Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
Riley
Holy shit. Fionn. My Fionn is standing here in front of me.
“W-what are you doing here?” I ask.
“You’re the owner of the new coffee shop?”
“Yes.”
I can’t believe he’s standing here in front of me.
“You two know each other?” Salvatore asks.
“We met in Ireland,” Fionn says to him as he nods.
Daphne comes out and her eyes are huge. She doesn’t ask any questions, she just starts taking the orders of the others that are with Fionn.
“My antín is Caitríona Bastianini,” he says to me as he comes around the counter and hugs me.
“We need to talk. It doesn’t have to be right now, but sometime today,” he whispers to me.
“Are you living here in Lake Renegade?”
“Yes, I live on the property and I’m a deputy with the sheriff’s department. Have you met Salvatore?”
I shake my head no.
“This is Sheriff Mancini and his wife, Raven. This is my Riley.”
Salvatore chuckles as he shakes my hand, Raven comes over and hugs me.
“Welcome to the family. It’s so great to meet you. If we had known you were with Fionn, we would’ve planned a dinner. But now that we do know, we’ll definitely plan something.” Raven smiles.
“Thank you,” I say as I smile.
I want to say that Fionn and I aren’t together. But at the same time, I want to be with him.
“Riley’s not with whoever ‘Fionn’ is. She’s my girl,” we hear someone one say from the door.
Fuck me. I look at Daphne and she’s rolling her eyes.
“Who are you?” Fionn asks him.
“I’m Charles, but you can call me Playboy. I’m part of the Feral Raptors. Which if you’re a Mancini, and I know you are, you know we’re the Cimaruta chapter club,” Charles says as he smirks at Salvatore.
“Do you really think that makes you important here?” Salvatore laughs.
“You don’t get to talk to me like that,” Playboy sneers. “You’ll learn who I am soon enough.”
Oh for fuck’s sake.
“We’re not together. And I don’t know how you found me, but I’d appreciate it if you’d leave,” I say to him.
“What the fuck? You were screaming my name last night and today you’re acting like you don’t even know me? You don’t get to choose what we are. Only I get to choose that.”
I look at Fionn and he looks like he’s going to kill Playboy.
“You need to leave right now. Does Forza even know you’re here?”
“Why the fuck does he need to know?”
“Well, first of all, you’re wearing your cut and riding. That’s against the rules. If you were a different club, you’d have to get permission to even ride through Lake Renegade.”
“You know what? After I properly greet my girl, I’ll go to the clubhouse and talk to Forza.”
I move closer to Fionn. Playboy is starting to scare me and I don’t like it. He keeps calling me his girl, but it’s been a while since I’ve even talked to him. And I don’t know how far he’ll take this.
Fionn
I don’t know who the fuck this dickbag thinks he is, but he needs to leave.
“Riley asked you to leave. If you don’t leave now? I’ll fecking make you.”
Playboy laughs and gets on his phone. We can hear him asking for backup. I look at Salvatore and he’s already on his phone. I have no doubt he’s calling my zio, Giacomo ‘Forza’ Bastianini. I would be calling him myself, but my priority is keeping this asshole away from my girl.
I see my antín’s bodyguard, Connor ‘Azrael’ Byrne, walking into the coffee shop. He comes and stands next to me.
“We’ve called for backup. We saw him roll in, and I got a bad feeling, seeing his cut. We didn’t even know any of the Feral Raptors were in Lake Renegade,” he says quietly to me.
I tell him what’s been going on. The Feral Raptors are on probation with the Cimaruta MC and have been for a couple of years now.
A few years ago, their old president, Richard ‘T-Rex’ Vaughan, kidnapped my cousin, Luciana.
He was supposed to be in prison for a long time.
We’re still not sure how he got out, but he did and came after more of our family.
My zio has allowed the Feral Raptors to stay together because the VP at the time, Scrapper, said that he was ready to take the Raptors and follow the Cimaruta.
And from what I know, they’ve done it. I don’t have all the inside info because I’m just a prospect, but trust goes a long way in our family.
Playboy steps forward and Azrael stops him just as we hear the roar of motorcycles. He laughs.
“Now you’ll learn not to fuck with the Feral Raptors.” He grins at us.
I look outside and see the Cimaruta walking towards the coffee shop. My zio is the first one in.
