Chapter Seven

 

Dominic

 

All through the night, I couldn’t get Faith out of my mind. She was just down the hall and all I wanted was to feel her body wrapped around mine. Watching Reed and her together infuriated me in ways I didn’t know I could feel. I’d never been jealous over another man in my entire fucking life. My fists hurt from punching the punching bag all morning.

I slipped on my suit jacket and grabbed my car keys off the kitchen counter. Our morning had been sidetracked by Faith’s bastard of an ex-husband. Instead of being at the law firm, Luca said he was seen going into his and Faith’s condo and stayed there the entire morning. My guess was so he could see Faith. He knew she was going to be showing up there at some point this week. Fucking douche bag. I wasn’t about to let him anywhere near her, especially alone.

“You about to leave?” Isaiah asked from the kitchen doorway.

“Yep,” I said, slipping my wallet into my jacket pocket. “Now that that cocksucker is out of the condo, my movers are on their way there. I’m taking Faith to her office so she can clean it out. I need you here for when Micah and Connor show up. Show them their rooms and then take them down to the pit. Bryce told me they were good fighters so I want them to work with Taylor and Darius. As soon as I get back, I’ll go down to them.”

Isaiah nodded. “Done.”

He walked out of the suite and to the elevators while I made my way down the hall. Faith’s door swung open before I could even lift my hand to knock. She had on a pair of tight black pants and a silky blue top that hugged the curves of her body. The woman was going to fucking kill me. She stood in the doorway with pursed lips. “Fifty thousand dollars,” she snapped. “Don’t you think you went a little overboard?”

She looked sexy as hell when she was pissed. “Took you long enough to check your account.”

Her eyes widened. “I thought maybe it’d be a thousand or two at most just to get me by until we sold off Philip’s things. Not freaking fifty grand. What the hell were you thinking?”

I smiled. “You done yet?”

She huffed and shut the door behind her. “God, you’re infuriating. I don’t know what to say.”

“You could say thank you.”

We walked toward the elevators and her expression softened when I smiled at her again. “Thank you, Dominic. But just so you know, I’m not touching that money. It’s coming right back to you.”

I pressed the elevator button. “Do what you want with it.” As soon as the elevator opened, we rode it down to the garage floor where my car was parked.

Faith looked around and her eyes brightened when she saw my car. It was a blue and black Bugatti Chiron with blue wheels. I’d bought it on one of my trips to France a couple years ago. “I finally get to ride in your car,” she squealed.

I opened the door for her. “I would’ve taken you for a ride before.”

She looked up at me. “Unfortunately, I was married and working hell-ish hours to get my husband’s law firm to where it is today. Look where that got me.”

Faith was a savvy business woman. She just happened to put her trust in the wrong man. “You can’t blame yourself for that, Faith. You made that law firm succeed. There’s a lot to say for that.”

She scoffed and got in the car. “Things would be a lot better if I’d just done what I wanted to do.”

I shut her door and got in the driver’s seat. “I remember you saying something in the past about opening a restaurant?” We pulled out of the parking garage and headed on our way across the city to the law firm.

A heavy sigh escaped her lips. “A restaurant was my dream.”

“You can still open one,” I said.

She shrugged. “Maybe one day.”

“What is it about a restaurant that you want so much? I’ve never heard you talk about cooking.”

She burst out laughing. “Oh, goodness, no. Don’t get me wrong, I can cook up some great things, but it’s more about my love of food. If I were to open a restaurant, I’d want someone like Francis to be the chef. We could scout out the best chefs in the world and have a killer restaurant. I’d eat there every single night.” She looked over at me and smiled. “I like making things great. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a restaurant, but any kind of business for that matter.”

That was why my father wanted to hire her when he was alive, but Layla was against it. She didn’t want her best friend involved in our family affairs. She would’ve seen how corrupt we were. I wanted to tell her about the fighting and the pit, but I couldn’t do it. I didn’t want to scare her away. My phone rang, and I pressed the accept button on my dashboard.

