lucky, her sinful body. And I was stuck here, in my apartment, waiting for the call that the fucker toying with us had reared his ugly face again.
I didn’t just want to destroy him, I wanted to break every bone in his body and then spend my sweet time putting him back together so I could do it all over again.
I felt the weight of the knife strapped to my ankle, the pistol in its holster around my chest, and the brass knuckles tucked neatly in my inside pocket. I was a fighter primed for a fight… without an opponent. But the time would come, and when it did, that motherfucker was mine. I clenched my fist, feeling a lick of steely determination zip up my spine.
Just then, Matteo’s voice rang out through the apartment. “Cous, you here?”
“Where else would I be?” I snapped.
“Thought you might be staking out La Stella. Trying to get a look at Nora and Luca.” He strolled over to the refrigerator and grabbed two beers.
“Did you come here to bust my balls or to tell me we have a body to bury?”
“Someone’s happy to see me.” Matteo handed me a bottle and sat down on the chair opposite. “Actually, I came to stop you from doing something stupid. But I can see that’s going well.” He eyed the stained wall and pile of glass on the floor.
“I feel like I’m losing my fucking mind,” I admitted. “All I can think about is my old man. His wicked fucking smirk as he confessed to killing Aunt Lucia. Then she’s there… Nora… tangled up in the memories.”
“Just admit it. You want her.”
“Yeah, I fucking want her, she’s—” Fuck. Nora was like no one else I’d ever met. But it didn’t change anything. “I’m not cut out for that life.”
“Who says? You? Because I gotta tell you, cous, you’re not thinking straight lately.”
I flipped him off. “Feel free to leave.”
“And miss out on you sitting here like a lost puppy? No fucking chance. Besides, I’m here on official orders.”
“You mean Nic’s orders.”
“Yeah.” His expression fell. “He’s worried.”
My eyes rolled. “Because you’re all fucking pussies. Ari has made him soft and you… you’ve always been soft.”
“Seriously though, just go over there and tell her how you really feel. Kills two birds with one stone.”
“How do you figure?”
“You get to protect her while boning—”
I grabbed a cushion and threw it at his head.
“What?” He caught it, chuckling. “You know I’m right. If you don’t make a move soon, Luca will sweep in and—”
“She’s better off without me.” I tipped my head back and closed my eyes, swigging my beer.
“Whatever you say, man, but I want it noted that I think you’re making a big fucking mistake.”
“Noted.” My eyes landed on his as I drained the rest of my beer and slammed it down on the table. “I think we’re going to need something stronger.”
The blare of my cell phone cut through the darkness. I scrambled to find it, tapping the nightstand until my fingers grazed the smooth plastic.
“Yeah?” I grumbled, my head pounding.
“Mr. Marchetti, we’ve got a problem.”
At the sound of Maurice’s voice, I bolted upright. “What is it? Is she okay?”
“She’s fine. But there’s been an incident at La Stella, a package.”
“A package?” I was already out of bed, pulling on my clothes, and arming myself with my favorite weapons.
“It was addressed to Nora.”
Fuck.
Fuck.
My fist found the nearest wall. Pain exploded along my knuckles, but I barely felt it, red hot anger flooding every inch of me.
“What is it?”
“Well, that’s the strange thing, sir.” He sucked in a sharp breath. “It appears to be for you.”
“I’m on my way.”
“What should I tell Miss Abato?”
Shit, Nora. She was going to freak the fuck out.
“Nothing, don’t wake her yet.”
“That’s the other thing, Mr. Marchetti,” he hesitated.
“Go on…” My teeth ground together.
“She stayed over at her neighbor’s, Mr. Bianco.”
My stone heart plummeted into my toes.
She stayed over.
Did she fuck him? Let him touch her sinful curves and kiss her pouty lips?
Jealousy threatened to consume me as I imagined the two of them naked, bodies writhing and slick with sweat.
Rein. It. The. Fuck. In.
Just because she stayed over doesn’t mean anything happened.
Who the fuck was I kidding? That’s exactly what it meant.
I grabbed my keys. It was a little after midnight. The streets would be clear enough for me to drive, but I knew my cousins would kick my ass if they knew I’d driven over the limit.