CHAPTER 13
I try and look cool, calm, and collected as I sit at a table in The Sanctuary and nurse a beer, but I’m far from any of those things. How could I be when I came home to find Giovanni passed out in bed and Fleur nowhere to be found? If Rocco hadn’t come home when he did, I probably would have beat my brother to death and then torn about the house from one end to the other in a fit of rage.
Rocco was the one who found Fleur’s note on the fridge. While I’m glad she didn’t leave without a trace, I was still pissed at her for leaving the house without one of us. Gio would have been easy to talk into being her shadow during girl’s night.
He would have been the one who would probably have been all for it. But no. Instead, our woman fucked him, waited until he was asleep, and then slipped out of her house.
There might be worse places she could be than a bar owned by the DSMC, but it’s still an unnecessary risk and I hate how she felt she needed to sneak around instead of telling us she needed some time out of the house. I get it, I do, because we’ve been keeping her locked up. It probably wasn’t fair to her, but it’s not like we didn’t have a reason to do it and it was all to keep her safe.
“I’ll tell you this right fucking now,” Rocco grumbles, his eyes moving around the room instead of fixed on our woman even though I know he’d rather be watching her, “she’s going to be at our place tonight and going forward.”
I grunt in agreement and hear chuckles coming from our sister’s three men. When we glance over at them, there’s amusement dancing across two faces out of the three. Massimo only ever smiles if Viola is involved, so I’m not surprised that he’s watching us with a stoic expression on his face.
“So,” Marco begins, and I’m already annoyed at the man, “you guys and Fleur, huh?”
I grunt, “Yeah, she’s ours.”
The three men who we never wanted to have in our family, but had no choice in accepting, nod with looks of understanding on their faces. I’m sure they do fucking understand. From what I heard about how Viola and the three of them got together, they didn’t expect to be knocked on their asses by the Guidice princess. Just like we didn’t expect the same to happen to us with Fleur.
Considering how happy they are with Viola, I don’t think they regret it. I might be pissed at our woman, but I don’t regret being with her either. I’ll get over being mad, probably after I spank her ass until it’s a pretty red color and she winces when she sits down for a few days, but I’ll move past it.
I notice Rocco tense and I look over at my youngest brother to find him looking at someone across the bar, his eyes narrowed and his entire body practically fucking vibrating with rage. When I follow his gaze, I’m surprised as hell to see the man Fleur was talking to at Club Sin.
Giovanni must recognize him because he lowers his voice and asks, “Isn’t he that Henri fucker?”
“Yes,” I hiss and fight the instinct I have to stand up and stride across the room.
It’s not just the fact that he’s here, which is bad enough, but it’s the way he’s watching our woman which sets my teeth on edge. He’s looking at her with obsession shining in his eyes along with a hunger only my brothers and I get to feel for our woman.
Massimo leans forward and asks softly, “Who is he?”
Without looking away from Henri, who hasn’t noticed he’s being watched because he’s so fucking enamored with Fleur, I answer. “Rocco sent Fleur a necklace as an apology because we cornered her at Viola’s birthday dinner after the comment about Club Sin. We wanted to know if she really went there and was a member. She wasn’t pleased.”
“Our women are stubborn and independent,” Massimo states with a hint of annoyance in his voice which I know comes from the love he has for Viola.
“No fucking kidding,” I scoff. “The necklace had a tracker in it.”
“Fuck, why didn’t I think of that,” Mateo muses and I want to look at him, but I can’t tear my eyes away from Henri.
“I’m not going to ask what the fuck that means,” I snarl, and I swear the asshole laughs. “Anyway, she went to Club Sin. We followed her. When we got there that dead man,” I nod toward where he’s still staring at our woman, “was chatting her up. Needless to say, she didn’t spend the night with him. She spent it with us.”
“Fleur has gotten two gifts delivered to her house with notes that point toward someone obsessed with her and stalking her,” Rocco adds on, his predatory eyes trained on the man who doesn’t know how close he is to danger.
“Well, shit,” Marco grunts and all I can do is nod.