“Yeah,” I answered.

“Mr. Corsino. It’s Eric. The condo has been cleaned out and we’re on our way to the storage facility. I have a couple of buyers interested in some of her things. Do you know what Mrs. Hilliard wants to sell?”

I looked over at Faith and nodded toward the radio. “It’s up to you,” I said low.

Faith cleared her throat and peered out the car window. A few seconds later, she turned to the radio and smiled. “You know what, Eric, feel free to sell it all. I don’t want anything that was in there.”

Eric chuckled. “Will do, ma’am. Mr. Corsino, I’ll have the money to you no later than tomorrow afternoon.”

“Thanks, Eric. I appreciate it.” I hung up and looked over at Faith. “You sure that’s what you want?”

There was no hesitance in those crystal blue eyes of hers. “I’m positive. Everything in that house, he touched. I don’t want any of it. I’m just ready to get what happens next over with.”

We pulled up at Mackenzie and Associates and parked. Faith leaned her head against the seat and closed her eyes. “You nervous?” I asked.

She clenched her fists. “I’m pissed all over again. It’s so much easier when I don’t have to worry about seeing that limp wristed douche canoe and his sea donkey of a girlfriend.”

Reaching over, I placed a hand over hers. Her breath hitched as if she’d felt the same thing I did, the fire between us. It’d always been there, but she was untouchable. Even if she hadn’t been married before, Layla would’ve refused to let me get close to her.

“I’ll be right there with you,” I said.

Her eyes opened, and she squeezed my hand. “Thank you for coming with me. Let’s get this over with, and hopefully, it’ll be the last time I ever have to see Philip.”

Under any other circumstance, I could make that happen, but it’d be obvious if I did something about it. Faith would know it was me. She let me go and opened her car door. I stepped out and walked by her side as we entered the building. When we stepped into the foyer, there was a middle-aged woman at the desk with short, dark brown hair, concentrating on the computer screen in front of her.

Faith leaned in close. “That’s Donna. She’s one of the sweetest ladies I’d ever met.”

Once we got closer, Donna looked up at us and gasped. She jumped up and circled around the desk to hug Faith. “Oh my God, I’ve been wondering when I was going to get to see you again.”

Faith smiled and hugged her back. “Trust me, I’ve dreaded coming here, but I’m happy to see you.”

Donna let her go. “It’s been insane here since you left.” She cautiously looked around the room. “Between you and me, it wouldn’t surprise me if half the people here left. I’ve even wanted to leave.”

Her focus landed on me, and from the nervous tilt of her smile it was obvious she knew who I was. I’d been in the news more than once the past year ever since my father died. Faith placed a hand on my arm. “Donna, this is …”

Donna held out her hand. “I think I already know. Dominic Corsino, right?”

I shook her hand. “Yes, ma’am. We’re here to clean out Faith’s office.”

Donna nodded and focused back on Faith. “You picked a good time. Mr. Mackenzie’s in his office about to take a conference call. If you go down the left hall, he won’t see you.”

Faith breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Donna. We’re going to go.” She linked her arm with mine and we started toward the left hall.

“Hoping to make him jealous if he sees us?” I asked, grinning down at her holding my arm.

Faith snorted. “More like keeping you close so I don’t do anything stupid. I have a tendency to react before thinking of the consequences. All I want to do is go right down to his office and hit him over the head with his keyboard.”

That was what I loved about her. She was full of fire and determination. There was even a sense of darkness in her. I had no doubt she’d bash her ex over the head if she could get away with it.

“I’ll watch you do it,” I said in all seriousness. “I’ll even take the blame for it.”

With a heavy sigh, she shook her head. “No. I’d probably kill him and I couldn’t let you go down for that.” We made it to her office and she opened the door. The first thing that hit me was the scent of her perfume; it reminded me of strawberries.

I stepped inside and she closed the door quickly. “All right, this’ll only take me a couple of minutes.” She rushed to the closet and pulled out an empty box.

