Page 88 of Desperate Desires

Fuck no.

But what good was easy?

I wasn’t afraid of hard work. Not then and not now.

Truth was, I was luckier than most men. I had everything I wanted now. Money, prestige, and a wife I was fucking crazy about.

If those boys from my old life needed a war to realize I was never going back, I’d give them war. I had men loyal to me, weapons, and plenty of money to hire even more muscle.

I’d much rather live my life, basking in the glow only the happily married could attest to.

But now I had a problem, and it needed fixing.

I still didn’t know who’d been pulling Freddy’s strings, and this morning I’d woken up to another attack.

This one was on a load of special refrigerated containers that were supposed to arrive by ship from overseas.

Something happened to them after they passed their last inspection and all the goods were damaged and needed to be disposed of, costing me millions.

No, I wasn’t interested in war. But I wouldn’t back down from a fight. I just needed to find out who was behind this, and my resources were tapped.

“Boss? It’s Sammy Ramirez,” Gio said from the front seat, and I grabbed the proffered cell phone from his hand.

I had an idea where this conversation was going to head, and I was feeling kind of anxious about it.

My suspicions were confirmed when I heard his angry snarl on the other end of the receiver.

“You fucking married her? You prick. She’s family!”

“Then maybe you should call to congratulate me, cousin,” I said, unable to resist.

“Fuck you. Look, Dad knows. And if he knows, so do my uncles. They’re coming to see you today, Ono.”

“I see. And what? You called to give me a heads up?” I asked, surprised.

“Shelly isn’t like the girls we used to fuck around with. She’s special,” he said, and it rankled.

I didn’t need him or any other man telling me how fucking special my wife was.

My wife. Mine.

I stayed silent for a minute to get my anger under control. But apparently, Sammy wasn’t done yet.

“You gotta understand where we’re coming from. When Michaela met her, she was living with this snobby aunt of hers. A real cold woman. She was never there for Shelly. I mean like ever. Not holidays, birthdays, graduations, or nothing. So, we became her family. Understand? You hurt her, I side with family. You hurt her, and you get hurt.”

“Are you fucking threatening me, Sammy? I thought we were friends.” I seethed.

I was equal parts glad Michelle had someone looking out for her, and pissed that Sammy thought he needed to protect her from me.

“I’m not threatening you, Ono. I’m simply telling you how it is. Shelly is like one of the cousins to me. And to Dad and the uncles? She’s like a daughter.”

“You know what? I’m done with this conversation. Michelle is my wife. Hear me? My. Wife. She don’t need you or them. I am her fucking protection.”

“They’re coming today, Ono.”

“Fine,” I grunted, I needed to calm down. “If they come, they come, Sammy. Thanks for the call.”

I hung up, pissed off and spoiling for a fight.

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