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I knew exactly who he was. “Why the fuck did you let him in?”
“Said he wanted to talk.”
“He had plenty of time to talk to you twenty-five years ago.” With a clenched jaw and flexed biceps, I started to pace through the living room again. “That was his chance—he blew it.”
Calm like always, she didn’t rise to my anger. “Are you coming, Cato?”
She never had to ask that question. “You know I am.”
Since this was personal, I drove myself. I took my Bugatti west to the countryside, while my team followed behind me. They accompanied me everywhere I went. In this instance, I didn’t need them at all, but if someone wanted me dead, this was a perfect opportunity to catch me alone.
I didn’t take risks.
I called my brother on the drive since this was his business as much as mine. “Bates.”
He sounded wide awake despite the hour. “This should be good…”
“Mother just called me. That piece of shit is at her house right now.”
Bates knew exactly who I was talking about without asking. “What the hell is he doing there at two in the morning?”
“I don’t like it either.” I drove with one hand on the wheel and saw the headlights from the brigade of men behind me. “I’m five minutes away. You can join me if you want, but I’ve got this handled.”
“By the time I make it out there, he’ll already be dead.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right.” I thought of my pistol sitting in the glove compartment. It was fully loaded and ready to go, but not all men deserved the mercy of a bullet. In this case, a clean bullet was way too good for him.
“Let me know what happens.”
“Alright.”
He hung up.
I pulled up to the house, a two-story Tuscan home surrounded by vineyards. In the darkness, the beauty was difficult to see. She had several acres of land, a fountain in the center of a circular driveway, and a gorgeous home I’d bought for her. She preferred the Italian countryside to the city so she could keep up her garden and enjoy the sound of the birds in the morning. I always worried she was too far away—especially during times like this.
A beat-up black car was in the roundabout, and I parked my Bugatti right behind it.
Pissed off, I stormed the front door and shoved it open. “Where the fuck is he?” Whether I was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt or a full suit, I was equally formidable. If someone crossed a member of my family, they wouldn’t live long enough to cross anyone else. I moved past the entryway and the staircase into the living room that faced the back patio.
The second he looked at me, he flinched.
Like a pussy.
He turned to me and held up both hands. “We were just talking—”
I punched him so hard in the face he was on the floor instantly. And he didn’t get up again.
Mother covered her mouth with her hand and silenced her gasp. “Cato, you could kill him.”
I watched his motionless body on the floor. “That’s what I’m going for.”
After a few seconds of immobility, he slowly lifted his weight with his arms and stumbled to his feet. Blood poured from his nose, and his skin was already becoming discolored. With my height and a similar build, he wasn’t a weak man—but I was definitely stronger. “Cato—”
“Come near my mother again, and I’ll kill you next time.” I never made threats I didn’t mean, and I definitely meant this one. “No one will come looking for you. No one will file a police report. I own everything in this country—and I can make you disappear without a trace. Don’t call my bluff, asshole.” I took a step toward him, tempted to give him a black eye to complement that broken nose.
The asshole was stupid enough to speak again. “I just want—”
“You turned your back on my mother and left her alone to raise two sons. She had no job and no money, and you fucking left anyway. You’re the definition of a coward. Now you show up on her doorstep asking for a handout—because you’re pathetic.” I moved even closer to him. “I’m the man who takes care of her now. I’m a bigger man than you’ll ever be—because my mother knew how to raise a man. We didn’t need you then, and we don’t need you now. Get the fuck out.”
He held my gaze as he breathed hard, the blood dripping down his lips. His facial structure was similar to mine, and it was clear from whom I’d inherited so many of my features. But he didn’t possess a spine, and he didn’t possess honor. “I’m not looking for a handout—”
“Bullshit. I’m a thirty-year-old man. I don’t need a father anymore. You’re twenty years too late. My mother doesn’t need a man without balls. You serve no purpose to either one of us. You stopped being a part of this family when you turned your back on us. That door has been shut and locked. There’s no going back.” I pointed to the front door. “Now get the fuck out.”