Walking around her office, I stopped at a painting she had on the wall. It was a picture of a cottage in the middle of the woods, all decorated for Christmas. There was a name painted in black on the lower right corner. Cathy Hilliard.

“Isn’t that your mother?” I asked.

Faith emptied the contents of her top drawer into the box, and then, looked up at the picture. “Yes,” she said, smiling sad. “She loves to paint and she knows I love Christmas. That one’s my favorite.”

“Do they know what Philip did to you?”

She continued to toss things from her desk into the box. “Not yet. I haven’t talked to them in a couple of days. We’ve exchanged a few texts but I’ve not told them a thing. They worry about me too much. If I tell them what’s going on, they’ll insist I move back to Virginia so they can help me.” Her gaze lifted to mine. “I’m almost thirty-years-old. I can’t be doing that. Once we get the money from Eric I’ll be able to put a down payment on a new place. Once I’m settled, I’ll tell them everything. And I’ll be out of your hair too before you know it.”

I didn’t want her ‘out of my hair’. I liked having her right down the hall from me. My phone started to ring so I pulled it out of my jacket pocket. It was my uncle Marco. I nodded toward the door. “I have to take this. I’ll just be right outside.” She nodded so I slipped out into the hall and shut her office door. “Marco, what’s going on?” I answered.

“As you know, I’ve been meeting with the other families the past couple of days to set up all the fights. I just left the Salvatores.”

“And?” I prodded, looking around the hallway. So far, there was no one around.

He sighed. “They want the main fight on gala night. Their bet alone is half a mil. That’s not including the money from everyone else. I accepted, but I can’t help but wonder what they have up their sleeves.”

Half a million was a shit ton of money for just a fight. My terms were that each fight had to be fair, no weapons. There was a time, several years ago, when I actually fought in an underground fighting ring in Vegas. No one knew I had except for Marco, not even the other families in the city. That was why I chose to fight in a city on the opposite side of the country. The fights were to the death, and anything was allowed. It was a past I wasn’t proud of, but the high after a fight was the most intoxicating feeling I’d ever felt.

“Do you know who their fighter is?” I questioned curiously.

“No,” he huffed. “All I know is that we need our best in the ring.”

A man and woman walked out into the hall and slid past me. “That we’ll have. Right now, I have to go. I’ll be back later.”

“Sounds good, son. Oh, wait, it looks like Isaiah just walked in with Micah and Connor.”

“Good. Tell them I’ll talk to them when I get back.”

We hung up and I was about to go back into Faith’s office when I just couldn’t bring myself to open the door; it was my chance. Instead, I walked down the hall and around the corner to Mr. fucking Philip Mackenzie’s office. The door was shut, but I didn’t give a damn. I opened the door and strolled right on in.

Philip’s head jerked up and he looked shocked for a moment, but then when he realized who I was, the shock turned into outright animosity. He slammed his phone down and stood. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

As much as I wanted to beat the shit out of him, I had to rein in my anger. Instead, I smiled and glared right back at him. “Just wondering how a stupid cunt like you can sleep at night,” I said. “Figured I’d come by and say thank you.”

Philip snarled. “For what?”

I stepped closer and he stumbled back into his chair. He wanted to appear tough, but I knew he was nothing but an insecure pussy. “For Faith,” I replied. “If it wasn’t for you being a major fuck up, she wouldn’t be free of your bullshit. Now she’s got me.”

His eyes widened. “Is she here?”

He stepped out from his desk, and started for the door, but I stood in his way, making sure not to touch him. However, if he made the first move, I’d be happy to finish it. “You’re not going anywhere near her, cocksucker. I’m going to make sure of that.”

“How are you going to stop me?” he spat.

I could feel the rage building in my chest. Clenching my fists, I took one more step toward him. “If you so much as breathe near her, I’ll break both your fucking legs.” I stared right into his eyes. “You know I will too. I can smell the fear on you.” Philip growled and I smiled as I backed away from him toward the door. “Have a good rest of your day.”

