Page 80 of Lucian

“Where’s Will?” Lucian asked Ron.

“Not here.”

“Where?”

“Like I fucking know,” Ron muttered. “He didn’t come back after the fire. What do you expect me to say? I’m not his keeper.”

“Second best,” Lucian retorted hotly, his anger rising again. “Can’t you keep control of his whereabouts?”

“I don’t run this show, Mafioso.”

“I doubt that,” Dante said at his brother’s side, still sweeping the floor with his sharp gaze to be sure no one was trying to make a move. “Your President is so messed up on his violence and his drugs that he can’t make a proper decision about anything. If you relied on him, he’d run your Chapter into the ground.”

That seemed to hit a nerve for some of the men in the room. A few openly glared, clearly fighting back the urge to shout their denials and obscenities. Given the fact they were facing three sober, fearless men with guns ready to turn on them, they wisely chose to stay quiet.

“Do you know what he did to her?” Lucian asked Ron, ignoring everyone else. “How he beat her?”

“I’d heard,” Ron replied drily. “Jordyn knew the rules and she broke them. I couldn’t help her after that.”

Fury flooded Lucian’s veins. “What fucking rules? She wasn’t his to do with what he wanted to begin with!”

“Your life isn’t like ours,” Ron said indifferently.

“Obviously not,” Gio spat. “Our women would never be treated like cattle to be used and abused as we see fit.”

“Unlike you, we take care and protect what is ours,” Dante added.

Lucian ground his teeth, trying to calm the rush of adrenaline. “And she’s mine.”

The stare down between Lucian and Ron lasted seconds. As it was, they’d already been in the place for too long. It needed to be done with, and fast.

“Your son, he loved her, cared for her … and you did nothing to help her,” Lucian growled. “If I can’t have Will today, I’ll take second best as a prize, Ron. I think we’ve both earned it.”

“I don’t want Jordyn,” Ron tried to say.

Lucian shrugged. “But Will does. I won’t let him have her and you’re a damn good example to make.”

That effectively ended the conversation for Lucian.

And Ron’s life.

Chapter Seventeen

Jordyn’s nerves grew to epic proportions as she waited for Lucian’s arrival at Cazza. The original plan was for him to pick her up at the condo and bring her to dinner, but that had changed sometime over the day. Antony informed her of the new plan to meet all of the boys at the restaurant so they could eat together.

When she asked why the change, Antony just smiled grimly and said nothing.

Now, his back was turned to her as he watched a news broadcast on the large flat screen television located on the far wall in the private VIP dining area of the restaurant. It was turned on low, but Jordyn wasn’t stupid. She was more than capable of looking at the words flashing at the bottom of the screen.

Legs and Leather. Known to be a popular scene for the infamous MC gang The Sons of Hell. Five dead. Dozens of witnesses who couldn’t give an accurate description of the assailants. Early reports suggested a robbery. Officials weren’t ruling out the incident being related to the motorcycle gang.

On top of the shooting, the investigators had removed several weapons and illegal substances from the strip club that were not believed to have been involved with the incident, but the guests of the business itself. ATF had also been called in. Legs and Leather was closed until further notice. Several MC members, their pictures and names flashing across the screen, had been arrested for weapons and drugs. The victims’ names were not being released at that time.

Jordyn felt sick.

It wasn’t the scene playing out on the news that really bothered her, but the fact that she hadn’t heard a thing about Lucian all day.

“Does it make me an awful person that I don’t care about those five body bags because I’m too concerned about seeing Lucian?” Jordyn asked.