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Elio’s nostrils flare. “Why would you say that?”
“If you’re fucking other women, you’re staying the hell away from me.”
Damn. This woman has no fucking filter. I have a feeling she’s going to be a handful for Elio. The way he’s watching her, it’s not like a man hell bent on revenge. It seems as though my brother is a lot more interested in Teagan than I thought he was. Interesting.
We reach the penthouse apartment, and I watch as Teagan takes it all in, wandering around the apartment as though it’s the first one she’s ever seen.
“Where are your clothes?” I ask, noticing that she doesn’t have anything with her.
She lifts her shoulders and shrugs. “I don’t have any.”
What the fuck? “What do you mean?” I ask as I stand in front of her. “Are they still in the clubhouse?”
“No, I just don’t have any.” She’s looking at me as though she doesn’t understand why I’m asking.
My brow furrows as I watch her. What the hell is going on? “Did you not live in the clubhouse?”
She nods. “I did, but I don’t have any clothes. Now, are we done? I’m tired and would like to sleep.”
I leave her be, but I know for sure there’s a fucking lot more to Teagan than we realized. I’ll be damned if she gets one over on my brother though. I’ll be keeping a close eye on her.
I hate that I’m in the dark about everything that surrounds her. There’s something about her that doesn’t sit right with me.
I leave her and Elio to talk, and I think back to her friend. I definitely know her from somewhere. The woman is gorgeous, funny, and she takes no shit. It’s those big brown eyes of hers, filled with hardness and sorrow, that captured me the moment we spoke. Those are what are familiar to me. It’s as though I remember seeing them when I was younger.
Fuck. Why can’t I remember?
I think back to when I was younger, trying to remember who I was around and who had kids close to my age. I run through the men that were around then. Niccolò, Andrea, Gabriele, Edoardo, and Davide. Those were my father’s closest men.
The only ones who had kids that were anywhere close to my age were Gabriele and Davide.
I swallow hard as I remember the pretty little brunette girl who would sit by her father and watch everything that happened around her. I remember how she would glare at anyone who told her to go sit with the women. She was defiant yet respectful. She was also close to Chiara—Niccolò’s daughter.
Portia Leone. The only child of Davide and Marianna.
I’ve finally figured it out. I knew that I knew who she was. It took me a while, but it clicked.
Davide Leone was the best enforcer we had. He was the best killer the Famiglia had. A very good man. He was one of the best. He was killed by Marco Scaffidi. Davide killed Marco’s son because he raped a nine-year-old girl. In retaliation for his son’s death, Marco killed Davide and married his wife, Marianna. It was the ultimate revenge.
No one has seen Marianna or Portia since the death of Davide. It was thought that Marco had sent Portia away to boarding school. Turns out, she’s been living on the streets.
Well, now that I have found her, I’ll be keeping my eyes on her. Portia is Famiglia. That means she’s ours. She should have been protected when Davide died. It’s what honor dictated. Instead, my father did nothing and allowed her to slip through our fingers.
The woman isn’t going to know what’s hit her. Portia Leone is now under my protection, and anyone who dares to touch her will die a slow and painful death.
SIX
PORTIA
“We have to find her,” Nell whispers, horrified. “Where can she be, Portia?”
I grit my teeth, the cold seeping into my body. I haven’t slept a wink, too busy searching the city in the hope of finding my friend. I have no idea where the hell Tee is, nor does anyone else know. I’m beyond pissed. I should have done something to stop them from taking her. I should have slit their throats the moment they approached us. If I had, then Tee would have been safe.
“Let’s head toward the shelter,” I tell Nell, hoping Tee will head back there. Both Nell and I are bone tired, but we’re not giving up. Neither of us would ever forgive ourselves if we did. We may not have known Tee as long as we’ve known each other, but she’s our sister, and we’ll do whatever it takes to get her back.
“No way,” Nell whispers a while later. “Tee?” she yells, and my brow furrows. My confusion fades as the woman turns around, and my breath leaves me when I see my friend standing there. I run toward her, barreling into her and holding her tight. God, she’s alive. Fuck. Thank God she’s alive.
I pull her into an alleyway once we’ve all hugged and reassured each other she’s okay. She tells us what went down with the Gallo’s, and my temper rises. I’ve always known that the Gallo’s are assholes. I’m fully aware of the shit they’ve done and what they’re capable of. But not once did I think they’d ever harm a woman, yet that’s exactly what Elio wants to do. My heart hurts for my girl. She’s been abused her entire life and now that fucker wants to add to it. No, he can’t. I won’t let it happen.
