“Get your paws off my man,” Rena says, marching over and standing protectively in front of me. “Now.”
“Wow. Territorial much?” Anais digs her nails into my arm like she plans to never let me go. She pins a derisory look on my girlfriend as she says, “I’m pretty sure blood trumps whatever flimsy hold you have on him.”
I pry her claws from my arm and shoot her a glower as I slide my arm around Rena, holding her close. “Stop it. You need to play nice, Anais.”
Predictably, she plants her hands on her hips, acting insulted. “Me? What about your little fuck buddy there? She was downright rude to me.”
“I want her out!” Sierra demands, her tone dripping with disdain. “Now, before I swing for her.”
Anais sneers, her gaze lingering on Sierra’s burgeoning bump. “I didn’t know you were expecting quadruplets. You’re as big as a house.”
Ben swings into action, jumping in front of his wife and scooping her up before she can pounce on Anais. “Control your brat!” Ben snaps at a clearly amused Saverio. “I am this close to sending your ass back to Vegas in a casket,” he yells. “You risk my family by showing up here unannounced, and then you let that little bitch talk shit to my wife? I am warning you, Salerno. I am done with this crap.” Sierra gnashes her teeth at a smirking Anais, and Anais is so distracted she doesn’t notice Rena move up alongside her and raise her hand.
A stinging slap rings out across the room, silencing everyone. “You’ve had that coming a long time,” Rena says. “How dare you continue to insult my sister, especially in her home. You should be ashamed of yourself. Show some goddamn respect! For yourself too.”
“I couldn’t have said it any better,” Nat agrees, shaking her head at Anais. “You should take a long hard look at yourself in the mirror, girl. What you see you won’t like. Women should support one another, not chase after men who are already taken. Grow the fuck up and stop acting like such a spoiled brat.”
I can barely contain my shock as I stare at Rena. It’s not like her to resort to violence, but Anais must have really pushed her buttons. Though I probably shouldn’t condone it, I’m so fucking proud of my woman for defending her sister and standing up to the aggressor. Anais lifts hurt eyes to me before she stuffs the emotion down and her claws reappear.
I slide in between the two women, protecting my girlfriend from retaliation even though I know she’s capable of defending herself. “Don’t. We warned you your mouth would get you in trouble one day, and this is exactly what we were talking about. You can’t go around saying whatever the hell you want to people.”
“Preach,” Sierra says, sending daggers at the girl. Anais’s cheeks turn red in a mix of anger and humiliation as she opens her mouth to speak. I shake my head, silently cautioning her to keep her vitriol to herself.
“Your daughter needs to wait outside in the car,” Ben says, holding his wife in his arms, struggling to contain her. Sierra is still primed to lunge at Anais.
Saverio doesn’t look happy, but he knows when to pick his battles.
I swear I hear a collective sigh of relief when two of Salerno’s men escort the protesting mafia princess out of the house.
Ben is whispering to Sierra, and it looks like they are having an argument in hushed tones. “Come with me,” Leo says, narrowing his eyes at the Vegas don. “We will wait for Bennett in his office.”
They walk off, trailed by armed guards.
“This is bullshit,” Sierra hisses once they are out of sight. “He has jeopardized our safety by coming here! Anyone could have followed him.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Ben grits out, dragging his hands through his hair. “I’m not happy about it, but he won’t leave until we have had this out, so I need you to calm down and go wait for me.”
“You never should have given them refuge,” she says. “Especially not here.” She folds her arms and glares at her husband. “You should have let the Russians take them out and solve all of our problems.”
“I don’t have a time machine! I can’t go back and change the past!” Ben throws his hands in the air in exasperation.
Her green eyes latch on to mine. “I can’t believe you are related to that asshole and that little bitch. And if they think they are taking you from us, they can fucking think again.”
“Alesso is going nowhere,” Ben says. “On that we can agree.”
Ben spends another couple of minutes coaxing Sierra off a ledge.
“Are you mad at me?” Rena asks, her eyes scrunching in concern.
“Mad?” I shake my head. “Absolutely not. You put her in her place, and someone needed to do it.”
“She was rude to my sister, and not for the first time. Something just snapped in me. I probably shouldn’t have hit her, but it was done before I could consider the wisdom of it.”
“I doubt that’s the last time a woman slaps her, and I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it. It might make her reconsider her actions.”
Her troubled gaze glues to mine. “He’s here for you.”
“He can’t have me.”
