Shielded Wrongs (Bellandi Crime Syndicate 4)

The female bartender who'd watched me curiously while she did inventory on the other bars set up throughout the main space made her way over once Ash was out of sight. "So, you're with Lorenzo?" she asked, eyeing me with distaste. It wasn't surprising that, with her makeup done to the nines and dressed to kill in her little black dress, she'd find me lacking. I was lucky I'd put on jeans, with my hair loose around my shoulders in a dark curtain and not a trace of makeup on my face.

"Depends who you ask," I said with a catty smile.

She smiled. "I guess it makes sense now. He must have a thing for women he can control. I never pegged him as the type to go for that, but I guess that's what a taste of power does, right? Makes them need to exert it in all areas of life." She sighed, picking at her perfectly polished nails. Mine were clipped short out of necessity, the natural color blending in too well with my skin compared to her bright red pop of color.

"I am not controlled," I retorted, turning my attention to her fully.

"No? So you can walk right out that door without Dom preventing you from leaving?" Her words hit that part of me, the rebellion that sparked within my very soul the moment I considered doing what I was told.

"He's my bodyguard at Matteo's insistence. You know, because I'm his daughter's godmother." Her eyes widened briefly, seeming to realize that I wasn't as easy a target as she might have first assumed. The truth was, I was more heavily entrenched in the Bellandi family than she would ever dream to be. Marriage was the only way to get closer than I already was, but I wouldn't use the threat of Matteo to my advantage.

I didn't need him to take care of one jealous woman. "Let me guess, you and Enzo used to fuck?" She pursed her lips, her silence giving me all the answer I needed. "Ah, you wanted to, but he never went there. Well, I'll be gone soon enough. I promise I'll toss him back when I'm done with him."

Maybe.

She glared at me, turning on her heel to storm back to the bar she was meant to be cleaning. For just a single moment, my heart wanted to flutter in my chest. Knowing that Enzo didn't give a woman like her the time of day, but had been very clear about his desire for me from the first moment we met, filled me with a brief flutter of hope.

I studied Dom as he watched her strut, even in her pissed off fury. He was distracted by the sway of her ass in that dress. I pursed my lips for only a second before hopping up onto the bar and slipping down to the other side. Tucking my body against the bar itself as tight as I could manage, I counted off the seconds until he realized I was gone.

"The fuck?" he yelled, and though I couldn't see him, I could just imagine the look of panic on his face. It almost made me feel guilty, knowing how angry Enzo would be with him. "Where'd she fucking go?"

"I didn't see her go anywhere," the woman said. Crawling to peek around the edge of the bar, I watched as he hurried off toward the kitchens and the back entrance. Standing quickly, I pushed open the little door to the bar and strolled for the front. Rebel followed me as the woman gaped but made no move to stop me. Flashing her a one-finger salute and a bitchy smile, I shoved open the front doors and strolled out onto the sidewalk, leaving the club in my wake.

I didn't stand a chance of staying out of Enzo's grasp for long, but the fresh air filling my lungs couldn't be denied. Clarity filled my head with a sense of independence and recklessness as I reveled in my newfound freedom.

Sometimes opportunity knocked.

I'd always answer the door.

16

Enzo

I studied the wall with the list of names and assignments, considering who I could give to Aoife once Tiernan was informed of the end to their engagement. We needed more men. There was no way around that.

Knowing the date of the sit down would have been helpful, but I wondered if it would be another scenario where Matteo informed me at the last minute. His sudden impulses were his natural defense against threats, making him unpredictable at best. It was great to some extent. Just not for me trying to coordinate his security.

Seb cleared his throat where he lurked in my open office door. "Yeah?"

"Rafael Ibarra and Calix Regas are here—" His voice cut off as the two assholes shouldered their way into my office. Two other men lurked in the hall, and I had to assume they were their personal security.

"The polite thing to do is wait for me to invite you in," I said, but a grin I couldn’t contain made my lips twitch. I'd met Calix several times in my years since coming to work for Matteo, but Rafael was another story. The Spanish man's striking multicolored gaze met mine as a dark smile played at his lips. One green eye and one blue. His eyes made me blink my own, somehow showing darkness even through the light tones.

"Enzo," he greeted, holding out a hand for me to shake. I'd never learned the details of how he knew Matteo, beyond the basics that they were allies and as close to friends as men of their caliber could be outside their families. Rafe was not a man I ever wanted to be on the bad side of.

Placing my hand in his, I shook with a polite smile. "Can I get you anything?"

"What about me?" Calix grinned, moving to the whiskey on my desk and helping himself to a drink. "Fuck I f

orgot what a bitch that flight is."

"You're early," I pointed out.

"Ah well, you know how it goes. My timeline has moved up. I need Matteo's war to finish so he can help me with mine," Calix said, not showing the slightest bit of remorse that he shrugged off potential loss of life so casually. Calix may not be the head of his family, hell, he'd been sent away from his own city for safekeeping after his father poked the wrong rival too hard.

But he'd take back what was his. All of it.

"They set a date?" I asked.