Page 72 of His Property

I smile mischievously and dare him with my eyes to hit me. Blade is all talk. He’s too afraid of pissing off Lorenzo to follow through on his tough guy threats.

“I’m so scared,” I say, tipping my chin and laughing.

His lips lift into a sinister smile, and my own falters. Blade lets go of my shirt and rears his fist back in one motion. He connects with my jaw and sends me back several feet. I feel a tooth loosen, and blood pools in my mouth, and I bring my fingers to my lips. When I pull them away, I rub blood between my finger and thumb.

Big fucking mistake.

Huge.

Rage I’ve been dying to let out takes over me, and I charge at Blade.

He steps to the side, and I swing around him and wrap my arm around his neck. I squeeze and growl, my eyes manically wide, and Blade bends and throws me over him.

I crash hard on the concrete floor, and the air is knocked out of me. I cringe and try to take in a breath, but I don’t have long to feel the pain because Blade straddles me and lands a blow to my face. He puts his hands around my neck and squeezes, and it’s my turn to take advantage ofhisblind rage.

I jab my thumb in his eye socket, and he howls. His grip on my neck loosens, and I roll us over so I have the upper hand. I land a punch to his face, and then another, but my fist hovers in the air when the door opens. I jerk my head that way, and Blade takes advantage of the distraction and lands a blow to my head.

I fall off of him and cringe for a few moments before opening my eyes and slowly getting up. Blade does the same, and we stagger several feet away from each other as Lorenzo and the don of the family, Settimo, both come up to us, Lorenzo lagging behind. My direct boss doesn’t seem fazed, but Settimo lookspissed.

My chest seizes, but I harden my features and stand up straight.

“What thefuckis going on?” Settimo asks, grabbing my shirt just as Blade did.

I don’t answer because, even though he’s looking at me, I’m pretty sure he’s speaking to Blade. I glance at Blade, and we lock eyes, but I move my head and stare at nothing, keeping my mouth shut.

I watch Blade from the corner of my eye spit blood on the ground, and he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. Blade is not only a capo, he’s Settimo’s best friend. And Settimo happens to be the only person whose opinion matters more than Lorenzo’s.

I’m so fucked.

And yet, I’m not that worried. I barely even regret my actions.

“Victor and I had a disagreement,” Blade says, his voice hard.

Settimo growls and shoves me backward. I cup my hands behind my back and stand tall and still.

“I’m sorry, sir,” I say, my apology directed at Blade.

“Sorry?” Settimo scoffs and shakes his head. He turns to Lorenzo, who’s quietly standing beside him looking at me with a blank expression.

“Look, I know you like this kid, but I’ve had enough of him. He’s been a disrespectful shit for as long as I can remember, and now he’s fucking with my capos.” Settimo pulls out his gun, and my heart quickens, but I don’t bother begging. I think part of me wanted this. I’ve been walking around in anger for the past two weeks, and I can’t take much more.

I lost my best friend, my sister won’t speak to me, and I shoved the only woman I’ve ever had feelings for out of my life. I’ve been destroying my life one heartbreak at a time, and I don’t want to fucking do this anymore.

I look Settimo in the eye while he points his gun at me.

“Settimo,” Blade says, walking over and gingerly putting his hand on the top of the gun. He lowers it, and Settimo turns and glowers at him.

“Stop. This is a personal matter between Victor and I, and I threw the first punch.” Blade glances at me. “We had some steam to blow off. It’s fine.”

“It’s notfine.” Settimo scoffs. “What are you talking about?”

Blade frowns and nods at the gun. “Put it away. Please.”

Settimo narrows his eyes at Blade. “Why?”

“Because he’s my wife’s best friend, and I’ve seen her cry enough over him. I wouldn’t begin to know how to explain this to her. Please, just let it go.”

Settimo stares Blade down for a moment, then he tucks his gun back into its holster, and he turns to snarl at me. “Stay the hell away from my capos.”

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