White-hot anger snakes through me as I see Cara crying. Without a second thought, I charge toward Lucas, my fist drawn back and ready to strike.
Lucas is unprepared for my attack, and there’s a satisfying crunch of his nose under my knuckles as I land the first punch. He stumbles backward, his hands instinctively flying up to cover his face.
Pathetic loser.
I’m fueled by a burning fury that refuses to be quenched. If he thinks he can stop me, he’s in for a surprise. One that will end with him bloody on the floor.
I tackle him to the ground, straddling his chest and raining down heavy blows on his face. Blood gushes from his nose and mouth, staining my hands and splattering on my clothes, but I don’t care. I won’t stop. The only thing that’s important right now is the feeling of my fists connecting with his flesh.
You. Motherfucking. Piece. Of. Shit.
He dares lay a hand on my girl? This. Is. What. He’ll. Get.
Lucas struggles to defend himself from my crazed onslaught, but he’s powerless against the rage that has been scorching inside of me for far too long. My anger has taken over, and I’m making him pay for everything he has put Cara through.
The sound of heavy blows echoes throughout the room, but I don't let up. All I want is to hurt him as much as he had hurt Cara. At this point I’m unstoppable. He can beg me for mercy. But I still won’t stop.
Suddenly, I feel Cara's arms around me, trying to pull me away from Lucas's body. Her hold is weak but it’s Cara. She is my priority. Always my priority. "That's enough, Carlo," she says alarmingly. "Let's get out of here, please. If you continue to hit him like this, he will die."
I throw one last punch in before I pull myself away from Lucas and stand up, breathing heavily. My knuckles are bloody and sore, arms ache numbingly from the exertion.
Lucas lies motionless beneath me, his face a bloody mess. Good.
Benicio, after overcoming his shock, stands from his desk and comes charging at me, grabbing me by the collar and pushing me against the wall. "What the fuck are you doing Carlo? Who permitted you to hit my son-in-law?" he bellows, his eyes clouded in fury.
I glare back at him. "Son-in-law? He was hurting your daughter, and you didn't say anything. And now you're protecting this piece of shit?" I kick Lucas for good measure.
He digs his fingers into my shoulders, but I laugh like a madman. “Go ahead and do it, Benicio. We both know you’re all bark and no bite.”
“I am your boss!”
“For now,” I smirk.
For the first time, he’s unsure. His grip loosens, and he frowns. “What are you talking about?”
“With my skills, do you think you’re the only one who’ll take me? It never occurred to you that the other familias will want me on their side?”
His brows furrow in confusion. “Why are you doing this?”
“No,” I shake my head. “You don’t get to ask questions. Why are YOU doing this to Cara? Your own daughter. Your flesh and blood.”
"Do you even know what you're saying? She's just a means to an end for me. She's nothing more than a business for me," the man retorts back callously.
Cara is crying behind him, and my anger reaches new highs. I grab Benicio and pin him against the wall, my hand tightening around his throat.
"Now listen here, BOSS. If you ever say or even think about this again, I will shred all your family members to pieces except Cara. And I’ll let you watch as your legacy ends with you. You think I don’t know? Someone’s moving in on your turf and you’re asking Lucas for help," I growl. “Well, guess who’s been trying to poach me?”
Benicio’s face pales as it hits him. “You wouldn’t.”
“Normally, yes. But now that I’ve seen how you treat Cara, well…”
Cara wraps an arm around my waist as she pleads with me to let him go. I release my hold on him and he slumps to the ground, gasping for air.
"I'm taking Cara with me," I continue, my voice laced with deadly intent. "If you or your associates come for her, I will go to the other side and make sure he takes over New York City in a week.Capisci?"
Her father remains stubbornly silent, knowing fully well how serious I am about my threats. He may have been my boss, but he knows what I’m capable of. I’m the one he sends to take care of problems others can’t. I was the one he ordered to destroy an entire gang…alone. His enemies fear him because of me. They don’t play around with him because of me. They’re scared of what I’ll do to them, not because they respect Benicio.
Ever since I started working for Cara's father, I had done a lot of unspeakable things for his business, things that no one else could do. Crossing me means signing a death warrant.