Page 31 of When She Unravels
De Rossi’s expression is a blank mask. “No one. But this is my fucking territory, and you’ve overstayed your welcome.”
A jolt of surprise travels through me. The word territory comes with all kinds of connotations from my old life. Then I remember it’s his club, his private property.
De Rossi flexes his fists. “Don’t make me say it twice, Nelo.”
Whatever Nelo senses in De Rossi’s body language makes him grimace impotently. “I was bored out of my fucking mind in this shithole anyway,” he says with a sniff. His cold gaze passes over me, before he shakes his head at De Rossi. “You should find a few more easy sluts like her to improve the entertainment.”
I gasp as if I’d been struck.
De Rossi hears it. He pulls his fist back and breaks Nelo’s nose.
CHAPTER10
DAMIANO
My hand stings,but I barely notice the pain over the buzzing sound inside my head. The fury that flooded my brain the moment I saw Nelo on her made me feel like a different man. I’m not some low-level soldier salivating for a fist fight to show everyone how tough I am. I deal with my problems with a lethal combination of ruthlessness, strategy, and stealth.
But there was nothing strategic about punching Nelo—the guy Sal sent to spy on me—right in the fucking face.
I lost control.
All because of Ale.
My gaze lands on her head of silky black hair, and a shiver runs up my spine. So it begins. I fucking knew I’d regret keeping her around me.
She turns to me, her lips parted in shock.
I cast one look at Nelo on the ground, gesture to Ras that he needs to sort this shit out, and take her arm to drag her out of the restaurant.
“Are you out of your mind?” Ale demands once we manage to push through the crowd of observers. “Who asked you to get involved?”
“Everything that happens on my properties is my business,” I grind out.
“You’re clinically insane. Punching a customer. Get ready for a slew of scathing reviews.”
“He’s not a customer. He’s my cousin.”
She throws up a hand. “Another one? As if that makes it any better.”
We’re in the parking lot. Where the hell is my driver? He needs to take her home and out of my sight. This woman is messing with my head, and I don’t have time for this shit with everything else that’s going on.
“Oh my God.” She starts squirming out of my grip. “Astrid and Vilde are still there. We need to go back.”
“We are not going back.”
“Damn it, De Rossi! I can’t leave them. You may have started a brawl.”
I let out a frustrated groan and jerk my phone out of the pocket of my slacks. “I’ll tell Ras to make sure they get home safe, all right? Happy?”
“Happy?Happy?No, I’m not happy.”
I release her arm and send a text to Ras. She’s overreacting. There’s not going to be a brawl. I knocked Nelo out cold, and I saw who he came in with—just a couple of low-level dealers, his new friends on the island. If he was with his brother, it may have been an entirely different thing.
“Why did you intervene?”
“Nelo is a shithead. You don’t want to get involved with him.”
She laughs in disbelief. “I don’t need you to police who I get involved with.”
