9. Chapter 9

Jade

I'm supposed to mention I have brothers if I'm ever lost. It's one of Dad's protocols for me going away. No one will recognize me, but they'll recognize our name and think twice about any less-than-appropriate thoughts they might have. I'm not sure I want this guy to think twice, though.

He doesn't respond verbally but lifts his eyebrows, glancing around.

"Who are they?" I guess, hoping that's what he's getting at.

His lips twitch ever so slightly, and he nods. A rush of warmth rolls over me at the simplest motion. I'm not sure if he can't speak or if he doesn't want to, but he understands.

"The Morettis," I answer, offering a smile. "Armani, Remo, Nico, and Matteo? Any one of them will do, I just know they're probably freaking out. We aren't even there yet, and I'm already getting lost."

He tilts his head, and something tells me he means for me to keep going. Likely because he knows my brothers and knows they aren't supposed to have a sister.

Though, if this were high school, the whole boat would already be buzzing with the rumor. At least it would be a true one. But I imagine the kids of mafia empires aren't that interested in some random girl. I bet they have other, more pressing things to discuss.

"Do you know them, um, my family?"

This nod is a stiffer one.

I try not to frown. "Not in their fan club, then?"

His head does a sort of tilted shake that I interpret as a mild it's complicated.

Well, at least he doesn't hate them.

"Oh." I twist my fingers together, nervously fidgeting. "Well, I'm sort of a new addition to the group and don't want to make anyone upset by disappearing for too long. Do you think you could help me?"

Like he can't decide what he wants to do, he takes a moment before dipping his head. A big-ass hot guy should definitely not be seen returning me to my brothers. And I cannot let any of my siblings know that I find him hot. Fingers crossed he can point me in the right direction.

Although, the longer I look at him, the longer I think my brothers can wait just a little bit more. Look, they don't make guys like this in public high school, I don't even think they make them like this at college. Can you blame a girl for admiring the view?

Before he can speak or point or gesture for me, I change the subject. I have no idea how many new faces I'm going to meet on this island, but I want to know how to find this one again. I can't let this be the only time I see him!

"How old are you?"

Amused, he lifts two fingers.

"Twenty?"

He emphasizes the two fingers another time, rocking them forward.

"Twenty-two?"

He confirms with a dip of his chin.

"Totally hypothetical and random other question," I preface, licking my dry lips. "Do you date girls you've just met who?—"

"Jade?"

My name echoes from farther down the hall, and my eyes widen. Armani's voice calls out for me again, and the mysterious man seems to understand my panic. Without hesitation or being asked, he begins to walk past me in the direction away from my brother's voice.

"Wait," I surprise myself, whisper-yelling the word as he walks away. "Will I see you again?"

What could possibly go wrong? It's only embarrassing if he says nothing or flat-out rejects you.

He turns just enough to see me over his shoulder. "You will."

The man disappears into the corridor as the timber of his voice weakens my knees.

I almost squeal with excitement. He speaks! I mean, it's not a requirement. We could certainly figure out communication without his voice. It would be entirely worth it, but knowing that I can hear that voice again? It's exhilarating!

Holy shit, I like this guy!

He said two words to me, and I'm totally crushing on him right now. Oh my god, I don't know how to operate with a crush. Especially not how to operate with a crush I can't tell my brothers about. And therefore I can't really tell anyone about it. I don't doubt their ability to get secrets out of other people.

The first thing I'm doing when I go to bed tonight is contemplating how to spend time with my mystery guy and soon.

"There you are!" a worried voice pulls me from the clouds and back down to earth. "Where have you been, are you alright?"

Armani gets close to my face, evaluating the state of me. "Did you get lost? Did anyone hurt you?"

"No, no, I'm fine," I promise, shaking my head. "I was figuring out my way back and got distracted looking around. Sorry, no one hurt me though, I swear."

Genuinely concerned, he releases a breath. "You have to be careful, Jade. The rules on the boat make the rules on the island look militant. A lot of shit is allowed, and is easy to cover up. We talked about this?—"

"I know, I know, I—" Swallowing, I cut myself off.

I feel like such a shit sister for worrying my brothers so I could get a few more stolen moments with a dangerous, gorgeous stranger.

"I really am sorry," I tell him honestly. "It's a lot to take in."

"I know," he murmurs, softening up. "Did you ask anyone to help you?"

Uh-oh. "Umm?—"

"You did," he guesses, eyes scanning the empty hall around us. "Who was it? Did they ignore you? What did they look like? Which way did they g?—"

And this is why I can not tell any of my brothers that I have a crush. They go from zero to one hundred in a flat second. The protectiveness is actually so heartwarming. Having them care so much isn't something I scoff at, but I do know it's going to make getting to know a guy difficult.

