25. Manuel
TWENTY-FIVE
MANUEL
“ N ext time you send my woman a drink, I’ll kill you. Slowly. Painfully,” I growled as soon as Cesar opened the door of the Leone club where the young fuckers usually hung out.
It’d been a long fucking night, starting with the engagement party that resulted in a missing fiancée. Amon Leone had probably kidnapped Reina, and who in the fuck knew what Dante would do as a result of it.
Cesar leaned an arm against the doorframe, rubbing a hand across his mouth and fighting off a grin.
“Not sure I know what you’re talking about,” he drawled, apparently giving up as he flashed me a full-blown grin. “After the rather boring engagement, where I minded my business, I left and decided to get some work done at this club. No drinks were sent to your woman.”
“Bullshit.”
“Care to elaborate?”
My voice was cold, but I let it warm around the edges suggestively when I said, “How about I find a way to make it crystal fucking clear by delivering your head in a box to the Leones.”
“Was your name tattooed on her forehead? No, sir, it was not.” The balls on this guy. “I didn’t see your ring on her finger,” he drawled. “Hence, I didn’t send anything to your woman. As far as I know, Athena is out for grabs.”
“The fuck she is. Touch her and you’re dead.”
His eyes flashed dangerously, but it didn’t matter because he’d never beat me. My experience trumped his youth and impulsiveness. He’d be dead before he could blink.
“You know, if anyone else threatened to kill me, I’d gut them before they could draw their next breath. But since I know you and you’re naturally grouchy, I’ll let it slide. You can’t help it; you’re head over heels for the beautiful Greek.”
In all my forty-five years, I had never made threats in the name of a woman. Never felt this fierce protectiveness either. Then again, when it came to Athena, I wasn’t reacting like my usual self.
“Unless you’re not interested and she’s available for?—”
Irritation unfurled in my chest and my hand twitched to reach for the gun in my holster. Before he could finish that statement, I gritted, “Get this through your thick skull: she’s unavailable to you and anyone else.”
He let out an amused breath, crossing his arms. “Does she know she’s yours?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“You should know, that group of friends… they are one major headache.”
“I have grappa and aspirin for that,” I bit out, fire burning in my blood. That woman was so deep under my skin, not even laser surgery could get her out. “So don’t worry yourself and all fifty personalities of yours about Athena and my headaches.”
I needed to get Athena out of France and to my castello in Italy. I’d tie her to my bed and make her come over and over again until she was too wrung out to even think about any other man.
A smug expression passed Cesar’s sharp features. “We’ll be expecting a wedding invitation soon.”
Marrying Athena sounded better and better with each passing day. I blamed Enrico for planting that fucking seed. At this point, it was an arrangement I was seriously considering. If I made her mine, the world would know that she was off-limits and under the protection of the Marchetti name.
I adjusted my cuff links. “Don’t fuck with me again, Cesar, or you’ll see how I deal with assholes who piss me off. Capisce ?”
One corner of his lips lifted. “Loud and clear.” I nodded and turned to leave at the same time he added, “Such a shame though. I hear Greek women are wild , even more so than Italians.”
Fuck it. “One last thing.”
“Yeah?”
I pulled my arm back and punched the smirk right off the fucker’s face. Cesar wiped the blood off his bottom lip, tipping his head back and laughing like a fucking madman.
“One day I’ll get even,” he stated, his eyes lit with amusement.
But it wouldn’t be today.