NICO
The day before, a guy had brought in a 1960 Porsche 911 Coupe, and all my guys knew I’d want to work on it. I jumped at the chance, since we didn’t often get rare, mint-condition cars in the shop. Most of what we did were newer custom cars. This one probably cost over a hundred thousand dollars. I called Gabriel to come over and hang with Maddy before giving her a quick kiss and heading to the shop.
The thing was amazing. As soon as I walked in and saw it, I was in love. Bright candy-apple red, fully restored, custom rims-it was a thing of beauty. The guy who’d brought it in said the engine kept misfiring. It sounded like a pretty simple fix-spark plugs and ignition coil being the top two candidates. I rolled up my sleeves, put the car on the lift, and got to work. It was a good way to distract myself while I waited for Felipe’s call.
He’d been working back channels to get a meeting set up with me and Javi. I needed to talk to him face to face. To let him know, in no uncertain terms, that he needed to back the fuck off. It was probably pointless, but he needed to understand my position and the danger he was in. If he tried to touch Maddy, I wouldn’t hesitate to rip his throat out.
The spark plugs looked fine, as did the distributor cap. I followed the chain to the carburetor, and then the coil. I was right about the coil being bad.
I was elbow-deep in the replacement when Felipe called. I nearly dropped my wrench when his number popped up. I knew what it meant, and the anxiety was already building inside me.
I put my tools down and answered. “Talk to me.”
“Hey, Nico. I finally got a hold of one of Javi’s nephews. I sweet-talked him into giving me his cell number. Javi actually took my call.”
“And?”
“Meeting is set for today. One hour in the parking lot of the grocery store downtown. Public, but not too public. Far end of the lot, away from most of the parking and the entrance. I already called the other guys. We’ll be nearby, hidden away in case things go sideways.”
My heart was beating heavily in my chest. “Alright. I’ll finish up here and head that way. Try to get there early.”
“Good deal. If things go well, you won’t see us, but we’ll be there,” Felipe said.
“Later.”
Shoving the phone back in my pocket, I went back to work. The grocery store was only a ten-minute walk from my shop. My concentration went to shit, and it took fifteen minutes longer than it should have to finish the repair.
Once I was done, I headed out to my car and drove to the grocery store. The ten-minute walk was only a two-minute drive. A text came through from Felipe as I pulled in, letting me know he had eyes on me. Javi was nowhere in sight, so I got out, leaned against the SUV, and waited.
The waiting went on for longer than it should have. The time for the meet arrived, and Javi had yet to show up. I gritted my teeth. It was obvious what he was doing, and it pissed me off.
There was no doubt he was coming. He wouldn’t have agreed on the phone and then not show up. Javi would have just told Felipe to go fuck himself. No, he was making me wait on purpose in a roundabout way to assert his dominance. A true alpha didn’t wait for anyone. That was the message he was sending. It was loud, clear, and irritating.
Ten minutes after the scheduled time, Javi’s muscle car came roaring into the parking lot. It took everything I had not to sneer in disgust as he parked and got out of his car. I needed this to be diplomatic. I had to push my anger below the surface.
Javi’s salt-and-pepper hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and he wore his usual leather jacket. I never knew how he survived the Florida heat and humidity with that damned jacket on. It was almost fall and still over ninety degrees.
He nodded to me. “Nico.”
“Javi.”
“Well, I’m here. I don’t have a lot of time. What are we discussing?”
I sighed. “You know exactly what we’re talking about.”
Javi raised an eyebrow and ran a hand through his gray goatee. “Elaborate, please.”
“Stay away from Maddy,” I said, forgoing any more preamble. Javi’s eyes narrowed at the mention of her name, but he didn’t respond. “Maddy is mine. I’m going to claim her, and that makes her part of the Lorenzo pack. Now and forever, she’ll have our protection.”
“Claim her?!” Javi shouted. The change on his face was so pronounced that it startled me. “You’re going to try and claim that thing? You goddamned fool. You have no clue what she’s capable of.”
“Watch your mouth when you talk about her,” I hissed, pointing a finger at him.
“You idiot!” Javi raged. “Do you have any idea what she is? Or are you just trying to get some hot little piece of ass?”
I didn’t justify that with an answer. Instead, I relaxed back against my car, crossing my arms. We glared at each other for several seconds, Javi’s anger growing hotter by the moment.
“Okay,” Javi said, raising his hands. “Let’s lay it all out. Maybe you really are that dense. She’s a monster, Nico. An abomination that can destroy us all. The blood that flows through her veins is tainted.” He pointed in the general direction of the Lorenzo compound. “That woman you and your family are harboring? She is a beast unlike anything you’ve ever seen. If you’re stupid enough to awaken the monster inside her, then you deserve the shitstorm that’ll follow.”
“All I hear is an old man who’s scared of a woman. Is that what this is, Javi? Is that what your clan is scared of?”
Javi clenched his hands into fist. “Goddammit! Listen to me. Her great-grandfather was a carrier of the blood of Edemas. You know what that means? I know your father told you the stories. Everyone does.”
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