Page 52 of Brutal Revenge

“Your job?” I bark out a laugh when he dips his chin. “When has it been your job to watch your brother get his dick sucked?”

Nico balks, his brows lost in his hairline. “Hold on, what? I was joking earlier…” He reads the entire fucking plot on my face. “You escorted her to the dumping grounds, then made her suck your cock? Christ, Teo. You truly are a psychopath.”

He worms his way out of my hold, then paces the hallway rug.

This is how he thinks.

“I was referring to the footage from the boutique. Vanni told me to keep an eye on you in case an Adami showed up, and you lost your shit like you almost did with Antonio. The fact that he left both the basement and the boutique breathing is still a surprise to me.”

I work my jaw side to side, striving to keep my unusual emotions at bay, but my confusion blurts them out without warning. “He knows what her moans sound like.” Nico’s lips twitch, but I keep talking, silencing him. “Azra didn’t step foot out of the dressing room, so how the fuck did Antonio know those moans belonged to her?”

Nico laughs.

He fucking laughs.

“Nico…” I growl.

“I’m sorry.” He’s not. Not in the slightest. “I just can’t believe I’m having this conversation with you, Matteo I-don’t-do-commitment Caruso.”

“I don’t do commitment.”

“Yeah, buddy. Keep telling yourself that, and you might eventually convince yourself.”

I shoot him a menacing look in silent warning, and he gets this situation under control. “One… the salesclerk recognized Antonio and Azra from a newspaper article about their upcoming nuptials. She told Antonio that his wife-to-be was in the dressing room. Two… if Azra didn’t step foot out of the dressing room, what was the point of kissing her? If the clerk didn’t think it would be cute for Antonio to surprise his future wifey, he wouldn’t have witnessed your exchange.”

I’m too stunned by his first point to let him interrogate me about his second. “The salesclerk told Antonio Azra was in the dressing room?”

He pats my chest and makes a lovey-dovey face that I’ll rearrange with his fists if he doesn’t move it this instant. “Yeah. I got footage if you don’t believe me.”

“Jesus fucking Christ.”

It takes Nico a beat, but he eventually finds the punchline. “You took her to the dumping grounds because you thought she lied to you.”

He’s not asking a question, but like a chump who can’t swim without a life vest, I nod. It’s easier to lie without words. I didn’t take Azra to the dumping grounds to hurt her. The only reason I went there is because it’s the only part of Carlisle not under constant surveillance.

I didn’t want my brothers witnessing my first, and what I fucking hope will be my last, bout of jealousy.

“You’re an idiot.”

I nod in agreement but still try to defend myself. “I wasn’t going to kill her. I just wanted to scare her a little.”

“So how did it go from scaring her to her sucking your wang?”

It’s fucked, but pride puffs out my chest. “Have you seen her?”

“Yeah, I have.”

I block the path of Nico’s admiring gaze before it can get anywhere near Azra.

He’s spared from being slaughtered for the amusement in his eyes when Giovanni joins us in the hallway. The moment I saw Valentina in my room, I knew he’d be close by. Ever since Dante arrived on the scene, only ten short months after him, he’s had abandonment issues.

Vanni barely glances at me before he shifts on his feet to face Nico. “You owe me twenty.”

With apfft, Nico hands over a bundle of hundreds, announcing their bet was in the thousands.

Giovanni pockets the money before aligning our eyes. “You wear lovesick idiot as well as the rest of us.”

Spit flies in the air when I brush off his commentary without words.