Page 85 of Vicious Intentions
“Yes, you.”
Raffaele chews on my words, and when his face suddenly lights up, the knots in my chest tighten.
“Let me guess, this has something to do with Anna, doesn’t it?”
Just the sound of her name on his lips irks me to no end.
“It does.”
“Fucked it up already, have you?” He laughs out loud. “I knew it was only a matter of time before she saw right through your lies.”
I want to tell him that, aside from pretending to be him, I have never lied to Anna. Not once. But I can’t say that to him,especially not to Raffaele. He already has his suspicions, and I will not give him any more reason to confirm them.
“Everything is going according to plan,” I say instead, keeping a cool facade. “But I’ve run into a little hiccup that I need you to smooth out.”
“What kind of hiccup?” His eyes narrow on me.
“Anna wants to talk to me,” I begin, only for Raffaele to cut me off before I can finish.
“You mean Anna wants to talk tome?” he mocks with an all-too-pleased smirk playing on his lips. He knows he’s got me, so much so that he puts his heels on my desk, crossing his legs at the ankles. “Well, well, well. Isn’t this a mighty turn of events?” he laughs. “So what do you intend to do about it? Can’t mess up your perfect plan now, can you? Not when it was going oh sosmoothly.”
My back molars grind as I fabricate another smile. “Like I said, Anna is expecting a call, which she will get.”
“Good luck with that. You sound nothing like me.”
“I never said I did. You’re the one who will call her.”
“Me?” he places his hand on his chest. “You wantmeto call Anna?”
“Yes. I thought that was obviously clear.”
Raffaele stares at me with that fucking pleased smile and then says the word I knew would slip out of his mouth. “No.”
“I’m asking nicely, Rafe.”
I give him time to reconsider, because despite what my kid brother may think, I know how he operates. He enjoys giving me grief first before accepting my demands. Of course, he’ll probably bargain something for himself, but he’ll end up doing what I need, one way or the other.
When his eyes begin to shine, I already know what he’s going to say before he even opens his mouth.
“Wait. I changed my mind. Consider my answer a maybe.”
It’s like clockwork with this kid. “What do you want?”
“First of all, I want a phone that my big brother isn’t tracking all the time.”
“No. You haven’t proved your loyalty to the family yet.”
Raffaele’s nostrils flare, but he’s smart enough not to press the subject.
“Fine then. If you want me to call Anna, I get to call her anytime I like from here on out. I’ll even use your phone to do it.”
“Again, my answer is no.”
“For a boss, you sure suck at negotiating.” He huffs out, disgruntled.
“I don’t negotiate with terrorists.”
He smiles at my statement. “Is that what I am? A terrorist?”
