Gin opened the door, and we stepped through. Benito was sitting behind his desk, looking over paperwork. The moment we walked in, he looked up with no emotion displayed on his face as he gazed at me.

“Done chasing after the enemy?” Benito asked.

“No.”

Giancarlo sighed as if another fight was about to break out.

“He didn’t even stay. That shows you he never cared in the first place,” Benito said.

Time seemed to freeze around me as I stormed over to my brother’s desk and swiped my hands over it. Everything flew to the side as my hands crashed down hard on the wooden desk. “That isn’t true.”

Benito’s gaze hardened, refusing to give an inch. It made him a great leader but a shit brother sometimes. “Enzo, we’ve been over this. The way you perceive things are different than others.”

My fingers curled, and my knuckles scraped against the wood. Could I have been wrong? The time I’d spent with Tex had felt like so much more. I shook my head.

“Not this time.”

“Enzo—”

I stood back up and met my brother’s gaze head-on. “No. Tex is different.”

“He is a threat to this family.”

Benito wasn’t wrong. Tex’s job was a threat, but Tex himself… I wasn’t sure.

“He stays off limits,” I said.

Benito looked ready to argue, but Giancarlo walked over.

“That’s it, I’m calling it. We are done fighting. We’re brothers.” He leaned against the desk. “You both were hurt differently in the past.”

Benito scoffed, but I knew the truth. My brother had fallen for Brycen; he just hadn’t known that the man was playing us both.

“Enzo, is Tex different?”

I nodded without hesitation. “He is.” I met both of my brothers’ gazes.

Benito stared at me for a long while before he growled under his breath. “You’re willing to risk everything we have for him?”

“Yes.”

Benito’s face showed nothing as we stared at each other. The tension thickened with every second that passed. It was easier to keep a hold of my emotions with Tex not being so close. That day at my place had been one of the few times I’d ever lost it on one of my brothers.

Benito’s eyes said “I’m not.” He didn’t have to say it out loud. My stomach turned, and I prayed it never came down to me having to face my brother in a life-or-death situation, but for Tex? I would.

“We need to stay focused,” Gin said.

“Did he get anything from your home?” Benito growled.

“No, I don’t keep anything there.”

The tension was so thick I was on edge. Normally, being around my brothers gave me a little bit of peace but right now, I had to watch every move and word that came from both of them. Tex’s life depended on it.

“Benito,” Gin said.

“Shut up!” Benito pulled out a cigarette and lit it with a match. “The cops are always a bother. I will handle it in time.” He lifted his hand, cutting off any protest that sat heavily on my tongue. “Another one of our shipments was taken, and four of our guys are dead.”