Page 17 of All’s Fair In Love & War (The Bulgari Cartel #2)

“Anyone else got a problem?” I inquired, and no one made a fucking sound. "As I said, you’re no longer under Enzo's rule. You are under mine, and I won’t tolerate disloyalty or weakness."

Diamond moved again. Another step. Another shot. Another dead man.

The floor was turning red from the blood seeping into the charred remains of my club.

"Loyalty is not an option," I continued, my tone measured. "It’s the price of admission. If you stand with me, you stand with the future of this family. You stand with money in your pockets, with power in your grasp, and with your enemies buried before they even see the bullet coming."

I glanced at Diamond. He nodded once.

That was the signal.

One more shot. One more body.

This one barely even flinched when he saw it coming.

I stepped over to his corpse and crouched beside him, tilting my head. "You doubted me," I said, wiping a streak of blood off my cuff like it was nothing. "I don’t have room for doubt."

I stood, my eyes sweeping over the remaining men. Some were sweating. Others were eerily still, waiting to see where this was going.

"So let’s make this simple," I said, adjusting the cuffs of my jacket like we weren’t standing in the middle of a massacre. "You will bleed for me, or you will bleed because of me. There is no in-between."

Diamond crossed his arms over his chest, his stare cutting through each man.

"Who’s got doubts now?" I removed my gun from my waist, letting my thumb rest on the safety. "No one? Good."

I turned my gaze to the rest of them. "We’re done playing small.

We’re done letting other families dictate our next move.

I will bring this family to new heights.

We will rebuild, we will dominate, and we will own this city, but if any of you step out of line, or if I have to question your loyalty for one fucking second, then look around you.

" I gestured at the bodies. "That’s your future if you make the wrong choice. "

Then, one by one, the words came.

"Don Dallas."

"Don Dallas."

"Don Dallas."

A slow smirk curled at my lips as I gave a nod of approval. "Now, let’s get to fucking work,” I said before walking away from them to look at the rest of what was left of my fucking club.

I had barely taken a few steps when the door creaked open, and there stood my revenge looking as sexy as ever.

Sophia Bulgari, with her sinful caramel skin, was the kind of woman who made a man forget he had common sense.

She wasn’t just beautiful, she was fucking dangerous, and she knew it.

Every inch of her was a weapon, sharpened and poised to cut deep, but right now, all I could focus on was how badly I wanted to be the one to hold the blade.

Her long, thick hair cascaded over her right shoulder in effortless waves like a dark, silken waterfall that framed her face in a way that was almost too perfect.

It made me want to bury my hands in it, and wrap it around his fists, so I could tilt her head how I wanted.

Those almond-shaped eyes of hers were like rich, melted gold, framed by long lashes, and her lips were plump and painted red.

She moved through the wreckage like she wasn’t stepping over the ruins of everything her family had stolen from me. Bodies lay strewn across the floor, and I knew she saw them, but she didn’t flinch and didn’t falter like she had no reason to fear what I might do to her next.

I didn’t meet her eyes at first. I wanted her to see my rage and feel the weight of my fury pressing down on her like a loaded gun with the safety off.

This mattered because power wasn’t about action—it was about perception.

I didn’t need to put my hands on her or raise my voice to make her feel me.

I wanted her to understand, in that quiet, heavy stretch of silence, just how close I was to the edge.

Fear wasn’t the goal. Uncertainty was.

She needed to recognize my unpredictability and understand that whatever happened next depended entirely on how I decided to move.

After a minute had passed, and I felt she understood my message, I finally looked up. Our eyes locked, and I let her see my anger and the promise of what was to come.

And she smirked.

Slow.

Deliberate.

Unfazed.

“Mourning the loss of your club?” she teased, her voice dripping with amusement.

I dragged my tongue over my teeth, my jaw tightening. “No.” My voice was smooth, edged with steel. “Just making a list of people who need to suffer for it.”

She tsked. “Careful, Dallas. That sounds dangerously close to a threat, and we wouldn’t want another war, would we? Your family may not survive the next one.”

“That’s where you got things wrong,” I replied, stepping into her space. “Enzo was the Don before, but not anymore. I might be a product of his environment, but I am nothing like my father.”

I moved closer until there was nothing between us but heat and breath. “Your family doesn’t scare me. Neither do you.”

Her head tilted slightly, eyes locked on mine like she was trying to size me up or looking for the weak spot in my armor to help her find an angle she could use. She had no clue she was already playing right into my hands.

I leaned in, close enough that my breath skimmed her cheek, and felt her body react before she even realized it. “Tell me, baby, did your brothers send you? Or did you show up just to see if you could make my dick hard again?”

Her smirk didn’t budge, but I saw the way her pulse kicked up at her throat.

“No one sends me anywhere.,” she replied as she slid her hand between us, fingers wrapping around my dick like she owned it.

“I came because I wanted to see how you liked people popping up on you unannounced.” She squeezed, making him grow even bigger.

“And I didn’t need to check if I could make you hard. I already knew.”

A dark chuckle rumbled in my chest. Sophia really thought she was running shit.

“Did anyone ever tell you trouble’s real easy to find but damn near impossible to escape?” My fingers slid under her chin, making sure she looked me in the eye.

Her breath hitched, just for a second, but I caught it. “I know how to handle trouble.”

I ran my thumb over her bottom lip, watching her pupils flare. “I don’t believe you.”

“You should,” she said breathily, and I leaned in, my lips barely brushing the shell of her ear, my voice so low only she could hear it.

“You sure about that, baby? Because from where I’m standing, you don’t look like you're in control of shit right now.”

Her fingers flexed around me like she was reminding herself of her power, but we both knew better.

I let go of her chin and pulled back to watch her reaction. “Now tell me, was this little visit worth it?”

“I’m unsure.” She lifted her head high, but I saw through her.

“Since you don’t want to give me a truthful answer, it’s time to end this conversation. It was nice seeing you, Sophia, but I got work to do. I’ll get up with you later. Take care of yourself,” I said dismissively before stepping around her and walking off.

The moment she realized I had dismissed her, I saw a brief flicker of frustration. She wasn’t used to men handling her that way.

Good.

She would soon learn that I wore the pants in the relationship. She didn’t have to pursue me. I had no problem chasing the cat, but it would be on my time.

When I heard Sophia strutting away, I turned so I could watch her ass and her hips sway. She was so goddamn sexy and had no idea what she was getting herself into.

But I’ll show her—soon.