Fleur stands up from the table where she’s drinking, joking, and laughing with the women she’s out with and walks toward the bar. I tense as everything in me screams to get up and go to her. Giovanni reaches out and lays a hand on my shoulder.
“Let it play out,” he suggests, and I want to punch him. “If he’s the one, he won’t be able to resist doing something stupid and then we’ll know and be able to end him and stop what has been making her afraid.”
I watch as Henri approaches her on her other side which means she has to turn away from where we’re sitting to look at him. I clench my fists and, somehow, force myself to stay seated. It’s not an easy task at all.
I watch as his lips move, and Fleur turns toward him. I hate not being able to see her face right now. What I can see is her hand hanging down at her side and it’s shaking as she looks up at Henri.
When he reaches out and tucks a few loose black hairs back behind her ear, I see red and can’t sit by the sidelines for a moment longer. I stand and stride closer to where Henri is completely focused on my woman. The closer I get, the more fear I can feel coming off Fleur.
I know my brothers are at my back without even having to look at them. I also notice a few DSMC brothers in the bar tonight and they are watching what is going on very closely. Good. I have a feeling I’m going to need their help, or at least use of one of their facilities.
“I know you wanted me the other night, Fleur,” Henri coaxes. He probably thinks he sounds seductive, but he just sounds like a whiny brat. “It was in the way you looked at me. I don’t know what happened or why you spent the night without me,” I notice how he doesn’t mention she spent the night with us and I almost smile.
“We were just talking,” Fleur’s voice has a waver in it that guts me.
When she stiffens slightly, I know it’s because she can feel me standing right behind her and doesn’t want to seek me out for comfort. At least not yet anyway.
“I know you’re just playing hard to get. It’s why I sent you those gifts. So you’d know I wanted to court you,” there’s an eager quality to his voice which makes me wonder if he’s confused about what took place between them or just a little mentally unstable. Maybe both. “Did you like them?”
Fleur stammers, “Uhhh.”
Before anything else can happen, I step in front of Fleur and wrap my hand around Henri’s neck. When he glares at me like I just ate the cherry off his sundae, I let him see the cold detachment in my eyes that I’ve spent years working on. Worry starts to seep into his expression, and it makes me want to howl in victory.
The rage I’m feeling is barely contained in my words, “You’re the one who has been scaring our woman by sending her gifts?”
Henri scoffs, “She’s not yours. I saw her first.”
I hear Fleur mumble something under her breath about toys and her not being something men can fight over. She has no idea how sexy and alluring she is or that a real man would be fucking lucky to fight, no matter the stakes, to spend some time with her.
Too bad for them because she’s ours and we’re never letting her go.
Hack, one of the club brothers I noticed in the bar earlier, steps up next to me. “We have a little space in the basement if you want to take this somewhere more private.”
I’m not surprised when he doesn’t ask questions or thinks I’m stepping over the line. I’ve spent years doing business with the men of the DSMC and they know what kind of man I am. I don’t have to prove anything to them.
I give him a curt nod and then glance over at my woman. I feel my features soften as I look at her. “We got this, Tesoro,” I promise her. “I want you to go with Rocco. He’s going to take you home and then you’re packing a bag.”
“A bag? Why am I packing a bag?”
I don’t respond to her and instead follow Hack while still holding onto the asshole who thought it was okay to harass our woman. He’s going to pay for his indiscretions with his life. When he starts trying to thrash and escape my hold, I only tighten my fingers as I follow Hack wherever he’s taking me.
I know Rocco will keep our woman safe, no matter how angry and hurt he was to find her gone when we came home. Now, with the asshole who has been sending her gifts, probably the one who was asking around about her as well, in my grasp, we can put this behind us and move forward.
Just because I end this threat doesn’t mean Fleur won’t be moving in with us. That is happening no matter what. Sooner rather than later.
I can feel Gio behind me as we head down a set of stairs which have seen better days. When we’re in the bowels of the church, it’s clear just how old this structure is. Part of me wants to marvel at it, but I push it aside because now is not the right time.
There’s a room with a metal door ahead of us and I’m not surprised when Hack opens the door and waves us in. When I push Henri down so he’s sitting on the only chair in the middle of the room, I look over my shoulder at Hack.
