If all of the pieces fit as I’d put them, Harry Boy had been saving this night to confess his undying love to Mari. And if Mac was bringing the issue to me, Harry Boy had become my issue.
I almost shook my head in annoyance, but I didn’t. If Rocco cared enough to bring me Mac’s card, there was no question of his ranking within the Fausti family. High. My streets took top priority. A war with the Faustis would only lead to certain death.
Still. If something happened to Harry Boy, Macchiavello would mess my shit up. “You can say that.”
Mac took a slow pull of his beer. “You gave him a mercy shot. If I aim the gun, it’ll be his heart I hit.”
Ah. Harry Boy was fucking with Mac’s heart. Therefore. Harry Boy’s heart would belong to Macchiavello if he kept it up. Threats aside, there was something about Macchiavello that I instantly respected. So I’d squash Harry Boy’s schoolboy crush before it ruined my plans. No good would come out of this situation. Because when men like Mac started to catch feelings, it went straight to their heads.
“Noted,” I said.
Mac claimed his seat next to Mari again, and my eyes went directly to Harry Boy, who was staring at the girl so hard it was pathetic.
I sighed, shaking my head. Out of all the women in the world for him to fall in love with, it would have to be one claimed by a fucking savage animal. Her scent was all over Mac—it smelled like the word “mine.”
Feeling eyes on me, I turned my eyes a fraction, finding the archer. She was seated in one of the chairs that had been placed around the yard.
Our eyes caught and held.
Not able to hold my stare, she turned her eyes to Harry Boy. She followed his eyes to Mari and Mac and scowled.
Mari looked up when Keely stood abruptly and walked into the house. She whispered something in Mac’s ear and then followed Keely. Harry Boy followed in Mari’s footsteps. Before he could get to her, or too far inside of the house, I yanked him back by the collar of his shirt.
He went to swing on me but stopped when he realized it was me. He had little to say to me lately.
“You enjoy getting shot, Harry Boy?”
His eyes narrowed. “Can’t say that I do.”
I took a step closer to him and he held his ground. “Then I suggest you forget about your sister’s friend. She’s marrying a made man. You know what that is?” He nodded and I went on. “He’s more animal than man. You got that? His kind has no idea what the word mercy means. No matter what his name is, all you have to remember is Fausti.”
“Your kind.”
“You knew what kind of man I was when you started working for me.” I lifted my hands. “You wanted fast cash, you got it, and you accepted it, bloodstains and all.”
“My family, my sister, was never part of our deal,” he said, his voice low and laced with whiskey.
“This is not about your sister. That’s a done deal. This is about Mari. Stay the fuck away from her. Her man has the scent of your blood memorized. There’s nothing I can do to change the winds, understand?”
A fiery red vision with peaceful blue eyes emerged out of the darkness of the hallway. “I need to talk to you, Kelly,” she breathed out. “In private.”
My eyes moved between Harry Boy and his sister.
“I’m not going to try to kill you,” she said, her voice exasperated. “Not tonight.”
I met Harry Boy’s eyes again. “Your sister thinks I’m easily fooled. She’s trying to give you some time with Macchiavello’s girl. You have five minutes to say nothing about love or any of that bullshit to her. Your feelings are no longer relevant where she’s concerned. She’s off limits. I’ve been clear enough.”
“That’s a problem,” Keely said, taking the lead after we walked away from Harry Boy. “He’s drunk, and whenever Harrison gets drunk, he lets his emotions rule him.”
I took her arm and forced her to stop when we made it up a couple of steps. “That wouldn’t be good for his health, darlin’.”
Her eyes flickered to the kitchen, where Harry Boy had disappeared, and then back to me. “Five minutes,” she whispered. “He’s earned it.”
“He’s earned a bullet to his chest?”
“You’re going to put one there because of Mari?” Her eyebrow lifted.