Page 29 of My Cowboy Bodyguard

I have to be satisfied with that for that for now but I’m not giving up. When he goes, I’m going with him. This man is my past, present and future. I’m not going to allow anything to take our beautiful forever from us.

Leo

The night breaks into day as we pull into Dallas. I’m driving and Rio is in the passenger seat. My truck is followed by Fury and several of his crew from the motorcycle club.

I head straight to Bella Vita, the bar Amanda mentioned. It’s not normal operating hours yet but I know when dealing with this kind of shit, there’s no such thing as normal.

Amanda is going to be mad as hell that I left. I promised her I’d let her know when I was leaving and technically, I did. I left a note by the bed after she was asleep.

Every one of my brothers is home today watching after her and Fury also sent a handful of his guys to the ranch.

Mad as hell might be an understatement but I’ll deal with that when I’m back. My priority is taking care of the woman I love.

“I’ll go in first,” I tell Rio after parking.

Not much of a talker, Rio only nods as he exits the truck and walks over to check one side of the building, then the other.

I head to the front door and pound on it with my closed fist.

Feet shuffle behind me and I glance over my shoulder. Fury and his crew stand shoulder to shoulder like a wall of beards, leather cuts and tattoos.

The door opens slowly, and a girl peeks out. She looks to be about sixteen. “Giordano!” She backs away from the door as she calls the name.

Gio was the name of the underboss Amanda mentioned.

A man appears in the doorway wearing an expensive suit and tie. His gaze sweeps over me, then the crew behind me. He doesn’t speak and I don’t either. We stare at each other until a voice behind Gio says, “Come in or close the door.”

Gio steps aside and motions me in but holds his hand out when Fury starts to advance.

Rio is at my side in an instant, his expression the same fuck-with-me-and-find-out as Gio’s.

After a tense moment, Gio glances back at a group of older men, then nods to me.

Rio and I walk in.

The place is neat and clean. The older men sit around a table and one of them holding a cane tips his head and pushes a tumbler filled with drink toward me. “Consider a twelve-step program if you can’t wait until we open.”

I take a seat near him without being invited.

He shifts in his chair, regarding me through narrowed eyes as he holds his hand up to stop a man who’s barreling toward me.

“I want the man who broke into Amanda’s apartment. And I’m here to warn you that there better not be another incident like it.”

“Amanda…I remember her.” The older man studies me for a second, then raises his eyebrows and looks at Gio. “You order that?”

“I don’t terrorize women,” Gio scoffs, his dark eyes blazing at what he considers an insult.

“That’s right.” The man nods his head. “My son doesn’t believe in hurting women or children.”

“He wore heavy cologne,” I say. “And he walked with a limp.”

Gio jerks his head toward a man watching us from behind the bar. That guy disappears into the back and returns after a minute. “He’s not in yet.”

“He acted without my knowledge or order,” Gio says, his jaw clenching.

The old man sighs. “I bring a stray in, and this is how he repays me.” He makes a sound with his tongue.

“Whether he acted alone or on orders is irrelevant to me. Amanda didn’t steal anything, and she didn’t turn informant,” I say.

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