Forbidden Temptations (Tempted Series Book 2) (13 page)

“Daddy, I’m telling you it’s not good,” Nikki said anxiously as I entered the room. She glanced at me before looking back at her old man.

“I said I’ll take care of it,” Victor rumbled, losing his patience with his youngest daughter.

I tugged Nikki’s ponytail teasingly before sitting down in front of Vic’s desk. She was standing next to the desk with her arms crossed when she glanced down at me and frowned. I winked at her so she knew I was just joking around with her but her frown remained in place.

“This is your fault,” she said despicably.

“Excuse me?” I asked confused. “What’s my fault?”

“Vinny’s out of rehab and that douchebag was harassing A for money to get drugs. The bastard isn’t even out of rehab a week and he’s already fallen off the wagon. Son of a bitch didn’t even ask to see his baby! He had the audacity to tell my sister he’d sell give up his rights to Luca so he could score drugs,” she yelled pointing her finger at me. “Like I said, this is your fault!”

My eyes pierced Victor with a steady stare. I kept my cool in front of Nikki but I was fucking ripping mad. Vic could see it in my eyes and the way I kept my fists clenched on top of his desk. Vic sighed heavily as he stared at me. I met his gaze, hoping he’d let me have a shot at this fucker, that he’d order me to be the one who took care of Adrianna’s ex but I had a better chance of seeing Jesus Christ himself.

“I said I’d take care of it,” He thundered, glaring at his daughter. “Now go home before I call your mother.”

Nikki rolled her eyes. “I’m a fucking adult, that threat lost its pull two years ago,” she snapped while pointing at me. “Fix this shit,” she warned, before walking out of her father’s office, her heels clattering across the floor.

Jimmy cleared his throat, but I kept my eyes on Victor.

“Where’s the money Bianci?” Jimmy asked, leaning against Vic’s desk.

“What the fuck are you going to do about Adrianna?”

“I said I will handle it. It’s not your concern,” Vic said pointedly, drumming his fingers along the mahogany desk.

“I see how well you’ve handled it so far, now I’ll ask you again, what are you going to do about Adrianna?” I roared angrily.

Victor remained silent for a moment, studying me. My guess was he was trying to determine how long he had before the animal in me surfaced. He blew out a breath and turned to Jimmy.

“Go by my daughter’s house, make sure she and the baby are okay. When you’re done find that asshole and bring him to me.”

“Like now?” Jimmy asked clearly aggravated.

“Yes, now!” Victor ordered.

“For fuck’s sake,” Jimmy groaned.

It was eating away at me that Jimmy was being ordered and not me, but what could I do? I reached into my pocket and slid the envelope across Vic’s desk.

“It’s all there plus another G,” I mumbled, rising to my feet. “It’s been a long day, I got shit to do.” I pushed out my chair and walked towards the door.

“What about your share?” Jimmy asked.

“Hey Anthony …,” Vic called, forcing me to turn around and look at him. He paused for a moment before sighing and giving me a slight shake of his head. “Don’t do anything stupid,” he lectured knowingly.

I walked out the fucking door, knowing exactly where I was going and what the fuck I would do. So did Victor, and to my surprise, he didn’t stop me.

There are benefits to being part of a powerful organization, just like there are rewards to everyone knowing who you are and what you do. They tell you what you want to know, when you want to know it, without asking questions. It didn’t take me long to get the info I needed to locate Adrianna’
s ex. The degenerate had been searching high and low for product to snort, leaving a trail of his whereabouts.
I tracked him back to some crack bitches apartment that doubles as a drug den. My guess is he is friendly with the girl and he’s either hoping she’s got shit lying around he can get his hands on or he’
s banking on a drug dealer bringing her his product to cut. Either way he
’s itching to get his hands on the shit and she’s his only hope.

