Page 63 of Mafia Toy

“What happened today?” I asked him.

Sage had been lying earlier while Poppy was over, and I didn’t know why. Maybe those two had already done something together—other than just hang out at an art festival on the NYC streets.

“Did Poppy touch Sage?” I questioned, possessiveness dripping off every word.

“No,” Riccardo said.

And usually, I trusted him, but tonight … something seemed off.

“Then, what the fuck happened? The soda on Sage’s friend’s shirt?”

Riccardo stiffened and peered down at his feet for a moment. “Bethany showed up while they were at the art festival and tossed the friend’s soda all over them. I should’ve stopped it, but I didn’t think that—”

As soon as the words left his mouth, I hurled my fist at his face, hitting him square in the nose. He stumbled back, not putting up a fight, and bumped into the wall. Blood spurted from his nose and onto his black button-up shirt.

“You were hired to protect Sage,” I growled, wrapping my hand around his throat and slamming him against the wall harder. “I don’t care if you know Bethany or not. She is not totouchSage. Do you understand me?”

“She didn’t touch her—”

“Don’t fucking talk back to me,” I snapped. “Or I’ll cut your throat.”

“I’m sorry,” Riccardo said. “I should’ve been more careful.”

“You fucking should’ve been.” I seethed and tightened my grip around his throat. “I told you that if you let anyone harm a hair on her fucking head, you’d be in the fucking shithole, taking punishment for it, didn’t I?”

“Yes, sir.”

While I wanted to fire him—kill him—right then and there, I stopped myself before I lost even more of my temper. Riccardo had been trying to make a name for himself in the family, trying to rise in the ranks, had stayed with Sage since the beginning.

Not only that, but he also didn’t ask questions about our relationship.

He kept his mouth closed, especially around Pietro, who didn’t understand us either. If he had been the one to spill to the family, then Pietro would’ve known about Sage the moment I brought her home that night.

Plus, I needed him to travel with us.

“I’ll deal with you once we get back,” I growled, shoving myself off him and heading for the elevator. God, I really needed this vacation. “Stay here with the girls until I come back down. Then, we’re leaving for a week.”

I stormed into the elevator and hit the top button, whipping out my phone to text Pietro.

Me: Going out of town with Laila. Watch Bethany.

Pietro: Trying to shield your wife from your girlfriend?

Grinding my teeth together, I shut off the phone and slammed it into my pocket. Pietro only wanted the best for Laila and me, but, fuck, he was annoying as hell sometimes. Even his playboy ass would never fucking understand.

When the elevator opened, I walked into the house and closed the door behind me. Finding the nearest glass vase, I hurled it across the room.

“Fuck!” I shouted, my breath ragged. “That fucking bitch.”

The moment we returned, Bethany would pay for this. I had let it slide for too fucking long because Laila didn’t want me hurting her, but I couldn’t wait anymore for Laila to put her foot down.

Bethany was threatening my relationship with my wife, putting her down again and again and going to great fucking lengths to torment her. And now, that bitch was assaulting the people close to me. What would she resort to with Laila?

I sure as hell wasn’t about to sit around and find out.

37

sage

---