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“No,” Matteo replied, voice like stone. His gaze skipped to me in aggravation. Probably should have mentioned that earlier, but it had been the last thing on my mind.
“It was a simple misunderstanding.” Matteo played it cool for everyone’s sake, but I could tell he was not happy.
“Over a woman,” O’Connell pointed out. “If your man cannot show self-control when dealing with his slut of a wife; how can I trust your leadership?”
Matteo darkened and the room shrank as everyone standing around him puffed from the questioning of his leadership.
I fumed with rage at the insult to Becka. Already off balance from the incident in my office, my restraint was cracking like thin ice. When Matteo looked at me there was real fire behind his eyes. As always, unspoken words passed between us. This is your fuck-up. Get your ass out there and fix it, his stare said.
A growl climbed my throat as I stepped forward. “The fault is mine. I will not apologize for clocking a man who put his hands on my wife…”
“I didn’t know she was your wife!” Booker shouted. O’Connell held up a silencing hand.
I glared at Shaun. He really didn’t get it, none of that mattered now. I ignored him, returning my attention to O’Connell. “Whatever recompense you wish to receive, I will pay it.”
O’Connell’s smile reached ear to ear, crinkling his eyes. “I want blood. You and one man of my choosing, fight.”
Heavy weights pulled on my shoulders. This wasn’t just about Becka any longer—the thing Shaun failed to understand— this was a show of power between the Irish and Italians. This fight would be about measuring dicks.
“Nobody dies. None of us want to lose a man over this stupidity,” Matteo cut in.
O’Connell mulled over the stipulation. His hazel eyes squinted under light brown eyebrows. “Very well. Not intentional, but accidents do happen,” he said with a wink.
“Fair enough. So, who is the sorry son-of-a-bitch?” I asked, ready to get the whole thing over with.
“Thomas,” O’Connell called over his shoulder, his grin reached new heights.
I had total confidence in my fighting ability. My skills and speed I honed to near protection. Whoever they put in front of me would go down like all the rest.
A man stepped forward from the back of the group. I thought maybe the giant materialized at the sound of his name, because how else had I missed the six-foot-five monster prowling toward me?
A small hole opened in the pit of my stomach. Thomas was built like a brick shit-house. He had the look of a man who ate small children for breakfast. Thomas stared down at my six-two stature like a predator ready to devour, with dead eyes locked on their target.
Well, shit. This is gonna suck.
This wasn’t the first time I fought someone bigger, but this Thomas guy, had cold blooded killer written all over him. He didn’t fight to win, he fought to destroy. I was going to have to be on my A-game, be faster and smarter, and hope the man was just big and tough, not a real fighter.
I shrugged off my jacket and shirt handing them to Matteo who was scowling. He knew this fight just got more serious, that both fighters were going to leave bloody and messed-up. Possibly worse.
“Don’t let us down son,” Lorenzo nodded to me.
Fuck off.None of this would’ve probably been happening if it wasn’t for him.
“Concentrate. You are going to need it,” Matteo jumped in, giving me focus.
The door to the warehouse burst open as MC members flooded the space, escorted by several of our guards. The president held his arms out wide. “Didn’t want to miss the show!” he announced loudly, tipping his salt and pepper beard in the air.
I growled in annoyance as everyone fanned out to form a human circle, caging me and the big guy in. Whoops and hollers rose in the air, bouncing off the walls.
Blood thirsty men excited for a bloody show.
I stepped into the middle where my opponent waited. Shirtless, the man was even more intimidating. It felt like facing off against a redwood tree, every part of him solid, without a hint of weakness. I mentally prepared myself for lots of pain.
We began to circle and a spike wedged it’s way into my hope. Thomas moved and carried himself with the grace of a fighter. Countering and moving with my steps easily. So not just big and dumb. Damn.
His eyes flicked to my chest and smirked. “Looks like someone already got a piece of you.” His voice sounded like ocean waves beating against the cliffs in a storm.
A growl came from deep in my throat. He chuckled, smiling like he had somehow gotten me off balance. All it did was make me want to rip his head off.
