Walking into the cold office, bloodshed was the only thing on my mind.
Murdering Massimo was one thing I’d always wanted to do but him trying to touch my wife intensified that urge.
The room was already filled with some of my men, Tomas leaning against the edge of the desk with his usual calm face, Dario flipping through a file. A few others stood at attention. All eyes turned to me when I entered, and silence blanketed the room like smoke. They could feel the storm I was carrying inside.
"He really tried to kill Mira?" Tomas asked in disbelief, breaking the tense silence that enveloped the room since I walked in.
My lips fell into a grim line at the reminder. "The bastard did. And I’m not going to let him get away with it."
I’d be damned before I let someone who tried to hurt Mira go scot free.
"Updates," I barked, shrugging out of my jacket and tossing it across the chair.
Tomas straightened. "Massimo hasn’t been seen since the charity event. But his men have been active. There’s chatter about shipments moving through Long Beach under his cover."
I smirked coldly. "So the bastard thinks he can run business on my turf while eyeing what’s mine?"
Dario cleared his throat carefully. "You sure this isn’t about Mira more than it’s about Massimo’s operations?"
I turned my gaze on him, slow and dangerous. "Everything is about Mira. You think I’d waste my time worrying about his petty businesses if it weren’t for him putting his filthy hands near her?"
He shut his mouth quickly.
I leaned forward, palms flat on the desk. "We’re not just killing him. We’re gutting his empire first. Every man loyal to him will learn what loyalty costs when you cross me."
A ripple of unease moved across the room. Tomas was the only one who met my eyes. "We’ll need to move carefully, boss. He’ll expect you to strike first, and if you go in too hot, you risk—"
"Risk what?" I snapped. "Losing her again?" My voice rose, sharper than I intended. "I already lost her once, Tomas. I’m not gambling with her safety again. If Massimo wants a war, I’ll bring him hell."
The silence after my words was heavy. Even Tomas had no smart response this time.
I exhaled, pacing toward the window. The skyline glowed back at me, Los Angeles spread out like a kingdom I owned, but none of it mattered when I pictured Massimo’s smug face anywhere near Mira.
The image twisted something in my chest. For years, I’d forced myself to believe I could live without her. That I could bury myself in power, in empire-building, in women whose names I never cared to remember. But seeing her again, hearing her voice, tasting her lips, it undid me. And the thought of anyone else touching her? That was enough to make me want to burn the whole city down.
I turned back to them. "Find me his weak spots. His warehouses, his money men, his lieutenants. I want one brought here by the end of tonight."
"Yes, boss," Tomas said, already pulling out his phone.
"Everyone else, get out." My tone left no room for argument. They filed out quickly, leaving only Tomas. He gave me one last cautious look, like he wanted to say something, but thought better of it.
When the door shut, I let myself fall into the chair, rubbing a hand over my face. Rage still pulsed in my veins, but beneath it was something darker. Fear.
What if Mira chose him? What if all this time apart had hardened her against me so much that she saw Massimo as the safer option? The thought alone felt like a knife twisting in my chest.
The door creaked open, and one of my guards shoved a man inside. Bloodied, wrists tied. One of Massimo’s low-level soldiers. He hit the floor with a grunt, groaning in pain.
"Boss, caught him sniffing around one of our warehouses."
I dismissed the guard with a flick of my hand. My gaze fell on the man, trembling at my feet. He already knew his fate, but fear didn’t buy mercy here.
"Tell me something useful," I said, my was voice low and even, "and I’ll make this quick."
"I—I don’t know anything!" he stammered.
I dragged my chair forward and crouched in front of him, close enough for him to see the truth in my eyes. "Then you’re useless. And you know what I do with useless men?"
He whimpered. "Please-"
I didn’t give him the chance. A sharp twist of my hand, the crack of bone, and his scream filled the room. I shoved him back, watching the terror in his eyes.
"Talk," I ordered, my voice cutting through his cries.
Between sobs, he spilled fragments. A location. A name. Something about a deal happening in the desert outskirts. I absorbed every word, filing it away for later. When I was done, I stood and wiped my hands like he was dirt under my nails.
"You did your part," I said, almost bored. "Now, so will I."
The gunshot echoed in the empty office, and the silence that followed was heavier than before.
I poured myself a drink, ignoring the corpse on the floor. My thoughts had already drifted back to Mira. To her stubborn eyes when she defied me, to the way her body fit against mine even when she swore she hated me.
She had been in the guest room last night, quiet, distant. But I knew her mind was running wild. She’d never say it, but I could feel it that she was shaken. She almost lost her life because of this game between me and Massimo. And whether she admitted it or not, she came to me. She stayed. That was more than enough.
I finished my drink in one gulp.
Massimo Ricciardi wanted to play games? Fine. I’d play. But I’d end it on my terms, with his empire in ashes and his body in the ground.
And maybe then Mira would finally see what I already knew. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on novel★fire.net
That she was mine whether she believed it or not.