“This is why I won’t ever find my wife at a bar.” Niccola shook his head as he tugged his jacket off the back of his chair.
“You won’t find a wife because you’re too busy finding memento take home.” Vinni made a face at him.
We made our way through the tables and the sea of people to the front door.
“Which reminds me, by the way, Shantee was asking about you the other day.”
“And how would you know?” Vinni huffed back at him.
“I was texting with Minnie as Shantee just so happened to be at the bar, and she…”
Whack!
Something hit me between the shoulders, and I shot forward into Vinni. I whirled around and ducked at the last second as the baseball bat came at me again.
Leaning my weight on my back foot, I kicked out hard and collided with the man’s ribs.
Vinni and Niccola were dealing with a few others when yet another man stepped out of the shadows. He was huge. We turned so our backs were to each other so we could face our attackers. Everyone stood ready to fight.
“So, this is Elio Capri.” The big man’s thick accent told me he was from Slovakia. “You’re the man who’s going to marry the woman who stole my business from under me.”
Mikey.
“I’ve made it very clear that my fiancée is not Mikey.” I was going to go on, but I had already made the truth public and would not repeat myself to someone who’d just attacked me.
“You lie! Your business partner told me the truth.”
Mariano.
My blood heated, and I stretched my neck to relieve some tension then quickly pulled out my gun before he could reach for his. His hands went up, palms toward me.
“Vinni, record this,” I ordered. Vinni slid his phone out and started to record. The men around us all looked at the Slovakian for direction. He just stood staring at me. “Never bring a baseball bat to a gunfight.” I eyed the guy who’d hit me with the bat and shot him before he could react. He slumped to the ground, and I slammed a foot on the handle of the bat. It flipped up, and I grabbed it with my left hand.
The Slovakian looked around, motioning the others to fight, but they just stood there, unsure if they wanted to die. These guys were just a bunch of brainless thugs.
“If you want to get my attention, this isn’t the way to do it.” I shot the guy next to the Slovakian as I spoke. Then I stepped slightly to my left to keep everyone in my line of sight. Vinni didn’t stop recording as Niccola fired off a bullet into a guy’s leg as he bolted for the door. The sound of the shot echoed off the walls. “Also, you should never trust the words of a man who spends more time with a straw up his nose than he does handling his business.”
“You’re crazy.” The sweat broke out on the Slovakian’s face as he took a few steps back. I closed the gap by taking a few toward him. “I was told it was her, but I can see now that I might be wrong.”
“I’ll not have this conversation again. My fiancée is not Mikey, nor has she ever been Mikey, do you understand? Do I make myself perfectly clear?”
“Yes,” he swallowed, and a bead of sweat slid down onto his shirt, “perfectly.”
“Good, because if not, you and the rest of your kind will find yourselves dead in a rat-infested sewer where you belong. Now, I’m going to send this video to my ex-partner and let him know I’m coming for him next.”
“I understand, yes, yes!” His eyes went wide. “We will go peacefully now. Sorry, Sorry.” Vinni handed me his phone as they noisily vacated the bar, leaving their dead and injured behind.
“You good, boss?” Vinni reached for the door handle.
“No.” My rage boiled up as I wondered who would come for her next.
Once we were back at the house, Niccola headed into the office while Vinni filled Francesco in on what had happened. Wyatt was passed out in front of the TV while some old American movie played on mute.
I went upstairs, showered, and took a moment to stare at Sienna in the dimly lit room.
Her even breaths told me she was fast asleep, but I couldn’t help myself. I needed her.
I quietly tossed my towel over a chair and ran my hands through my hair to remove some of the dampness. My fingers skimmed her bare hip as I crawled into the bed naked. I slid my arm under her and pulled her smooth body to mine. She immediately molded herself to me with a little sigh. My fingers slid down her stomach and in between her legs, finding her warm and snug. My lips brushed over her neck, and I stroked her with the pad of my finger then slid it inside her. She stirred but didn’t wake, and I was fine with that. I just needed something to settle my head.