Page 41 of Unruly Protector
“Let me show you out.These newlyweds deserve some time to themselves and me and Arturo clearly need to handle a fishy incident.”
They stalk out of the office and it takes a few minutes before Leandro strolls back in and closes the door behind him.
“What a fucking asshole for not coming to us sooner,” Leandro growls.
“Such a mess.Nineteen years old,” Arturo mutters and shakes his head.
“Did you hear what he said?”I snap in anger at this whole situation.“She’s got the whole Stockholm syndrome down to a T.I bet if we go in there to save her from that rapist, she will defend him.This is so damn risky.”
Clemente raises his eyebrow at my words.“And still you suggest we join them at the restaurant to make sure we can get the girl and kill Dustin while having them in one place.”
“Well, yeah,” I tell him, my arms going up to state the obvious.“It’s not like we can’t try to talk some sense into her.It’s complicated.But my suggestion still seems like the best solution to get them from the inside and out.You guys have been searching for Dustin for a while without any luck.”
“I don’t trust them, Rina.”Clemente releases a deep sigh of frustration.“They are Fredo’s in-laws.They could have turned on us as well.Then it would just be you and I, sitting ducks.”
I put my arms in front of my chest.“If we’re both armed, we would hardly be sitting ducks.Besides, we could have men outside, and in the kitchen or even as other diners, to back us up.”
“Caterina suggested you two go to the restaurant when Dustin visits with the daughter?”Arturo questions, and doesn’t wait for a reply but instead says, “I think it could work.You could pop a bullet in his head the second he walks through the door.No suspicions, no uproar, clean and easy.”
“Clean and easy,” Clemente repeats in a calm and steady voice and yet his eyes are spitting fire.“Maybe I should take Donya instead.”
The muscles in Arturo’s jaw are jumping, indicating he’s grinding his teeth.And I have to say, my anger is spiking too.But I know very well I’ve interfered more than enough already.So, I’m wise enough to keep my mouth shut.
“Donya was brought up to be a loving wife.She turns her cheek to this side of the mafia world she grew up in.As it fucking well should be so she keeps her ass safe.Your woman, on the other hand, can shoot a gun, kick someone in the balls and has bigger ones herself to handle any situation instead of screaming her lungs out and be terrified.Hell, she got knocked down on her ass when she experienced her first share of bloodshed but she bounced right back.There’s a huge difference and you know it.If she’s sitting next to you it would give you backup, if Donya sat next to you, you would need to protect her, that’s dangerous.”
“That might be but Rina is my fucking woman to protect.She’s not a pawn to use, she’s mine.My woman.My fucking wife.That’s dangerous because it makes me fucking dangerous.If anything ever happened to her I would kill every-fucking-one on this fucked-up planet.”
“Woah, there, boss,” Leandro says while he flashes his hands palms up.“Don’t fire those guns when there’s no need.Your reaction clearly shows Caterina is far more than just your woman in name only.This also gives you an advantage.No one knows she’s not the wilting flower.She suggested something and I’m liking it, so does Arturo.Take a breath, to think.The other option is hunt the fucker down with a large group of soldiers and we all know streets will be bathed in blood, theirs as well as ours.Maybe we could wait at the restaurant until they come out, but we would still risk the life of Fredo’s daughter.All of those options have your hands tied and lives at risk.The fucking reason you’re in that chair as the head of the Famiglia ruling the underworld of California is to keep things in your own hands.Do the unexpected and still get things done how you want them to be handled.”
Clemente’s chest is rapidly rising and falling, it’s the only indication of the turmoil inside him.
“Why don’t we get a drink and let everything sink in.This is not a simple decision.Even more because there’s a nineteen-year-old involved who thinks she’s in love.Unpredictable.Everything about this situation is unpredictable and needs to be handled with a fresh and steady mind.”
Leandro snorts.“Fresh and steady mind, and you suggest we have a drink first.Like I said, boss, I like her.She’s special and fits in.Trust goes both ways and I suggest you follow her in this instead of always being the one to take lead.The whole nineteen-year-old woman being wrapped in this makes Caterina’s point of view a valuable asset.”
“Agreed,” Arturo simply says.
“Good thing I’m still the fucking boss,” Clemente spits.“We’ve always protected women and kept them out of the business.And now all of a sudden I have to sacrifice mine?”He stands and stalks right out of the office.
My eyes are still set on the doorway.“I shouldn’t have suggested it.”
“It was a good suggestion and I like the angle.It gives us the advantage of having someone on the inside without raising flags.Dustin has been keeping a low profile.No one has seen him and yet we know he’s behind everything along with Daniel.But with Daniel trying to take you out himself, it also shows their gang is only a handful of people.Otherwise he would have ordered someone else to do it.Again, the whole casually going to dinner in a restaurant owned by Fredo’s in-laws, is the best solution.If Dustin shows up Clemente has a chance to shoot him point plank and end the maggot crawling in our business,” Leandro says.
“We still have time to set things up.Give the man some breathing room.You and I will go deal with the fish at the nightclub.I’m sick of this asshole pumping money into something unnecessary.Then we’ll discuss this issue.”Arturo takes a few steps toward the door but glances over his shoulder at me.“Give your man a little slack.He’s dealt with a lot of change recently.He had his half-sister slung into his life, adding a new change and risk to his simple life before that.He loves Gracy and is fierce with protecting her.Then there’s you.A wife tied to him due to an arranged marriage.Simple.Have a woman, fuck, produce an heir, arm candy, status to uphold, the works.But we’ve all seen the effect the two of you have on each other and it’s not just a status to uphold.Things get messy when feelings are involved.But it also makes things stronger, the fight fiercer and it sometimes causes blindness.Blind rage, blind to the worth, and blind to easy solutions.But believe me, in the end, it’s all worth it.I now know because of Donya.She rises the same feelings inside me, but I have mine prioritized because she doesn’t cross lines.You do.And again, a good thing.So, keep your head up high, and have his back, we will always have yours.”
Leandro throws his thumb in Arturo’s direction.“What he said.”
I give them a thankful smile and watch them leave.When I stroll into the living room, I expect to find Clemente, but instead the room is empty and the door to Rocco’s kennel is open.Glancing through the window shows me a visual that has a smile sliding across my face.
Clemente is throwing a ball and Rocco is running like a rocket to catch it, bringing it back to spit it out at Clemente’s feet so they can repeat the process all over again.My feet are rooted to the floor as I watch those two mindlessly play.For a man who didn’t want a pet, he’s quickly adapting.
But I guess the same can be said about me; the wife in an arrangement without feelings switching to adoration and mindlessly surrendering to falling in love.Because I know my feelings for him are real and growing, and the way he practically exploded and stalked out of the office?I think it’s safe to say he’s realizing the same thing.
I step outside and Rocco instantly rushes toward me, jumping up and letting me know he wants to be lifted into my arms to cuddle.I know because in the few hours he’s been with us he’s repeatedly done this.I quickly lift, cuddle, and place him back on his feet, allowing him to rush back to Clemente to play with the ball again.
I come to a stop next to him and watch Rocco get sidetracked by some scent in the grass he starts to follow.
“Having fun with our pet?”I question, making sure to add a little taunt and laughter in my voice.
