Strange Addiction

Chapter 10

Alessandro

I was driving back home from dropping Elena off and something was off about her. She brought this feeling of comfort wherever she went and it was slowly getting to me.

I pull up to my driveway seeing my brother waiting for me. Lorenzo was more than my brother, he was my best friend and the one person who knew me better than I knew myself. I shut off my car and opened the door, shutting it behind me. Lorenzo was leaning against the wall and his hand had a lit cigarette. "Brother." He said making me sigh knowing the next thing he had to say to me would make me annoyed.

"What?" My harsh tone wasn't obvious to him but he just rolled his eyes. I was pissed he decided to tell Elena there was something wrong with me. He didn't have any right. "You have a visitor." He answered and he signals up to my bedroom.

What? He knew I hated people in my room. No one's allowed inside.

I sighed walking to leave when he called out for me, "That girl, Elena? Do you care for her?"

That question made me begin to worry about how much I cared for Elena. The first day I met her, she gave me a feeling of comfort and security. Something I've never had in my household. I love my siblings but my parents were another story.

I walked away without giving him an answer and I heard him sigh as I headed into the house. I pressed in the code then moved my eye to the scanner and the door unlocked. I walked in seeing my sleepy little brother, Mateo walking towards me. He was eight years old and my mother dumped him here like she did the rest of us.

"Alex." He mumbled and he reached out for me. I crouched down picking him up and he dropped his head on my shoulder.

"How was school?" I asked as I carried him to his room. As I was walking up the stairs, I saw Martina sneaking out a boy knowing what Lorenzo or I would do if we found him, and then a girl. I chuckled, rolling my eyes.

Next time.

"I didn't like it." He mumbled as I frowned confused. "And why's that?" I said as I reached his room holding his door with my free hand. I held him on one hip as the other opened his door. "All the kids have no sense of humor and I hated all of them," Mateo mumbled as I set him down on his lighting McQueen bed and lifted the covers over his small body.

That's the Russo blood in his veins talking.

Mateo snuggled into his pillow holding his Teddy bear close to his chest. I watched him as he shut his eyes. "What woke you up?" I asked as I brushed his brown hair from his face. "I heard you and Lorenzo downstairs. I wanted to see you before you left again. You're barely home." Mateo whispers as he slowly opens his eyes again looking at me. He knew the reason why I wasn't home and I hated the fact that he did. He was only eight, he shouldn't know what we did.

But being the younger brother of the future leader of the Italian Mafia isn't easy. Being the heir to the throne made my insides crawl. I never wanted to become my father but now I can feel myself slowly becoming him. "Mateo..." There were so many things I wanted to say but at times I didn't have it in me to say and right now I didn't. "Go to sleep, buddy." I kissed his forehead and he slowly closed his eyes.

"I love you."

His words made me come to a halt. Those words felt foreign to me as he said but I knew what brotherly love felt like. "Love you too, little brother." I slightly turned around to see a smile on his face.

I headed towards my room which was farther from the others and on the top floor which was entirely mine. My office was there and my workout space. Lorenzo had his own as well and I didn't like the fact my father didn't appreciate Martina because she was a female. I didn't allow her to feel like she wasn't enough in this household. I knew how that felt and I would be damned if I allowed her to.