Page 20 of Cherished Union

Fucking Jade.

“You’re not happy,” Da says as I step out of the car. “I don’t blame you, Hay. If it were me, I’d be ripping this bastard's head off. But from what I gather, you and the Gallo’s have made a decision, one that affects everyone. I’m proud of you, son. It’s the right decision to make.”

I grit my teeth. “Oh yeah, and how’s that?”

“You take Aldo out, the men will go after you, and as you’ll have taken Aldo out, they’ll go for Ade. You want that?”

Christ, I didn’t even think they’d do that. “No,” I say through gritted teeth.

“Then let’s teach these fuckers what happens when you mess with a Gallagher, and Ade is one now,” he says with a smile. My da loves getting his hands dirty.

But he’s right. The moment Adelina and I got engaged, she became mine and in extension a Gallagher. Aldo is going to be in a world of hurt now.

Da knocks on the door, and a harassed looking Natalia opens it, her eyes wide as she takes in the three of us.

“Evening, Natalia, how are you?” he asks casually, like he’s not dying to wrap his fingers around her neck and snap it off.

She smooths down her dress and flashes us a smile. “Liam, a pleasure as always. Please come in.” She opens the door wide for us to enter. Stupid woman has no idea what she’s about to let herself into.

“Ah, Liam, what a surprise, is everything okay?” Aldo asks as we enter the house.

“Aldo,” my da says, his tone no longer pleasant. “I’m disappointed in you, Aldo. You fucked up.”

The bastard’s eyes darken as he takes in my da, Hayes, and I. “Oh and what’s this—you're here to kill me?”

I really wish I could take strips from this cunt’s skin. It would ease some of the raging anger I have.

“Kill you?” I snarl. “No, not kill you.”

His brows practically hit his hairline. “Oh, then what is it you’re here for?”

“You should die for what you’ve done to her.”

He sneers at me. “That bitch deserved what she got. She should learn to be respectful.”

Oh fuck no. I step toward him and watch as he takes one backward. Fucking coward. “She’s your daughter,” I snap at him. “You do not touch her. Ever.”

“She’s not yours just yet, Hayden. I’ll put an end to the wedding. There are plenty of other men who would want her.”

Wrong thing to say.

My hand wraps around his neck, and I pull the fucker to me. “You dare threaten me?” I hiss in his face. “You’re a dead man walking, Aldo. You had better pray that the cancer that’s eating away at you finally takes you, because if I do, I’m wiping out the entire famiglia.” I grin as the fear seeps from his pores, the smell wafting through the air. “You think I won’t take you all out? Guess again. We have no problem going to war with you, Aldo.”

I drop the cunt to the floor, where his wife hurries over to him like the whore she is.

“You wouldn’t,” he grunts as he gets to his feet. “Your sister is part of this family.”

“Wrong,” Da laughs. “My daughter is a Gallagher through and through. She will never stand by your side, not fucking ever, and if you’ve noticed, your son is besotted with her. Good luck trying to get them to be on your side as this war takes out every single man.”

Aldo’s face reddens with rage. “Try me,” he hisses.

Fucking A. “I’m ready,” I tell him. “I’ve seen the damage you wrought tonight. The fucking bruises you put on Adelina. You think you’re smart? If you were, you’d realize that you have no fucking chance of winning this war. You cannot go up against Da, me, Makenna, Dante, Denis, Danny, and Malcolm.”

Da grins. “Not to mention, Aldo, the people they have married and how fucking powerful they are. We’ll have your entire existence wiped out within the week.”

Aldo blusters at my da’s words. “What is it that you want?”

I grin. Oh, where do I even begin? “Neither Adelina or Viviana will be back here,” I tell him and his wife. “Once Adelina and I are married, Viviana will come to Indiana also.”

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