He lets out a low chuckle, the sound bouncing around the hallway. "I don't think you’re the one that should be giving lectures about asses, that is my thing after all."
I don't rise to the bait, continuing toward Gio's office even as I feel Maximo's stare boring into the back of my neck.
God, I'll be happy when I can take a vacation away for a while and relax. I can't remember the last time I took a woman to my bed and that's definitely not helping with my current mood. Once upon a time, I could string together the nights in which I kept a warm body beneath me or on top. And now, my body is the only thing left in my bed and it isn't even always warm at this point.
I push the thought away as we continue through the compound. Taking the spiral staircase, I jog down them and move through twists and turns of hallways. When I get to a door with a keypad, I quickly enter in my personal code. The door beeps before the lock gives way. I push the door open, Maximo on my heels.
Moving down the hall, I ignore all the other doors and halls until I get to the one that I'm looking for. I enter the correct code again and this time when I push the door open, Gio's face comes into view.
A sneer mars his features, his lips twisted into a frown as he looks at some papers in his hand. His feet are propped up on his desk and there's a gun sitting in his lap. All in all, none of it looks out of place. If anything, it looks like a regular day at the office for Gio.
He glances up at us, his gaze moving to his brother and hardening for a moment. He pulls his feet off his desk, gripping his gun with his free hand. He spins in his chair until he’s looking at the man I know is sitting in the shadows of the room.
"Enzo, wait outside," he orders.
There isn't a response, but then Enzo is morphing out of the shadows. I don't know how the man is so good at it. I know that he has a background in special ops at some point, yet he seems to be able to find the darkest spots of the room and hide in them with no problem, even in the sunniest of places.
He tugs at the lapels of his suit before walking past me. He doesn't spare me much of a glance and I don't say anything about it. I do take note of the way that he pauses slightly when he moves by Maximo. He turns his head to the side slightly, looking up at the taller man.
Maximo's lips curl into a grin and from the mischief on his face, I almost expect him to do something. But he doesn't, simply watches after Enzo until he disappears completely from the room.
The door closes behind him with a thud.
Gio sits up in his seat, his gaze remaining on his brother. His jaw clenches for a moment. “I would ask if you've lost your damn mind, but I already know the answer to that, you weren't born with one."
Maximo shrugs before leaning against the wall. "Well, I don't know about all that, big brother-"
“I am not in the mood for you and your lip," Gio cuts him off, holding a finger up.
Maximo squints and I pray in my head that he doesn't decide to run his mouth, even though I know that it's highly likely, considering that the man never shuts his fucking mouth, especially in the moments that he really should.
"Why did you burn down the club last night?" Gio asks. His finger is now pressed against the side of his jaw and there's a vein bulging in his neck.
Maximo's lips twist to the side. "Well, that depends on which club you’re talking about." He lifts a brow, just asking for trouble.
Don’t let them start fighting, because there's no way in hell I'm getting between them when Gio already has one hand on his pistol.
"You know exactly what club I’m talking about," Gio snaps. “It’s the one that you burnt down last night while you were out with Enzo."
Maximo's head peeps up in interest and he glances at the door. "Did he tell you that?" he inquires.
"Enzo's is my personal guard and driver. When he’s out I know exactly where he is, so no he didn’t have to tell me," Gio says.
Maximo nods, as if pleased with the fact that his current favorite plaything didn't rat him out, even if he should have.
"Well, it's pretty simple, I was down at Vitello's, and I won 10k, but they didn't want to give it to me."
Gio's eyes widen, his jaw dropping. "And so you decided to burn the place down?" he asks.
Maximo gives a sharp nod. "Yes, it's a matter of principle. I couldn't let him disrespect me and the Costa name like that."
Gio rubs at a muscle in his jaw, his eyes squeezing closed, lines appearing at the corners. "You put us at the risk of war for 10k."
Maximo looks at me, his brows pulling together in confusion as if he doesn't understand what his brother's problem is.
If he's looking for help from me, he won't be getting it.
He turns back to Gio, narrowing his eyes. "Of course, it was money that I won fair and square at the table. I was justified in wanting it given to me."