Page 16 of Savage Book Boyfriend

Cecil had been sloppy, though. He thought he was untouchable because of the little trafficking gig he ran. I'd helped him rebuild that empire of his after his father fucked it up. They had been about to lose everything before I offered to help. Their dirty secret had been my meal ticket. But I knew everything. And now he’d pay.

The hit on Cecil wasn’t as clean as I’d wanted it to be. My guy was supposed to rough him up good, send a real clear message. Instead, I get a call.

“He’s in the ICU, boss.”

I gritted my teeth, fury boiling in my chest. “ICU?”

“Didn’t go as planned. He fought back.”

I swore under my breath, pacing the room. “Is he gonna make it?”

“Not sure. Docs are saying fifty-fifty.”

I ended the call and tossed my phone on the bed, my mind racing. This wasn’t how I’d wanted it. Now it was sloppy, too noticeable. But whatever. The damage was done. I’d send another message if I had to. Genesis would know what I was capable of, what I was willing to do to remind her who the fuck I am.

DANTE

The moment I got the call, my blood went cold.

“Mimi... She’s in the hospital,” the voice on the other end said, one of the neighbors who’d been at the scene. “Someone... someone attacked her. Dante, it’s bad.”

I couldn’t think straight. My head spun, and all I could see was red. Chant. This had to be him. There was no other explanation. He couldn’t have Genesis, so he went after the one person I cared about.

Genesis was in the living room, playing with Mia. She looked up when I entered, her smile fading instantly when she saw the expression on my face. “Dante, what’s wrong?”

I swallowed hard, trying to keep the fury out of my voice, but I couldn’t hide it. “It’s Mimi. She’s been hurt.”

She gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. “Oh my God. Is she...?”

“She’s alive,” I said quickly, though my voice was tight with barely contained rage. “But barely. I’m going to the hospital.”

Genesis stood up, panic in her eyes. “I’ll come with you.”

I shook my head. “Stay here with Mia. I need you safe.”

Her face fell, but she didn’t argue. “Be careful, Dante.”

I grabbed my phone and called Beniamino on the way out the door. The rage was boiling over now, mixing with a fear I couldn’t shake. Mimi was tough, but she was old. It would be difficult for her to bounce back. She didn’t deserve this. Chant had crossed a line, and I wasn’t going to let him walk away from it.

Beni picked up on the second ring. “What’s going on?”

“It’s Chant,” I growled, my hands gripping the steering wheel. “He went after my grandmother.”

There was a pause, then Beni’s voice, low and deadly. “How bad?”

“Bad enough. She’s in the hospital now. I need you there. I need... protection. I can’t let this get any worse.”

“I’m on my way,” Beni said, no hesitation in his voice. “But Dante... you know what this means, right?”

“I know,” I said, my jaw clenched so tight it hurt. “I can’t let him live after this.”

There was silence on the other end for a moment before Beni spoke again. “You sure?”

“I’m sure,” I said, my voice hard as steel. “This is it. He touched my family. Now, I’m going to bury him.”

Beni didn’t say anything for a moment, but I could hear the weight of it in his silence. “Alright,” he said finally. “We do this right. No mistakes. I’ll be at the hospital in twenty.”

I hung up, my mind racing with the possibilities. Chant had made his move. Now it was my turn.

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