Chapter 38

LEIGH-ARI “I really don’t think we should do this.” Laura dragged her feet behind me as I continued pulling her in a busy street. Gazillion people milling around plus the dang high heels I had on made it all impossible to pull a full-grown human behind me.

“Relax. We will be gone for like a minute.” I contradicted pulling her further into the busy street “At least we should go back and call that girl… Your girl guard. What’s her name again?” “Raquel? No way! What’s the fun in that?” She was kidding. I successfully got rid of Raquel and there was no way I was going to go back to her again. “The twins…” Oh hell no I wasn’t having any of that. Not when they ran off to God-knows where to do whatever it is they did during the day.

WS “Look,” I turned and held her by her arms. ” I know you are worried because they are scary with tats everywhere but I need this. They are always breathing down my neck and I never have time to myself.

You won’t believe it, but I can’t even have a simple shower without them showing up and growling next to me. They are animals. But you are here, I am safe. Nothing i s going to happen to me and they won’t know that I slipped off for less than 5 minutes to watch the fountain of water.”

“Okay that sucks and I definitely think you need this! But remember this was your idea and you were dragging me behind you.” She said with a mischievous grin and I knew it was going to go crazy! That’s my girl.

“Yay!” I pulled her in a hug and off we ran. My heart was pounding a mile a second but I decided to play it off. I was going to enjoy this little moment with my girl and nothing was going to stop me. We ran off to the railings that overlooked the sea and watched as the water played from the huge building.

After a moment, we got tired and decided to hail a cab to the bar.

Everything was so good I couldn’t believe any of it. I was happy, free, content! With none of the twins glaring daggers at me or breathing down my neck!

VERNERO “YOU CANNOT GIVE THE WHOLE EUROPE TO CATTANIO. I HAVE PROTECTED THE EAST WITH MY BLOOD FOR ALL THE YEARS, AND I GET PUNISHED FOR WHAT MY SUBORDINATES HAD DONE?” The meeting was heated, the table was filled with angry lords who were clearly displeased with the changes.

“You failed to control your minions, Xander. And you left us no choice. Your side of Europe will be under Turantello and you will answer to Vernero from today on. He owns Europe now.”

“This isn’t fair.” Xander seethed from his seat, but there was no turning back. He had lost his reigns and he was now under my control. Enzo’s hand sought out from underneath and he held mine, silently congratulating me for acquiring the east. It wasn’t easy, but we had made i t this far. Now the whole of Europe was under my hand, my control spreading from nation to nation. Owning Europe was the biggest milestone, something even my father had failed to do during his times. We were aiming for the world, and, this was just a right step in the right direction.

A soft vibration called my attention and I fished my phone from my pocket. It was a call from Raquel. My brows bundled up and I felt a chill run down my spine.

“You seem to be occupied with something else, Lord Cattanio.” The chair of the underworld called out and I stealthily placed my phone back into my suit pocket and said nothing. I couldn’t trust myself to speak.

Lorenzo sensed my mood and tensed next to me.

The rest of the meeting lasted for 20 minutes as we were finalizing the agenda. But that 20 minutes felt like an eternity. By the time we were told to leave, I was out the door in a split second, “What happened?” Lorenzo was by my side in a flash, “It’s Raquel.” I punched her phone number again and she answered on the second ring, “Boss, thank God you called. It’s M’lady. They ran off. I don’t know where they ran off to but they aren’t in the bar.” She explained in a panicked voice and I felt bile rise from deep down m y guts. I had told her to stay out of trouble.

“She’s wearing a tracker. Tell Four to spot her in less than 5 minutes.” I barked orders as we tore off from Burj Khalifa with the rest of my guys hot on my heels, Enzo was behind the wheel swerving and rounding the busy city, I couldn’t trust anyone with the driving, they wouldn’t understand how urgent the matter at hand was.

as The others sent us the location and she seemed to be moving.

I had no words, I honestly had no words to say right now but she was going to rue the stupid act, In 30 minutes we came to a stop in the parking lot near the seaside, and there she was feeding seagulls with no care in the world. She had her shoes off and she was laughing at something her friend had said.

She was safe, yes, but God help me.

So much anger boiled inside me, she was so fuckin’ careless, so careless that it angered me.

I stomped out of the car and Lorenzo was right behind her. The sound of our angry footsteps had her turning and the smile on her face dropped instantly when she spotted us. She backed up, “I can explain.” She raised her hands up in surrender, but I wasn’t listening.

“Oh hell yes you should.” I thundered as I whisked her off the ground tearing a yelp from her, then walked her back to the car where I threw her on the hood on her stomach with her ass in the air, and then ripped the dang tight bottoms off her, to reveal a caramel creamy skin of her plump ass.

