Page 19

"Nothing doing, little girl. You're getting your ass out of here because I have bigger problems to deal with than your attitude right now." It wasn't up for debate. I grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the room and into the main part of the club.I sighed slightly. "You can come by later to check on her, but for now, get the fuck out of the way."

I snapped my fingers to get the attention of one of our guys. "Take this one home and make sure she stays put. Don't want her causing any trouble while we sort this out."

Phil, one of our street boys, nodded and came over to take her arm. She jerked it away from him.

"I can walk out on my own, thank you." She turned around and leveled me with an icy glare that surprised me. "If anything happens to that girl, there will be hell to pay." Her normal bubbly tone was replaced with a venom we'd never heard from her before. "But I'm not going home. Take me to the manor, at least. I want to see that she's okay for myself."

I crossed my arms over my chest and met her eyes. A muscle in my jaw ticked. I was really tired of these girls fighting me all the damn time. "Little girl, you do know who we are, right? You sure it's wise to go throwing around empty threats like that? Go home."

"It's not a fucking threat,Richard Innocenti. It's a promise. I'm not stupid. I know who you all are, but Tory means everything to me." She poked one long, pink fingernail into my arms. I arched my brow at her and sighed deeply.

"Go home, Tiffany. We'll call you when everything is sorted or send a car for you ourselves. Until then, use a phone like a normal fucking person. Phil, get her out of here." I turned my back on her and to our other guys. The conversation was closed, and I wouldn't be entertaining it further. I heard her huff and walk away, picking her way through the bodies as she made her way toward the exit.

"Why do I get the feeling that girl is a stone cold gangster beneath all that glitter?" Craig said, a look of surprise still on his face from the interaction.

"She's definitely more than she lets on." I replied, shaking my head. "Just another fucking puzzle to figure out. Right now, we need to figure out who the hell attacked our turf."

While dealing with Tiffany, a few of our men had worked to separate the attackers from the innocent victims. We moved toward where they had laid out the bodies. I was expecting it to be challenging to find answers, even with bodies to track. I wasn't expecting to see Matteo Greco, one of Rinaldo's personal guards, among the bodies.

"What the fuck is Greco doing, carrying out a hit?" Craig asked. "He never leaves Rinaldo's side."

"I don't know, but every one of these men has the red spider lily tattoo. They're all fucking Jackals."

"There's no way Victoria could have been involved in this, Rich. She didn't even know we'd be here tonight."

"I know. None of this is making any damned sense." I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. "We have a puzzle with no edges, and none of the pieces fit. Beyond what Gary brought us before he died, nothing ties back to her. But, she's surrounded by known Jackals…" I trailed off, a headache starting in my temples.

"It feels like the answer is somewhere between a series of unfortunate coincidences and someone really wanting us to think the Princess is up to something." Craig said thoughtfully. He crouched down next to one of the bodies. "I think it's time to send L hunting, boss. The dead men aren't going to do much talking."

I gave orders for our men to clean up the mess left behind, and we headed for the manor. Craig had a point. It was time to set Leighton loose to do what he did best. When we arrived, I was pleased to see that one of the guys had already called in soldiers to establish a perimeter around the property. At least we wouldn't be surprised if the Jackals brought the fight to us again.

As the headlights brought Bristol Manor into view, the first thing I saw was a naked Leighton falling backward down the stairs of the porch to the drive. Az stalked out after him. He looked fit to kill as Leighton scrambled to his feet. Craig stopped the car abruptly, and we hopped out as Leighton narrowly avoided a swing Az had meant for his face. This wasn't the usual frustrated or angry sparring match between the two. The air was thick with intent as Az went for him again.

Craig rushed between the two to pull Leighton away as another fist flew. I ran to grab Az and pull him back.

"Someone wanna tell me why the fuck you're trying to kill each other in the driveway after we've all just been shot at?"

Az struggled against me, so I grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt, turned him to face me, and backhanded him. He stilled instantly, blinking as his gaze seemed to focus on me like it surprised him I was standing there.

The clarity only lasted a moment. Leighton laughed out loud behind him, and rage clouded his features. I grabbed him by the shirt and shook him again.

"What the fuck is going on?!" I yelled. I really didn't need this right now. The headache that had started in my temples at the club was quickly spreading.

"HE FUCKED HER, RICH!" Az bellowed, pushing me away from him. "He fucked her and made damn sure everyone heard it happening." I stilled, concentrating on keeping my breathing even as something like jealousy tried to bloom in my chest. This was not the time.

"No one forced you to stand there and stare at the camera like you could see the way her pretty pussy took my dick." Leighton said, his laughter punctuating his words. I grabbed Az by the shoulder before he could fly into another mindless rage. If Leighton fought back, he'd wipe the floor with Az.

Stepping around the blonde man, I strolled to stand in front of Leighton. Anger simmered in my stomach.

"Hold him." I stared him in the eye as Craig grabbed him from behind, forcing his arms behind his back. He at least had the decency to look surprised. "My patience is getting real thin for all the lines you've been crossing, L." He opened his mouth to speak, and I backhanded him hard. "Shut the fuck up before you make it worse for yourself. You know exactly what you're doing, and now you're causing more problems than whatever fun you're having is worth."

I jerked my head, motioning for Az to stand beside me. "This isn't going unanswered, Leighton. You'll take your licks, and you won't raise a hand in your own defense. And then I want you out of my fucking sight."

I stepped back and allowed Az to deliver the blows he was aching to land. The sound of his punches landing echoed around us, Leighton taking the punishment he had coming to him. His lip split, and blood smeared across his face. The way his eyes blackened, his nose might have been broken. After a couple of rough gut shots that smeared blood, one of Az's knuckles was bleeding.

"That's enough now," I said, but Az didn't seem to be listening, landing a hard blow to Leighton's ribs. "That's enough, Az!" I stepped forward to grab him as I yelled, but Az jerked away, blinking out of his fog, his chest heaving from exertion. He spit at Leighton and stalked to the edge of the drive.

"Get cleaned up and put clothes on. We have a few things to discuss, and then you have hunting to do, Leighton. And I don't want to see your face once you're gone until the job is done." I drawled, storming past them into the manor. I could have sworn I heard Leighton mumble 'worth it' as I walked away. But we had too much other pressing shit to deal with for me to call him on it.