Mob Ties: Sleeping with the Enemy (intersex x woman)

9

An air of despondency held me hostage as I followed Armani back to our family's seating box. I couldn't quite explain the feelings I had about having to abruptly leave Genevieve behind, but they weren't nice.

I would have preferred to spend the rest of my time at the tracks in the woman's presence, learning everything there was to know about her. Hell, I'd spend the rest of my night doing it; enduring the torture that came with pretending there wasn't a magnetic force drawing us nearer as the minutes would go on.

Armani came to an abrupt halt; a hand gripped my shoulder firmly. My brother's eyes were steely, brows slightly slanted as he spoke, "What are you doing?"
I gave him a confused look but knew exactly what he referred to. "Nothing."
"Maximillien,"

Oh no, he was using my full name. It was obvious from the man's stern demeanour that the topic was not a joking matter.

"If—and it's a strong if—Vinnie was willing to put a hit out on me unprovoked, simply for being what he saw as the 'weaker' Bussola—"
"Please, don't lecture me right now. I thought there was an emergency?"
"If he's willing to go that far," he continued, despite my protest. "What the hell do you think he'd do if he ever found out you fucked his wife?"
"I haven't—"
"Yet. You haven't yet. I know you Max. Stay away from that woman; it's trouble and you know it." He warned.

There were only a few times I could ever recall Armani 'big-brothering' me. Once in high school, Dillon, a hormonal male, tried to pull my pant down, threatening to 'expose' me. The level of rage I'd seen in Armani that day was seared into my mind for life. He was in his senior year, and the only friend I had ran to his class, dragging him back to the gymnasium to my rescue.

Armani beat Dillon bloody and suffered little consequence thanks to our father's heavy donations and protection he offered the superintendent. The boy's parents quickly moved him out of the school before packing the entire family up, disappearing from Westwood without a trace.

It was easy to think Dillon and his family simply moved away when I was too young to understand everything the family business entailed. But the older I got, the more I thought about it...And perhaps the boy's his family hadn't moved at all, perhaps they never made it out of Westwood.

"Ti amo, sorellina." he held both my shoulders, placing kiss against my forehead. "You've been shot at too many times already Max, even a cat only has nine lives."
(I love you, little sister)
An amused smile found my lips, shooing the man off. "Gross."

My family...this family... each of us would die for the other. And I only hoped as life went on, it would never come to that.

Back at the box, my nephews were folded in ungodly positions, fast asleep in the stadium chairs.
"I see I wasn't missed," I noted, earning a glare from Dario.
"Done fraternising with Vinnie's wife?" I frowned at Armani who held up both hands.

"I didn't say shit."

Dario held up the binoculars, "I saw you two." He pointed out. "And if I could see you, someone else could too."
"I already spoke to her; she understands the risks."

He gave Armani a bewildered look, obviously surprised at him taking something so seriously.
"Anyway," Dario passed the instrument to me. "Our boy has arrived."

I took a good seat, holding the binoculars over my eyes. In the distance, I could see Alessandro talking animatedly with the Menza brothers.
"If only I could read lips," I muttered beside him.
"Way ahead of you," Dario handed me a wireless earbud.