“Playboy. What are you doing in Lake Renegade? Our deal is none of you are to come here unless we okay it. And I sure as fuck didn’t okay it. Also, your president said he had no idea you were here. So tell me what the fuck is going on,” Zio Giacomo says calmly to him.
“Fuck you, Forza. You can’t tell us what we can and can’t do. Snapper might be willing to suck your cock. But there’s a few of us that aren’t. And we’re here to challenge you.”
Everyone in the coffee shop laughs.
“Are you fucking serious?” My cousin, Celestino ‘Giustizia,’ laughs.
“You all think you’re so fucking high and mighty. First, I’m taking my girl with me, then we’re challenging your club. We want out of the Cimaruta.”
I stand closer to Riley as I hear her say she’s not his.
“If you don’t come with me now, you’ll wish you did,” he snarls at her.
I step forward and my zio shakes his head at me.
“The girl obviously doesn’t want to go with you. So you have one chance to get the fuck out of Lake Renegade,” my zio says to him as we hear more motorcycles.
Some of our guys step out of the coffee shop to see who it is. Playboy laughs.
“And now the playing field will be even. Your pussy-whipped fucktards versus my club brothers.”
We see three guys walking towards the coffee shop. I hold back my laughter.
“The four of you are going to take on the Cimaruta?” My cousin, Luciana ‘Fuoco,’ laughs. “Fucking bring it on.”
“You’ll learn your place in the MC hierarchy, you stupid whore.”
Francesco ‘Bestia’ Bastianini gets in Playboy’s face.
“I suggest you keep your shitty thoughts to yourself. While I know my sister can take care of herself? She doesn’t need to. Because I will take you out before you can lay a hand on her,” Bestia says calmly to him.
“Fuck you, Bestia. You’re a pussy too. None of you have the balls to stand up to a fucking woman.”
“You’re the one here in our territory threatening us and our women. Do you think that makes you look like a big man? Because from where I’m standing, you’re a small-dick asshole who threatens women to make himself feel bigger.”
Playboy takes a swing at Bestia. He side steps and Playboy trips over a chair, then goes sprawling on the floor.
“Fuck all of you. You’ll be sorry you fucked with the Feral Raptors,” he screams as he stands up and walks out of the shop.
“Uh. Wow. What the fuck was that all about?” Luciana laughs.
“So, I should tell you guys I went out with him twice. But after the second date, I blocked his number. He spent the whole dinner talking about the women he’s been with and how lucky I was that he chose me.
It was icky. And I thought he got the hint.
But I guess not?” Riley tells all of us as Daphne is nodding.
“Did you meet the other guys that were with him too?” my zio asks.
“We did. But I can’t remember any of their names.”
“They were that memorable, huh?” Luciana laughs more as we hear their bikes screeching out of the parking lot.
“I’m going to head back to the property and talk to Enea, Zeus and Panagiotis. I don’t have a good feeling about these assholes and we need to talk to Snapper,” Zio Giacomo says to us.
“I’ll stay here and get Eros and Kostas to come down,” Celestino says to him.
“Good idea. Azrael, I want you, Arturo and Seamus staying with the wives. Don’t leave them,” my zio says to him.
“Of course. Should we close the bakery early?”
“Nah, I don’t think we need to. But I want all doors watched. I’ll send more guys back to help between the bakery, cafe and the coffee shop. If you hear their bikes, lock everything up.”
“Got it, Forza.” Azrael nods as he heads back into the bakery.
I pull Riley to me and hold her.
“Where are you staying?” I ask her.
“I live in the apartment upstairs. Daphne’s staying with me.”
“Maybe you should come and stay with me. Both of you can.”
“I couldn’t impose on you like that.”
“There’s no imposition. I want you to stay with me. I can’t believe I have you in my arms again. I’m not going to let you go.”
“What are you saying? How can you be sure?”
“I was sure the moment I saw you across the restaurant. You’re mo fhíorghra.”
“That’s what you called me before. What does that mean?”
“My true love. You’re everything I’ve been hoping for.”
“But how? How do you know?”
“I don’t know how I know, love. I just know, I feel it in me. I wish I could explain it to you, but I can’t. I just know…in here,” I say as I take her hand and put it on my heart.
I lean down and kiss her.