I climb the stairs of the apartment building not willing to ring the bell and give the asshole a chance to escape. I reach the apartment and bang on the door, anxious to come face to face for the first time with Adrianna’s ex-boyfriend. The door cracks open as much as the chain on top allows and the woman stares at me through bloodshot eyes.

“Open the door,” I demand gravely.

“Who the fuck are you?” She slurs.

I roll my neck to keep myself in check before blowing out a breath and looking into her eyes. “You have ten seconds to open the door or I will break the fucking thing down. I’m not looking to hurt you but I need a word with your house guest.”

She glares at me for a moment trying to decide in the state that she’s in if I’m being truthful or if I’m playing her. In the end, she closes the door, unlatches the chain lock and opens the door wide.

“Get him the fuck out of here will you?” She says, closing the door once I’ve entered. She motioned to the living room turning around herself and walking into the kitchen. The back of the couch faces me and I can see Vinny sitting on it dazing out at the television in front of him. His back facing me, and to be honest, I don’t even know if he realizes that someone was at the door.

I crack my knuckles, one by one, as I stroll towards him. I picture Adrianna and Luca for a fleeting moment and it’s all the ammo I need to bring this motherfucker to his knees. In one swift motion, I have him in a headlock, bringing him over the back of the couch. His arms flail at his sides before reaching for my forearm that is tight around his neck. I reach behind me, pull my gun from the waistband of my pants, and press the barrel against his temple.

“You Vinny?” I grind out as he gasps for air, eyes bulging and all that shit. “Nod your fucking head.” His head jerks in response and pull him over the back of the couch with the arm I have lodged against his neck.

I release my hold on him and he falls like a sack of potatoes to the ground gasping for breath and holding his neck as he peers up at me.

“Who the fuck are you?” He manages to say.

“Your worst fucking nightmare,” I say calmly, tucking my gun back into my pants before crooking my finger. “Get on your feet.”

He crawls to the wall, holding on for leverage as he gets to his feet. I glance over at the woman in the kitchen who looks unfazed by all this, making me wonder what kind of shit she saw regularly.

“Don’t come back here without my money,” she says, pointing the utensil she’s using to cut drugs with at Vinny. I see red the minute the words leave her mouth and turn my attention back to Vinny. It settles in that he was trying to shake down A to give this crack whore money. He was trying to take food from his own kid’s mouth to pay this bitch for drugs. He could give a fuck less that he hasn’t supported his son never mind that he’s missed a year of his life.

I grab him by the back of his shirt and drag his sorry ass to the door, thinking all the while I should fucking kill him. There’s a chance I might but when Luca grows up and asks what happened to his old man, I don’t want him to know how much of a monster I can be. I know what it’s like not to have a father. This piece of shit is still Luca’s dad – I won’t be the man who robs him of a father.

I drag him down the flights of stairs and push him out of the heavy fireproof doors into the courtyard of the apartment building. I don’
t care about the bystanders that are huddled in the corner around a fire they made inside a trashcan. They
’ve probably seen a lot worse shit than what I was about to do to Vinny.

I push him up against the wall by his neck and stare into his bloodshot eyes. I can hardly believe that my beautiful Adrianna ever hooked up with someone like this, but who am I to judge? My fist collides with his jaw.

That’s for taking advantage of my girl.

He tries to turn his face, lift his hands in defense, but my hands are too quick and I punch him again in the same spot. His lip splits open and blood trickles from his mouth as he turns the other cheek, giving me a fresh piece of his face for my knuckles to bruise.

That’s for making her fall for you.

He pulls back his hand attempting to fight back but my hand closes over his wrists as I twist his arm, breaking it or at least fracturing it. He cries out in agony and it’s like music to my fucking ears to hear him sing in pain.

That’s for getting her pregnant.

Vinny slides down the brick wall holding his wrist with his free hand. I stop, making him think the beating is over. He lifts his head to meet my gaze and begs me to have mercy on his pathetic soul. I lift my boot and stomp on his balls, applying just the right amount of pressure that his eyes roll behind his fucking head.

