I calmly cleaned off my knife and retracted the switchblade, putting it inside my pocket. “Now the boys here are going to let you go. From the looks of it, you’re not gonna be moving much. Enjoy your night.” I stood up and tipped my chin at Val and Ace who stood then came over to me.

“I’m not fucking done here,” Val snapped, getting in my face. He was over the edge pissed and needed to get control of himself. He would do no one any good by allowing his anger to override his judgment. Not that the asshole didn’t deserve everything that came to him, but the punishment from us fit the crime. I would be surprised if Vino and Sal, Val’s father, didn’t get involved and give Antonio another once-over, but what we had done there was finished. Val needed to rein his shit in.

“You’re done. This is over.”

I had dealt with Val on several occasions, mostly over the phone and then the few times he’d came out to California. One thing I had learned about him was he had to be reeled in. He would get pissed, give me shit for it, but if I didn’t do it, it would be more of a pain in my ass when it came to the business side of this situation.

“Who in the fuck do you think you are? This is my turf, my sister. You don’t come here and pull this shit.”

While I normally wouldn’t, Val was out of control, both with his sister upstairs and with this guy. He wasn’t using his head, and that shit would get him killed.

“Look at him, Val. He won’t be able to move right for weeks, maybe months. The message was sent. Let’s get the fuck out of here and get a drink.”

Val’s nostrils flared as he breathed in slowly then lifted his chin in affirmation, saying nothing, the spark of anger still in his eyes.

“Yeah, I need a fucking drink,” I mumbled as we turned and walked out of the alley to the waiting car where Dan, one of my guards, was holding the door open. We all climbed in one at a time, and then Val moved in, his eyes glaring at me.

“You got something on your mind?” I asked, thinking it was better to get this shit over with right then so he could calm himself.

He seethed. The boy needed to learn to handle his anger, or he wouldn’t make it in this world. Val and Matteo, Vino’s oldest son, were all on equal playing fields with me within the organization. We were all third ranking, right under Vino, who was the boss, and Sal, who was the underboss. Val and Matteo had other brothers, but their rank was under us, and they were considered enforcers of the family. They still had a more prominent role than other enforcers, but the three of us—Val, Matteo, and myself—would one day run the show. However, since I resided in Cali and ran the business from there, Val, for some reason or another, thought I would take his shit. He was really fucking wrong, though.

Val gripped the seat, his legs bouncing. “I could have fucking handled that shit out there. She’s my sister.”

“You did handle it, Val. We all did. It needed to end, so I called it.” No way was I telling him I had fucking needed that shit—needed that release. Hell, I hadn’t known I needed it until I had seen the fucker on the ground. “You need to calm your shit, Val.”

“Fuck that. I was perfectly fine handling it. You just did it ’cause you have a hard-on for my sister.” Spit left his mouth at his words as anger and rage swirled around inside me.

My fists clenched. One thing I didn’t plan on doing was kicking the man’s ass, but if he needed it, I would be more than happy to oblige. At least it would be a fair fight.

“And?” I quipped, waiting for more.

“And what? I said stay the fuck away from my sister,” he growled as I turned my body around, facing him. His whole stance was in protective mode, though whether for himself or his sister, it wasn’t clear. Every muscle was pulled tight, ready to snap at any moment.

“First, you got yours with the guy, and it was over and done with. Second, if I want to be with your sister, you won’t do a fucking thing about it. You don’t think I know who she is and what she represents to you and your family—our family? You think I would disrespect her in any way? Fuck no, Val. You need to calm the fuck down.”

My thoughts drifted to the fucking bombshell Val called his sister. I had seen a few pictures from my father Geo before he died, but they’d been of her younger years, nothing like the woman I saw earlier. In dealing with shit out in California, I’d never had the opportunity to come to the East Coast and actually meet her.

When her blue—or was it green?—eyes latched on to mine briefly, it made my fucking dick actually stir. I could feel the fucker moving beneath my jeans like a goddamn beacon pointing to the pussy of its choice. Her body was a fucking work of art, nothing like those skinny ass women who were at every turn in California. This woman had curves that went on and on, simply begging for a man to use them the right way.

As her face had seethed with anger at her brother, it had only made her more beautiful, more intriguing. Seeing her standing up for herself, holding her own against Val, was a huge fucking turn on. Then the power she had resonated when it had come to that asshole Antonio who’d fucked her over. Damn.

I would fully admit I wanted to get to know her better, but Val needed to calm the fuck down. I got he was protective of his sister, but she was also a grown-ass woman, and he needed to realize that.

“You want my father and uncle to do what we just did to Antonio to you? ’Cause you know it’ll be a fuck-of-a-lot worse if they get their hands on you.” He smirked, almost in triumph. Like he wanted it to happen, and that pissed me right the fuck off.

I didn’t wish for him to get his ass handed to him, but there he was, hoping the bosses would teach me a lesson. Fuck that.

“You want me to break your jaw?” I asked, my tone even and calm, even though inside I wanted to burst with anger, show him how the hell I had earned my position.

He ignored my question. “You know I’m fucking right, so let’s save us all a bunch of shit and you get a hard-on for someone else. I’ve got a ton of women I can get you right now who would be at your beck and call. Do any damn thing you want, wherever you want.”

There lay my problem. I was so fucking sick to death of the cheap pussy that paraded my way daily. Women begged me at every turn just to suck my cock, not a single one of them worth my fucking time and energy because—let’s face it—any woman who did that shit was not someone I wanted to start a life with.

My second in command, Diego, loved it. Ate pussy like it was going out of style. For many years, I had done the same. Yet over the last three months, I couldn’t bear to even take my fucking pants off for them. The fake-ass tits, ass, hair, nails … everything—they all looked the same. Not one stood out. Just unnamed, faceless women. That shit got old, terribly old.

My thoughts drifted again to Catarina. What a beautiful name to go along with a beautiful woman. She made me want. She made me take notice. She caught my attention in a way I couldn’t deny—wouldn’t deny, not when I could do something about it, even for a short time.

“I’ll make the decisions on my love life and don’t need your help with it.” I reined in all the anger and let it melt away. I knew he was protective, though that night had showed me just how much. I would deal with that.

“But not my sister. She’s … Well, she’s Catarina, a class of her own, and doesn’t need to be in any deeper with our business.”

I quirked my brow. Now that was interesting. It was more about keeping her out than actually anything to do with me.

“So is that the real reason? You don’t want her in?” I questioned.

Val sighed deeply. “It’s one of the reasons. Not to mention, you’re leaving in a few days. Do you really want to start something you can’t finish?”

The calm escaped me, those words sending me into a tailspin. My growl was loud in the cab of the car. All eyes turned to me, including Dan’s in the rearview mirror.