Twisted Loyalties (The Camorra Chronicles 1)

He nodded but he didn’t like it. That made two of us.

I walked past him and pushed the door open with my elbow, then stepped back through behind the bar.

Leona was busy chatting to two ancient customers, laughing at something they had said. Stefano was sitting at the other end of the bar, watching her like a hawk. His brown hair was combed back immaculately. I bet the asshole spent hours in front of the mirror.

Leona seemed determined to ignore him however. I set down the crates. Leona shot me a grateful look. The men behind the bar quickly focused on their beer.

I walked around the bar and picked up my gym bag where I’d left it on the stool before I stopped beside Stefano. He glanced up at me from his sitting position. He was below me in ranks, so the challenging glint in his eyes made me consider putting my knife in them. “You think about making a move on her?”

“I’m considering it,” he said. “She looks like she would respond well to the slightest sign of kindness, makes her easy to manipulate.” That sick as fuck leer, would it still be on his face if I cut his throat?

“She doesn’t seem interested in your advances.”

“That’ll change,” he said smugly.

“Has Remo seen her?” That was the only thing that mattered, really.

“No. I only just found her. But I’m sure he’ll approve.”

I had a feeling Stefano was right. “Don’t waste your time. She’s already taken.”

“By whom?”

“Me,” I growled.

He frowned at me, but then he shrugged, emptied his beer and left. I watched his back as he disappeared through the back door. Stefano was someone to watch. He and I had never gotten along. I had a feeling that wouldn’t change anytime soon, but he knew better than to make a move on someone I wanted.

My eyes found Leona again. She’d been watching my exchange with Stefano with a confused expression but with the background noise of the bar she couldn’t have overheard anything. She was so different from the women that usually frequented the places I spent time in. There were the ones unable to hide their fear and the ones hoping to gain something from being close to me. But she didn’t know who I was. It was strange being treated like someone…normal. I’d fought hard to receive the respect and fear everyone showed me, but it hadn’t bothered me that she’d been unaware of my status. I wondered when someone would tell her and how she’d look at me then.

“I know that look,” Remo said, sneaking up beside me. I should have realized he’d entered the scene. People had looked even more uneasy than with me alone in the room. He nodded toward Leona. “Take her if you want. She’s yours. She’s nobody. It’s not like we need her anyway. She doesn’t look like much entertainment to me though.”

I glanced over to Leona. She was wiping the counter, unaware of the lewd looks she was drawing from some of the men around her.

“I don’t want to take her,” I said. Then amended when I saw Remo’s expression. “I won’t.”

“Why not?” Remo asked curiously.

Danger. “You said it yourself, she doesn’t look like much entertainment.”

“Perhaps she’s more of an entertainment when she’s trying to fight you off. Might be worth a try. Some women turn into feral cats when they’re cornered.” He clapped my shoulder.

I didn’t say anything.

Remo shrugged. “But if you don’t want her…”

“I do,” I said quickly. “I’d appreciate if word got around that I have my eyes set on her. Just in case. I don’t want Stefano messing around with her.”

Remo chuckled. “Sure. Put your claim on her, Fabiano.”

That was the advantage of being on his good side. Remo allowed me things his other soldiers couldn’t even dream of. He left me with that and went to a table with some of the high rollers from one of our premium casinos. I returned to the bar. There would be time to change into my fight shorts later.

The other men excused themselves, and Leona came over to me, looking puzzled. “Am I missing something?”

I shrugged. “I’m the reason why some of them lost money.” And limbs.

She opened her mouth to say something else, but the sound of a body smashing against the cage silenced her, followed by a round of ecstatic applause. She clapped her hand over her lips, eyes shock-widened. I glanced over my shoulder. One of the fighters was lying on the ground, unconscious. The other was standing over him, arms raised, doing some sort of weak-ass victory dance. Perhaps he’d be my next opponent in a couple of weeks, if he won a few more times. I’d have to break his knees to prevent future dance escapades.

“It’s horrible,” Leona whispered, voice clogged with compassion, as if she could feel their pain.