With those last words, I walked out of his office and back down to Faith’s. She opened the door just as I was about to open it, holding a box filled with her stuff. “Ah, you’re off the phone. Perfect timing,” she said. I took the box from her, and she went back into her office to grab her mother’s painting. “Let’s get out of here.”

I smiled. “Good idea. There’s somewhere I want to take you.”

 

***

 

After leaving the firm, I took Faith to the hotel so she could drop off her things before we headed to our final stop. After talking to Philip and realizing how much of a piece of shit he was, it made me want to do something for Faith. That was why I planned on taking her to one of the best restaurants in New York. I’d called in a favor and the owners were happy to oblige. They knew I tipped well. Faith deserved someone who could treat her right. Was that me? I knew I could do anything for her, and give her what she wanted, but I didn’t know if I was the kind of man she needed. Hell, I didn’t know if I was worthy enough for her. I’d spent my years with countless women who only cared about my money. It was fun for a while, but now I wanted … more.

“Where are we going?” Faith asked, her eyes twinkling as she looked out the car window.

Now that she knew she never had to see her ex again, she seemed happier. “You said you loved food, right?”

Her brows lifted. “Yeah.”

I nodded toward the clock. “It’s almost dinner time and I know of the perfect place. That is, if you don’t mind going with me.”

She smiled. “I owe you so much, Dominic, but I’m pretty sure you have more important things to do besides spend time with me.” I wanted to tell her how wrong she was, but it was too soon. I needed her to see that there was someone else out there who could take care of her the way she deserved. Once we crossed over the Brooklyn Bridge, the restaurant was just on the other side, right by the water. Faith’s mouth gaped as soon as she saw the sign of the restaurant, Violante’s; it was my favorite place. She turned to me and her eyes brightened. “Oh my God, I’ve always wanted to eat here. Is this where you’re taking me?”

I nodded. “You’ll love it.”

She gasped. “I should’ve known you’d have ties to this place. It takes people months to get reservations. I’ve heard their lasagna is to die for.”

It felt good to see that beautiful smile of hers come back. “Guess you’re about to find out.” I turned off my car and grabbed my keys. “Let’s go.”

We got out of the car and the owner’s wife, Greta, greeted us as we walked up to the door. She had long, white hair that she kept in a braid, and she had on her lucky red apron that she always wore when I was a kid. Violante’s had been around since the 1800’s and passed down through the generations. I grew up with Greta’s grandson, Matteo, and spent many afternoons in the restaurant, watching her cook her family recipes. Matteo had died in a hiking accident not long after he graduated college. Ever since then I made it a point to visit as much as I could.

Greta opened her arms. “There’s my boy. Come here and give me a hug.”

She squeezed me hard and I smiled. “It’s good to see you, Greta.”

“And it’s wonderful to see you. Just as handsome as ever.” Greta let me go and set her sights on Faith. Her smile widened and she pulled her in for a hug.

Faith giggled and hugged her back. “Hi, Greta. I’m Faith.”

Greta stepped back to get a good look at her. She turned to me and nodded. “She’s a pretty one. Must be serious if you’re bringing her here.”

And of course, leave it to her to say something like that. “All right, Greta,” I said, draping my arm around her shoulders. “Why don’t you show us to our table?”

Greta looked up at me and winked. “Only the best for you. Follow me.”

She slipped out of my arm, and nodded for us to follow her. We walked into the main dining area which only had six private tables. The walls were the brick of the original building and each individual section had a table with four chairs and an antique couch, all draped off with long, deep red colored curtains to give the guests a sense of intimacy. That was why it was so hard to get a reservation. The Violantes wanted to provide their guests with the best, and it turned out that people paid well to have that experience.

Greta strolled past the other guests to the back hallway, sneaking a wink at me as she started up the staircase. Faith looked around, her eyes lit with wonderment as she took it all in. I knew she’d like it. Once we got to the top of the stairs, there was a single doorway.

