Chapter 173

He would never let them insult me or hurt me. That safety and security I get from him is an instant balm
as the warmth of his body flows through at our point of contact and calms me instantly.

Alexi doesn’t visibly react to my moving to him, but his foot slides towards me and he rests his knee
against mine as a subtle message that he feels my unease. It’s a small tiny movement but I understand
its intention, and I’m immediately soothed with knowing he’s as in tune to me as I am to him nowadays.
He’s reassuring me that he’ll always fight my corner.

“I can’t help that I had a natural aptitude where you didn’t. Some of us are more capable of handling
things. Now shut up and focus on why I’m here. I’m losing patience and you don’t want me pissed …
younger cousin I may be, but I won’t hesitate to remind you who the fucking boss is.”

Alexi doesn’t waste time in acting it either. He’s asserting his authority and the energy is building in him
rapidly. I can feel it coming from every pore, psyching him up to act should he need to show them who
is boss. That level of anger and cool control combined sends shivers down my spine and even I sit up
and take note. Poised like a panther, hostility brewing and a complete lack of care that we are in a
crowded restaurant. Alexi is confident, this hotel is partially Carrero owned, and he doesn’t have to be
so careful in his behaviour here. Money can make so much go away.

The two men tense, hold their gazes on his face, turning a tad whiter in complexion and I jump when a
glass is swung in front of me from my other side surprisingly.

“I’ll drink to that,” Gino chimes in, shoving the vessel a little too close to my face to let me know I’m
being shielded from both sides, and eyeballs the cousin as intensely as his twin is doing. A little backup
and visually saying he will join in the fucking up of these men should they continue to pursue it. Gino
may not be a cold sadist like his brother, but I don’t doubt he has enough of the cray-cray gene to make
an impact and he wouldn’t let his brother battle on his own.

They shared a womb after all and came from a single cell.



I realise that coming here with only these two was maybe not wise if there is animosity between parts
of their family that he never warned me about. Surely, he should have brought backup if he expected
something like this. He told Mico and Jackson to stay put along with all his other escorts so we could
have a free weekend with no third wheels. He said he wanted this to feel like a weekend getaway,
rather than just business.

I thought all the Carreros were a united front with a wealth of loyalty and respect, not a simmering feud
between these men. I find it odd that Alexi wants to come here and buy a casino to retire in, with these
men as his support system. He must be insane.

Rob loses all venom instantly and drops his eyes to the table; his posture immediately slackens, and he
sighs heavily before glancing at his brother and lifting his head once more.

Obvious defeat and withdrawal.

Thank God.

“I’m sorry. Forgive me. I talk out of turn and I mean no disrespect. I’m somewhat shocked after the last
girl seemed to be so stereotypical for what you date.” He is backtracking, remembering who he is
fucking with and relenting. Not as dominant as he likes to make out—all hot air and no spark—bark
without a bite.

I physically breathe out heavily with relief.

“The reason the last girl isn’t here today is that she bored me quickly, as do all nodding obedient little
doorsteps with no backbone. There’s no challenge if there is nothing to tame,” he adds in a less
dangerous even tone. An obvious insult at his cousins’ choices of wives and their relationships in
general, and I feel a little smug at his sarcastic reply.

High five, Alexi.



I have to say, though, his sentiment is a revelation to hear. I always assumed he wanted submission
and obedience in a woman. It kind of explains why he fell for me. I have always been far too rebellious
for my own good. Even afraid of him I still stood up to him occasionally.

“You disrespect my woman again … I will shoot you in the fucking face. I may be your blood, but I’m
your boss first and foremost and it will do you well to remember that.” Alexi snaps, anger breaking
loose just enough to get the point across, and both men sit like stone with zero reaction. Chastised and
remembering he has the skill and means to carry through on a threat like that.

“Understood.” It’s George who talks first and then Rob nods and holds out a hand to Alexi in a show of
submission. Shaking his hand to end this weird and tense dinner fight. It may have been brief but I feel
like it lasted for long minutes. Alexi watches their united hands for a moment as he grasps it firmly and
then tightens his grip when Rob moves to release it and sit back.

That moment of confusion passes over Rob’s expression in an alarming second as his own knuckle
and wrist pales with the force they are being squeezed free of circulation. Alexi likes subtle intimidation
and a show of aggression in a small way. Tyler didn’t fare well with a tie choke, so I assume this is
meant in the same way. I hold my breath and try to pretend I’m not looking by staring at my dinner
settings, but I can still see him from the corner of my eye. Heart rate elevating.

“She will be my wife one day, and she will stand as my right hand. If you value your place in our
empire, I suggest you apologise to her and show the same respect you show our mothers. You know
the wife of the head holds the same power of command and will have a foothold over your head soon
enough.” Alexi’s own knuckles whiten as he applies real force and the grimace on Rob’s face suggests
he is in crushing pain. He nods, profusely and stammers at me sloppily.

“I’m sorry, Miss … umm … Walters. I … umm … mean no disrespect. My apologies.”



