Bullet breezes past her without saying a word, Ivy next, then Piggy, before I bring up the rear. She moves behind me, closing the door, then I hear the dead bolt click into place. So we’re here alone. If the empty restaurant didn’t give it away, the bitch behind me locking the door sure as fuck did.
In the middle of the restaurant, like a true mob boss, sits Lorenzo at a big rectangular table. It kind of appears as though they’ve pushed together about four tables, but who the fuck knows?
On one side of him sits Paul, on the other an older guy in a suit. Lining the wall behind them, with a door being the only separating factor, are shoulder-to-shoulder guards. They’re dressed in suits, their focus sharp, their jaws set.
They think of themselves as badasses, which is cute. Because I know my brothers and I don’t think of ourselves as anything—we just are. That’s what separates the men from the boys in these types of situations.
“Please, sit, join me,” Lorenzo calls out.
My lips twitch into a smirk because this guy is just too fucking much. I honestly don’t hate it when it comes from him. I enjoy him, and he’s built a great organization. They’re really one of the best and most feared. They are good to have as partners, but hell as enemies.
We’ve cut out the middleman and work directly with him now, but we’d wanted to go legit and were trying to get out of working with them altogether at one point. Obviously, that hasn’t happened and won’t be happening anytime soon.
“The chef is going to bring out some food. For now, have some bread,” Lorenzo offers, holding his hand out to show the several baskets of bread on the table in front of him.
I try as hard as I can not to look at Paul, but fail. Bullet tugs the chair out in front of Lorenzo, Ivy sits on his right in front of the other older man in a suit, Piggy sits directly in front of Paul, and I sink down beside him, my gaze very much connected to his.
Paul’s lips twitch into a smirk, no doubt recognizing me from in front of Lainey’s place last night.
My focus never leaves him. I can’t look anywhere else. He sits across from me, his smile smug and his eyes dancing. I’m ready to fucking kill him right here and now, then ask questions later. I don’t, but I’m ready.
Sucking in a breath, I hold it as I bite back the anger and attempt to gain control over myself and my reactions. Letting my breath out slowly, I clear my throat and shift in my seat, focusing my gaze on Lorenzo.
“Okay,” he calls out, clapping his hands together. “It seems Paul has jumped the gun a bit. You know how young men get excited and can’t wait for protocol. I need to preface this meeting with that. I didn’t authorize the ambush last night, but it seems as if all will be handled before this meeting is over.”
Interesting.
Handled.
I’ll handle something all fucking right. Taking calming breaths, I try not to completely lose my shit, at least not yet. I’m sure something else will come up, and I’ll be able to do that. I can’t imagine this meeting is going to go off without a hitch, and hopefully, I’ll be able to take a swing or two at Paul before it’s done and over with.
There is a moment of silence in which Ivy reaches for the bread, but nobody else does. We’re all waiting for Bullet to speak first, even though I’m sure Piggy has plenty to say, considering this meeting is literally about his sister.
“Paul didn’t just jump the gun, Lorenzo. You know that,” Bullet begins. “Now we need to have a serious discussion about this shit right here. Lainey was and is under our protection, which means she’s club property. Kidnapping her, that’s punishable by death.”
And I know he knows, because his own kid pulled this fucking shit a few years ago. He ended up dead, but that’s a story for a whole other fucking day.
Lorenzo reaches for a piece of bread, then brings it to the small plate in front of him and dips it in the bowl of oil, balsamic, and spices before shoving the whole thing in his mouth. I watch him chew, knowing he’s doing that so he doesn’t say some fly shit.
“He didn’t jump the gun, yet he did,” Lorenzo says. “And this time, there was no kidnapping.”
Fuck.
Well, I guess it had to come out. Bullet sucks air between his teeth, leaning back in his seat slightly. Piggy growls next to me, no doubt ready to shove his fist down any one of these assholes’ throats at any given second.
“Surrounding a man, three to one, is not what I would call willing. Even if she got into that car without being dragged.”
“Noooo,” Lorenzo calls out. “That is not okay.”
I watch as his gaze narrows as it shifts to the side, looking at Paul. That makes my lips curve up into a smirk.Fucker. Then something happens. That door behind Lorenzo opens, and out walks Lainey.
It’s Paul’s turn to smirk. There, standing just a few feet away from me, is Lainey-Rose. Her hair is pulled back and in a bun at the crown of her head. I frown at the sight of her blond curls being pinned back.
I don’t like that shit at all.
She’s wearing makeup, much more than I’ve ever seen her wear, even more than she was wearing at Piggy’s wedding. She’s got a black dress on that hugs her curves a bit too tightly in my opinion.
And she appears taller, so I assume she’s wearing heels. I like absolutely nothing about this, except Idowant to fuck her. I want to hitch the skirt of that dress up and slam her ass on the edge of the table. Then I want to fuck her right here and now in front of everyone, hard and fast until she screams my name.