Greta stopped in front of it, and placed her hand on the handle. “This is the best seat in the house.” When she opened the door, I stepped back so Faith could take the first glimpse. Even Greta appeared excited to see what Faith thought.

Faith stepped outside and the excitement on her face was something I’d never seen before. “Oh my God, this is amazing. It’s so beautiful up here.”

We were on the roof, with the best views of the Brooklyn Bridge and the city. On the left side of the roof was a greenhouse and a garden. The Violante’s prided themselves on growing most of their herbs and vegetables. On the right side was a single table just like they had in the main dining room below with candles and a bottle of red wine.

Faith went over to the table, and Greta patted my arm, her voice low. “I’m going to give you two a minute to be alone.”

She walked off and shut the door behind her, giving us the entire roof. Faith stood by the edge of the building, her eyes twinkling with the glow of the city lights. As soon as I stopped next to her, she blew out a sigh and smiled. “You are too much right now, Dominic. I can’t believe you brought me here.”

“Why?” I asked.

She shrugged. “I don’t know. There’s got to be a reason, although I can’t think of anything you’d need from me.”

There were a lot of things I wanted from her, only I didn’t know if she’d give them to me. “I’m not bribing you for anything, Faith,” I said in all seriousness. “I just think it’s time someone showed you what you’ve been missing.”

Her gaze narrowed. “Really? How many women have you brought here and said the exact same thing to?”

I stepped closer to her. “None. You’re the only one.” And that was the truth. Yes, I’d been with a lot of women, but I never had to wine and dine them. I didn’t care about them. Faith was different. All of those old feelings of long ago were resurfacing and the woman she is today, stronger after all she’s been through, was seeping into my heart once again. I regretted not telling her how I felt all those years ago before she turned to Philip.

Grinning, Faith crossed her arms over her chest. “You expect me to believe that? I’ve seen you with countless women on more than one occasion.”

I shrugged. “And that was the past. Things change.” I pulled out the seat for her and she sat, looking at me as if she’d never seen me before. “Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked.

A small smile lit up her face. “I don’t know. I mean, I’ve known you for years, but the past couple of days you seem different.”

I poured us both a glass of red wine. “How so?”

She lifted her glass and took a sip. “Take Greta, for instance. She absolutely adores you. Guess I can’t blame her, you do have a certain charm about you.”

That made me laugh. “I grew up with her grandson. I love her like my grandmother.”

Faith cleared her throat and leaned closer over the table. “Are the Violantes part of the mafia too?”

I shook my head. “Not at all. They’re good people who do things the right way.”

“And you don’t?” she countered.

Picking up my wine, I watched it swirl around in the glass. I didn’t know if I was capable of doing things completely the right way. Corsino blood flowed through my veins. My father was an evil man. His wrongdoings would forever follow me around. “I’m working on it,” was all I could say.

Maybe one day I could say more. Things would be different. One thing I knew, I would do things differently for her if I had that chance.

She reached over and placed a hand over mine, but it was brief. “I can tell. You should hear your sister talk about you. Deep down, I always knew there was something different about your family.”

“It never seemed to scare you though,” I stated, wishing she hadn’t taken away her hand.

She shook her head. “Not in the least. It was actually kind of intriguing. I still remember the day Layla told me about Bryce and his brothers being assassins for the FBI. It shocked me, but it interested me more than anything. Reed explained it all to me.”

That pang of jealousy came back with a vengeance. It was the way she smiled when she said his name. “So he took you horseback riding and hiking?” I asked, drinking more of my wine.

Her face lit up. “Every day I was in Wyoming. I didn’t realize how much I loved the mountains until I went there.”

“What is it about him that you like?” I wondered. “You get this look on your face when you talk about him.”

Gaze narrowed, she studied me. “Reed and I are just friends. I told you that.”

I nodded. “I know. It’s still an answer I want to know.”

