D was the one who taught her how to truly defend herself. She wasn’t sure if her dad knew, but D had become one of the most hardcore dealers in their neighborhood once the Sperry family left and moved into a new place. They’d kept in touch over the years. He promised not to get caught by a bullet or the police, and she vowed to make his efforts to protect her worthwhile.
Not once did D allow her to skip school. If she wanted to hang out, she had to do her homework first. Even though he’d dropped out in the tenth grade, his vision for Camille was different. He was her big brother, and he definitely acted like it.
Since Shandra still lived in her childhood home, D continued to look out for her as well. She’d always called their little trio The Three Musketeers. Camille thought it was too tame of a name for their crew, so she’d renamed them Hydra. One body, heart, soul—just three heads with unique brains, feelings, and voices.
Her father began speaking again, so Camille tuned in to his words. “Sweetheart, I just want you to be safe. Tristan is a good boy. Smart. Never judge a man by who you believe his family is. His family… I know what people say about the things they’ve done. Just…I think he’s interested in you. I have no doubt he’ll be contacting you soon.”
Getting nervous at what her father was saying, she fidgeted in her seat. “There’s nothing to be worried about, Dad. I mean, he’s handsome and all, but I’m not going to lose my head. He’s not my type. You know me. I’m looking for a man like my dad. He’s not anything like you.” Her lips turned down in sadness for a moment.
Why suddenly did she wish that he were?
What would it be like to have a man like Tristan Lucarelli desire her? If only he were more like her father. Her dad wasn’t perfect, but at least he wasn’t part of a criminal enterprise.
CHAPTER 3
Five days later, Tristan exited his vehicle and stood outside the doors to CS Designs. For a moment, he questioned if he were doing the right thing. Dismissing the thought just as quickly, he pushed the button to engage the locks on his car. Looking behind him, he saw his security detail standing close by, alert, and on the ready.
He nodded to the team leader. Orlando Capriotti wasn’t only his head of security; he was one of his closest friends. They’d known each other since middle school, along with his other two best friends, Franco Labriola and Leonardo Mannetti, who preferred to be called Leo.
Leo was the only one who wasn’t part of the extended family or worked for Tristan’s uncle. Then again, he didn’t need to be. The three of them had proven their loyalty to Tristan over the years in ways no one would understand.
Orlando stood outside the black SUV that could be found wherever Tristan was. Always at the ready, that man wouldn’t hesitate to kill anyone who was deemed a threat. The number of bodies that could be laid at the feet of Orlando, Franco, and Tristan were too many to count. Not that it mattered. Sometimes shit happened, and the result sometimes got ugly.
When he was younger and didn’t know any better, he’d resented always having someone following his every move. Until fifteen years ago, when his cousin, and Marco’s younger sister, Martina had been kidnapped. Shaking his head at the dark memories, he could look back now and see how stupid they’d all been. Each of them thought they knew more than his uncle and all the elders in the family.
Martina ditched her bodyguards to go meet a boy. A boy who hadn’t been vetted by the family. No one knew who he was. Just a name. Tony. Turns out Tony was real and was just a teenage boy smitten by his beautiful cousin.
The bad thing was, enemies of the family had been watching and waiting for an opportunity to hurt his uncle. To get back at him for some slight. Usually, families were off-limits, especially women and children. But on that dark night, when Martina had embarked on her teenage mission of rebellion, that was an opportunity his family’s enemy couldn’t let pass.
It had taken them two days to find Martina. Two days that were too fucking long. That was the event that changed him. He’d earned his nickname when they found the man who’d taken his cousin.Portatore di Morte(Death Bringer).
They protected the women of his family. Always. That someone that dared to violate the protective circle was not taken lightly. What he’d done to those men with his fists, a blade, and his 9mm would never be forgotten. His uncle had even looked at him with caution once everything was over. It had been the one time he’d truly let the darkness swirling inside of him come out to play.
No one messed with his family and lived to tell the tale.
He shook his head to clear away the memories. He needed to get back to the mindset of wooing his woman. Showing up at her place of business hadn’t been his first plan. Hell, it hadn’t even been his second. He’d planned to stay away, woo her with phone calls, flowers, and the promise of a romantic dinner.
Their first phone call had occurred that Monday, only two days after they’d met. She hadn’t seemed shocked to hear his voice on the other side. If anything, it was almost like she’d been waiting for the call. That first night, they’d talked for nearly two hours. He should have been focused on his business, but all he wanted to do was hear her voice. The next night, she’d called him. They talked about everything and nothing at the same time. And it was one of the best conversations he’d had with a woman.
He ran out of patience this morning and decided to scrap the entire plan. Now here he was. If she wasn’t happy to see him, he’d make sure she got to that point quickly, and by any means necessary. Now that he’d finally found a woman that he wanted to spend more than one night with, there wasn’t anything that could keep him away.
Nodding to his friend standing guard, he turned back to the building. Time to make his presence known. Striding up to the doors, the automatic doors opened to allow him entry to the lobby area.
Approaching the reception desk, he made his presence known. “Morning. I’m here to see Ms. Camille Sperry.”
The woman at the desk stared at him with an open mouth. Although this happened more times than he wanted to admit, he didn’t have time to turn on the charm.
After a few seconds of her gawking at him, he spoke again. “Did you hear me?”
“Y-Yes, sir. Let me contact her.”
Tapping on the desk with his fingers, he looked at her with indifference. “You do that.”
Stepping away from the woman, he walked around, looking at the pictures on the wall. He noticed they all seemed to be photos of finished furniture. Camille was in each photo, sometimes with another person who appeared to be a happy customer. Other times, it was just Camille. A smile on her face with work boots on her feet.
Did the woman own anything other than jeans?
When he’d arrived home after meeting her last Saturday, he’d looked up her name and company on the internet. What he found made him reassess his opinion of her. Not only was she absolutely fucking beautiful, but she was also smart, talented, and would make an excellent partner in his life.