I’m too distracted by what Alexi just said to really take in his shitty apology and I just nod distractedly
and offer him a vague smile. My brain losing interest and latching onto something that sparked my
inner devious. I forget tense, anxious and uneasy and zoom right into some little words.

“Sure whatever. No harm no foul.” I mutter half-heartedly, waving a dismissive hand and forgetting my
nerves completely.

Alexi lets him go and he yanks his arm back to rub his tender digits while Alexi sits back smoothly as
though nothing happened. Mr cool and controlled once more and carefully smooths his shirt and tie out
to regain that suave composure. Didn’t even break a sweat.

My brain, however, is running over two points. Alexi reckons we will marry … okay, not that much of a
shock considering he has now brought it up a couple of times today and the day I do, if I do, I have the
same power in his family as he does.

That’s crazy.

The command thing … I never knew that the women in this family also gained a title, so to speak, when
married to the boss. It makes sense. If anything happened to Alexi, such as prison or kidnapping then I
would assume control in his absence. I had heard of this in the past with mob families and now I feel
stupid for not even thinking it.

If I marry him, I become Mrs King Carrero—Queen Carrero, and I have a say in what happens to
bitches who try to end my life.

If Alexi couldn’t give a command, then I wonder if I could.

I blink at him, that dreadful Marianne running through my head and I falter for a second about whether
his men would follow my instruction and deal with her if I married him this weekend in Vegas. The clogs



turning, the wheels moving, and I can see an answer to his family blocking him from making a move.
He can’t issue the kill command … but I could.

I could literally end all of this so easily, for both of us. Take away the threat and get some control back.

The thought crosses my mind and I immediately push it away again as stupid and impulsive. It’s a
manipulation for an outcome, and I shouldn’t even think of doing it for that reason.

I should want to marry him because I love him. At this point in our journey, we are clawing at some
honesty to build something real, and here I’m deviously thinking of a plan to use what he is to me for
my own ends.

After everything we have gone through, lies and games, manipulation and misunderstandings. It would
ruin us if I used this to get what I want. I don’t want to harm what we have growing between us. I want
to be trusted and to trust him. I can’t ask him to never betray me and then do exactly that.

Isn’t that what we are trying to learn to do? Isn’t that why he is trying to show me he can be someone
else just for me?

It’s there though. In my brain swirling around and I wonder about it a little too long. Guilt eating at me
rapidly inside as I honestly ponder it with some real depth.

Mico would know if it was a possibility. He wouldn’t lie to me. And Mico would carry out the order
should I command it as Mrs Carrero. I know he would. He respects the code of their family as much as
Alexi does, and now it’s in my head, I can’t stop turning over the idea with a real invested interest.

“I didn’t move you from the south to Vegas to have you give me doubts. Are you sure you are up to the
task of taking direction and running my Casino?” Alexi’s stern tone wades in over my thoughts, bringing
me back to the fact they have still been talking while I zoned out, and I watch the two brothers shift in
their chairs. One looks uneasy while the more combative just looks moody. I don’t know what else I



missed, but that tension is still in the air and Alexi is no more relaxed than when he was delivering
death threats.

“We spent years on the outside of the family, it takes some adjusting coming back into the fold and
having to toe the line under a younger cousin.” Rob has lost that arrogance and seems almost
submissive in his approach now and I wonder about the history there. What actually went on in this
family to cause a rift.

“Ladies. I suggest you all go powder your nose before dinner comes to the table. We need a few
minutes.” Alexi casts an eye around the table, obviously needing to chat this out with his cousin away
from an audience of inferior women, and I almost jump in fright as the other three leap to it and vacate
like scared little rabbits. I guess the tension of the conversation had them all poised to flight. I, on the
other hand, raise a brow at my commanding man and catch his eye, with that hint of refusal brewing
inside. Despite myself, I just cannot back down and obey him when he throws orders my way, it’s a
knee-jerk reaction I can do nothing about.

Alexi’s stern expression softens as he turns to me smoothly. He leans in close, so his mouth grazes my
ear, his breath fanning my cheek intimately; to the men, it looks like a kiss on the cheek as a goodbye.

“Please, baby. I need a few minutes alone with them.” It’s softly spoken, for my ears only and pulls a
huge satisfied smile to my face. Purring like a Cheshire cat as I lean back to lock adoring eyes on my
hunky specimen and overflow with stupid joy at such a simple thing.

“He’s learning!” I mock sweetly as I too push my chair back and give him an appreciative peck on the
cheek to reward him for being a good boy. Slight lipstick marking him for his efforts. Happiness
bouncing about ten feet higher.

Alexi just looks indulgently at me, trails his fingers up my leg seductively, out of sight of the others as I
get up and swan away merrily, shaking my arse for his benefit because I can feel his eyes following me



out the door. Even with a tiny almost nothing touch and a whisper, he melts my knickers and improves
my mood tenfold.

It only takes a moment to catch up with Alessandra at the bathroom entrance in the foyer and the two
blonde Stepford wives hurry in ahead of us. In case we infect them with our boldness.

God forbid.

