“I’m going to teach these men a lesson.”
“I don’t… um… I’m just not sure…”
“I need you safe, and you’re safest with me. You’ve known this is who I am from the moment you met me.” I turned to Angelo and gestured for him to go on into the warehouse.
“Are you sure, Luce?”
“I need a minute.”
As my brother walked away, I cupped Peter’s face in my hands. “The men in there have all done horrible things. Some of them went to my house. To our house. If you had been there…” I shuddered, not wanting to think about that. Devil and Sabrina would’ve taken care of him, but I couldn’t stand thinking about him shaking with fear knowing someone was coming for him. “I can’t let them get away with that.”
Peter nodded. “I know. I understand that you have to be harsh so no one else tries to take what you have.”
“That’s right.”
“I really don’t belong in this world. I don’t know if I can—”
“Yes, you do. You belong with me, and you’re braver than you think you are, Peter. You came out with me tonight, knowing someone planned to attack the restaurant.”
“I didn’t have a choice.”
I raised my brows, holding his gaze. “Didn’t you?”
“You told me you wanted me there.”
“And what do you think I would’ve done if you’d refused?”
“Punish me.”
“True, but have any of the punishments you’ve received truly hurt you?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“Remember that. I’m glad you came with me tonight, especially since there was an attack on the house, but I’m also glad because I had a lovely evening with you. Things are going to get ugly now, and I can’t let you go because the only way I can be certain you’re safe is if you’re right here with me.”
“O-okay.”
His voice shook, but his hands came to rest on my waist. I kissed his forehead and then led him into the building, wondering if he would ever look at me the same after that night.
“Stay by Peter’s side,” I said to Angelo when we met up with him just inside the door. “There’s no need for him to watch or listen, but I won’t risk him staying out in the car.”
Peter’s wide-eyed look made my chest tighten, but I had no choice. I was going to make an example of some of these men. Devil was already there. I didn’t know what he had said to them, but all six of the men who were tied to chairs at the far end of the warehouse either wore looks of fear or anger. A few of them were struggling against their bonds. Considering Devil and I, as well as the other men who were there guarding them, had guns, I wasn’t sure what they thought would happen if they broke free. Did they know how much Devil would relish chasing them down? If he had his way, he’d free them all and gun them down as they ran. My style was a lot more controlled.
I recognized two of the men—one was the bearded man who’d interrupted us at the restaurant and another was one of Ricci’s enforcers. The rest looked like a ragtag bunch with no more sense than Jimmy. I had to admit I was glad he wasn’t among those here tonight. I didn’t want to kill or torture him in front of Peter.
It was clear Devil and the other men had roughed them up when they’d caught them. Each man had various cuts and bruises on his face and one man’s foot hung at a funny angle.
“Learn anything interesting?” I asked my cousin.
“Nothing yet.”
I glanced at each man, waiting until they looked me in the eye. Then I spoke to them all. “The Marchesis control this territory. Anyone else that has business here has to go through me. When they don’t, there’s trouble. I’m a reasonable man. I don’t like to start trouble, but if you start it with me, things are going to get rough. Your jackass of a boss couldn’t take down my grandma, much less me. He’s sticking his nose in places it doesn’t belong. And now I’m going to have to take time away from my busy schedule to deal with that. That does not make me happy. And when I get unhappy, I get mean.”
Devil nodded. “He does.”
“So before I bring down some justice, does anybody have anything they want to tell me?”
Nobody spoke. I hadn’t expected them to.
I glanced at Devil. Fortunately, we’d worked together long enough that we didn’t need words to communicate. I tilted my head toward the men I recognized. Devil grinned at me, and I was sure he got the message. It worried me how easily he killed, but tonight, like so many other times, I was also grateful for it.
We lifted our weapons at the same time and put bullets through the heads of the two enforcers. They slumped in their chairs, and the bearded man’s weight caused his to tip and crash to the ground. Neither of them moved again.
I surveyed the remaining men. “Unless you want to join your associates in hell, you’re going to go back to your boss and tell him what happened tonight. You’re also going to give him a message from me. Tell him I’m coming for him. He’s crossed a line, and his life is forfeit. At this point, he can still save some members of his family, his wife, his kids, his nieces and nephews. The way to do that is to end this war he’s started. Now.”
I heard a door creek behind me. I whirled around, ready to shoot anyone who dared intrude. But instead of someone entering I saw Angelo rush out behind Peter. Was Peter so horrified he was trying to run?
Angelo would catch him, and I would deal with him later. I turned back to the men we’d captured, but before I could give the order for Devil and the others to toss them in a truck and find a place to dump them where it would take them a long time to find their way back to town, a crash came from outside followed by a muffled scream.
I ran for the door, and Devil followed me. My guards would take care of the captured men. I pushed the door and stepped outside, gun drawn ready to take down anyone who touched Peter.
19
Peter
I jumped when Lucien and Devil fired their guns.
Angelo had told me to look away. I had, but then, like when you can’t decide whether or not to watch during a horror movie, I’d turned back. They’d killed two men like it was nothing. Lucien just stood there as calm and in control as he’d ever been.