Sighing, she averted her gaze to the bridge. “Reed’s the type of man you don’t see very often. He’s easy to talk to, and he also listens. I married a self-centered man who only cared about one thing … himself.” When her eyes met mine, I could see her pain. “It kills me that I chose the wrong man. Reed helped me to see that there are good men in the world.”

“Why aren’t you with him then? It’s obvious he thinks more of you than a friend.”

I didn’t know that for sure, but judging by the expression on her face, it proved my assumption was true; he had feelings for her. I just hoped he’d back down once he saw she was mine.

Faith smiled. “You want to know what I love about Reed?” I nodded and her smile widened. “He’s honest. He told me about his job and how many people he’s killed, even though he was afraid I’d see him differently. What his honesty really did was make me see that I could trust him. Trust is really important in a relationship and I trust him with my life.”

That was where Reed and I differed. I wanted Faith to trust me, but she wouldn’t if she knew the truth of who I was and what I’d done. Reed worked for the FBI; he was supposed to be one of the good guys. I was far from it. The only honesty I could give Faith was a watered-down version of it. It was the only way.

“I understand,” I replied. “It’s important to have people like that in your life. Luckily, I have a sister who likes to be brutally honest with me.” We both laughed because she, of all people, knew how my sister was. “Besides hiking and horseback riding, what else do you like to do?” I asked, hoping to change the subject.

Grinning wide, she lifted her glass and swirled her wine around. “Why the sudden interest in me, Dominic? What do you want?”

I stared straight into her eyes. Faith was a smart woman. She knew exactly what I was doing. “I think you know,” I told her.

She looked toward the sky and bit her lip as she smiled. My dick hardened at the sight. I wanted to kiss those lips more than anything. “I don’t know,” she said, turning her seductive blue eyes to mine, “I might need you to tell me.”

The roof door opened and Greta walked out. I leaned my elbows on the table, my gaze never wavering from hers. “Don’t worry. I will.”

 

***

 

Once dinner was over, we headed on our way back to the hotel. Per Faith’s request, Greta spent most of the dinner with us, talking about the restaurant and her memories of me as a child. They were memories of what I used to be before the real Corsino life took hold. It was hard to remember myself in those days. Seeing them through Greta’s eyes gave me hope. Maybe it’d help Faith see that I wasn’t completely a bad guy, or at least I didn’t start out that way. The last thing I wanted was for her to think I was going to turn out like my father. He had demons, ones I didn’t see until it was too late.

I pulled into the parking garage, and opened Faith’s door. Our dinner conversation ended on a tense note and we had yet to discuss it. There were many things to consider with getting involved with Faith. She knew what my life entailed, but she hadn’t lived it. That was why a lot of marriages between my type of people happened within the different mafia families.

Faith walked beside me to the elevators, her arm brushing against mine. If she was any other woman, all I’d have to do was say a few nice words and I’d have them spread out on my bed. I couldn’t do that with Faith. There was no way in hell she’d give in that easily, even if she did want me.

Once we reached the pent house floor, the elevator opened and we turned down her side of the hallway. “So,” she said, her voice low and sexy, “when exactly am I going to start being your assistant? All you’ve done is help me. It’s supposed to be the other way around.”

We stopped at her door and she made no headway to open it. I leaned against the wall, and smiled. “You want honesty, right?”

She giggled and crossed her arms over her chest. “Oh, good Lord. Can’t wait to hear this.”

I chuckled. “Hiring you as an assistant was just to get close to you.”

Her grin faded and a look of uncertainty filled her eyes. “Why?”

