Caught In The Crossfires - Spinoff

21

CHAPTER 21

Alessandro

"Goddammit, Lola! Open this fucking door!" I yelled, causing spit to fly out of my mouth. My fist banged on the door while I used my other hand to work the doorknob. Of course, it would be locked. There was a small table with a drawer on it across the hall, and I kept a spare set of lockpicks in it. No one ever messed with it, and Cristo would never have a reason to look in it, so I tested my luck by keeping it in there. I pulled it from the drawer and then got eye-level with the lock. Sticking the straight pick in first, I worked it around the lock and then wedged the curved pick inside to jimmy it open.

"Fuuck!" She screamed from inside the office, and I heard something crash to the floor.

"What the hell was that?" I shouted back, more worried about the state of my brother's office—than her. He would lose his ever-loving shit if his space were astray, and I could guarantee his little piece of ass behind this door did not want to get caught in the crossfires of his outburst. More and more things began to crash to the ground, and I felt my gut knot. When I get my fucking hands on you-

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" My brother snuck up on me. His voice was level, always able to hold himself together. His black leather shoes tapped against the marble floor as he strode towards me. My hands froze in place, but I twisted my head from side to side to crack my neck. I wasn't afraid of my brother by any means, but I did have some level of respect for him.

"Well, look who's back early." I looked down at my wristwatch. "No one to play with at the club today?" I chimed and rose to my feet. Leaning my shoulder against the door, I got comfy and kept myself in a position to block his entry.

"I'm not in the mood, Alessandro. Now, explain to me why you were trying to break into my office? You have your own." He didn't stop walking and came right up to me. I placed my arm across the door and grabbed onto the frame, shifting my body over casually enough he wouldn't question it.

"Ah, but you have so many fun things in here, Cristo!" I chuckled dryly and knocked my heel against the door. You better shut the fuck up if you know what's good for the both of us, girl. I couldn't forget about my—or should I say our—little problem behind the door. I couldn't hear any more commotion coming from inside the room, so maybe she heard that her boyfriend was out here with me and didn't want to get caught.

"Yet, you never have a problem finding something or someone to entertain you. Now, how about you stop blocking me from my office." Cristiano deadpanned. He moved to walk around me, but I sidestepped him to keep myself between him and the thick door.

"Come have a drink with me, brother. We could play a round of darts in the lounge? It's been too long." I insisted and put a hand on his shoulder. He was a couple inches taller than me, but I was broader than him. Even with our height difference, any time he mistook my suit jacket for his, it swallowed him. His eyes narrowed to suspicious slits, and I knew he wasn't taking the bait. I was just feeding him a bunch of bullshit. "We ought to talk; let's go to the lounge, shall we?" I put pressure on his shoulder, trying to guide him back the way he came, but he shook me off.

"What're you hiding from me?" He asked, and all I could respond with was a dark and pleading look. He motioned for me to move, and I gave a curt shake of my head 'no,' and his glare grew dark. "I'll make you move if I have to." He warned, and I knew he would. I gripped him by the collar of his shirt, and he looked down at my fists as if they offended him.

"You cannot go in th-"

A loud crash came from his office, sounding like broken glass and furniture. I knew there was no hiding it from him now and let his shirt go. Cristiano stormed past me and latched onto the doorknob. "What the hell? Who the fuck is in there, Alessandro?" He spat as he twisted and jerked on the knob. The door was unlocked—I had managed to break it open—but the door wouldn't budge. He stepped back and kicked the door, pushing it open an inch.