Page 6 of Cavaliere

Six

MATTEO

Fuck.

I wasn’t expecting Wren to look like that. All of that long, thick black hair is just begging to be wrapped tightly around my hand. That’s the type of hair a man knows he can hold on to for a wild ride.

Fuck.

My plan was to just pay her a little visit and try to get out any information that she may have kept from Alessio. That plan went south so fucking fast. All it took was her walking down that tiny hallway in a ratty tee and nothing else. Her long legs were on display, hips swaying in a way that I know is natural because she thought she was alone. No one to impress. My eyes wouldn’t move from where her thighs were lightly rubbing together as she made her way toward me without knowing that’s what she was doing. I felt like a predator waiting for his prey.

“Yeah?” I answer my phone as I head down the concrete steps of her apartment building.

“Did you find out anything new?” Alessio’s voice sounds through the phone.

“Nothing. She said she was just out running and came upon me. I don’t think she was lying.”

“I’ll call Cain to see if he’s heard anything,” Alessio replies before hanging up without waiting for a response.

Cain is the president of the local MC, the Dirty Devils, in the city. Well, I guess technically, their compound is outside of Ravenna Heights. They own a bar that’s not far from Wren’s called DD’s. We have a… loose alliance.

That’s the only reason I was even out that way. Cain and I had a meeting to discuss some common ground rules to make sure everything in our area operates smoothly. The next thing I know, I’m in the fucking hospital hearing about how some girl wanted to “honor my dying wishes” because she’s scared of karma.

I should have known just from that statement that she wasn’t the type to take shit lying down. It’s almost refreshing. As much as I need to be in control, I like how she didn’t bow down to me.

The only thing I’m disappointed about is not having any new leads to go on. With the accident happening away from businesses and most houses, there aren't any cameras. Something in my gut tells me that this was calculated. They knew I was going to be meeting up with Cain and out of the way. I think they saw their opening, and they took it. Being involved in organized crime comes with an automatic list of enemies. Hence why I need more information to narrow it down.

I have a feeling I’ll be seeing Wren again very soon.

Whoever tried to kill me is going to be one sorry-ass motherfucker.

Chapter

Seven

WREN

Iwalk in through the back door of DD’s feeling like a huge sack of dog shit.

And that may or may not have something to do with the tall, incredibly fucking hot man that let himself into my place like it was his God-given right. Like he owned it. I should have been downright terrified, but I wasn’t. All I could think about was how fucking good he looked eating up my space.

“Rough night?” Delaney asks from behind me as I put my purse into one of the lockers Cain had installed for us. The weekends usually get pretty rowdy around here, and what do drunk people like to do? Wander and get into shit that isn’t theirs. I can’t tell you how many times a drunk girl has found my bag and taken it because she thought it was hers.

“It’s been a long fucking two days, bitch. A long fucking two days.” I sigh as I turn around, tying my apron in place.

“I thought you were just relaxing on your day off yesterday. Was the gross phone sex guy loud again?” she asks as I follow her out to the floor. Delaney slips behind the bar as I lean against the side of the rail that’s right next to the opening.

I man the floor while she takes care of the people at the bar. She quickly became my best friend after we realized how well we work together. The vibe is just there with us, and I love that. You just don’t find that anymore.

“That was the plan until I went for a run.” I pause as Delaney gives me a look that tells me she’s about to go off.

“Bitch, I told you it’s not safe for a woman to be running around this city by herself! I’m sorry, but a little can of pepper spray and a ring with cat ears isn’t going to fend off a 250-pound man! I will bring you back from the dead and kill you myself if I ever have to identify your body because you were found in a ditch with your head cut off,” Delaney rants.

“I know, I know. In my defense, I had my kitty defense ring on. But no one came at me on my run. I ran upon something. “

“What?” She pauses, eyes narrowing. “What do you mean you ran upon something?”

I quickly fill her in on the accident and Alessio dropping me off before the place starts to fill up and I actually have to work. The night passes by in a blur. One thing I love about this job is that you can do it with your mind on auto-pilot once you get a flow going. I can tell Delaney wants to press for more information, but we never had time, and before I knew it, I was being cut and cashing out. Even though I was done, Delaney still had a full rail.