Alessandra grabs my wrist before I follow and pulls me back beside her, leaning in close and hushes
her voice to a low level. Her face is serious and devoid of that normal sassy spark. She looks hungover
but there’s a tension in the depth of those dark eyes.

“Be cautious with those two. Watch what you say in front of them in here. They are programmed to
repeat all to their menfolk.”

“Why?” It’s an impulsive response even though I had gathered these women were not the type I could
confide my hopes and desires in.

“The Carreros had a rift for many years and one of Alexi’s uncles took his family South because of it. I
know Gino and Alexi don’t think I know what goes on with their family, I just choose to pretend to not
know. I don’t know those women in the way I know the other women who married in, so just be wary.
They do not have the same values as the rest of the family and their father-in-law is a very cold man
with his eye on still controlling the Carrero empire one day.” That heavy Italian accent of hers is laced
with warning and I lean in closer and match the volume of her voice. Fast becoming accustomed to my
new friend, and deep down, since the first time I met her, I get the feeling I can trust her
wholeheartedly.

“Why is Alexi choosing to have them involved then if the ulterior motive is to take over?” I blanch, skin
prickling in reaction to the thought all is not always merry and loyal within this family. The thought of



some back-stabbing mongrel trying to pull the wool over my Lexi’s eyes has me spitting fire in a
nanosecond. Fiercely protective of him and ready to brandish my claws to defend him.

“Alexi’s father wants to reunite his family and well, Lex always wants to make him proud. The cousins
are more willing to come back than their father is, and this is a way of mending bridges after they
picked Alexi over Rob to be next in line. Alexi is a good man; he will do as his father asks and try to
bond them once more. Family is everything to him, but he is not stupid. He knows there is a possibility
of betrayal but he likes to keep his enemies close so he can predict their next move.” She glances
around to make sure no one is listening.

“Giving them a position of power for a few years and rebuilding something to work on while keeping a
watchful eye. That’s the Alexi I know. God, I’m so glad I was an only child and have absolutely no
relatives still living that bother with me. Family politics is way too restrictive and exhausting.” I sigh
heavily and relax a little as her hold on me falls away.

“I know none of them well at all and the men give me a very bad vibe. Not all Carreros have the same
moral code. There are a couple of branches who have very dark hearts.” Alessandra looks nervous and
lowers her voice to an almost inaudible sound and I sense real fear in the depths. I forget, that despite
her brassy ways, she has led a relatively sheltered life and probably never really brushed the darker
side of her future family. She doesn’t know men in Alexi’s world and will never see that ugly side of life.
Gino would never allow her to.

“I think you call that the vibe of a wife beater. They seem pretty controlling and anti-strong woman if you
ask me.” I nod towards the bathroom door with a toss of my hair and sassy little chin lift. Despising the
cowering doorsteps in the midst.

“They are old school, much like many Italian men in this family. The older generation sees the women
as nothing more than child bearers and servants. These women are what they like in a wife—



submissive and docile. Alexi wouldn’t allow anyone who hits their woman to work for him, so I assume
it’s not how it appears.”

“I suppose. For all his scary and hostile, Alexi is not a woman beater.” I sigh with major adoration and
Alessandra grins at me from under thick lashes and beautiful deep dark eyes. Not missing one beat of
affection in my tone.

“You are both so beautifully in love. Alexi is complicated, but since he met you, I see more of his softer
side coming back. He used to be such a sweet boy but over the years he hardened so much, became
so cold and distant. I see him again when you are by his side.” She touches my arm softly, a gentle
moment from someone with a deep affection for my devil. She has known him a long time and I’m
touched by her genuine affection for him.

“If you had told me that a few weeks ago, I would have laughed and called you a liar outright, but now
… I can believe it. I’m seeing a completely new side to him lately and I can almost forget who he can
be at times,” I admit quietly. Still bowled over when I stop and really think about it. Looking back now it
all seems like a blurry dream and a man who never existed. His actions fading the past away into
nothing, the longer I’m by his side.

“Alexi needs someone who understands all sides of him and their necessity to exist. Don’t try to change
him too much. He has a very important role to play and that hard edge of his keeps him safe, keeps all
of us safe. He needs to be loved, dark side and all, no exceptions.”

She knows way more than she makes out and I smile at her knowingly. Hearing her loud and clear.

God bless her clever little heart.

“I know. I don’t plan on changing him, just the parts I have to live with.” I assure her, understanding
what she means in every word.



It’s because it’s what I need too.

Unconditional love from someone who knows your worst and just accepts it for what it is. No apologies,
no accusations or harbouring grudges for the scars we bear. We get each other and we love each other
without limits.

“Now come on before they wonder why we are delayed. They will be whispering about us, huh,
Bambino? Think we are all lovey together. Kissy kissy!” Alessandra laughs, that hearty husky, sexy way
she has, all heavy Italian, and I smile at her joke. Not that I would turn down getting one on one with
her if I was drunk enough. She’s hot and I appreciate a girl who can do things men would never think
of.

Alessandra yanks on my wrist and leads me into the bathroom to grace the company of our silent,
feeble dinner guests.

 


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