Page 30 of Arturo's Temptation

And I was done with having others fight my battles for me.

12

Bloody nightmare.What the fuck had just happened? If she hadn’t walked in when I was giving the lads a talking to, tonight would have gone different. Now she would be out of training for a few days and I looked like a ridiculous meathead who couldn’t keep his head straight. I blew a breath out of flared nostrils and counted to one hundred, concentrating on sweeping up the mixture of ice cream, glass, and blood from the floor. Just as I began tossing all that crap in the bin, familiar footsteps passed the doorway.

“Mik, get your pathetic arse in here!” The responding hiss at my yell told me he was shitting himself.

Good!

“Boss, before you say anything?—”

“Oh, this should be good.” I turned back to see the brunette, scrawny little shit raising his hands in defeat. I tossed him a bottle of antibacterial spray and a cloth before gesturing to the ground. He grimaced before getting on his hands and knees to begin scrubbing.

“Look, I know I fucked up—” His voice came out hoarse.

“No shit.”

“But you gotta know, I was just joking around! I didn’t mean to?—”

“You really think it’s alright to mouth off about your boss like that?” I raised my eyebrows. “If you do, you’re stupider than I thought.”

“Dude, the chick ain’t my boss. Lorenzo R?—”

“Lorenzo Ricci,” I interrupted, “hired us to be Isabella Ricci’s bodyguards and trusted team.”

“Woah!” Mik launched to his feet. “I didn’t join this team to take orders from a?—”

“A what?” I glared at him. This geezer was beginning to test my patience.

“Nothing.” He gulped and dropped back down to finish wiping the floor. Cracking my neck, I sank down to a squat and gripped his shoulder.

“You know, I get it.” He looked up, confusion clear in his gaze. “You get hired by the infamous Lorenzo Ricci and think, this is my chance to earn some real cash taking care of New York’s most notorious boss only to end up babysittin’.” I cocked my head to the side and watched as relief swallowed him whole.

“See, dude! You get it. This is an absolute joke.” I smiled at him, pretending to share the joke.

“You know what I get Mik,” I whispered, tightening my grip on his shoulder.

“Ah!” The guy squirmed in my grasp but the humiliation in his eyes told me he was furious.

“I get that you are a disrespectful fuckin’ twat who ain’t suffered a hard day in his life.”

“Alright!” I could’ve laughed when he tried to shove me back. “Look, I’m sorry, Boss. It won’t happen again.”

“Too right it won’t.” I pulled him closer and whispered in his ear. “You’ll show Isabella the same respect you showed her brother and her father, boy, or I’ll take your fuckin’ head.”

“You can’t threaten me!” The outrage and smugness in his voice told me this idiot thought he had an ace up his sleeve. “Mr Ricci said?—”

“Oh? You think Mr Ricci is going to protect you when he finds out you disrespected his only daughter?” I smiled as the kid gulped. Satisfied, I stood, yanking him to his feet.

“Trust me, you may think Lorenzo is your worst nightmare, but you couldn’t be more wrong. I assure you I’m a thousand times worse.” The pulse in his pupils and stiffening of his jaw told me I was finally getting somewhere. “I know how to remove each and every one of a man’s extremities whilst ensurin’ he stays conscious long enough to feel every… single… cut. You’d be beggin’ for me to end it all long before I’m finished. And what’s worse is, I’d enjoy every damn second.” I grinned, letting go of his—likely bruised—shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” Mik swallowed, rubbing the spot where I’d had him. “I will apologise to Isabella tomorrow. I won’t let you down again.”

“Good boy. Now fuck off, I have shit to do.” Shaking, he nodded and dashed for the living room, colliding with the door in his rush to get away from me.

I’d scared the kid to death. Good!

That’s the way it needed to be. They all had to know I wouldn’t tolerate any disrespect towards Bella.

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