I'm crossing my fingers that my mystery guy is down with keeping secrets because I'd like to give him more than a few.

"Jesus," I burst out, cutting him off. "I thought you were working on this scarily overprotective thing?"

"I was until someone talked to you," he shoots back. "Who was it? This is important, little sister. I need to know."

"Can't you just trust me?" I ask hopefully, smiling up at him. "You wouldn't grill Matteo like this, would you?"

"I've seen Matteo take down men double his age and twice his size. I know Matteo can end a life as quickly as he can tell a ridiculous joke. I don't have to ask him these things."

My arms cross, half-offended by this. "I've taken care of myself on my own before."

"And now you're not allowed to," he argues right back. "You're meant to be kept safe, not thrown to the wolves."

Maybe I like wolves, I want to challenge, but refrain. "No one ignored me, no one was mean to me, and no one threatened me, okay? Can we move on now? I'm tired."

"When's the last time you drank your juice?"

Aaaand here we go.

Armani is serious about a lot of things, but hydration might be on top. It's good for everything, according to him—and maybe scientists too, I suppose.

"How much money do you spend on clothes and electrolyte juice?"

He scoffs. "What else is there to spend money on?"

"Food?" I say the first thing that comes to mind.

"Dad pays for food."

"I don't know, Armani," I groan. "A house?"

His nose scrunches in disgust. "I live at Dad's."

"What about a car? A boat? Activities?"

"I have three, Dad owns a fleet of ships so why would I need a boat, and what activity would I care enough to spend a dime on?"

"Okay, this is a stupid game," I huff. "I haven't had juice in an hour."

Like I've morally offended him, he gasps, clasping my hand in the crook of his elbow. "Let's go before you dehydrate. I swear, I don't know what I did to deserve so many siblings with such poor personal care skills. If I didn't water you all, you'd die like finicky houseplants."

The sun is shining down on the boat, but not enough to make me perish from going an hour without a beverage. Boys are so dramatic.

"There was a solid month where I drank almost exclusively diet Dr. Pepper because it was all Kim wanted to buy, and our tap water was like radioactively bad."

The look on Armani's face is murderous. I forgot I can't say things like that without thoughts of war and torture immediately sparking in my brother's brain.

"On the bright side, I like soda?" I add warily, trying to soften the blow of the information.

"It's like you want me to kill her," he grumbles, guiding me away from the hallway and back to where we belong. A hopeful look creeps into his eye. "Do you want me to kill her? Because I will literally leave to do it."

"But then who would protect me from the hallways?" I joke, nudging him with my elbow. "Why are we still talking anyway? I'm juiceless here, Armani, juiceless!"

"You're teasing isn't cute," he lies, unable to hide his grin.

"I'm always cute," I disagree. "I?—"

Whatever I'm about to say is knocked right out of me when someone crushes me into a horribly tight hug.

I suck in a startled breath, relaxing when I recognize the scent of the body closing in around mine. "Matteo," I groan. "Can't. Breathe."

"You disappeared!" he accuses, holding me just as tight. "I thought I was going to lose my shit if I couldn't find you in another minute!"

"You were already losing your shit," Nico drawls blandly, flipping through a magazine.

"I see you've been worried," I laugh, observing his relaxed state.

"I figured you were canoodling with some poor fuck, and knew if I left you alone, I'd get to toss him off the ship. Pity to be wrong, it would have brought some joy to this otherwise boring day."

The idea of Nico and my mystery man going at it is a horrid one. Nico is more than skilled, I know this, but the quiet man's size would certainly give him some trouble.

A sad thought begins to swirl in my head. What if the mystery man is an heir? If he is, my brothers couldn't just toss him off of the ship without starting a war outside of Empire's walls. Would that stop them? Would they start a war over a crush?

Shaking off the question, I stay calm. Everything is going to be fine. I'm not talking myself out of seeing him again. I just want to.

I met the man just a few minutes ago, and he could be awful, but somehow I know he's not. He could want nothing to do with me, but if he does? Well, who am I to deprive myself of something I want? Life has taken so many things from me. It can give a few things in return, I think.

"Sorry to disappoint," I wheeze. "Wouldn't want you to get too bored on the luxury ship on our trip to the elite private college Dad pays for."

"You're forgiven," Nico says amicably, flipping another page with a fluid swish of his hand.

Squirming in Matteo's arms I push him off, barely. "Can you let me go now before I pass out from a lack of oxygen?"

He releases me, only to move on to shaking my shoulders. "Don't do that again. I'm going to get wrinkles and start looking like fucking Apollo."

"Apollo doesn't have wrinkles," I jest, but it's true. His skin is practically flawless. Like he was made by a machine instead of people.

