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Well, that makes me feel like shit. I’m just another job.
“Michelle, that means I need to pay attention to everything around me. The windows are tinted much darker in the back, which makes it harder for me to see out. I can’t see the windshield or the rear and side camera views in the backseat. Enzo would kill me if I rode back there. I can’t protect you properly if I’m there.”
“That makes sense. Thank you for explaining.”
“It may be work, but Enzo trusts me with your life. I’m his brother, but that doesn’t automatically mean he’d trust me with someone he loves.”
“He—”
I have no chance to correct him because Enzo comes storming out of the restaurant. Before I know what’s happening, I’m swallowed in his arms. His hold is so tight, I’m suffocating.
“Can’t breathe.”
I pant the two words, but he loosens his hold infinitesimally. He kisses the top of my head before he leans back far enough to swoop in for a kiss that makes my toes curl. When we come up for air, I don’t see Marco anywhere.
“Piccolina.”
He sighs the word, and his relief is almost palpable.
“Daddy, it’s fine.”
“No, it isn’t. But I’m going to make it fine.”
ChapterThirteen
Lorenzo
I feel like a caged lion as I sit across from Chellie, having lunch as though my brother didn’t have to just escort a man out of my girlfriend’s office. A man I found trying to rape her. He may not have touched her this time, but he would have threatened her once they were alone.
I’m trying super hard to act normal, but it’s a struggle. She’s not as animated as she usually is, but we’re both holding up our side of the conversation.
When the waitress takes away our last plates, I stand and hold out my hand. I lead her back to the office, and Manny hurries out the moment I open the door. He won’t come back. Not just because Chellie is with me. Everyone who works for me knows that once I’m in here, no one joins me unless they’re invited. But I lock the door, nonetheless.
The moment I do, I press Chellie against the wall. I feel her sigh, and for a second, I think it’s going to be okay. Then I see the tears she fights to keep from welling in her eyes. I’m ready to lose my fucking mind. I can’t leave her, but I want nothing more than to find that shitbag and kill him. It’s not like I don’t know how to make it hurt while I do.
If any of our enemies discover how easily I lose my shit when Chellie is at risk, they’ll use that against me. I’m known for my detached reputation. Going on a rampage will give our enemies way too big an insight into what will set me off.
“Daddy.”
“Baby, I’m here.”
Our kiss is frantic. She clings to me, and I taste her tears. I press her harder against the wall, and I feel her sigh again. The more I confine her, the more relaxed she gets. Any harder, and I’ll be putting all my weight onto her, and I will crush her.
“Just keep holding me like this, please.”
“As long as you want. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Do you understand why I like it when we stand like this?”
“Yes. No one can see you or get to you without going around me. No one can sneak up and scare you or take you. I’m completely shielding you. I will always shield you, Chellie. But if this is what you need when you’re scared, then I’ll give it to you. I won’t turn down the opportunity to hold you and be the one who comforts you.”
“Daddy, I’m not scared anymore. You described it exactly right, but right this minute, you’re keeping me from finding that asshole and going after him myself. You’re restraining me because I want to take everything from him like he’s trying to do to me. He thought he could strip me of my dignity and my freedom when he cornered me. He thinks he can intimidate me and make me fear him. That bag of shit doesn’t realize how much I know about him. He runs a publicly traded company, and I have a lot of day trader friends. Telling them to target him wouldn’t be insider trading, and it wouldn’t be colluding if I get nothing back. No one can quantify personal satisfaction.”
“If that’s what you want, I can do that. I’m a CPA, but I have my series seven and sixty-three. That means I’m a licensed stockbroker in New York. Between Carmine and me, we have the resources to track down all his financials, find out where all his money comes from, and make it go away.”
I’m not testing her, but I’m watching to see how she reacts to that admission and offer. I can tell she’s considering it. When she nods, it’s without hesitation, and it doesn’t take her long. It’s not a knee-jerk reaction. She thought about it, and this is what she decided. It’s the thinking on her feet that good lawyers do.
“Don’t take anything yet, but I’d like to know just how he built his wealth. Some of it is generational, but I want to know where the money his company uses to fund these types of projects comes from.”