Tension filled the air and it felt like an electric spark had just ignited between us. I stepped toward her, my body right up against hers. “For the past ten years you’ve been untouchable for me. My sister didn’t want you to be a part of our world. Not that I can blame her, but things are different now. I’m trying to do things right.” It was a lie, but I had her in my grasp … and I wanted her. I lifted a hand to her cheek and she sucked in a breath. “I’ve always wanted you, Faith. Now that you’re free I see it as a chance.” She opened her mouth to speak, but I clasped her face in my hands and kissed her. I didn’t want to hear her say no, at least not yet, not before I’d had the chance to kiss her. If I only had this one chance, I wasn’t going to waste it. Her lips tasted sweet, and I wanted more. She squeezed my arms and lifted up on her toes, opening her lips further. I deepened the kiss and pressed my hips into hers so she could feel what she’d done to me. All I wanted was to kiss every inch of her body, but it wasn’t the right time. Slowly, I broke from the kiss, and stepped back.

Faith’s chest rose and fell with her breaths, but she had a smile on her face. “I was not expecting that.” The elevator dinged down the hall and Isaiah stepped out. He looked at us and nodded toward my suite. “Do you have to go?” Faith asked.

I focused back on her. “It’s probably for the best. It’ll give you time to think about what I’ve said. Tomorrow you’ll have your money, and you can decide where you want to be. Either here or Wyoming.” I brushed my thumb across her swollen lips. “I want you here with me, but it’s your choice.”

On those words, I walked away. Layla was going to kill me, but it wasn’t up to her on what her best friend did with her life. Isaiah opened my suite door, and I looked back once to see if Faith was still there. She smiled and waved before disappearing inside her room. Isaiah followed me into the suite and I loosened my tie.

“What’s going on?” I asked, tossing my jacket onto the kitchen counter.

Isaiah cleared his throat. “Micah and Connor are on their way up. Your uncle stopped by earlier and said he’d see you tomorrow.”

I could hear the elevator open out in the hall. “Perfect. Where’s Reed?”

Isaiah nodded toward the door. “Headed to his room to make a phone call.”

Had to make sure he wasn’t on his way to Faith’s room. I didn’t like the thought of him being alone with her. “Tomorrow I want you take Faith to find a dress for the gala. That’ll keep her busy while I tend to everything here.”

“Will do,” he said, backing up to the door. He opened it just as Micah and Connor were about to knock. Isaiah stepped out of the way so they could come in.

“Good evening gentlemen,” I called out. “Thanks for coming up. I’m sorry I couldn’t be here when you arrived.” Bryce had sent me a file on Micah so I already knew which one he was. Dressed in a black T-shirt and jeans, Micah was tall and muscular with light brown hair and tattoos covering his whole left arm. Bryce was right. He had the look I needed, especially one of a fighter. Connor, on the other hand, was about six years older than me with chestnut colored hair and dressed in a suit. He was just as muscular as Micah, but I could tell he’d had a harder life from the various scars on his face. I remembered his family well when they came hunting for him. Connor looked exactly like his brother.

Grinning wide, Micah stepped closer and held out his hand. “You missed a good fight downstairs. I put Darius on his ass.”

I shook his hand, definitely impressed. “Hate I missed it. He’s one of the best.”

Connor snorted. “He’s okay. He’ll be the best when I get done with him.” His Irish accent was thick. “You’re probably better off putting that one in the ring,” he said, nodding over at Micah.

We shook hands and I turned to Micah who had a sly grin on his face. “You down for that?” I asked.

He chuckled. “Fuck yeah. I love a good fight.”

As much as I wanted the best in the ring, I couldn’t risk him like that. I needed him with me. “If it comes down to it, you can, but for the moment, I need you on the sidelines.” Micah nodded in understanding. They followed me into the living room and I poured us all a glass of whiskey from the bar. “I don’t know what all Bryce told you, but things might get a little ugly around here. I just want to make sure you’re prepared.” I turned around and handed them their drinks. “I don’t anticipate much animosity from some of the other families, but the Cartwrights are different. Their leader has always tried to one up my father. With him gone, there’s no telling what the Cartwrights do. I think he’ll try something; I just don’t know what yet.”

Micah sat down on the couch and tossed his drink back. “No worries from me. I’m ready for anything.”

Connor sat down on the brown leather chair, his expression hard and unrelenting. “So am I.”

I raised up my glass. “And so it begins.”