Page 27 of Gardener for the Mafia

“You think you’re a hard man,” I say, just loud enough for him to hear. “You’ve been allowed to believe that your whole life because you’ve been sheltered. You’ve only ever had to contend with the kids in your high school. You and your friends take steroids so that people are afraid of you. But I’m not afraid of you, you pathetic fucking loser. I’m not afraid of you at all.”

“Alright, that’s it,” David whimpers, puffing his chest up even more. “You just signed your death warrant.”

He swings on me with a clumsy right hook, which is exactly what I wanted.

Of course, I could bribe the necessary witnesses to make any assault charges go away, but having him attack me first just makes things easier.

Because this man deserves to be punished.

What he did to my queen is unacceptable.

I slide out of range and weave to the left, dodging his follow up left uppercut. Then I dart forward and pommel his nose with a left straight that he doesn’t see coming.

He gasps and collapses backward as teeth fly from his mouth and his nose makes a crunch noise.

Then his friends rush me, all of them with their bloated muscles and their swollen egos, their understanding of violence real kindergarten shit.

I throw myself to the side and then spin around with an elbow that crunches into a red haired guy’s jaw, sending him hurtling backward, his body smashing into two of his friends and sending all three of them sprawling to the ground.

I raise my fists, eyeing the remaining hyenas as they gather around me, looking at each other as though for support.

But there’s no support for them.

There’s no escape.

“Fucking hell, is he a professional MMA fighter or what?” the red haired guy groans, sitting up in that dazed way people do when they’ve got a concussion.

“Shut up,” David whines, his voice choked with the blood running from his nose as he stumbles to his feet. “Let’s get him, fellas. He’s one old man, for fuck’s sake.”

I grin like a wolf. “Yeah, come on, fellas.”

They dive at me and I let my finely honed instincts take over, slipping an amateurish overhand right and ducking under with a brutal body shot, sending the man wheezing to the floor.

I backhand another fist out of the way and then surge forward for a head butt, feeling the explosion of the nose on the surface of my skin.

Finally, they all learn their damn lesson, skirting backward, looking at me with the wide eyes the herd reserves for the alpha.

They can’t believe how powerless they truly are, especially not when they’ve been allowed to believe they’re powerful for their entire lives.

David stumbles back, his hand covering his face as the blood pours and pours from his nose.

I dart forward and grab the scruff of his neck, dragging him like a cub to my queen and forcing him to his knees.

“Apologize,” I snarl. “Right now.”

“I’m s-sorry,” he stammers. “Oh, jeez, my nose, man … Lena, I shouldn’t have done it. I don’t even know why I did it. I’m sorry.”

Lena tosses her head, her features so queenly I feel like beating my hands against my chest in triumph.

“I know why you did it, David,” she sighs. “Because you’re a pathetic little boy and have no idea what it takes to be a real man. Come on, Lorenzo, let’s leave these losers alone.”

I laugh and shove him away, approaching my queen and taking her by the arm. “After you,” I say.

We sit in the private garden of the elite rooftop restaurant, wisterias drifting down around our table, separating us from the pathway that leads to the general dining area. The sun slants down, glowing through the purple blooms of the wisteria leaves.

A bird sits on the balcony on the other side of the leaves, chirping a song.

“This is amazing,” Lena whispers, her dress a deep red that compliments her fertility, making her look like a bountiful slice of Eden offered up just for me.

For me.

Always.

“Not as amazing as us,” I whisper.

I stand up and walk around the table, falling to one knee, but we’re still staring into each other’s eyes since I’m so much taller than she is.

A blooming blush spreads across her face, the corners of her lips twitching upward warmly.

“I love you,” I say firmly, without doubt. “I love you more than anything in this world. I fell in love with you when I heard your sweet voice in the gym. I fell in love with you the first time I saw you bent over those flowerbeds. Hell, Lena, I fell in love with you when you faced down David, brave and sassier then a hellcat. I’ll never stop falling in love with you, every damn day.”

“I love you, too,” she gushes, a sob breaking at the back of her throat as tears cling to her eyes. “I love you so, so much, Lorenzo.”

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