“The men wanted a strip tease from Adelina. Enrico tore her dress off.”
Enrico’s eyes widen as I stand up and grab his shirt, pulling him close to me. “Hey, boss. It was all good fun. I promise.”
“Adelina is my wife.Mywife. You got that? She’s not a plaything for you to amuse yourselves with. I am your boss, and you will treat my wife with respect. You understand me?”
He nods quickly, and the other men in the room shift in their seats like they desperately want to leave. They know I’m going to turn my anger on them once I’m done dealing with Enrico.
“A nod isn’t good enough.”
“I’m sorry, Matteo. We really were just having fun.”
“You think Adelina was having fun?” I point to her body on the floor. The sobs coming from her tear me right to the core. “She’s on the floor crying, you fucking bastard.” I push him away so hard he stumbles back. “Stay there. I’m coming back for you.”
I bend down to Adelina and scoop her up into my arms. She doesn’t fight me for once. Instead, she seems to melt further into me. I carry her back to the bedroom and lay her down, locking the door for privacy.
“Adelina? You’re all right now.”
She curls deeper into a ball, her tears coming out strong.
Fuck, I messed up. I should never have brought her here. I know my men can get rowdy, but I never thought they’d get like this, especially with my wife. I guess the temptation she presented was too much for them. Fucking bastards.
“I’m going to leave and deal with my men, but I’ll be right back.” I turn away, but Adelina grabs my hand, stopping me. I look down in shock. She actually reached out to me for once.
“Don’t go,” she whispers through her tears. “They’re going to hurt me.”
“I won’t let them.”
“But you tried to hurt me.”
I flinch. I know she means when I took things too far. “I never meant to hurt you. I got carried away but stopped. It will neverhappen again. Now, I’ll be back, all right?” I peel her hand away from mine. Adelina wraps her arms around her body and cries harder.
I storm into the main room, looking for Enrico, but I don’t see him. “Where is he?”
Carlo points toward the front door. “He just left.”
“No, I’m not going to let him.” I run outside in no shoes or shirt, not giving a damn. Enrico is getting onto his bike. The bastard is trying to run away because he knows what’s in store for him.
His eyes widen as I run up to him, and he tries to start his bike to no avail. I grab his shoulders, rip him off it, and toss him to the ground. He groans. I step onto his chest, digging my heel into his sternum.
“Can’t. Breathe,” he gasps out.
“I don’t fucking care right now. You assaulted my wife. You ruined her wedding dress. You thought you could touch what doesn’t belong to you.”
“But—”
I cut him off. “Not fucking buts, Enrico. You messed up.” I lift my foot from his chest, and he sucks in a deep breath as I lift him up. Before he can react, I punch him square in the face. He falls back into his bike, knocking it over and falling to the ground again. I lean over him and land punch after punch to his face. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the rest of my men huddle in the courtyard, watching this play out. Even some of the women are watching.
I only stop once I feel like Enrico has been properly punished. His face is a bloody pulp, but he’s breathing. He’ll live.
I wipe my bloody hand on my pant leg as I stand up. “Get him fixed up. I don’t want his wounds to kill him.” Carlo nods and rushes over to Enrico’s side. I stare at the rest of my men. “Whydid you all take part in that? I thought you men were better than that?”
“Sorry, boss,” they grumble together.
I scoff. “Sorry doesn’t fucking cut it. I’m going to punish each and every one of you. I have to think of what that is, so until then, get out of my fucking sight.” The men scramble away. I turn to the women. “None of you thought to step in and help my wife?”
Jules, the busty blonde, shrugs. “I know how these men are. You don’t step out of line unless you want them to hurt you. I went along with it because better her than me.” The rest of the women nod their assent.
“If this ever happens again, come get me. I’ll handle it. You got me?”