Page 14 of Bossy Ex's Brother

“That’s practically a baby to someone like me,” he said and then called out, “Capo. With me.”

The huge man from before—the one who asked me to wait in Luca’s office—instantly started toward us without a word. I noticed that he didn’t even look at me this time, maybe as a sign of respect for his boss. Annoying how that was the only reason he didn’t leer, but I would still take it as a win.

I followed Luca outside. The two other men who were leaning against a black SUV immediately ceased their conversation when they saw us coming, standing at attention and immediately jogging into action at Luca’s curt nod. They piled themselves into the car while Capo opened the backseat door for me.

“Thank you, Capo,” I said, and the big man’s face was unmoved, but I noticed the tip of his ears turn red.

Luca followed me into the backseat before shutting the door and enclosing us. Even though the car was spacious, his body crowded mine, his scent tempting me once again. To distract myself, I focused on the other men in the car, wondering why they were there. I wanted to ask, but I was too scared to knowthe answer. Because if Luca needed all this muscle as backup, it meant he might be expecting trouble.

But I couldn’t think about it, or I would panic.

Luca and I didn’t talk on the way there, and I felt anxiety crawling into my throat.

When I glanced to the side, I saw Luca shut his eyes and lean his head back into the seat as if he were sleeping, but I knew he was awake. Maybe he was just resting.

I couldn’t do the same. I was a ball of nerves, twisting my fingers in my hand over and over again. The panic was battling the restraint of logic, rising quickly.

And then a hand appeared on my hand, holding it firmly and putting an end to my fidgeting.

I glanced up at Luca.

“Relax,” he instructed. “Don’t think too hard. We’ll take care of it.”

“As if you care,” I said. I meant it as a joke, but it came out bitingly.

“I don’t,” Luca retorted without opening his eyes. “Your fidgeting and thoughts are just giving me a headache.”

Before I could give my clever retort, we arrived. There were even more people there now than when I’d left, but the crowd parted for Luca as we walked to the entrance. Everyone stared at him too, and there were whispers around us as we walked in. Especially seductive looks from the ladies. I guessed everyone knew who the owner of Onyx was, and he was popular around these parts.

Well,I thought firmly.That was none of my business.

Club Onyx was exactly what one would expect from a club. Dark smoky interior, loud music, and gyrating bodies everywhere.

I spotted Beth immediately. She was dancing on a table while a few rough-looking men leered at her, running their handsdown her legs and whistling. One of them looked old enough to be her father.

Instantly, anger filled me.

I left Luca, storming over to them and yelling, “Let go of her.”

One of the men who had a scar over his eyebrow glanced at me. “Damn, you’re fucking hot.”

“And you’re groping my sister, you moron,” I berated.

“Jane?” Beth’s voice was outraged. Her eyes went wide when she spotted me, avoiding the hands and hopping off the table. “What are you doing here?”

“Getting you out. Let’s go.” I grabbed her hand and searched for the nearest exit.

“I’m not going anywhere,” she said stubbornly, yanking her hand back. “God, why do you have to ruin everything?”

“We’ll talk about this at home.”

“I said I wasn’t going anywhere with you.”

“You’re fucking sixteen, Beth. What the hell do you think you’re doing here, huh?”

“Hey, lady.” The man with the scar took a threatening step forward, but he froze when a growl came from behind me.

We all turned to see Luca standing there with his eyes fixed on the man. As the swinging neon lights splashed across his face for a second, they looked like they glowed.

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