Page 27 of Tailored for You

For a moment, I wished I could take a picture and send it to show them what we’d accomplished.

At the drop of a text, I had men lined up to take an order, men we had trained and could trust. Men who were eager to do what needed to be done. His father never had this, and I wished he were still around so we could rub it in his face.

I strolled in and braced my hands against the countertop.

“Not long ago, two men tried to harm someone I care deeply about. I don’t know why, yet, but I will find out. Donovan,” I nodded in his direction, “caught one of the men, but the other is still on the loose.”

All the men turned to Donovan, nodding their heads at him. Donovan gave a half smile and tried hard to blend into the wall.

Serena’s studio had been destroyed. Mannequins sliced apart, clothes strewn everywhere, her half-finished work torn beyond saving.

They came to scare and harm her and Harper, and that was not something I would accept.

Tomorrow, I’d tell her about the damage. Then, I’d be there to help her deal with the pain and fear of being violated. For now, I had orders to give.

I took a minute to compose myself and tamp down that rage threatening to consume me before I said what needed to be said.

“No one hurts the family and gets away with it,” I said. “I want you all to go to the streets and find him. Find him and bring him to me.”

All the men straightened up, eager to do what was needed to curry my favor, but also because they were doing exactly what we preached to them. This was a brotherhood, a family, and at our core, we protected each other. Damn the rest to hell.

I nodded, and the twenty men who filled my kitchen turned and filed out. Donovan and Angelo stayed, hovering in the back while they waited for everyone to leave.

They had something to say; otherwise, they would have left with everyone else.

I nodded to them, my signal for them to speak freely.

“Are they okay?” Angelo asked from where he leaned against the fridge.

“I don’t think Harper knew what was happening. Serena’s asleep, but I think that’s mostly due to the adrenaline crash,” I said.

“Okay. I took the guy I caught to the ice room at the warehouse. I knocked him out, so he’s good there for a while, I think.” Donovan looked at me as he spoke, not used to making suggestions like this.

“Good.”

“He had a bag with rope and duct tape in it,” Donovan said, his voice barely above a whisper. He was angrier than I’d ever seen him.

I replayed his words, reality slamming into me. This could have been worse than I’d ever dreamed. It was as if my biggest fear came true. It was hard to breathe through the anger that filled my chest.

I leaned against the countertop, needing assistance to steady myself. I looked up, trying to keep a sane mind and remember that whatever the plans were, we had stopped it.

Serena and Harper were upstairs and unharmed. Well, unharmed physically, at least.

I had something to focus on that held me together, reminding me what was at stake.

“We’ll take care of this problem,” I said. “No one gets to come after us and get away with it.”

“In the morning, the stronzo will tell us what we need to know,” I assured him. Donovan clenched his jaw and nodded. “For now, let him stew in his fear.”

“We’ll go back to their place and get them clothes and whatever else they need,” Angelo said as he pushed off the wall and stood next to Donovan, his face as serious as I’d ever seen it. I didn't miss the fire in his eyes as he looked to me for approval before leaving with Donovan.

The two of them were scrawny kids looking for places to belong, raised by single moms with fathers who had bailed. Somehow, they fell into Marcello’s lap first, then mine.

I made a note to dig deeper into their lives. They were dedicated, reminding me of Marcello, Rafael, and me when we were young and dreaming of all the things we’d change when we took over.

That dedication was something worth cultivating, especially since they had potential. Hell, they took everything I said as gospel, even when I told them to hit the gym, eat more, and put some meat on their bones.

They were in their early twenties, but they were proof that we were succeeding at what we took over from the Cosa Nostra.