“You can work him over for as long as you want. If you need a break, knock on the door and we can have someone watch him or pick up where you stop.” Hack points to one side of the room where a cabinet stands. “You can use any of the tools in there and everything is soundproofed.”
“This isn’t normally where the DSMC works,” I find myself asking even though I don’t phrase it like a question.
“No,” he states, but doesn’t elaborate and I understand why. There are some secrets that are better to take to the grave with you. “Have fun,” he chirps brightly and then steps out of the room and closes the door behind him.
When we’re alone, I ignore Henri completely and turn toward the cabinet instead. Giovanni leans against a wall and watches me, ignoring our guest as well. Silence can be a great motivator for people to start spilling their secrets without any questions being asked.
“She’s mine,” Henri growls. “She was given to me and then you walked into Club Sin and stole her from me.”
Even though my blood boils at his words, I don’t acknowledge them. Instead, I grab a blow torch and a knife out of the cabinet and shut the door. While the sound it makes isn’t actually loud, it seems like it in the quiet of the room. I look at Gio, asking silently if he wants in on what is about to happen. When he gives me a chin lift instead of choosing his own instrument for torture, I know he’s only here to bear witness to what is about to happen.
I’m more than okay with being the one responsible for finding out what Henri is up to and why he targeted Fleur for his next obsession before ending his life without a hint of remorse. I should feel something for the life I’m about to take, but I don’t. He scared our woman and it’s enough of a reason for him to die.
I step closer to Henri and his eyes go to the blowtorch before widening and rounding with fear. “I already told her that she was given to me. I paid for her and then we were going to play a little game before I claimed her as mine.”
I narrow my eyes as I stare at the man in front of me, knowing without a doubt that no one in Fleur’s life would sell her. Never. Not a fucking chance.
“How did you find her to buy her?”
“On a website,” he tells me without hesitation, and I watch his eyes as he does. The man might not be all there and is definitely confused, but he does believe what he’s telling me. “I saw her and knew she was mine. I paid and then was told where I could find her if I was patient enough and how much fun the game would be because she would pretend like she didn’t know or want me.”
The smile he shoots me has my gut churning, but I don’t let it show on my face.
“Who sold her to you?”
“I didn’t get a name, only the initials JM.” I freeze and I know Gio does as well. Henri can’t read the fucking room at all because his eager voice brings my attention back to him and out of the fog of hate crawling over me with the realization that Martinez is behind the whole thing. “Can I have her now? She’s mine and I want her still. I don’t even care that you and the other two stretched her pussy. I bet she’s still tight and I could sink into her and ride her hard. I’ll let you have a turn after me.”
I drop the blowtorch in my hand and close the distance between us in a few strides. I don’t even think about it as I use the knife in my hand to slit Henri’s throat. Blood rains down on me, cooling some of the inferno inside me at the thought of him ever getting his hands on our Fleur and the havoc Martinez was trying to inflict.
“His death was swift,” Gio’s voice is cold from where he’s still leaning against the wall. “It was more than he deserved.”
I shrug before looking over at my brother. “I couldn’t listen to him for even a second longer. If that means killing him quickly then I’m okay with it.”
Gio grins at me, a feral show of his teeth, before he teases me, “It seems love might have made you soft, brother.”
I throw my head back and bark out a laugh. “Only for her. Only for fucking her.”
He nods, understanding flashing across his face. I look down at myself and sigh because my brother doesn’t have a single drop of blood on him but the same can’t be said about me. Gio shakes his head and waves his hand to indicate my ruined clothing.
“Always stand behind when you’re cutting a throat. You know this.”
“Whatever,” I grumble and then stomp over to the door and knock loudly so Hack can let us out.
I have no doubt that the DSMC will take care of taking out the trash. I have a woman to get home to. Knowing she’s going to finally be in our home has the tightness in my chest which hasn’t gone away since the moment I came home to find her gone easing slightly.
I have a feeling it won’t go away until I wrap Fleur up in my arms and then lose myself in her completely.