Bile rose in my throat, but I couldn’t look away from the bodies. Blood spread in a dark pool from the man who lay on his side, and the other was still upright in his chair with a huge hole in his forehead. My vision started to go dark around the edges, and my stomach heaved. I stumbled toward the door, needing some cold air, needing to run, to be as far away from this horror as I could. As I pushed open the door, I felt Angelo right behind me. Could I outrun him? I didn’t have a chance to find out. I only made it a few steps before my stomach fully revolted and I lost most of my dinner.
Angelo kept a hand on my back as I hung there, hands on my knees, willing my stomach’s spasms to calm.
Suddenly, I heard a grunt and his hand disappeared. When I turned and saw Angelo on the ground, I screamed. A man stood there, aiming a gun at me. Had he hit Angelo over the head with it? Surely he hadn’t shot him. I didn’t see any blood, and I hadn’t heard a shot.
“You’re coming with me,” the man said.
I shook my head. “There are more men inside. They’ll be here any minute.”
“That’s why we’re going now.” The man grabbed my arm, his grip painfully tight. I fought him as he began to drag me along, but he was stronger than me. “They want you alive, but you don’t have to be feeling good. If you want to get there in one piece, you better fucking cooperate.”
I heard the squeak of the warehouse door and dug my feet in. When I looked back, I saw Lucien and Devil.
I screamed, and Lucien started running toward me.
My would-be kidnapper wrapped his arm around my neck and held his gun to my head. I hadn’t been that scared since the night my parents died, and this time I couldn’t run. I couldn’t do anything but pray Lucien could find a way to save me. In that moment, I didn’t care what Luci
en had done. I didn’t care that I’d seen firsthand how cruel he could be. I knew he cared about me, and I knew he would do anything he could to save me.
Lucien moved closer, his gun out and pointed at the man who slowly moved backward, still determined to drag me away.
“Come any closer and I’ll kill him,” the man said.
Lucien shook his head. “No, you won’t. Your boss wants him for collateral. He doesn’t want him dead.” How did Lucien know that?
“I can hurt him, though. I can hurt him real bad.”
“And you’ll be dead before he even feels it. I’m giving you until three to let him go.”
What was Lucien going to do? If he shot the man, he could easily squeeze the trigger and kill me before he died. And if Lucien’s shot was even a little bit off target, he would hit me.
“Please. Be careful, Lucien.”
“You should listen to your boy.”
Lucien looked at me as if trying to communicate something, but I wasn’t sure what it was. He focused back on my attacker. “One. Two.” A sound came from behind us. The man turned, aiming his gun at whoever was there.
“Head down,” Lucien yelled. I barely comprehended the words before my attacker fell backward. Lucien had shot him. I pulled myself away, tripping and falling to my knees then crawling, wanting to put as much distance between me and the man as I could. Then Lucien was there, pulling me into his arms.
“It’s okay, baby. He’s dead.”
The world wavered in front of me. The last thing I remembered was Lucien’s fingers stroking my cheek.
When I woke, I was lying in the backseat of a car, a blanket over me. I panicked for a moment until I saw Angelo sitting beside me. “Are you all right?”
“I’ve got the worst fucking headache I’ve ever had, but otherwise, I’m fine. Physically, anyway. I’m not fine that I let that guy surprise me. If he’d hurt you, I don’t know what Lucien would’ve done.”
“I’m sure he’d have found someone else. There are plenty of men prettier than me, and surely some of them have stronger stomachs.”
Angelo huffed. “It’s only because of what I’ve seen that it didn’t bother me. I would worry if you were okay with it.”
“We all could’ve died tonight.”
“True. But we didn’t, so we count it as a success.”
How could he sound so nonchalant? “Does the money and power really make this worth it?”
“Most of the time.”
“Are you all right, really?”
“I am.” He was silent for a moment, then he added. “Don’t hate Lucien for what he did tonight. Those men were pieces of shit, and they knew the score.”
Were Lucien and his family any better? They were all criminals who were willing to do whatever it took to stay on top. How did they justify that?
“Yeah, we’re bad guys too,” Angelo said as if he’d read my thoughts. “But Lucien cares about you.”
“He told you that?” I couldn’t quite imagine it.
Angelo snorted. “He didn’t have to.”
“But you don’t trust me.”
“I didn’t, but I do now. You gave us information that helped us tonight. We wouldn’t have been as prepared if we hadn’t gotten that tip, and even when that man had his arm around your neck, you tried to protect my brother. Loyalty like that can’t be bought. That’s the real deal.”
He was right. Even after what I’d seen, I’d still wanted to protect Lucien. When I thought the man who’d tried to take me away was going to kill Lucien, I felt like my whole world was ending. But how could I love someone who could do the things Lucien did?
When we reached the house, Angelo followed me upstairs. “I really just need to be alone in my room.”
He frowned. “I’m supposed to stay with you.”
“Don’t you need to rest?”
He shook his head, then winced. “Since I’ve got a head injury, I’m supposed to stay awake for a while.”
