Page 110 of King Of Order

She might not like it, but it was the safest option.

When he arrived, I let him in, explaining the situation in fast, quick phrases.

When she came down the stairs, she gasped.

‘The fuck?’ she called out, retreating a few steps onto the landing.

From upstairs, she glared at him, then me. ‘That’s the man who cased out the gallery several weeks ago.’

‘Because I sent him,’ I rasped, holding her gaze. ‘He’s with me.’

‘He works for you?’ Her voice rose in incredulity.

Mauri and I exchanged glances.

‘Something like that,’ he grated.

Her flicker of fear shifted into frustration, then resignation.

‘He might be one of the scariest mofos in town,belleza, but his loyalty is unshakable to me and, by inference, to you, too. You’ve nothing to worry about.’

Chiara descended the stairs with care, her bare feet peeping from under her flowing gown.

She tracked to my side, and I banded an arm around her, squeezing her waist for reassurance.

‘If it helps,’ Mauri murmured, straight-faced, ‘I love cats, knit, and play swamp football. I’m harmless until you get in my face.’

Her body shook beside me, suppressing a laugh. She relaxed a little, though I sensed she wasn’t unhappy with the idea.

I didn’t have time to soothe every wound. There was something I needed to do.

‘You’ll be OK,’ I growled, pulling her into my embrace and holding her close.

She melted into me as if letting the fear subside.

‘I need to look into Nicco so he won’t bother you again,’ I murmured, his voice a quiet promise. ‘Not while I can help it.’

She lifted her mouth instinctively, and I gave her a long kiss, stroking her arms to reassure her.

‘Mauri is family; I trust him with my life; you’ll be safe,’ I rasped, even as I caught Mauri’s eye, narrowing my gaze at the smirk on his face.

I raised the royal finger at him as she buried my face in my chest.

The tension in my body ratcheted, my muscles coiling tight, ready to strike. Knowing she was thinking the same thing I was.

Nicco Barbieri wasn’t someone who just walked away.

I had to get to him before he had a chance to regroup.

He thought he was the shit. He had no idea he was about to shit his pants when he found out I was a Calibrese, and not a happy one at that.

Tracking Nicco Barbieri wasn’t hard.

The moment he left the gallery, I had eyes on him.

I soon tracked him by accessing the Calibrese network of cameras, which we either owned outright or hacked into.

The footage I accessed made it easy to follow his movements.

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