So Tempting by Jean Brashear Page B

see you dead first." His fist plowed into Dante's belly.
    Air exploded from Dante's chest. He hit the floor with a thud. His brother was on him before he could rise. Itching for long-overdue revenge, he welcomed the fight. They clashed with fists and teeth and kicks until four burly men pulled them apart.
    Chests heaving, they glared and struggled to rejoin battle. Dante still didn't understand what had happened, but he strained against his captors, relishing the chance to wade in with fists doubled and smash his brother into pulp.
    "Stop!" the lawyer ordered. He cast a nervous glance at Markos as if waiting for the explosion to ignite again.
    Dante had to discover what he'd missed. "Say it again."
    But the lawyer never got the chance. His brother spoke first. "It seems that our father decided to play a little practical joke." His eyes were bright and hard with menace.
    "What do you mean?"
    The lawyer cleared his throat. "He left the house and the bulk of his estate to his legal son, though he left you a small bequest." He cast another glance at Markos, whose frame was as rigid as his fists. "But the ownership of Prince Laboratories is not to be decided yet. You and your...brother are both to take positions there, to learn the business from the ground up. Each of you has the opportunity to wind up at the helm, and the matter will not be decided until five years have passed."
    Dante frowned, trying to absorb it all. "I have a chance?"
    "Don't get your hopes up. It will never happen. No one knows you there. They will be loyal to me," his brother said. Then he turned to the lawyer. "What of the amulet?"
    Instinctively Dante covered the amulet that never left his throat.
    His brother's gaze narrowed. Quicker than a cat, he leaped, tearing open Dante's shirt. He hissed, and his hand darted toward the necklace, poised to rip it from his neck.
    A murky ripple...the stench of corrupted flesh...
    His brother would use this for evil. Papa had failed.
    All those years alone...for what?
    Markos didn't have the advantage of surprise this time. Dante was now as tall as Markos and very near the same breadth, but he had not led his brother's pampered life. He grabbed Markos's wrist and squeezed until drops of sweat broke out on his brother's forehead.
    "It is mine. You cannot have it."
    "You are nothing," his brother spat. "You have no power. I will crush you."
    "Enough!" roared the lawyer.
    At his nod, the servants separated the two again. Markos held fast to the amulet until Dante feared the thong would break. He tightened his fingers, using a special pressure to break Markos's grasp.
    His brother fell back with a roar of pain. "Damn you, you will pay for this. The Eye of the Magos will be mine—"
    "It will not," the lawyer shouted over him. "Your father's will states that all gifts before death will remain the property of the recipient."
    Dante relaxed only slightly. He could see the hatred flashing in his brother's eyes and knew this would not be the end of it.
    "The hour is late," the lawyer said. "There is a bed made up for you in the east wing," he said to Dante.
    "I do not wish to stay."
    "But you must. There are other papers that will arrive in the morning related to the company, along with executives who will answer your questions and ready you to begin. If you wish to succeed your father, you will remain. Before you go, however, your father left something else for both of you." He produced two small carved wooden boxes and hand one to each of them.
    Dante opened his, and inside was a heavy silver ring with an intricate design, a dolphin surrounded by spirals, one of the symbols of Thera, ancient name of Papa's home island of Santorini. A glance to his right told him his brother had received one, as well, but the design featured a bull's head in the center, another of the traditional symbols.
    "You are brothers. Your father wished for you to remember the bond, to honor your shared blood." His tone made it clear that their father