Chapter 23


    I have seen him snorting lines with his men when the refurbs were full swing and they were kicking


    back for the night. ‘’It’s like that? She’s not allowed to fuck me but you won’t touch her, and she’s not


    allowed to do a line with us but yet watch us do it right? Sure she’s just your hostess Al? Seem a little


    bit possessive of your ything over there.’’ Gino is goading him and I can’t tell if he’s trying to wind his


    brother up or angling for a real fight.


    My inner nerves tighten and I sit a little stiffer, caught right up against Alexi as his whole bodynguage


    ups an aggressive gear. ‘’It’s like that!’’ Alexi snaps back and I literally freeze with the change in him. I


    thought twins were meant to be close but right now they are two subtly hostile bulls going head to head


    with a lot of raw static in the atmosphere around us. He mentioned his brother was close to him so I


    don’t know if this is all down to substance abuse or not.


    ‘‘What if I just take her, walk to your room and screw her right now?’’ He seems almost buzzing with


    amusement at that statement and I nch at this seemingly charming man who has now grown two


    heads. Guess the apple didn’t fall far from the tree and he has Alexi’s prick side too. No angel about it,


    these two are mischievous demons alright.


    ‘‘I think I would have a say, don’t you?’’ I butt in snappily, annoyed with the arrogance that he could just


    have me, but Gino dismisses me with a snort and augh, and I am wondering if he is as nice a guy as


    I thought he was. Bad blood must run in their DNA for Alexi to be the way he is and I’m not so sure


    Gino doesn’t contain some of the psycho genes too. Ipletely misread him, something I seem to do


    with these Carrero men.


    ‘‘Try it.’’ Alexi drops his tone and slides his arm from over my legs, sits back and starts tapping his


    thumb on the hand hooked over the couch behind my head. I can do nothing but sit in terrified silence,


    watching this unfold,pletely aware of the tension around me.


    Alexi is poised, despite his visually casual pose and I don’t doubt he would jump to action if Gino


    touches me. I wouldn’t touch me if I were Gino. Alexi may be leaving me open to try, but I am breathing


    in the waves of hostile testosteroneing from him. He is loaded and ready to spring to his feet in the


    glimpse of an eye and I know the boy has some serious fighting skills.


    He trains with his boxer cousin two days a week and haspeted in amateur fights for charity. I saw


    the photos and news clippings in his office. He’s a street fighter by nature.


    I take a long slow breath to try to calm my hammering heart, caught like a deer in the headlights. A twin


    stand-off. Sizzling atmosphere and I nce between them like a nervous teen contemting what a


    tug of war chew toy looks like after two wolves are done fighting over it—that’s me right now.


    I feel sick and my body goes weak with the loss of adrenaline. Ginoughs again and lifts his drink and


    raises it in the air in a ‘‘touché’’ gesture and sits back down, much to my utter relief. Obviously knows


    which brother contains more violent tendencies and ability to enforce his wishes.


    ‘’Rx princess, this is what we call marking your territory with a pissingpetition. My brother is


    drawing a line where you are concerned and it’s a strong one.’’ Gino is smug, Alexi looks scarily nk


    and I know it means he’s not impressed. When he closes down to a deadpan demeanour, he’s usually


    hovering over the abyss of rage.


    ‘‘Mine. Whether I am fucking her or not. Don’t ever cross this line again.’’ He warns him and I just


    swallow hard, on edge about the cray-cray tendencies Alexi has over this possession thing. I wonder


    how hard it’s going to be to cut loose when I no longer have his debt holding me here and shiver


    inwardly with the realisation that cutting Carrero loose when all is done and dusted might not be an


    easy thing. He has issues.


    ‘‘Just fuck her and get over it, you know holding out only makes it more intense. Give in to it, get her


    out of your system and then let me y with her.’’ Gino is smiling at me and I swear to God I feel like I


    may throw up or throat punch him with the way he’s talking as though I am not even here.


    He’s not Mr American nice guy, he’s unhinged and twisted and reminds me of so many men in my past.


    I’m practically pissing myself, he has me so wound up and nervous.


    ‘’Go back to Alessandra Gino, you’re high and being a dick. You’re scaring her.’’ Alexi moves and sits


    forward sliding his arm away from me to give me a little breathing space to exhale. Motioning to the


    bottle in the centre of the table as his brother leans forward and pushes it to him amicably. Despite all


    the weird whatever this is, they are still passing each other booze and acting like they’re merely having


    a sibling squabble over which cartoon to watch. Meanwhile, I am having an emotional break and my


    hands are shaking with the intensity of what just went down.


    ‘‘I’m being serious. Alessandra and I have an open rtionship and I want to sample Red''s vour.


    Hell, Alessandra would get in on the action if I asked her too. How about it Red? Do you want me to


    fuck you?’‘ Gino grins like an idiot and cocks his head to one side as he looks me over once more and I


    just re at him this time.


    He doesn’t know when to stop, clearly likes living on the edge. I jump in fright as Alexi smashes the


    bottle on the floor between his feet. Throwing it down and he jumps up swiftly, ring at his brother and


    says not one word. Just this terrifying silent mass of man looking like he wants to rip heads off as he


    breathes heavily and prates Gino’s skull with that colourless gaze. Gino continues grinning like a


    lunatic as my heart pounds through my chest. I swear I think I just had a heart attack. I sit stone still,


    afraid to move.


    Alexi never loses his cool—EVER. Not like this; he has way more control than that.


    Gino seems intent on pushing his buttons to the core and I have no idea why someone would be that


    stupid. Clearly sadism and masochism run in the family. That or ack of IQ. You would have to be all


    kinds of stupid to y this game of cat and mouse.


