Page 25 of My Sweetest Temptation

Surprisingly, Ana nodded, her expression suddenly serious. “Yeah, I agree. I’m getting some dark mafia vibes up here,” she whispered.

My gaze shifted to Tabi, who was now swaying slightly. Ana quickly interlocked arms with Tabi to keep her from falling. Just as we were about to head down the stairs, I felt a gentle tug on my elbow. I turned to see the bartender, who had a broad grin on his face.

“Hey there, sorry,” he said, pulling his hand back like he didn’t mean to startle me. He held out a bottle of water, giving a swift nod toward Tabi. “Looks like your friend could use this.”

“Thank you,” I replied gratefully as I took the bottle from him.

He gave me a friendly wink. “Just looking out for my customers. Get home safe, yeah?”

“We will.” I smiled, glancing back at Tabi, who was leaning a little more on Ana. I popped the cap off the bottle and handed it over to Tabi. “Drink up.”

I glanced up and caught Enzo’s eye. He gave me a subtle nod that said he was ready to get us out of here. We took a few steps toward the door when a tall man with a sly smirk sauntered up the steps, looking like he walked straight out of a magazine.

“Who’s this?” He swaggered closer, studying me with curiosity. “I haven’t seen you around before.”

“Oh, for God’s sake,” Ana muttered.

“That’s because this is my first time here,” I responded.

“Ah,” he said, his gaze lingering a bit too long as he inched closer. I instinctively took a step back, feeling cornered.

“I suggest you stop blocking the girl’s way if you want to keep your body parts intact.” Enzo’s stern voice startled me.

The man glanced over at him, flashing a broad smile that quickly faded when Enzo added, “She belongs to Nico.”

I wanted to roll my eyes.

Just mentioning Nico’s name made the man freeze, but then a sneer slowly crept onto his face. “Doesn’t mean I can’t have a conversation with her.”

“It means exactly that,” Enzo said, his tone commanding. The man’s jaw tightened as he looked back at me before turning away and strutting off back to his table.

“Don’t let Nico catch you with him if you don’t want him to be cut into tiny pieces and left on your doorstep,” Enzo warned.

“I didn’t do anything. He came up to me,” I insisted.

Enzo’s expression hardened. “Doesn’t matter,” he said. “One wrong move and it could end badly for you and anyone else standing in Nico’s way.”

His warning hung in the air, and I swallowed hard. “I can handle myself. I’m not afraid of him,” I declared.

He shook his head, a grim look crossing his face. “You should be. Stay clear of any other man, especially Preston,” he said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Why would this affect Nico so much? He hardly knew me.

With that, he turned and walked away, leaving me standing there, the gravity of his warning echoing in my mind.

NICO

I slammed my hand on the oak desk, my fury burning deep inside me. “I want to know how the hell we ended up with our shipment ambushed!” I barked. My gaze swept over my men and my uncle Alessandro.

“Men in black masks opened fire on our guys. Three of our men are dead, and those sick fucks left body parts strewn everywhere in the back of the truck,” Matteo explained. “It was a bloodbath, and when our guys fought back, the cowards blew themselves up, probably because they were now outnumbered and knew any torture would be worse than a quick death.”

Luca took a slow sip of his drink, his brow furrowed. “The Michoacán cartel is denying any responsibility,” he said. “They claim their security measures were in place and the border was secure.”

My jaw was clenched so tight it ached. “What about the profit? How much did we lose?”

Matteo’s voice was grim. “Fifty grand, boss. A big hit.”

I whirled around. “Fifty grand?! And whose body parts were in the truck?”

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