Chapter 50
Chapter
Fifty
MATTEO
T he last place I want to be at is DD’s.
But it’s Wren’s birthday, and I haven’t seen her in almost a week.
Now that I’m back, I didn’t intend for my first time with her to be against the employee lockers in the breakroom, but I couldn’t fucking wait to take her. When I saw her across the room, dancing so carefree, every fucking guy in the room had their eyes on her, praying that her little black dress would either ride up a little or dip down slightly. They want parts of her that are meant for my eyes only.
That’s when I saw red.
I don’t fucking dance.
But I found myself storming toward her. The next thing I knew, I was claiming her. Was it possessive? Yes. Do I fucking care? Absolutely not.
I can’t believe that she got that too. It has to be the hottest fucking thing I’ve ever seen in my life .
I should spank her ass for not telling me about it beforehand.
“Who did the tattoo?” I casually ask. It’s been killing me since I saw it.
I can feel Wren looking at me, but I stay focused on the end of the hall. I can’t afford to see the answer that I’m not wanting to fucking hear written on her face. It’s going to piss me off.
I grind my teeth as she answers, “Ink did it.”
I tilt my neck to the side, cracking it in hopes of relieving even a sliver of this tension.
It was Ink.
It was just Ink.
“Oh.” I try to respond calmly, but my tone sounds scary, even to me.
“Is that okay?” Wren asks. I can hear the hesitation in her voice.
“What do you think, Wren?”
She stops at the end of the hallway leading back to the bar and turns to look at me. “It was just Ink! I didn’t think it would be a big deal.”
Didn’t think it would be a big deal?
“Don’t you dare look at me like I’m crazy, Matteo!” she snaps.
“I’m looking at you like you’re crazy because you are fucking crazy! Why would you think it would be okay for Ink to tattoo something anywhere on your body?” People are starting to look our way as my voice rises. “Without me there!”
“I hate to break this to you since clearly it’s your first time hearing something like this, but I do not need your permission to do anything.”
My patience for this situation is thinning rapidly as I try to gain some type of control back with some deep breaths .
“Watch it, Wren,” I growl. “I’m barely holding it together here. Don’t make me do something that you’ll regret.”
Her head rears back as she crosses her arms across her chest. “And what exactly would I regret?”
“Me murdering Ink for touching what’s mine.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?!” she yells.
I’m about to yell back at her, but I’m cut off by loud popping and the crowd screaming.
“Get down!” a guy in the distance screams. “He’s got a gun!”
I’m scanning the crowd, trying to make any sort of contact with Gio, Enzo, Aldo, and Alessio, but I come up short.
“Get to Cain’s office,” I say after I crouch down next to Wren. “Lock the door, and don’t let anyone in until I come for you. Got it?”
Her big blue eyes are full of fear as she stares back at me. “Where are you going?”
“To make sure everyone is safe, and to help Cain take care of whoever had the balls to open fire on his territory. Stay put.”
I’m body-checking my way through the bar now.
I trust that Wren made it to Cain's office safely because I’m not risking looking back over my shoulder.
I pause for another quick scan of the crowd, this time spotting Alessio near the entrance as people scramble to get out. I catch his eye, and he waves me over.
They better have already fucking caught him and killed him because if I get my hands on him, I’m going to tear him apart. If the pussy’s going to shoot up a place I’m in with my girl, he can at least have the balls to look me in the eyes while he does it .
“Is he dead?” I ask once I finally shove my way through and reach Alessio.
The grim look on his face makes my jaw clench. “No. We can’t find him.”
“What the fuck do you mean you can’t find him?” I barely get out.
“I don’t know. Cain’s brothers and Gio are out trying to find him now.”
“Enzo and Aldo?” I’m surprised Enzo didn’t go with Gio, considering Gio is trying to make him his protegee.
Alessio looks past me and nods his head. “Over there.” Following his gaze, I notice them up against the wall of the bar, scanning over the crowd. “Where’s Wren?”
“I told her to go into Cain's office and lock the door until I come and get her. I’m not risking her being out here when we don’t know what the fuck is going on, and Christos is still out there.” I would rather have Gio torture me than have something happen to her when she’s with me.
“You think he did this?”
“It’s crossed my mind. I just can’t see that piece of shit disappearing that fast.” Desperate guys always make mistakes. It’s the greed. Makes them sloppy.
“I know. Cyrus was right behind Gio when he started running toward where the shots being fired were coming from. Crazy bastards.” Alessio shakes his head.
“They’re just thirsty.”
“There’s thirsty, and then there’s just being stupid,” Alessio says.
“I think they’re both chasing a high they haven’t found yet.”
Alessio studies me for a moment before inclining his head and going outside. I follow him out. Cain has Evan tucked to his side, and a few of his guys are standing in the dimly lit parking lot of DD’s. Cain throws something at me as I approach. I catch it on a reflex.
My eyebrows lower as I study the bullet casing. “It’s from a pistol.”
“This piece of mother fucking shit had the balls to come onto my territory and shoot up my place,” Cain yells. “Oh, it’s on motherfucker. It’s on.” Cain turns his eyes wild to me, the vein in his neck right where the head of the snake is throbbing. “I was only half interested before because no one fucks with our family, but Evan was inside, man. If you catch this piece of shit, I get a piece of him too.”
“Let’s all calm down,” Alessio tries to reason. “We don’t want to only focus on one guy if it isn’t really him.”
“Who else would it be?” Cain roars, making Evan jump. “Evan was inside. Fucking Evan!”
“I understand, but we need to think this through, or else no one will get what they want except him.”
I know Alessio is right, but I get where Cain is coming from more. He wants blood, and I do too. This is the second time I’ve been with Wren and a shooting has happened. I don’t believe in coincidences like this.
“I’m going to get Wren home, and then we can figure out what the fuck is going on,” I tell Cain as I text Aldo to get her out of his office.
Cain nods his head. “I’m going to do the same with Evan. At least I know Hades will bite that pussy.”
I’d almost feel sorry for whoever is at the end of that bite.
Almost.
I turn around at the sound of feet pounding toward me, my hand on my gun that’s tucked away under my suit jacket. I relax once I see that it’s just Aldo.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, tensing as I take in the worried look on his face.
“Wren’s gone.”