Page 35 of Mafia Baby

“She doesn’t have to, Dom. I’ve known you for a few years now, and I’ve seen you work your way through women. You think I’m just going to sit and let that happen to my sister?” He’s angry, I would even say fuming, and his face is getting red as he speaks.

“You have known me for a while, William, and for that I’d expect at least a little more respect than that. You think I’d treat your sister like some whore I picked up off the street?” My voice is calm, because I don’t want to make a scene in this bar, but he’s pissed me off now.

“I’m not sure you have the ability to treat any woman otherwise, Reaper.” The use of my nickname shocks me.

Will has always known me as Dom, and while I haven’t hidden my alter ego from him, I also never saw it as something that was an issue in our friendship.

“I can tell you’re upset…”

“I’m not upset,” Will hisses at me, and I almost laugh at the irony. “But I do want you to bring my sister home. It’s ridiculous that she’s staying with you and working at your club. She’s from a good family. She’s embarrassing us.”

“Embarrassing you?” I say back, one brow lifted. “I wasn’t embarrassing when I was solving you and your father’s little issue, now was I?”

Will have the good grace to flush and look away.

“Will, we’re friends, but you don’t tell me what to do.” I look him in the eyes now, making sure that I am understood.

“I’m telling you to let my sister go.” He stares right back at me. I don’t think he realizes exactly who he’s talking to. That or he truly believes that his family is powerful enough to take me on.

“Have you ever considered that she’s with me because that’s where she wants to be?” I look at Will, who has gone silent.

I sigh and shake my head. He’s not willing to understand that his sister is her own person.

I open my mouth to say something to him, when Will punches me in the face.

Rubbing my jaw, I look at William. He looks shocked that he actually hit me. I’m shocked, too. But the shock soon turns to anger, and before he can swing at me again, I send a fist at his face, landing right in the center of his nose. Blood starts running down his face almost immediately.

I hear screaming, and then William jumps to his feet and wraps his arm around my neck.

As we tussle, we slam into the pool table and William’s hold on me loosens. I use the opportunity to step away from his grasp, landing a blow in his kidney.

“Hey! I’m calling the cops!” the young bartender calls out.

I grab William’s arm and drag him out of the bar. Neither of us needs to be questioned by cops, least of all together.

Will’s nose is pouring blood, and one of his eyes is already swelling a little. He lets me take him out of the bar and get him into my car. I’m glad I decided to drive myself today.

There’s an emergency room about five minutes away from where we are, and that’s where I drive to. Walking in, I spot a nurse and motion for her to help us.

She helps us get checked in, then she ushers both of us to beds that are side by side in the ER. She pulls the curtain around us and gets to work on checking our injuries.

I will get the worst of it, but my jaw has been hit so often that there’s always a risk it might break completely. We let the nurse do her job as we sit in silence, only moving when she asks us to.

“Okay,” she smiles at us after cleaning up the blood and handing out meds for pain and swelling. “Ice on those bruises as often as possible, painkillers twice a day, and no more fighting, boys!”

Her joyful attitude is wasted on both of us. We groan in appreciation and head out of the hospital, back to my car.

“Let me drop you off at home.” I say to Will. He looks like he’s about to argue but doesn’t have the energy to.

“Yeah,” is all he says as he gets into the car and puts his seatbelt on.

We drive in silence to his house, where he gets out without a word and walks to the front door without looking back.

I might have just lost a friend, but I don’t know what to do about that.

I text Gianna to tell her that I’m on my way home and that I’ve been in a fight. She asks a flurry of questions via text that I ignore.

I can explain when I come home.

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