Page 16 of Paolo DeLuca
Chapter eleven
Paololookedoverthe twenty men in the room. Any of them he’d give his life for. They were his family away from family. When he traveled to Italy for his grandfather’s funeral, there was never a moment when he thought things wouldn’t be handled at home. Now, they had a problem. Los Barones Rojos were fucking up the alliance they brokered when he took over the territory from his father four years ago. Paolo had been young then and not as ruthless as he was now. He believed it was the only way to operate. As the years went by, Paolo realized the weight his name carried. It afforded him certain privileges: people didn’t fuck with him. And now, they had these motherfuckers who knew better than anyone what the cost was.
He waited to speak to everyone until Gino passed out the photos of the three barons. “In your hands are wanted men. Dead men.” He locked eyes with everyone in the bar. “They are the fuckers who thought it was funny to funnel counterfeit bills into my club. They’re working for an old friend of mine. I need you to find them, so I can find her. I want to know who the fuck hired her. Are we understood?”
‘Yes sir and boss’ rang out among the room, everyone nodding. It was only a matter of time before he would have Cali in his clutches. He should’ve fucking killed her when he had the chance. But now, he fucking needed her. He needed to know who hired her. Gino, Dante, and Franco lingered behind as the men filed out.
“Cali’s back in the picture?” Dante asked.
Paolo nodded. Besides Gino, he trusted Dante with his life more than anyone. He knew the history between Cali and Paolo and was in favor of killing her the last time she caused issues with him.
“We should’ve killed her,” Dante said.
“Don’t start.” He threw up his hand. “I’m regretting not doing it since I realized it was her work.”
“What’s our next steps? Besides finding those Barones,” Franco asked.
Paolo’s first instinct was to go straight to their boss, but he wasn’t entirely sure if they acted under his orders. He better hope they were working on their own; if they weren’t, there would be no more Red Barons when he finished with them.
“I want to see if they’re working alone first. If not, then it’s war.”
“And Cali?” Gino asked.
“She’ll give me what I want, then I’ll kill her.” He shrugged.
Dante and Gino both nodded in agreement and headed for the door. If he learned anything from his grandfather’s passing, it was not to leave unfinished business. He wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.
“Franco, I need you to do something for me. Hang back,” Paolo ordered.
“Sure thing,” Franco said, taking a seat on one of the stools at the bar.
“Gino, we’ll talk,” Paolo said. “Make sure when Lyric comes in for her shift, she’s at the VIP bar.”
“Sure, but she doesn’t work tonight,” he called over his shoulder and shut the door.
Damn, he didn’t think about checking the schedule. He just assumed he’d see her tonight. Well, it didn’t matter. He’d see her soon enough. Right now, he needed everything he could get on her. He couldn’t keep his mind from wandering to Lyric’s curves, how she looked in those shorts last night, and the fullness of her rich umber-toned breasts. Paolo wondered if her skin was as smooth to the touch as it looked.
“You wanted me to stay back, boss?” Franco’s voice brought him out of his elicit fantasy.
“Yeah. How was Lyric when you took her home last night?” There was no need for him to hide his curiosity about her. He hired every person who worked for him in the club except Lyric, so it was only right that he probed for information.
“Pissed that you made her go home. Pissed that she couldn’t even drive her own car. And apparently, convinced Gino is a pussy cat,” Franco snorted.
Paolo laughed. There was not one DeLuca who was a pussy cat. “Damn, he’s got her fooled.”
Franco laughed too. “Yep, definitely has. But she didn’t come across as a woman who took kindly to being bossed around. You should’ve seen the fire in her eyes when I walked her ass to her door.”
“She did seem fiery.” Paolo rubbed his beard. “I had to pull the ‘I’m your boss’ card on her. She doesn’t fear the DeLuca name, does she?”
It wasn’t a question, more of an observation. Lyric was independent and headstrong.
Perfect and damn trouble.
Franco shook his head. “No, she’s not intimidated by the name at all. But she does know the rep.”
Paolo nodded. “I want to know everything about Lyric Mason. Where she goes to school, lives, her schedule. Everything.”
He could see Franco’s wheels turning, wondering about his request, but he knew better not to question. “I’ll find out what I can,” he promised. “Anything else?”