With anyone else, I would’ve questioned how effective a guard he could be when he was injured, but I knew that nothing would stop him from doing what Lucien wanted.
He checked out my room, making sure no one was hiding there. I would have thought that was overkill before tonight, but neither of us had noticed that man hiding just outside the warehouse door. Once Angelo verified that my window was locked and my room empty, he agreed to stand guard outside.
I felt restless, but my legs were too shaky for me to pace, so I sat on the chaise and toyed with one of the pillows, tracing my fingers over the embroidered design. I was anxious for Lucien to return but also nervous. Could I be okay with him now? I would have done anything I could to protect him, but I wasn’t sure how I’d react to seeing him again. My mind kept replaying what I’d seen. The blood, the man’s dead eyes staring right at me… I shivered and pulled a blanket around me.
20
Lucien
I wasn’t sure what state Peter would be in when I arrived. I had no doubt the events of the night had changed his perception of me. Knowing I could be brutal and seeing me kill were not the same, but he needed my protection now more than ever. So even if he asked me to let him go, I wouldn’t. If he couldn’t bear my touch, I would leave him alone, but he was staying where I could ensure his safety.
Can you even do that?
After that night I wasn’t sure, and that made me want to go straight to Damian Ricci’s house, drag him from his bed, and choke the life out of him. I doubted I’d make it back out alive, though, and I didn’t just want him. I wanted every piece of shit who’d allied with him, and everyone who thought to move against me. How dare they come to my home and make me question whether I can keep my lover safe?
I could send Peter to stay with Sabrina. Maybe I would, but first I had to see him. I had to know what he thought of me now.
I remembered the horror on Peter’s face when I’d approached him and the scum of the earth who’d dared try to take him from me. Peter had been terrified but not just for himself, for me too. He’d tried to save me. He couldn’t hate me if he did that, right?
Angelo was standing by Peter’s door. He’d lost most of his color, and there were dark circles under his eyes, but the worst thing was the defeated look in his eyes.
“I’m sorry, Luce. I was focused on Peter, not what was around us, and… I’m sorry.”
I’d been angry when I’d realized what had happened, but I’d had men patrolling the perimeter of the warehouse. They should have found the man before he ever had a chance to go for Angelo and Peter. I squeezed my brother’s shoulder. “I forgive you. We all underestimated the strength of their attack.”
“It won’t happen again.”
“No, it won’t. Now go get some rest. Devil will wake you in a few hours to make sure you’re still breathing.”
Angelo grinned then, looking more like his usual self. “If I’m not breathing, I’m not going to wake up.”
“Fuck off.”
He gave me a mock salute. “Fucking off to bed, sir.”
I hugged him before he left, needing the reassurance that he was there, whole and alive, the one person I’d been able to count on my entire life.
When he left, I opened Peter’s door and walked in. He was curled up on the sofa. His hair had fallen down over his forehead, and he looked especially young and vulnerable. At first, I thought he might be sleeping, but he stirred as I approached. I braced myself for fear or anger. Instead, he held out his arms, and I knelt in front of him and pulled him to me.
“I was so scared.” His voice broke as the words tumbled out. I held him tight as he sobbed.
At least he wasn’t scared of me. “I told you I’d protect you.”
He sniffled as he pulled back and looked up at me. “How can you live like this? How can you do what you did to those men?”
“I promise you those men wouldn’t have hesitated to kill me—or you—if they’d been ordered to. I do what’s necessary to protect my family.”
>
“And your business.”
I nodded, hating the accusation in his eyes. I shouldn’t need his approval, but I wanted it. “That’s true. It’s who I am. It’s what I’ve been raised to do.”
“But that doesn’t mean—”
I shook my head. “I can’t walk away. There are people counting on me, people who need my protection, family, employees, men who would be on the street or dead if they weren’t working for me. You saw the worst of it tonight, but believe it or not, I do some good occasionally. And you knew what I was when you agreed to stay.”
“I did, but seeing that… I can’t get it out of my mind. And then I thought… I couldn’t get away from that man.”
“If I could kill him again for scaring you, I would.” And yet, I’d scared Peter too, and I refused to let him go. What kind of monster did that make me?
Peter looked down at his shirt, and his eyes widened. “His blood is on me. It splattered on me when you… I don’t know if I can do this.” He was shaking, and tears shone in his eyes again.
“Let’s get in the shower. We’ll get rid of these clothes and get you all cleaned up.”
“I can’t just forget what happened.”
“Maybe I can help you forget it for a little while.”
I rose and pulled Peter up with me. “You’re going to get undressed while I start the shower. Is that clear?”
“I don’t—”
“You agreed to obey me. I’m telling you what I expect. Now do it.”
He looked confused, which was an improvement over horrified. “Why do I want this so badly?”
“You don’t just want it. You need it, and so do I.”
Peter headed to the bathroom, and I followed him, wondering if I was doing the wrong thing, and I should just pull him into my arms and hold him some more. He wasn’t the only one needing comfort right now.
Lucien Page 12
