11. Chapter 11

Jade

Empire has two options for food. A big pantry-like room full of different snacks and small bites. And the dining hall, which is an even bigger room with four buffet-style sections to choose from each night. Matteo says there are typically a few different cuisines on rotation so there's never any complaints. Everyone can always find something they'll enjoy.

As a group, we go into the dining hall together. I'm nearly knocked off of my feet when my eyes meet a familiar face. My mystery man is leaving just as we're coming in, and he's not alone. Glued to his side is another man. He has a more youthful look and a smaller build than the big guy I ran into, but the two of them could be siblings.

Maybe they are!There's so much I don't know about him, and the itch to find out more is beginning to eat at me.

I watch as he finds me looking at him, his lips twitching before he disappears. Again. I'll find out his name when we sit down with dinner, I can't wait any longer. I'm a smart girl, I can get one of my brothers to tell me.

I know just which one to ask, too.

Taking a quick look at our options, Matteo and I both settle on a pasta option. Huge meatballs with spaghetti and marinara sauce for him, creamy spinach tortellini for me, both served with a side of garlic bread. Armani, Nico, and Remo all get plates full of tacos. Some chicken, some steak, all decorated with different toppings.

The food isn't as good as Martha's, but it's still delicious. The creamy tortellini is steaming but not too hot, which is very nice. I'd definitely eat it again. Matteo must think it"s good too, because he's taken four whole bites off of my plate since sitting down. At least I'm used to it now; I always just get extra just for him. The man can eat comically large amounts of food without blinking, and it's honestly a bit impressive.

While Nico and Remo start doing that twin thing they do sometimes where they talk quietly to each other, Armani and Matteo converse with me.

"So there really are cowboy mobsters?" I ask, lips twitching. "I honestly thought you were pranking me when you put them on the list."

I can't ask about the mystery man right away. Matteo is far too smart for that. I need to let him know I'm in an inquisitive mood before I bring him up.

Matteo snorts. "Jade, what do you think cowboys are? Or at least what they were?"

I lift a shoulder. "All I know about cowboys is that it's very likely they did more than just ride horses together on those long trips away. At least, that was a theory we debated in Western American Civ."

My youngest brother howls with laughter, drawing some attention our way, but not much. "You talked about cowboys fucking in class? Maybe I did miss out on public school!"

"I can't wait to tell Colton that's all you could think of when asked about cowboys as a whole," Armani snickers.

Colton Wyatt is the heir to The Outlaws, which Matteo pointed out to me as we were getting off of the boat. I honestly kind of figured he was fucking with me about the cowboy bit, but seeing him and four other guys with Stetsons on at dinner kind of tipped me off to the truth.

"Well, that's not all," I huff. "But that's fine, I'd like to hear his thoughts. I, for one, am on team gay cowboys. It's only logical."

Armani chuckles. "Logically or statistically speaking? Because if we're discussing the numbers, that would mean that at least one of your brothers is gay as well. How do you feel about that?"

"How do I feel about it?" I echo. "I think it's great—" A bit of worry creeps up my spine, and I lower my voice to a whisper. "Do we… does The Outfit not think it's great?"

My stomach gives a painful drop. That would be horrible.

"The Outfit cares about heirs," Matteo answers with a grin. "Outside of making sure our line continues, the organization has no qualms about who we're with. And Dad already has three grandkids, so it doesn't actually matter if the rest of us reproduce or not. Though, he wants Apollo to, and he'd prefer if we were at replacement rate."

Well, that's a relief.

"Replacement rate?"

"Ten of us, at least thirteen of them," Armani explains. "The extra three would replace him and Cesar and add a new Moretti member. More if you want to replace the wives as well."

Wowza. "That's a lot of babies."

"There's a lot of us to make a lot of babies," he replies. "Mafias that rely on a strong family name expect high birth rates. Can't stop us if we keep multiplying."

I nod along. "And, um, about what you asked earlier—" Before I can awkwardly string together the right words to tell my brothers they can be open with me, Matteo cracks a magnetic grin.

"Nico is gay," he tells me. "He isn't shy about it. And Armani?—"

"Can speak for himself."

"—fucks anything he finds pretty."