That’s for leaving her pregnant and alone.

I bend over him grabbing the sides of his head with my hands, lifting his head off the ground slightly just to slam it back down. I can’t explain the rage inside of me for this man – it’s lethal – consuming every ounce of my fucking existence.

That’s for not being the man she needed.

“Stop it! Please, I beg of you,” he cries pathetically. “Whatever it is, whatever I owe you I’ll get you your money,” he wails, spitting blood as he talks.

The sweat beads on my forehead as I punch him in the ribs, knocking the air out of his lungs.

That’s for Luca.

“Help!” He screams, his voice echoing through the courtyard. I’m sure no one watching would even try to call the cops and save his sorry ass.

“You stay the fuck away from Adrianna and Luca, do you hear me?” I say through clenched teeth. “You want to poison your life, do it, but if I ever hear of you inflicting that poison on them again, so help me God I will kill you.”

“That’s my woman and my kid!” He mutters.

“Yeah? You support that kid? Or you looking to use that little boy and the D.N.A. you share to get your next fix?” I pressed my foot against his crotch again.

“Who the fuck are you?” He wails.

“I’m the man that was there when your son came into this world. I’m the man that will do anything to keep the likes of you away from him.”

“I’m his father.”

“Never acted like a father so that card holds no merit in my book,” I hissed, the adrenaline in my body making me dizzy.

“It all makes sense now,” he groaned, rolling onto his side in pain. “You’re the guy,” He said hunched over in pain. I rise to my full height and stare down at the poor bastard with his lip split in two, his body bruised and battered. His eye swollen, his wrist definitely broken, and he was spitting up blood. He lifts his head and peers at me to the best of his ability.

“You’re the one beating the ever living fuck out of me but who gets to hurt you? Who gets to fuck you up for what you did to her?” His words slap me in the face, making me take a step back. “It’s Anthony right?”

I stay perfectly still as I stare at the bloody mess of a man who took the beating I handed him and slapped me with those hard cold words of truth.

“You can think whatever the fuck you want about me but I loved her. I loved her all the while she still loved you. I thought I could love her enough, it wouldn’t matter that she didn’t love me.” He struggles to sit up and I almost want to hold out my hand to help him but I bet he’d spit on my hand at this point.

“I never fucking stood a chance with Adrianna. I knew she was damaged, she was broken, and still I couldn’t help fall in love with her. The thing was I was foolish enough to believe I could fix what you broke.” Vinny shook his head, groaning as he sat up and lean against the wall. He reached behind his head and pulled his hand back to stare at the blood that painted his fingertips.

“You’re right. I’m no good. I’m not a good man, hell, I have no business being that perfect boy’s father, but I’ll get what’s coming to me. I’m my own worst enemy, the drugs will kill me one day, and if they don’t then one of the dealers will,” he says shrugging his shoulders. “I’ll pay for every bad thing I’ve done to them but when do you pay for what you did to her? Who makes you pay for breaking her?”

I hold his gaze for a moment, swallowing hard before speaking. “Just stay the fuck away from her. She’s doing her best to make a life for herself and that baby of yours. Leave her be.”

Vinny nodded, leaning over and spitting out blood into the bush beside him. “You still love her.”

“That’s none of your business,” I growl.

“No, I guess it’s not,” he said, leaning against the wall. “I’ll stay away,” he said, barely audible.

I don’t give him another look as I turn around leaving him and the battle between us in the courtyard. I had to give him credit, for a junkie, he fought back. I may have brought my fists and my strength as my weapons but his were his words and they were just as effective. I walked through the apartment building to the front lobby thinking that this shit between me and A ruined a lot more lives than just ours. Vinny probably was a decent guy when he met A, but her undying love for me ruined him and he succumbed to his own demons. It made me wonder how something that made me feel so fucking good, could be so fucking bad at the same time? How could loving Adrianna and having her love be so destructive?