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My phone buzzes. I groan. I need rest. I pick up. Nico’s voice crackles through. “Signor Mancini, the guy gave up more. He says a Rossi associate, Luis, is fucking with another operation. He’s sabotaging your docks, rerouting shipments to screw you.”
My blood boils. Domenico’s man. I'd met him at the wedding. A smug bastard. I'd heard him talking to Domenico's other men about how he thinks Domenico is making a huge mistake by giving Fina to me.
What does it mean that another Rossi is trying to sabotage me? Why's this happening now with Fina in my home? The timing’s too perfect. Is she in on it? Playing me while I’m balls-deep in her? The thought of her tied to this, even loosely, twists my gut.
“Where is he?” I snap. Nico pauses. “Dive bar downtown. Got two guys with him.”
“Grab him. We’re taking him to the manor. No noise. Text the bar’s address to me.” Nico grunts, and I hang up, my plan snapping into place.
“Luis,” Matteo says, voice low, catching my eye. My phone had been on speaker and he'd caught every word. “Domenico’s guy. The manor? You sure?”
I nod, my jaw tight. “He’s fucking with my money, Matteo. He’s mine.”
Matteo raises a brow but stays quiet, his hands steady on the wheel. I lean back, plotting in my mind. Luis could be leverage, a way to choke the Rossis without shattering this fragile peace. Torture’s tempting. His screams would feel good, but the Rossis are no small enemy, and I’m married to one.
“Goddammit,” I mutter.
Matteo glances at me again. “You sure you know what you're doing?”
I grunt, nodding.
“The Rossis are formidable. You're married to one. Pulling an attack on one of their own is you overstepping. And, taking him to the manor? What if Serafina finds out? Need I remind you that she's not a woman to fuck with?”
I impale him with a glare. “Where does your loyalty lie? To me or to Serafina?”
He glances at me as though I've gone mad. Maybe I have.
“Besides, she's my fucking wife. I know her better than anyone. I know she's not a woman to fuck with.”
This draws a chuckle from Matteo and he raises his hand in mock surrender. “Relax, man. She's your wife, all right. I just want to be sure you've thought this through.”
I say nothing to that. I've thought it through and I'm not entertaining any more conversation about it. Matteo understands my grim silence and shuts the hell up. My head is pounding.
In no time, we hit the bar. It's a grimy hole lit by neon. The air is thick with beer and sweat. Nico’s in the alley, signaling as we step down from the car. “He’s inside,” he whispers, nodding to a side door. “Two guys, like I said.”
I nod, pulling my jacket tight, and we move stealthily. Inside, the bar’s dim, music thumping, and I spot Luis at a corner table, laughing, a drink in hand. His men are distracted, one chatting up a waitress, the other on his phone. Perfect.
I signal, and we strike—Matteo grabs one guy, slamming him down, while I pin Luis, my arm around his throat, gun to his temple. “Move, and you’re dead,” I hiss. His men freeze, caught by Nico’s crew, and we drag them out, quick, no shots fired. Luis struggles, but I tighten my grip, his breath ragged. “You’re mine now,” I mutter, shoving him into the car.
We head to the manor, Luis bound and gagged in the trunk, his men locked in another car. The drive’s quiet, my thoughts atangle of fury and plans. The traitor problem looms, but Luis is a problem I can solve.
I’ll throw him in the manor’s cellar, a stone vault beneath the house, and keep him there, a pawn against Domenico. Torture’s on my mind, but I hold off. He’s leverage, and I need him alive—for now.
Serafina complicates it. If she knew I had her father’s man, she’d come for me, all fire and teeth, and part of me wants that fight. I hate how she’s in my head. I need her out of it. Maybe I could dangle Luis’s capture in her face. But even as I think it, I know it's a bad idea.
At the manor, we pull into the garage, the night still dark. Matteo moves to tend to the other captives. I know he'll be ruthless with them. I drag Luis out, his eyes wide, muffled curses behind the gag. “Shut up,” I snap, shoving him toward the cellar stairs.
The door’s heavy, iron, and the air below is damp, smelling of earth and rust. I chain him to a pipe, his wrists bound, and he glares, still cocky. “Big mistake, Mancini,” he spits, voice muffled.
I smirk, leaning close. “You fucked with my docks. Bigger mistake.”
He laughs. The sound's shaky. “Domenico will burn you.”
I grab his jaw, hard, my voice low. “Not if I break you first.” I step back, locking the cell, his curses echoing as I climb the stairs. He’s mine, and Serafina won’t know—not yet.
We move out of the manor quietly and hit the safehouse next. It can't wait till tomorrow. I have to deal with it now. I have to get back to Fina. The safehouse is a rotting shack on the city’s edge. The guy from the warehouse, one of the Gallos, is tied up, face battered, blood crusted on his chin. He’s trembling, eyes wide as I step in with Matteo behind me.
I lean close to him, my stance threatening. “Who’s the traitor?”