“Vernero stop, you’re hurting me.” She let out a scream and thrashed, trying to get off the car. Lorenzo came in and held her down, then caught her busy fists in his hand, rendering her immobile. That gave me room to do what I had in store for her.

“This should hurt, Tesoro,” Lorenzo called out in a smooth voice, I raised my hand in the air and then landed a healthy blow on her big plump cheek, tearing a loud scream from her.

“Please, let me explain.” Her cries rose higher but I wasn’t having it, I raised my hand again, then landed another loud slap on the next cheek. Redness tainted the plump cheeks, “You are so fucking disobedient.” I roared as I landed other healthy blows. She cried, but I didn’t stop. I spanked her until the inside of my palm was numb. When I couldn’t feel my hand anymore, I pulled her off the hood and crashed her body to me. She was shaking with a loud cry, her sobs tearing through her body violently “Here. Her butts are out.” Lorenzo shrugged off his suit coat and draped it over her small body. I fixed it and continued rocking her as she cried her heart out on my chest.

“I am sorry.” She whispered through a sob.

“You should be,” I replied through clenched teeth.

“Let’s get her out of here,” Lorenzo suggested and I nodded, then turned to find her friend standing a few feet from us, with a horror-stricken face.

“You!”

“Yes?” Her voice trembled as she tried to pull a brave face.

“She didn’t do anything. It was my idea. She tried to stop but I told her we should go.” Leigh defended even before I could say anything. I nodded and kissed her hair.

“Can you drive?” I gestured to the car and she nodded rapidly. Lorenzo the the keys to her and she caught them, then got in the car and started it.

The drive back to the mansion was filled with Leigh sobbing silently in my lap, with her body laying on Enzo’s I had been so scared when Raquel told me she lost her. I had felt like I lost it for a second. Especially after what had gone down in the meeting. She was in the most dangerous zone but she didn’t even know it. 1 Upon arriving at the mansion, she insisted on showing Laura to her room, I was reluctant to let her leave but Enzo told me she will be okay, so with that, I left them behind the closed bedroom door and stormed outside.

“She could’ve gotten herself kidnapped. Only because she doesn’t listen.” I roared once I was out of earshot.

enzoS “I think it was just excitement of seeing her girl. She didn’t think.” Lorenzo smoothed out casually “Exactly! She did not think. She does not think. She just does things on an impulse, without even knowing how dangerous they are. She could have died. Does she know that?” The thought of it slowly dawned on me, and I realized just how bad things could have turned out if we hadn’t found her in time.

“That turf, that place, it’s under Xander. Xander’s mansion is just a kilometer from where she was. And Xander literally swore to kill me in the meeting. He could have shot her, or taken her, or anything.” My breathing was rising with each second. Lorenzo walked towards me and pulled me in a big bear hug.

The heat from his body calmed the raging storm inside me, my heart which was beating like crazy slowly came down. It felt good, and I was at peace.

“You taught her a lesson, she won’t do it again.” He comforted and I hoped so, I really hoped Leigh-Ari would stay out of trouble in the future.

LEIGH-ARI “It hurts,” I said through ugly sobs and wiped the tears that just couldn’t stop streaming down my face.

My butt felt like it had been immersed in a tank of boiling water from how painful and hot it was.

“I know,” Laura replied brushing my hair gently.

“And your butts are out girl. Are you wearing a thong?” She observed me still brushing my hair.

“Yeah. Raquel brought it in the morning.”

“Hmmmm. The scary guy spanked you in broad daylight. In a city full of people.” She said and I could hear the amusement in her voice.

“You find this amusing?” I accused and looked up through tears.

“Nope. Not even slightly. I mean you can’t even sit right now so nope, that ain’t super extra at all.”

“Good.” I laid back in her lap and continued sobbing. My butts hurt so bad I felt like I could sit on ice and it would melt in seconds.

“Does it hurt?” She asked after a heartbeat and I snorted a laugh.

“No Laura it doesn’t hurt okay? That’s why I am laying on my stomach and not sitting down because it does not hurt at all.” I accused causing her to raise her hands in surrender “Yikes. I fear that scary guy. He legit spanked you.”

“In front of everyone.”

“With your butts out for all to see.”

“And now I can’t sit.” As much as she was annoying, having her here, felt better. She was my medicine and knew all the right words just to have me better. I would have been more miserable if she wasn’t here.

But I had her, and all was well.

“But it was kind of sexy if you asked me. I mean the way the two of them charged at you and then started doing you. Hella sexy!” She said with that annoying dreamy voice.

“Next time they are angry, I’ll tell them to spank you not me.”

“No thank you. I’d rather be the driver. And shit, that car is dang smooth.”

“Seriously, that’s all you care about?” She was such a disappointment. “Sorry. Not sorry!”