s sake,”
grumbled Domenico. He pulled Seth out of the bush and opened the door to take
him in.

“I’m managing!” Seth
moaned, but let Domenico help him up. His body was as hot as a radiator. “I’m
fucking capable.”

“In every department,”
growled Domenico, leading him toward the staircase. It was late enough that the
house seemed empty, and all he wanted was to eat a decent meal and go to sleep,
instead of babysitting a baby bull.

He still had no idea
what had to be going through the Don’s head to make the decision he had.

“You have
no
idea.” Seth grinned and let more of his weight fall on Domenico.

“I’ll give you something
to deal with what you now have in your bloodstream.” Domenico slid his hands
around Seth’s mid-section, surprised at just how thick he was without being
overweight. He was a meaty lump of a man, and it was hard not to notice his
natural musk below the smell of liquor as Domenico dragged him up the stairs,
step after painstaking step.

“Will it make me puke?”
Seth raised an eyebrow and gave him a suspicious look but wrapped an arm over
Dom’s neck, pulling on his hair in the process. The whole ordeal made Dom want
to scream in anger. This undeserving prick didn’t know what to do with power,
even when it was handed to him on a silver platter.

“I have no idea, I don’t
drink like a pig,” he grumbled as they finally reached the second floor. Seth’s
room was at the very end of the corridor.

“’Cause you don’t have
to deal with the shit I have to. I have ambitions, you know.” Seth pushed away
and swayed, but didn’t fall over.

Domenico counted to ten
in his mind. If there was anyone in this house who had lots of
shit
to
deal with, it was him. “If I were in your place, I’d make staying alive my
number one ambition. And now, that’s on me.”

The fucker actually
laughed, as he held on to the wall by the door. “Sucks to be you then.”

Domenico’s mind produced
a vision of those perfect, strong teeth breaking on the marble windowsill, but
all Domenico could do under the Don’s scrutiny was to dig his fingers into
Seth’s arm and push him forward. “Stop being a baby.”

Seth pushed on the
handle of his door and stumbled inside with a pained groan. “There. Done. You
can go.” He stood inside on swaying legs and started taking off his shirt so
violently that a few buttons snapped off.

“Not until you swallow
your pills.” Domenico entered the dark room and went straight for the desk
where he knew the maid would have left something to drink. In the dim light, he
opened the glass bottle and poured some water for Seth.

The man looked up at
him. His half-lidded and unfocused gaze only reminded Domenico why he didn’t
allow himself to drink too much alcohol.

“Ha. I know where this
is going.” Seth threw his shirt onto the armchair and pointed his finger at
Dom.

Domenico stared at him
with the glass in one hand and pills in the other, but couldn’t help his gaze
from discreetly straying to the meaty pecs on Seth’s chest.

Seth snorted. “You wanna
drug me. You want to embarrass me at my mother’s funeral. That is beyond low.”
He sat on the bed and pushed off his shoes.

“If anything happens at
your mother’s funeral, it’s your own damn fault.” Domenico dropped the pills
into the water and as soon as he heard the fizzing sound, he walked toward
Seth’s huge bed. The whole room was almost as big as Domenico’s apartment back
in town.

In contradiction to his
earlier accusation, Seth held out his hand for the glass. Domenico gave it to
him, discreetly casting down his gaze, all the way to the breathtaking, hairy
stomach. If this weren’t Seth Villani, he would be all over him. In every sense
of the word.

He crooked his head,
watching the powerful muscles of Seth’s chest work. Slap on one of those
ridiculous wrestling outfits, and the guy would look the part. Although
Domenico would definitely lobby for reinstating the historical wrestling
attire. Naked skin and olive oil. They still did that in Turkey.

“Thank you, Uncle
Domenico,” Seth said and passed him back the glass. “How did you get so
obedient anyway?” He scanned Dom’s face with a drunken squint.

“I’m obedient to my Don.
And now sleep,” muttered Domenico, watching the delicious skin in the sparse
light from the corridor. It would be just so easy to push him on the mattress
now. Too risky though.

Seth didn’t answer and
crawled into bed, showing Dom his wide back.

“Right, now sleep like a
baby and be fucking well tomorrow,” growled Domenico, hurrying for the door. He
didn’t have the time to stare at a cake he couldn’t eat.

Seth didn’t honor him
with a reply, but in his state it was hardly an insult. Domenico hadn’t seen
someone this drunk in a while. He left the room, but when he closed the door,
he realized there was someone standing behind it.

His eyes darted to the
floor first and he was relieved the shoes weren’t Frederico’s. Slowly, he
looked up into the stern, badly aged face of Luigi Tassa. It was this man who
had set him on the path Domenico was now on. It was thanks to him that he
became so successful at his work.

“If you’re done playing,
come with me,” Luigi said and put his hands behind his back.

“Good to see you too,”
sighed Domenico, but followed his teacher without question. Throughout the
years, he’d become more familiar with Luigi than with his own mother, and each
time he came back, he could recognize new lines in the man’s face.

Despite the cold
welcome, Luigi patted Dom’s back and handed him a cigarette as they made their
way down the stairs. The garden was the best place to talk, and Dom imagined
that after today’s events, this wouldn’t be a casual chat.

“What do you think of
our future Don?” Luigi sounded serious, but Dom knew him well enough to see the
tiny hint of smile.

Domenico snorted and
shook his head. “It’s a joke.” He looked at his mentor, wide-eyed, and took
extra care to look around and check to see if they had been followed. “I don’t
want to question the Don, but I can’t understand his actions.”

“I think everyone’s at
least baffled, but I didn’t see Vincente laughing. I don’t know what this
decision is supposed to prove, but you can cut the tension with a knife.” Luigi
lit his own cigarette when they went outside.

Domenico leaned down to
light his cigarette on the flame from Luigi’s Zippo and breathed in the
bittersweet smoke. “How badly does Vincente want this?” he asked, slowly
walking between the palm trees and away from the mansion.

“He thought the position
was his. He’s older and actually has the balls to do the job. He is scorned, no
doubt about that. Seth spent the last five years in the States as if there was
no tomorrow. What did that jellyfish of a man do there? Study tourism,
international relations, or some shit like that? Take up knitting?” Luigi
scowled.

Domenico took a deep,
long drag of the cigarette. “Something like that.” He looked at the sky,
stuffing one hand into the pocket of his slacks. “Seth will be my
responsibility now. How worried should I be?”

Luigi shook his head,
and there was no smile in his eyes. “Very. He knows next to nothing. You will
have to start with the basics. He knows how to operate a gun, but it doesn’t
mean he knows how to use it. At least he seems fit.”

“Yeah, but he knows no
discipline. This is going to be a fucking nightmare.” Domenico shook his head,
thinking intensely. “I need to take precautions in case Vincente gets out of
control.”

“I think he’s too
shocked. If he decides to act, it will take time. And the Don’s still alive and
well. Things can change in a year or so. You need to train him up. What happens
later is up to him. You are both getting sent off to Berlin for a simple
mission.”

“He doesn’t want it.
He’s not fit to want it.” Domenico shook his head. “But Berlin’s a good place.
Did you pick it?”

Luigi smiled wider and
drew in a breath of smoke. “I did. There’s a job to be done there. I remember
you like the city, so I thought it might sweeten the time you have to spend
dealing with Seth. You should make sure he doesn’t get stabbed or shot. Other
than that…” Luigi shrugged.