Page 106 of Caught in the Crossfire

Once I was done with him, I was coming for them next.

I hadn’t been concerned about the eyes on us at the club. Cas and I could handle ourselves. But adding Leona and alcohol to that mix was a recipe for disaster. My brain had won out, and I’d gotten all three of us out of there as soon as possible. We’d come straight back to the Vero estate.

God, it had been so fucking dangerous. What would have happened if someone else had found her before we did? My blood grew cold just thinking about it.

At least thinking about that helped distract me from the Don’s verbal lashing. Cas and I were waiting outside his office, privy to every humiliating word and accusation. Each one was another nail in the Don’s coffin. He had no right to highlight her errors when his were so much worse.

Her gentle sobs filtered through the door, growing louder when the Don changed the topic to her honor and the possibility of her marriage prospects.

I stiffened, rubbing a hand on my neck.Marriage. One day Leona would get married, and it wouldn’t be to me. I’d made my peace with that.

Cas looked completely guilt-stricken. He was two seconds away from collapsing to the ground in a self-immolating puddle.

I had to get them both out of here before the Don got worse. I could take the brunt of his anger. I’d been doing it for years.

Finally, the Don opened the door. A sobbing Leona rushed out. My heart twisted at the makeup streaming down her face.Yes, she had sneaked into that club, and that was a stupid decision. But she was only seventeen. She had been cooped up in the house, under the Don’s orders, for months. She had just wanted to have some fun. How could I blame her? That was why I agreed to go out with Cas.

But of course, as soon as I let my guard down, things went wrong.

“Boys, thank you for bringing her home safely.” The Don exhaled while he pinched the bridge of his nose.

The more the walls closed in on him, the more he did that.

The Don turned to me. “Maximiliano, will you please come in?”

I kicked off the wall. With a jerk of my head, I told Cas to follow Leona. He immediately went after her. He’d take care of her, like he always did. I trusted him with her life.

The Don closed the door behind me, and I stood in front of his desk, hands clasped behind my back.

“What the fuck happened tonight?” he asked as he circled his desk and sat down.

“Exactly as I said earlier. Cas and I ran into Leona at the club while we were celebrating my birthday, and we brought her home immediately.”

“You expect me to believe that?” His voice was cold. Hard.

“Sir?” I stopped calling him Uncle years ago, and he flinched every time I called him sir, so I continued to do it.

“You expect me to believe the three of you, thicker than thieves, didn’t sneak out together? That you didn’t want to get her drunk, despite her young age?”

I frowned. “I would never put her at risk like that.”

He watched me, his eyes accusing. Then he sighed and leaned back in his chair. “I believe you, Max. But you understand why I am upset.”

I nodded tightly. “I understand her safety is the most important thing.”

Silence stretched between us as he sat in his chair and stared. Ever since my father’s death, he’d technically been without a second-in-command, and it was taking its toll on him. He’d been up to his elbows in extra work, and it showed in the greys peppering his hair and the wrinkles at his eyes. Not that I fucking cared about him at all. Most of that work was work his multitude of sins required to keep running.

“Is that all, sir?” I asked, keeping my hands clasped behind my back. I had to get out of here. Just being around him now set me on edge.

He gestured to the chair in front of him, across his desk. “Sit, Max.”

I sat cautiously. “Sir?”

He sat forward and reached behind his back. When he pulled a gun, I tensed.Fuck. I’d walked in here unarmed. How the fuck could I have been so stupid? He placed the gun on the desk and pointed the barrel at me.

“You know, Max, I’ve been doing this for a very long time.”

I swallowed. The temperature in the room dropped multiple degrees. “Yes?”