Armani lets out a long sigh. "Thank you for so crudely informing our sister that I'm bisexual."

"And you, little sister?" Matteo prods, poking my arm playfully. "Any chance we're getting a sister-in-law in the future?"

"Extremely unlikely, sorry," I answer sheepishly.

Women are beautiful, but looking at them? I feel nothing similar to when I look at a handsome man. I can't help it.

Armani whacks Matteo's chest with the back of his hand. "I don't even want to think about her looking at someone with dreamy eyes, and you're thinking about her getting married?"

"I'm a realistic man," he grunts. "Chances are she'll be in love by the end of her first year at Empire. Lord knows we'll have to fend off contract proposals."

Being in love with my mystery guy by the end of the year sounds kind of lovely, actually. But wait! "What the fuck is a contract proposal?"

Arranged marriages and betrothals I'm familiar with, they've been explained to me before, but a contract proposal? It sounds so cold and detached.

Matteo gives me a confused look. "Um, exactly what it sounds like?"

That's what I was afraid of. I guess it's really not that dissimilar to what I've heard before, but I never went so far as to put myself into that hypothetical position. I don't think I like it one bit.

My eyes narrow at Matteo, and I forget about my dinner entirely. "People are going to try to make a deal for me? Like, offer something in exchange for my hand in marriage? What kinda old ass shit is that?"

He rolls his eyes like I'm the one being crazy. "There's not an offer we'd entertain. We don't need anything."

"But if you did, you'd sell me in exchange?" I demand, hands going to my hips.

"Well, I wouldn't do anything," he huffs. "And no, it's likely Dad wouldn't agree to that. Especially with how many of his sons are single. He'd just pick one of us to marry off. That's how Cleo and Leon got matched together."

I frown, remembering that now. Two of my brothers are in paired-off marriages, one of them being loveless. That's got to suck, right?

Matteo sees my face and lifts my chin with his hand. "Hey, don't feel bad for them," he says, reading my mind. "They may not have picked their wives, but neither of them would trade their kids for anything. We used to have a running bet that Melani and Emilio would be in love eventually, and now they are."

Of course, they'd bet on their brother's marriage. "You did?" I chuckle a bit. "What made you think so? Because she's nice?"

I haven't met Melani yet, and I'm glad for it. She had a two-month-old when I showed up, so I'm glad she made taking care of herself a priority. I would have felt so guilty if she made a trip to Dad's just for me. She's going to come with Emilio to see us when we come home from Empire anyway. It'll be a perfect time, I think.

Even without meeting her, I can tell she's sweet. She sent me flowers and contact information to use for various situations. If I ever need a party catered, a fancy dress on short notice, or a ride anywhere, I have the phone number to make it happen.

"She's nice," Matteo agrees. "And she's fucking hot, Emilio was just being stubborn. He was already obsessed with her, he just needed to realize he was all in. I think his messed up little co-dependent brain couldn't understand anything that Elio didn't spell out for him, and Elio hated Melani."

"I don't think Elio hated her," I argue softly, even though I wasn't there. Elio isn't a hateful person. "He probably just missed Emilio."

Matteo shrugs. "Don't underestimate Elio's ability to place blame where it doesn't belong. Melani is the bombshell sweetheart that took his twin hours upon hours away. But before that, she took Emilio's attention, too.

"I mean it when I said he was obsessed with her. He had trackers and guards on her at all times, and she loved it. She smiled so big any time he got worked up about her safety. And I mean, if he wasn't gone for her already, he would be now. They've made two kids. You don't see a woman like Melani naked multiple times without feeling something for her."

"Okay, enough about marriages and babies," I sigh, beginning to pick at my food again. "There's someone I saw walking in that didn't stay. Big guy, brunette, didn't say a word, and he was with someone who sort of looked like a smaller, younger version of himself. The younger one looked like a first-year, too, I'm just curious if we'll share classes."

Matteo chews, nodding while he thinks. Armani doesn't look suspicious, so I think I'm in the clear.

"Hmmm, you're probably talking about Dmitri Morozov and his little brother Ivan. They're like us, Empire royalty."