Matteo huffs. "Apollo doesn't have the emotional depth required to create wrinkles, but he's still old."

Lovingly, I pat his cheek. "Are you being pouty? Have you not had enough juice today?"

"Ughhh," he groans loudly. "Don't get Armani started about the fucking juice."

The next couple of hours seem to go by at lightning speed.

Most of my time is spent listening to Matteo crack jokes about whatever is on the TV and thinking about my mystery guy. I'm still thinking about him when Remo offers to take me to the top deck to watch the boat drift into the dock.

In my defense, it's only logical to wonder about him while walking around the boat. I mean, I could see him again! Talk to him, no. But admiring from afar is on the table for sure.

Remo guards me differently than Armani and Matteo typically do. He doesn't put a hand on me but walks alongside me in a domineering stay-the-fuck-back manner. Remo is probably my quietest brother, next to Cassio. Sometimes I wonder if Remo isn't really quiet, and he's just sad like Cassio. When you have nine new brothers, all ranging in age and personality, it's hard to feel like you know all of them.

"Brace for wind," Remo advises, reaching for a door to the top floor of the ship.

Unsure how strong the wind will be if it comes with a warning, I clutch his forearm with my hand, wrapping my fingers around it tightly.

His eyes shoot down, looking at where we're connected. I almost pull away, thinking I've crossed a line for him when he looks back up at me. "You'll be okay. I won't let you blow away."

"Is that a possibility?" I ask nervously.

"Come on," he says, pulling me through the door with a little tug.

The wind whips through my hair but doesn't make me sway on my feet. Remo's brunette curls twirl around his face, sweeping over his eyes, but he doesn't struggle to move it. I, on the other hand, immediately tie my hair back into a low bun to keep it more manageable. Smaller pieces continue to blow around my ears and neck, but the bundles of waves no longer invade my vision.

I continue to hold his arm until we're at the edge, where I can grip the railing for stability. The cool metal sends a wave of goosebumps up my arms, but my little cardigan keeps me warm. It's an optional uniform addition, and I understand why now. It doesn't look like I'm going to be too hot any time soon.

"That's it there," he points outward, gesturing to the body of land emerging from the foggy air ahead.

"Whoa," I comment, genuinely lost for all other words.

The view is incredible and nothing like I could have pictured. Matteo has mentioned this place a million times, but he's never mentioned how beautiful it is. For him, this place isn't about what it looks like but what it does for him. I could never witness something like this and not mention how gorgeous it is.

The smell of warm salt water floats around us as I stare. The island isn't tropical but more like a forest. There is midnight black sand on the shore, but not far behind it, the trees begin. Tall, and daunting, they look like they go on for miles. Their leaves are a lush dark green, showing off that they're healthy and strong.

The sky is a murky dark gray with angry-looking clouds circling above, only allowing peaks of sun to push through. It looks more like somewhere in the Pacific Northwest than it does a secret island hours away from the coast.

I'm not even going to pretend to know how weather and climate work to theorize about the island's conditions. I'm just going to take the win because if this place was hot and sunny, I would be sweaty and sunburnt by day two. Don't get me wrong, my hands and feet get cold easily, and it sucks when I can't bury them into a nice chunky blanket. But at the end of the day, I'm the kind of girl who thrives when it's a little bit chilly. R.I.P. to the summer girls who will not be enjoying this location as much as I will.

"It looks like a movie," I tell him, breathing in the crispy fresh air.

"It's not so bad," he agrees, nodding along.

I hum, continuing to watch as the boat slowly sails closer. "Cold?"

"Half and half," he answers. "There won't be snow, but there are some colder nights. A few hot days as well, but it's pretty moderate."

I couldn't ask for a better reply.

"I'm excited," I confess, feeling my face starting to grow red from the cold wind. "Nervous but excited."

"Nothing to be nervous about," Remo states reassuringly. "We'll all be here for you the whole time."

Hopefully, not the whole time.

"Come on, you two!" I hear called out.

We both turn to find Matteo walking toward us, slapping the wind to get it off of him like that's even possible. "Stupid fucking nature," he grunts, running a hair through his hair. "I should have made Nico come get you guys. My poor hair."

"Nico would have refused," Remo remarks.

"Nico can kick rocks," Matteo huffs. "Come on, Armani wants us ready to get off the ship as soon as it docks. Impatient ass."

I giggle at his frustration and give one last look at the island before leaving with the two of them. Matteo takes his usual position of guarding my side while Remo takes the back. They don't discuss it, just naturally fall into position.

"Ready for your proper introduction into Mafia Princess Society?" Matteo questions, nudging me lightly with his elbow.

I'm as ready as I'm going to get.