Page 100 of The Boss

“You’re using her.”

“No, I’m not, Greg. Now, I’m going to let you go. Just take a deep breath. Okay?”

He nodded and I released my hold. But that didn’t stop him. My friend spun around, dancing from one foot to the other. The next punch brought stars to my eyes. Now I was enraged and threw myself at him. As I wrenched his arm back at an awkward angle, he howled through clenched teeth from the pain.

Hearing footsteps didn’t stop me. I was hell bent on stopping him before things went too far.

No matter what I had to do.

The door was thrown open, several of my men filling the room. But that didn’t stop either one of us. We pitched and he almost threw us both to the floor.

Until her voice.

“Stop! Both of you. For God’s sake, stop!” Willow had suddenly appeared, anger laced in her normally sensual tone.

We both looked in her direction, our chests heaving from exertion and anguish. But it wasn’t all about physical pain, but the emotional trauma we’d both had to deal with.

Now that included someone else we both cared about.

“Let him go!” she commanded, her eyes full of venom. When I didn’t follow her orders right away, she stormed toward us, getting so close she could get hurt in the fray if we didn’t stop acting like idiots. “Let. Him. Go. And you, Uncle Gregory. You will not hurt the man I…”

Gasping, she closed her arms, placing her head into both hands. The sound she made was full of fury and sorrow.

Greg took a deep breath and I could tell the fight had been torn from him.

I released my hold for a second time, immediately turning my back and heading to the window. We’d acted like fucking fools. But what was there left to say? What could possibly matter at this point?

“What is wrong with both of you? Didn’t you consider yourself brothers?” she asked, but her demanding tone remained.

Greg said nothing, moving to the opposite side of the room. I could see his continued anguish in the reflection in the glass. The air was thick with tension and sadness.

“Dimitrios. I know we have a connection and you’re all I can think about, all I can feel other than anger for what happened to my parents. You’ve awakened my soul and while this deal we made with the devil might go south and won’t last long, being with you is… All I want.”

The words hung in the air and prompted me to turn back around. My men were like statues, watching their leader become unhinged. It wasn’t my normal behavior. Nico was shaking his head and I gave my attention to Greg then back to Willow. Her words touched me more than I’d ever thought they could.

“And Uncle Gregory. You don’t know me any longer. You haven’t taken the time to get to know me. What you remember is a child with wide eyes and absolute excitement about everything around me. Well, guess what? I grew up. I make my own decisions now including who I spend my time with and why. I choose Dimitrios and if that means we can’t be family any longer, then so be it. I will help find the person who killed myparents and Dimitrios’ brother. Period. So get the fuck used to it.”

Greg watched her as she made the speech, never blinking once. I could tell he was thrown by her admittance and her tone. When he took a step forward, she threw out her hand.

“That doesn’t mean I can forgive either one of you right now. You’re acting like children. Don’t you think the asshole with no conscience wanted that to happen? To have the family pitted against each other? That’s not what my brother would do, but someone else. Someone you told me was dangerous, Dimitrios. While the two of you are fighting, he’s winning.”

Neither one of us said anything in response.

She huffed, planting her hands on her hips. “I can’t stand the sight of either one of you right now. Just leave me alone.”

Without another look, she stormed from the room, brushing past Nico and Atticus without giving either soldier a look.

Exhaling, I glanced around the room, settling on Nico.

“Do you need anything, boss?” he asked, doing his best to defuse the situation.

“Make certain Willow is safe and does not leave the premises. Otherwise, give her some space. Ensure the grounds are protected at all times. Understood?” I glanced from man to man. They knew better than to say a damn thing at this point.

“Of course. Come on. We heard the boss. Let’s go.” Nico led them out of the room, giving me one last look before closing the doors.

The ugly tension remained, but at least Greg seemed calmer than before. He walked through broken glass, making anotherdrink for himself. It was strong, which was exactly what I needed.

He gulped half and didn’t turn around to face me at first. “Are you taking care of her? Treating her right?”

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