"They are?" I try to ask lightly, keeping my tone curious so that Matteo doesn't pick up on anything else in my tone. The last thing I need is to never be let out of his sight because of a little crush. Okay, a big crush.

He nods, swallowing a bite of food. "The Morozovs are the only Russian mafia with over twenty members in the states—they've got hundreds if not thousands of men on the West Coast. They own their territory without effort, and their numbers are the most intimidating out of all the groups on the list I gave you. They are absolutely lethal, and we aren't exactly friendly." He pauses to consider his words. "We aren't enemies, but we aren't allies."

"Dmitri is their heir?" I confirm, trying to picture the study sheet he made me.

"Correct," he answers, grinning. "Look at you, learning and shit."

So Dmitri is an heir. I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or a bad thing.

On one hand, he could be safer from my crazy-ass brothers with that title. On the other hand, he could already be promised to marry someone else. Having an heir betrothed at a young age isn't uncommon. Although, maybe he got away with it like Apollo because his family doesn't really need anything.

"They tend to keep to themselves and their little group. Pretty sure they eat away from the common areas, that's probably why you saw them leave."

As much as I want to fire off more questions, I refrain. Another slight subject change should keep me in the clear of any and all suspicion. Fingers crossed.

"So who's the biggest group that doesn't come to Empire?"

Matteo hums, thinking about it. "Triad, probably. They're a Chinese syndicate, but they don't trust Empire with information about them or their safety."

My shoulders stiffen. "They don't think it's safe?"

Rolling his eyes, he pats my hand. "It's more than safe for you here. You have a bunch of people looking out for you."

"But?"

"But their suspicion isn't entirely unfounded," he admits. "The rules are good ones, and to this day, they've been effective. However, there is technically nothing but the threat of death and despair keeping everyone in line. You make an enemy mad enough, and the threat of death isn't going to stop them from coming to Empire to take you out."

Gulp.

"And they're typically a faceless organization because it makes them stealthier. Plus, they train from a young age. So, while Empire is a great tool, it's sort of pointless for them. More risk than reward."

Smart.

"A lot of Empire is American-based groups," Armani adds thoughtfully. "Even the Brits have some kind of foothold here, mainly in New York City, which is a shared territory. The triad does a lot more overseas than in the States. America is full of security, and if you don't have the cops in your pocket, you'll learn that very quickly."

"Makes sense." I think. "Now my brain hurts a bit."

"Information overload," Matteo chuckles. "Don't try so hard to learn everything at once. By the time the semester is over, most of it will be memorized."

Biting my lip, I hide a smile. "You also think I'll be in love by the end of the semester. You've got high hopes for me, dude."

"Not hopes," he corrects. "If I could keep you single until you're forty, I would."

"What if I want babies?" I taunt, flicking his arm. "Forty is too late."

"Fine, thirty-nine," he negotiates, and I laugh into my hand.

"You're a goof."

"Hey, Armani," a deep and smooth voice calls out, grabbing the attention of our whole family. I find the smiling face of Colton Wyatt heading toward our table. "You coming out tonight? The first night party is at the old building again, and—hey, who's this?"

Colton's eyes are right on me as he asks, caught off guard by my unfamiliar face as it seems. He's got very handsome features up close, but the cowboy is not nearly as exciting or alluring as Dmitri is to me.

Matteo wraps an arm around my shoulders, tugging me closer to him while still in my seat. "She's off limits," he answers, voice serious and not very friendly.

A husky laugh leaves the newcomer. "Testy, testy," he drawls, a southern accent decorating each word he lets out. "So the rumors are true then, there's a new Moretti."

"There's rumors?" I grimace, twisting my lips to the side.

"Oh, nothing too serious," he assures me.

"You know I'm not going," Armani interrupts, answering Colton's original inquiry. "None of us are."

The man groans. "So boring."

"Parties are boring," Matteo argues. "We're a wholesome family."

Okay, he's definitely being sarcastic. Matteo loves a party, well, if he throws it. Maybe that's the difference for him.

"Whatever you say, man." Colton looks over his shoulder like he might leave when Armani speaks again, giving me a grin as he does.

"Hey, Colton, what do you know about gay cowboys?"