Mateo stuck out his chest, holding up his chin that had a soul patch below his bottom lip.
Grace and Mateo squared off, and for a second, I didn’t move, curious to see what Grace would do and itching for any reason to ram my fist into Mateo’s ugly face or throw him over the balcony. But if I did, I would only be igniting the spark of war that we were trying to prevent.
I clutched my sister’s tense bicep. “Vince, watch these assholes for a minute. Grace, come with me.”
She yanked her arm from me. “No, I want to talk to Mateo.”
“She likes me,” Mateo bragged.
Grace shoved him. “I hate you. Do you like pimping out women? Is that your new role in Boston now?”
Mateo faltered.
“You’re a pimp?” I asked Mateo. It was the first time I was hearing that.
“For now, but I’m moving on up.” He was proud of what he was doing.
Since Grace’s sex-trafficking ordeal, she went off the rails with men like Mateo.
Once again, I strong-armed my sister. “Grace, this way.”
She stomped in front of me toward my private quarters.
“What are you doing?” I laid into her.
She spun around, breathing fire. “I hate the Alvarezes. They’ve fucked with our family for far too long. But recently, Mateo beat up a gal who came into the shelter. Something needs to be done, Duke.”
I swallowed what felt like sandpaper in my throat. I could taste her derision and revenge as if they were my own. “He will be dealt with by me. Not you. Please, go down and see Joy. I’m not asking either.”
She stabbed a painted-blue nail into my chest. “Do you know if he continues to pimp women, he’ll be selling them to the sex traffickers? He has to be stopped.” Tears pooled in her eyes.
My gut churned at the remembrance of what she’d gone through when she’d been sold to the highest bidder. “I know, Grace,” I said softly. “I know.” I hugged her tightly.
She shook in my arms. “I still have nightmares, and every time I see someone like him, my PTSD gets worse.”
My body felt as though it had broken into tiny pieces as I held back my own tears. “Vince,” I called, my voice cracking.
“Yes, boss?”
“Have one of the bouncers take Grace down to the bar.” I eased away from my sister. “We’ll talk when I’m done.”
She blinked away a tear. “I want the Alvarezes out of our lives. I’ll take matters into my own hands if you don’t.”
I stiffened. “Whoa! Are you saying what I think you are? Because I don’t put contracts on people’s heads. That’s not my style. Never has been, and like hell will you do something like that.”
I’d never intentionally killed a man because he pissed me off. That wasn’t my MO.
“Then find a way to make Mateo suffer.” She stomped off into the club.
Lou and Mateo were lounging on the couch, like we were childhood friends and they were here to catch up on our life stories.
“Your sister is quite feisty,” Mateo said. “I like that in my women.”
I snarled like a lion about to pounce. “I don’t want to hear you talk about my sister or say her name.”
Mateo lifted his hands. “I’m just giving her compliments.”
Lou, creepy as fuck with oily hair, dirty nails, and soiled jeans, sucked his lips between his crooked teeth. “She is a fine piece of ass.”
