Dante: Chapter 20

The door to my study almost comes off its hinges with the force as I burst inside to confront my devious little sister. She sits on the small sofa in the corner, her hands in her lap as she picks at her fingernails. She’s nervous as hell and she should be because I have never been so goddamn pissed at her in my entire life, and she has pulled plenty of shady shit before today.

“What the fuck, Joey?” I hiss, anger vibrating through every muscle in my body and making me shake with suppressed rage.

She looks up at me, her long dark lashes wet with tears. “I’m sorry, Dante —”

“Sorry? Fucking sorry?” I shout, banging a fist on my desk and making her jump in fright.

“I didn’t think you’d care.”

“Don’t fucking lie to me,” I snarl. She has never been afraid of me before and she’d never had reason to be, but I haven’t felt a rage like this for such a long time. Not since I found out about Nicole. I swallow a ball of anger and it knots in my chest instead.

“Why, Joey? Do you really hate me that much?”

Her eyes flicker with anger and years of suppressed emotion. I actually see it ripple through her body before she jumps up from the sofa. “I hate this goddam house. I hate that I can’t take a fucking shit without someone watching me, Dante,” she screeches. “I hate that you and Lorenzo get to do whatever the fuck you want because you were born with a dick! While I have to be the perfect, pampered princess who doesn’t get to even breathe without permission.” Her chest heaves with the effort of her diatribe and tears run down her cheeks.

“What the hell does that have to do with Kat?”

“Why do you get to keep your little pet? Why can’t you be miserable just like I am?”

I step closer to her. “You think I wanted this life, Joey? You think I don’t dream about just walking away?”

“Running off to Italy like Lorenzo?” she snipes.

“I never said that.”

She shakes her head and stalks to the other side of the room. “I have no one, Dante,” she sniffs.

“That’s not true.”

“Yes, I wanted to hurt you. I wanted to pay you back for sending me away. And Kat wanted out of here. She is desperate to leave, she had to be if she came to me, right? She even pretended to like me.” She scoffs. “She would have found another way if it wasn’t with me. She will find a way, big brother. Lucky for her she’s not tied to this family like I am.”

Her words hit me way harder than I expected them to because I know there is a ring of truth to them. How desperate must Kat have been to trust my little sister, who has shown her nothing but contempt. And I knew it all along, didn’t I? I convinced myself that I was the one in control, and she manipulated me into thinking that there was something more between us than just physical. Damn, she was good at it too.

“I hope it was worth it, Joey,” I say. “Because whatever happens to her now is on your hands.”

She narrows her eyes at me. “What are you going to do to her?”

“Why do you care?”

“I don’t.” Lies come so easily to her, tripping off her tongue like they cost nothing. I’m not sure there has ever been a woman in my life who hasn’t lied to me as easily as Joey just did. And usually, I can see right through them. Like I did with my mom when she used to tell me everything was okay and my father was a good man. Like I saw through my ex-fiancée, Nicole. But I didn’t see it with Kat. She lay in my bed every night, and I never saw it. I guess I didn’t want to.

“Good to know,” I say before I turn and head out of the door.

“I know what really happened to Nicole, Dante. Lorenzo told me.”

The mention of her name makes me falter for a second. My heart seems to stop beating. I knew he was going to tell her the truth, but I didn’t think she’d ever speak of it.

I don’t reply. I can’t think about anything but Kat and how she’s ripped out my goddamn heart. I can’t take my anger out on my sister, but I will damn well take it all out on her.