    ‘‘Stay off the coke Gino. I hate when you get like this. Last time I almost killed you, don’t push me to do


    that again.’’ The air crackles and Gino slowly stands up, matching his height and build and just seems


    completely unfazed, pushing his brother in the shoulder and throwing me a dazzling smile. Just as


    though he hasn’t sent his brother to the edge of Nutjob so effortlessly.


    ‘‘I fucked hisst possession … right over his bed. Woke up in intensive care three weekster. Some


    fucking brother, huh?’’


    He is aplete and utter headcase and Alexi looks fit topletely lose his shit. I blink nervously as I


    absorb what he just said, yet I staypletely still and calm as though I don’t care. Inside I am a


    trembling mess and I can barely breathe. I’m shivering but not from cold, although my body has shut


    down in fear and I do feel like I’m losing all ounces of body heat.


    ‘‘Go home.’’ Alexi warns him again and this time there is that slow tone of veiled danger. Gino takes


    note finally, obviously knowing his brothers signals way better than I do and it’s not wise to keep this


    up. He might not be as lucky as seeing intensive care if he does.


    That tone is like the calm before the storm and it signals Alexi is about to lose his grip on humanity and


    turn into a weapon of mass destruction. ‘‘You’re right; been on one all day. Too much coke and booze


    and not enough sex. I’m heading off … enjoy opening night. See you around Red, it was my absolute


    pleasure.’’ Gino moves away from Alexi and skirts the table to head for the door, walkingzily and


    throwing back a smile at his brother that doesn’t dampen the atmosphere at all.


    ‘’Don’t call me for a few days,’’ Alexi warns and I wonder if this is standard cooling off time between two


    clearly unstable boys. Gino just throws a wave and a chuckle and pulls his silver box of fun out as he


    opens the door. Obviously not done getting wasted yet.


    I slide to my feet and put my ss down edging to get past one very wound up Carrero, who’s oozing a


    lot of aggressive energy as he watches his brother leave and jump when he catches me by the arm


    and hauls me to him furiously. So fast and with so much strength I almost bump noses with him and I


    yelp, banging into his torso as Gino disappears out of the doorpletely, no backwards nce and it


    slides shut with a thud.


    ‘’You’re mine. Understand? No matter what goes on, whether I fuck you or not. You’re mine! You stay


    the hell away from Gino, or any man for that matter.’’ He seems deranged, a biting tone and nasty


    edge, losing that cool and his eyes are dark grey and terrifyingly wide. The warning in his statement is


    loud and clear, nothing veiled about it. He’s obviously had a lot of coke himself and I nod mutely.


    Trembling with the way he’s being and seeing a glimpse of his unhinged side finallying out to y.


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    ‘’I’m not interested in your brother. Not my type.’’ I whisper it hoarsely, breathing hard, genuinely afraid


    of him right now. I’m not mad enough to y with that kind of fire. Alexi is a control freak and I am his


    current toy … I wouldn’t put myself in harm’s way by pushing his boundaries while I owe him my life.


    I tremble in his hold, don’t fight or move but stay locked to that hard stare, going limp in his biting grip


    and close to tears.


    ‘’Keep it that way. He’s made an art form of trying to take from me his whole life … I’ll snap your neck if


    you betray me. I won’t feel any remorse either.’’


    Shit!


    I swallow hard and literally cannot find the words as cold fear sweeps my body. I don’t like this version


    of him at all and I wish he was just his normal bastard self right now, instead of this terrifying ranting


    psycho who says he will murder me for touching another man. He doesn’t want me but no one else can


    have me and Ipletely believe every word. He looks insane.


    Carreros are all unhinged!


    I make a move to get away from him, my fear taking control and my run away button pushed, but he


    catches me around the throat and hauls me back, holding tight but not hurting me the way Demagio


    did. It’s more the shock of how he grabs me and pulls my face to his, so we’re literally nose to nose and


    that enables his control over me. Touching so briefly he is breathing against my mouth and my body


    sweeps with a new wave of cold fear and bespletely obedient and still. He looks vacant and


    my eyes start to bite with moisture as deep-rooted terror turns to tears. He looks like every other evil


    monster who ever defiled me right now and I feel like the man I have been getting to know and


    marginally trust is a million miles away.


    ‘’I will kill anyone you touch that isn’t me.’’ He sounds venomous, voice low and husky and just res


    deep into my soul, making a very real statement that I know he is capable of carrying out. A moment of


    intense tension before letting me go and dropping me on my arse, back on the couch in an ungraceful


    heap. I can’t breathe, literally wing for air and curl up instinctively into a ball when he steps towards


    me. Scared this is going to escte, but he just brushes past and stalks out of the sitting area and


    heads for his bedroom without a backwards nce.


    I take a deep hysterical breath, trying to pull air into my starved lungs painfully and let out a huge sigh


    of relief as I hit the body consuming shakes. I try to get my legs to work but they feel like Jelly. I don’t


    know how to react at all and I know this isn’t normal Alexi conduct. I have been around him enough to


    know this is drug-fuelled and sibling pushed rage, and he’s showing the side to me that he’s famed for


    in the underworld. If I ever doubted Carrero was aplete psychopath, then I just witnessed a tiny


    glimpse of it.


    I wipe a solitary tear from my cheek with the back of my hand and try hard to regain myposure,


    shaking like a leaf. All the past weeks of settling in here, finding my ce with him, it’s all been a sham.


    I just got a massive reality check. He’s not some romance hero that will sweep me into a better life.


    He’s controlling, borderline abusively so and this is fast bing a toxic environment.


    If this is the mask lifting to show a little of his true colours, then I know it won’t be long before more of


    that sidees into y.


    The sooner I break free from this the better and if I can’t work off my debts fast enough then I will run


    far enough away that he can never find me. Alexi Carrero is not my happy ever after in any kind of way.