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“She sure is a fine piece of ass. All that red hair and those plump lips? They’d look nice wrapped around—”
He didn’t get another word out. Not when my right hook connected with his jaw, sending him sprawling backward onto the mat. I was on him in an instant, straddling his waist with my hand gripping the front of his shirt, lifting his torso off the ground.
“I’d be very careful of your next words, Agent Clarke,” Rico cautioned from my left.
“Our brother has exemplary control,” Luc explained, dropping to a crouch on my right. “Which means every swing he takes will be executed while seeking maximum damage.”
I had to give him props. Even with me sitting on top of him, fist poised for another strike, he didn’t flinch. He was either crazy or stupid or a bit of both.
“You guys are all the same.” He turned his head to spit out a mouthful of blood.
“What the hell does that mean?” Luc probed.
“You don’t even know us, asshole.” I tighten the fist in his shirt. “Since day one, you’ve had a hard-on for us, me in particular. What’s your fucking deal?”
“I’ve known your type my whole life,” he started. “The silver spoon you were born with was shoved so far down your throat you nearly gagged on the wealth. You think you’re invincible, sitting there on your high horse watching all the silver turn to gold while the rest of us lowly humans fight for survival. But you’re not, and it’s up to guys like me to show the rest of the world how crooked you really are.”
My brothers had the same look of utter confusion on their faces, right before they howled in laughter.
“Holy shit,” Rico wheezed. “Who the hell is this guy? Superman? Batman?”
“Dude,” Luc sputtered. “I hate to tell you, but the Justice League has been disbanded.”
They continued to crack up and I may have joined them for a beat or two. The shit this guy had spewed bordered on insanity. Sure, my family had ties to the mafia, but it didn’t mean we had access to their money. In fact, Ma made it perfectly clear when she left Italy to marry our father, she wanted nothing to do with that side of the business, including their millions. We were raised in middle-class America and taught the only way to accomplish your goals was through hard work.
“Go ahead and laugh. At least I’m not dumb enough to hook myself to some young pussy who likes to score drugs in the Walmart parking lot.”
“The fuck did you just say?”
A red haze drifted across my line of sight. He could come at me all he wanted, but the dumbass had a death wish bringing up my woman yet again. I slammed him back into the mat, shifting all my weight to my fists, using their position on his chest to leverage myself. Then in one swift move, I stood, dragging Clarke—by the shirt—with me.
My brothers were saying something in the background, but their voices were muted by the sound of my heart thundering in my ears. Rage coursed through every cell in my body, all of it directed at the motherfucker I’d pinned against the gym wall by his throat.
“Stay away from her.”
“I have pictures,” he wheezed, finally showing a sliver of fear.
“I don’t give a fuck whether you have a signed confession from the Pope. Stay. Away. From. Quin.”
“Fratello.” Luc laid his hand on my arm. “Let him go. Waverly is on her way. She’ll deal with him.”
“You called my fucking supervisor?”
“It was either that or let Alec beat you black and blue. You’re welcome, fuckface.”
“Get him outta my sight, Luc, or she won’t have an ass to chew out.”
_______________
FORTY-FIVE MINUTES.That’s how long Special Agent Waverly Mitchell had been holed up with Gabe in his office, along with Clarke. Rico had apparently texted our eldest brother right before phoning our FBI friend, who’d apparently been close by when the call came in. She and Duncan stormed into Quattro less than an hour later.
“You wanna tell us what the hell’s going on with him now, Palmer?” I challenged.
My first instinct was to protect Quin and our baby, however the desire for answers was a close second. Curiosity won out, so I sent Rico to River’s store to watch over her in my place, while Luc and I stayed behind. Something about the pictures Keaton mentioned bugged the shit outta me. Deep down, I knew she’d been keeping secrets, but drugs? There had to be another explanation for whatever he saw because the thought of my Firefly being an addict was something I simply couldn’t wrap my head around.
He leaned his shoulder against the wall, stoic as usual, while I began to pace the floor. “And ruin the surprise? Not on your life.”
“You’re a dick.”
