Page 439 of Savage Bosses

"Fine," Mr. Farrina finally spat. "But if you hurt my daughter in any way, you'll regret it."

"Tell your daughter to stay away from me, then you won't have to worry about her being hurt. And if you want to keep that tongue in your mouth, then I insist you never threaten me again," Bryce said coldly, his gaze never leaving the older man's furious eyes. "I don't mind adding it to my collection."

Without uttering another word, Mr. Farrina rose from his seat. As Mr. Farrina stormed out of the Cattaneos' home, his face red with anger, Bryce could feel the pressure building within him.

He wouldn't be able to relax until he let off some steam. He barely registered his father's attempts to argue with him, his mind drowning out the words as he rose from his seat and prepared to leave the room. He could hear his father's footsteps rushing toward him from behind.

"Listen to me when I'm talking to you, boy!" his father snapped, grabbing his shoulder in a desperate attempt to make Bryce pay attention to him.

Bryce whirled around, his temper flaring. He gripped his father's wrist and pushed it back until his father roared in pain. His father's pain should calm him. It should hurt him to see his dad in agony. But it didn't. It only fueled his anger.

"I'm not that little boy you used to control. I already told you to stop thinking of me as your son," he growled, shoving his father away from him.

Without another word, Bryce stormed out of the room, his heart pounding in his chest. After that trip to Italy five years ago, the tension between him and his father had reached its boiling point. There was no turning back now. In the hall, he ran into his mother.

"Leaving so soon?" she asked, smiling.

Bryce smiled back, calming a little. "Yes, ma'am. Tomorrow is the Farrina event. So, I want to get some sleep, so I don't embarrass you by dosing off during the entertainment."

His mother chuckled. "Go on home then. And be safe, Bryce," she said softly. "And please, keep Tatianna safe."

Bryce froze. "Since when is Tatianna my responsibility?"

"Trust me, you'll regret it if something happens to her," his mother warned. "So, to avoid any more regrets, just keep her safe while you can."

"Is she in danger?" Bryce asked, his anger with his father and Mr. Farrina momentarily forgotten.

"Just watch over her, please," his mother pleaded.

It seemed that was all his mother was going to say. He knew she was up to something. She'd started back having lunch dates with Mrs. Dupree. When Mrs. Dupree and his mother got together, chaos often followed.

What kind of chaos were those two creating now? Bryce was starting to wonder if Tati had come home because she'd gotten into trouble wherever she was at. Had she made enemies while she was gone?

Were they after her?Shit. He needed more details, but the look on his mother’s face let him know she wouldn’t be revealing them right now.

"Fine," he muttered. "But I'm doing it for you, not her."

"Yes, yes, I know," she said, giving him a knowing smile.

He kissed his mother's cheek before leaving his parents' home. As he walked to his car, his thoughts shifted from the confrontation with his father to Tatianna. Was she truly in danger? A possessive urge surged through him as he thought to himself, "No one is allowed to hurt her but me."

Chapter Nine

Bryceson

W

orried about Tatianna, Bryce pulled up to her condo and parked next to her car. He sat there for a while before getting out and entering the building, using the key card that had been sitting on the passenger seat of his car when he'd left his parent's house.

Bryceson chuckled. He knew he was doing exactly what his mom wanted him to do. But he couldn't resist. He shouldn't give a damn if Tati's deceitful ass was in danger or not. Yet, the thought of her being hurt didn't sit well with him.

Only he could hurt her. Others had to go through him if they wanted to hurt his wom...prey. After using the card to enter the building, he sat in the lobby for a long time, wondering if he should go up to her floor or not.

What if she saw him there? What excuse would he use for being there? He could just hear her smart-ass mouth now.Can I help you with something? Are you stalking me? Have you gotten lost, Bryceson Cattaneo?

The desk clerk approached him twice, asking him if he needed help or not, and he assured him that he didn't. The third time the man came over, he was looking shifty, eyes darting left to right as if he was expecting someone to jump out of the shadows.

"You're... you're not the one I'm waiting on, are you?" The man asked, voice low.

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