Shielded Wrongs (Bellandi Crime Syndicate 4)

She was in full command over her body, claiming it as the weapon she trained it to be.

"The last thing I want is for people to know exactly what I'm capable of before I knock them on their ass, Carina. I'll pass on that." I watched as she climbed into the ring, holding out her hands like she was Rocky trying to challenge me. The smirk on her face was repayment for the challenge I'd thrown down when I kissed her.

She wanted to knock me on my ass. The problem was, she already had.

"Fine. You're no fun." She smirked, and her lips twisted like they might form a pout. Instead, the smirk turned to a full-blown grin, and she crooked her finger at one of the guys hitting the bags a few feet away.

He dropped his gloves on the bench on his way over, wrapping his hands up the same way Sadie had and moving to the ring. Flinging himself inside, he looked far too large with the added height. I hated every second of seeing him near my woman, but refrained from interceding.

His smile was too familiar as he grinned down at her. "Why no gloves?" I asked, instead of expressing my irritation. She gave me a knowing look, and I had to assume she knew exactly how much she was poking the bear when she stepped closer to the guy in the ring with her. I didn't want to feed into that energy or let her know how bothered I was.

I'd j

ust show her later.

"He's not going to punch me. I know this is a boxing gym, but I'm not super big on boxing itself, personally. I let the trainers handle that part," she explained.

"Sadie mostly runs the business end and teaches women kickboxing and self-defense, but she's got more of an MMA style because she has an eclectic background, thanks to her dad," the guy in the ring answered. "She just enjoys taking men to the mat as part of a healthy breakfast."

I cast disinterested eyes his way, crossing my arms over my chest and standing taller. "And you are?"

"Mike," he said with a grin, and there was something in his expression that was too knowing as he studied me. "What'd you do to get yourself a Bellandi boy?" he asked, turning to Sadie with an eyebrow raised.

He shot an arm out towards her, his open palm coming only inches from her sharp cheekbone when she pulled her face back to avoid the strike. Grinning back at him, she danced on the balls of her feet like the bundle of energy she was. Moving constantly, she looked more in her element than I'd ever seen, and I begrudgingly had to admire Mike when he stood still and just watched her movements without so much as a twitch of nerves. "Oh, you know me. They caught me throwing used condoms at Bellandi properties to remind Matteo to wear one now and then," she teased, smirking at him as she feigned with her right hand. When he moved to the left, she lifted a smoothly toned leg up to tap at his abs in warning.

He didn't miss a beat, snatching the foot into his grip. He tucked it into his elbow, pressing his other hand down on the top and holding her steady. Where any normal person might have fumbled for balance, Sadie flung her weight into him quickly so that her entire body left the floor. Wrapping an arm around the back of his head, she grabbed his chin and wrenched his head to the side until his face twisted in pain.

Then, having achieved her leverage, she dropped her weight to the ground until he released her. With that arm still wrapped around the back of his neck, she tucked a foot behind him and pulled back until he tripped and went down on the mat.

She’d moved so fast, if I hadn't had training of my own, I'd have no clue what she'd done. She stood with a foot on either side of his hips, smiling down at him while he twisted his head side to side. "You could at least not totally humiliate me in the first two minutes of meeting your new boyfriend."

She helped him to his feet, and I glared when he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and tugged her into his side. "Not my boyfriend," she said, hopping down out of the ring like a professional.

I suspected she probably could be if she wanted to.

"Did you tell him that?" Mike asked, nodding in my direction as another guy climbed into the ring with him.

"We'll reach an agreement later on," I said, tucking an arm around her waist when she got closer to the bench where I sat. I knew Sadie was a little bit of a wild child, and that I'd have to allow her some room to be free if I wanted to be with her.

I didn't want her tamed or controlled.

I just wanted her mine.

I expected more fight to be involved with getting Sadie to leave Fists of Fury. Instead, she’d hopped on the back of my bike the moment I mentioned needing to swing by the Estate to have a conversation with Matteo.

Her arms tightened around my waist as we proceeded through the gates and past the armed guards lining the interior of the perimeter wall. Only the most trusted of our men gained access to the Estate. We were fortunate enough that in the aftermath of the betrayal that had shaken our family to its core and threatened everything we valued, the only men who remained could absolutely be trusted. Ryker and I had weeded out the rotten seeds one by one, resorting to tactics I’d never thought I’d need to use on men who were meant to be my brothers.

But brotherhood was earned, not a gift given without expectations, particularly in a world where betrayal meant life or death for us and the women we claimed.

I couldn’t blame Lino for the way he’d handled his own father in the wake of his actions. Trying to sell Lino’s wife into human trafficking meant he deserved every bit of the way his life ended. Especially not now that I understood just a piece of how he felt about Samara. Sadie and I didn’t have decades of history and love between us, but it would come.

Pulling up in front of the house, Sadie released a deep breath to try to relax herself. I didn’t know why she would be so uncomfortable when she’d spent plenty of time at the estate in the past, but she pushed through it and hopped off the bike. Shoving her helmet into my chest, she turned her powerful stride for the front doors and let herself in without knocking.

The ballsy move drew a chuckle from me, just picturing Scar’s annoyance when she flounced through the rooms like security risks didn’t matter to her. Following her, I found her already seated at the kitchen counter with Luna bouncing on her lap, Smaug perched on her shoulder, and staring down at the just over one year old girl who clearly adored her godmother.

Ivory smiled at them from the other side of the counter, ignoring whatever simmered on the stove behind her long enough to enjoy the sight of her two favorite girls together. “Hi, Enzo,” she said, giving me a bright smile and raising her brows at me while she waited for me to update her on whatever Sadie didn’t want to say. “Lunch will be ready in a few. Matteo’s waiting for you in his office.”

“Shouldn’t I get to hear this update? It’s about me!” Sadie argued. I shook my head at her, running a tentative hand over the hair on top of her head and leaning down to kiss the top of Luna’s. She reached her hands up for me, and I playfully nipped her little fingers to dissuade her from wanting to be picked up.