Page 6 of Boss of Brooklyn

One of the would-be muggers laughs, evil in his voice. “Gladly, honey. I’d much rather put my hands on you.” Sofia recoils in horror as he licks his lips and grins at her.

My blood boils. But before I can do anything, his grin turns to surprise when her foot comes flying straight for his face, her kick knocking him back as his head spins to the side.

I’m shocked by her bravery, and almost slow up to see if she can kick both of their asses. By her stance and raised chin, my money’s on her.

But I can’t help myself. In seconds, I'm upon them, my fist connecting with the first asshole's jaw with a satisfying crunch.The man goes down hard, Sofia’s bag falling to the ground. I kick him in the stomach before turning to his friend.

The second mugger tries to run, but I'm faster. I grab the man by the collar, slamming him against the wall before letting him fall to the ground.

“You picked the wrong woman to mess with,” I growl, my voice low and dangerous. “If I ever see either of you near her again, they'll never find your bodies. Understand?”

The men nod frantically, terror in their eyes when I see the spark of recognition. I step back and both muggers scramble away as fast as they can. Neither deserve to continue breathing, but I don’t think Sofia would have appreciated me drawing attention to her restaurant by shooting them dead beside it. As much as I would like to.

Breathing heavily, I turn to Sofia. Her eyes are wide with shock, darting between me and the retreating men.

“Are you alright?” I ask, my voice softer now as I help her pick up her things.

Sofia nods slowly, still processing what happened. “I... yes. Thank you.” She pauses, confusion replacing the shock in her eyes. “But... what are you doing here?”

I open my mouth, then close it again. How can I explain my presence without sounding like a stalker?

“I was just passing by,” I lie.

Sofia's eyes narrow, I can tell she doesn't quite believe me. She's sharp, this one. It's part of what draws me to her.

“Right,” she says slowly. “Well, thank you. Again. I should probably...” she gestures towards her restaurant.

I nod, suddenly reluctant to let her go. “Of course.”

As she turns to leave Sofia sighs, her shoulders slumping slightly. “Luca, I've worked too hard to get where I am. Surely we can come to some sort of arrangement so I can keep my restaurant?”

“Sofia, but there are bigger forces at play than just you and me,” I say softly, releasing a long breath. “The Espositos aren’t happy about you opening your restaurant here. Even if it has been ages since the last feud was settled.”

She looks at me for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Then, with a small lift of her chin, she turns and walks back into her restaurant.

I stand there for a moment, watching her go. Then I hear Leo's voice behind me.

“Boss? Everything okay?”:

I turn to see Leo standing a few feet away, his hand resting casually on the gun hidden beneath his jacket. Always watching my back, even when I run off half-cocked.

“Yeah,” I mutter, running a hand through my hair. “Everything's fine. Let's go.”

As we drive away, I know without a doubt that things aren’t fine. I’m the Boss of Brooklyn for fuck’s sake. I have no business following a girl like Sofia around. But as I picture her standing tall in that alley, fierce and unafraid, I’m struck with the realization that I’m captivated by this girl. I’m desperate to see her again already.

Chapter 4

Sofia

Ishut the door of my restaurant and lock it, my heart still racing from the encounter in the alley. Taking a deep breath, I lean against the cool metal, trying to process what just happened. Luca Del Toro. Again. What are the odds?

As I move through the kitchen, starting my pre-service routine on autopilot, my mind whirls with conflicting thoughts. The way Luca appeared out of nowhere, like some dark avenging angel... It was both terrifying and oddly thrilling. I shake my head, trying to dispel the image of his fierce expression as he dealt with those thugs.

“Get it together, Sofia,” I mutter to myself, aggressively chopping onions. “He's bad news, remember?”

But as I work, I can't help replaying our interactions. The menacing Luca from last night seems at odds with the man who just came to my rescue. His eyes, so cold last night, had been filled with genuine concern. And the way he said my name...I groan, setting down my things. This is exactly what I don't need right now. I've worked too hard, sacrificed too much to get this restaurant off the ground. The last thing I can afford is to gettangled up with someone like Luca Del Toro, no matter how drawn to him I might be. I wonder how old he is? Definitely older than me, maybe mid thirties? But the way he handled both of those guys in the alley, to know he can protect me like that, it woke some sort of primal attraction inside of me.

As my staff begins to arrive, I push thoughts of Luca to the back of my mind. I have a restaurant to run, after all. But throughout the evening, as I orchestrate the controlled chaos of the kitchen, I find my thoughts drifting back to him. What was he really doing there? The coincidence seems too great to be believed. If he was there to harm or threaten me, then why did he stop those guys?

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