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Antonio stood from his chair, walking around his desk.
“You didn’t think to check in once?” he asked, a frown overcoming his lips. “I knew you weren’t stupid enough to leave your family. You aren’t the type of man to run. I knew there had to be a reason you chose to stay away for so long.”
Antonio then looked in my direction, acknowledging my existence for a split of two seconds. “A woman,really?”
“Frankie Lawerence. She was helping me hunt for the man impersonating-”
His words were caught off when Antonio stepped toward him, knocking a tight fist against his face.
I covered my mouth to avoid letting a gasp slip out. One punch was all it took to draw blood. The color of crimson made my dinner want to come back up. When Antonio swung a second time, I curled over.
Bruno sat next to me, his eyes trained on my staggering lover.
“Liars get their tongue cut off. A slip-up will make you lose a finger,” he explained softly. “What Marco did is considered traitorous, Frankie. A bloodied nose and a black eye arenothing. Antonio would’ve put a bullet between his eyes by now if he hadn’t been such a dedicated member of the family. This is Antonio being forgiving.”
Didn’t make watching Marco take each hit any easier. I wanted to blame myself. If I hadn’t kissed him, if I hadn’t given him a reason to stick around, then he wouldn’t be trying to keep a strong front.
Sucking it up the best I could, I stayed strong. While I didn’t enjoy seeing blood flow from Marco’s nose, I sat up straighter.
I didn’t want their boss to see me as someone who could hold Marco back. I would be strong.
I was not going to cry.
When Antonio stood straighter, he flicked his wrist. The scowl remained, yet he walked away and sat back in his chair. A rush of anger was gone in an instant after a few blows. He let out a long sigh as he wiped his hand off with a nearby tissue.
“I hope you didn’t bring her along to soften me up,” he started up.
Marco wiped his face, his breathing harbored. “Not exactly. She came to bring you dinner. I came to ask for your permission to move out.”
While looking at Marco in shock, Antonio barked out a laugh.
“She lives on the Mariani and Amante line,” Marco continued, ignoring his boss’ laugh. “I can keep an eye on both Elias and Romeo. I can also keep her safe while I’m at it.”
Antonio spent the next few seconds looking between us. He looked like he was actually contemplating Marco’s words, taking him seriously.
“I’ll expect you to drop everything if I need you.”
“Without hesitation,” Marco agreed. Despite his cheek swelling, he easily agreed to the man who caused him harm. Marco really was dedicated.
Antonio sat back, seemingly considering Marco’s request to come back to my home.
He hadn’t told me what his intentions were once he came back here. Maybe he just didn’t want me to move out here. Everything was a lot more overwhelming than I expected
“Romeo Amante might think we’re trying to attack. Personally, I am so tired of fighting.” Antonio hummed in thought. “But you’ll also be able to keep a close eye on that bastard Elias.”
Then he looked at me once more.
Much to Bruno and Marco’s dismay, I stood up. My legs felt a little weak as I walked over to him. Holding my breath, I set down the dish I’d been clutching only moments ago on his desk.
“Lily and I both made this, so you don’t have to worry about it being poisoned,” I babbled. Maybe the mob boss hadn’t even considered the fact. “She said her sister loves chicken. Well, this is as natural as I can get. My gift to you guys.” Lifting my eyes, I met his dark gaze. “I’ll take good care of Marco.”
God, I wanted to run.
“Frankie, was it?”
My heartbeat quickened as I nodded.
“Before you showed up, Marco was annoyingly glued to my side. Are you sure you’re ready for all that attention? You won’t find someone so dedicated, you know?” Antonio asked, lifting a brow.
