“Grazie, cugino.” Paolo nods.
He’s trying to hold back his smirk, but I see it. I don’t acknowledge him, thinking he’s gotten one over on me; I don’t mind driving him. I just like to mess with him every now and then.
When we arrive at the spot, I’m immediately annoyed. There’s a line around the block. Paolo knows I fucking hate crowds, especially in a place I’ve never been.
Even though I’m observant, and it would take a ninja with inhuman skills to sneak up on me, I still don’t like new environments. New places always bring out the silent killer. I do my best to control that part of my personality, but sometimes it slips out. I’ve never been diagnosed with any type of disorder; I just prefer to separate the components of my personality. It’s easier for me to think of him as a separate entity. At least, it was easier when I was younger and had uncivilized urges to kill for no reason.
However, the older I get, the more comfortable I am with all of my character traits. I wouldn’t say it out loud, but the silent killer is the biggest part of my personality. I know that about myself, but I’m still afraid to fully embrace him. It’s probably the only thing that I am afraid of.
When I pull up to the valet, I make sure not only to give him a tip but also a deadly look. No words need to be exchangedbecause when the guy swallows hard with a nod, I’m certain that my car won’t be fucked with.
“I’ll leave your car up front, sir. Have a good night,” the young guy nervously says.
“Gracie,” I respond.
“Damn, Luc. Relax, man. I thought the kid was gonna stroke out from the death glare you gave him.” Paolo shakes his head, laughing.
“I don’t need to relax. I need him to know I’ll kill him if he fucks up my car.” I narrow my eyes at my cousin.
Paolo knows that I don’t particularly like people touching my shit, especially my cars. But I’d rather valet than park it myself and have some numbskull ding my door. At least this way, I can assure they won’t let it get damaged.
“Let’s go before you kill somebody before the night even gets started,” Paolo says, patting my back.
He’s purposely being an ass because he knows I hate when he does that. Paolo likes to push buttons, it’s just part of his personality. Although I’m used to it, I still get irritated. But I don’t let him know that I’m annoyed. He’ll stop being an asshole when he doesn’t get a reaction.
We go from the valet directly to the front of the enormous line. The bouncer doesn’t check his clipboard as he automatically steps aside, letting us pass. Although this may be a new club, everyone in Dallas knows who we are.
As soon as we step inside the huge venue, Paolo moves to a VIP section. Again, there’s no hesitation to let us inside. The club is packed, and the VIP is full. Eyes follow us as we make our way over to Paolo’s women. We’re used to people staring and whispering when we walk into a room. Although I ignore the reactions, I am very aware of each and every one of them.
The women are giggling and hanging all over Paolo as soon as we walk up. I simply nod and move around to a seat where my back is to a wall with an exit at both ends.
They give me frowns, but don’t comment. My behavior may come across as rude, but really, I’m just trying to control my emotions with the sensory overload I’m having. Although having my back against a wall has somewhat curved my irritation, I’m still looking forward to getting out of here.
I usually can handle the club atmosphere, but after my kill and being on high alert throughout dinner, I didn’t get a chance to unwind in a safe environment. My parents’ house is my refuge, and Alicianna being there messed up my balance. Now, I’m too wired.
I watch the room until my eyes land on the most magnificent creature I have ever seen. She is wearing a black dress, but even sitting down, I can see the plush curves of her body. Her hair is slicked back away from her beautiful face, which makes it easier to see her plump, red lips from here. I sit up instantly intrigued. In a club full of people, she’s completely alone. The sadness seems to be wafting from her in waves. I want to know why she’s alone and who made her sad. I want to know why she looks so miserable. I don’t approach her, I sit and observe the woman for at least an hour. She never moves from her seat, and that intrigues me even more.
I want to ask her why she’s sitting alone, but before I can, I see a man approach her. He’s average height with blond hair, and I can tell by the way he’s strutting through VIP that he thinks he’s something special. He’s not. However, I plan to find out who he is.
It doesn’t take me very long to observe the average-looking man and the beautiful woman to figure out that they’re a couple. It also doesn’t take a genius to see that both of them are fucking miserable. I don’t know his reasons, but her misery is obviously because of him.
The music is too loud and I’m not close enough to hear what they’re saying, but I can tell by their body language that he’s pissed about something. When I look closer, though, I can see she isn’t arguing with him. The gorgeous woman looks terrified as she shakes her head. She’s leaning away from the man with her arms hugging her body.
When the man gets into her face, it takes a hand on my shoulder to keep me from getting out of my seat. I look up and see Paolo shaking his head. I frown at my cousin.
“Not our territory,cugino.” Paolo is staring at the couple.
My eyes shift from him back to the man and woman. My heart is beating rapidly, and I can feel the silent killer itching to come out. My family has a tentative truce with the otherorganizations here in Texas. The Dalonzo organization is by far the largest and most powerful, so if I decided to fuck someone up in their territory, there would be very few consequences if any.
However, I don’t want to disappoint my brother. He’s been working hard to step out of our papa’s shadow as the Don, and I won’t be the cause of anyone being able to hold something against him. So instead of following my instincts, I sit back in my seat.
I was already wired as fuck, and now that I’ve zoned in on the couple, I will never settle down. I’ve made up my mind that I won’t make a scene in the club, but I also refuse to take my eyes off of them.
It doesn’t take long before the man makes his move and grabs the woman roughly by the arm and pulls her out of her seat. He slaps her before dragging her toward the back exit nearest me. I don’t wait, I immediately get up.
“Don’t make a mess,” Paolo says seriously.
“No promises,cugino,” I reply, following after the couple.
