Dangerous Beauty: Part Two: A Mafia Princess (26 page)

Three weeks later.  Two days till the day of reckoning.

“You still don’t trust me.”

“Goddammit, Carter! I said I trust you! Now stop looking at me like that and pay attention!”

Carter glared at him. “You know I hate it when you yell at me, Nathan. And I know what I’m talking about. You still don—”

Carter saw the large fist coming at her even before Nathan shouted her name to warn her. She swiftly took a step back and watched as the bumbling idiot missed a step. Taking the advantage, she delivered a kick she had learned as a child to the back of his head, sending him to the ground face first.

She didn’t have much time before her next opponent attacked. This guy was bigger, and a bit more of a struggle. He picked her up in the air, and Carter knew he could toss her like a rag doll— but that shit wasn’t going to happen.

She squirmed until she shook her arm loose. Then she slammed her elbow into his face repeatedly until he released her. Tumbling to the ground, she chuckled when she saw the huge man cursing angrily and holding his eye.

She spit out the small amount of blood in her mouth. “Bitch,” she shot at him.

The bull of a man charged. She could hear her husband trying to break through Lucca, Kyle, Dante and Mickey’s barricade, but Carter was able to ignore that and focus all of her attention on the fists flying her direction. She blocked a punch to the face from her opponent then caught the bastard off guard with a right hook. When he hesitated to retaliate, Carter caught him with a left hook, and then an uppercut to the balls. He fell to his knees, howling in pain. She took the opportunity to connect her knee with his face—
hard
. The large man’s body jerked backward from the impact of Carter’s hit, and his unconscious body fell to the ground.

“Oh, my God,” Lucca whispered in awe. “That was incredible!” he said through a laugh.

“Hell, yeah!” Mickey cheered. “Damn! Did you see that shit? I know I’m not the only one who witnessed it. Holy shit!” He ran his hands over his new buzz cut. “That made me hungry. I need a sandwich— anyone else want sandwich?” He waved and turned to go into the house. “Fuck it, I’m going to get a sandwich. That was bad ass, Carter! God, I can’t wait until you get back to New York,” he said as he walked into the house.

The guys chuckled, following him in to get snacks, too. The Originals remained at the patio table with their work.

Nathan groaned and let loose the breath he’d been holding, relieved that it was over. Four unconscious men now lay on the ground around her.

Anastacia walked over to the newly unconscious man to make sure he was still breathing.

“Good job, baby girl. Very good job,” she said.

Carter gave her mother a nod.

“Reno!” Carter called. He was now one of the men on her personal security team. She had been able put it together herself over the past three weeks. Reno had taken over the deceased Gianni’s position.

Reno ran over to her quickly with a bottle of water.

Carter wiped the sweat from her brow and placed her hands on her hips. Damn, she was tired. She paced the yard, trying to catch her breath, and took the water from Reno, giving him a smile of gratitude. She was so glad this was the last day of her mother’s training battery.

Anastacia had put everything on hold the day after Carter’s birthday, insisting that Carter was not returning to work until she had gotten in a few weeks of training. Carter had been pissed at first, but then she had thought about it. She’d been inactive for months— no workouts, no reflex tests. Not to mention she had suffered a serious head injury that could have had some negative effects on the skills she’d acquired as a child. Carter hadn’t been exercising at all since her recovery— it showed when she’d started her first week of training with her mother. She got her ass kicked, badly. And it pissed her off.

Now it was the third and final week. Not only had Carter fully recovered her skills, she was filled with an immense amount of rage. Nathan and the guys had decided last night that it was best to fill her in on everything— Giovanni, the money, the betrayal.

She had taken out her anger on the faces of the men lying unconscious in her backyard. They were volunteers her mother had brought to the house, men who dared to challenge her, hoping to get the
Spook Steel
experience. Well, she’d given it to them all right.

She had asked them to attack her at the same time so she could see what it would be like to be ambushed in hand-to-hand combat. She already knew what it was like to be ambushed in a gun fight. They’d all agreed to do so after she assured their safety from her husband. Nathan wasn’t happy when he found out Anastacia wanted Carter to fight a group of muscle-bound men on her last day of training. She tried to tell him that it was for Carter’s own good, and that she needed to make sure she could protect herself from the most difficult of enemies. Nathan would hear none of it. He paced their large back porch the entire time while his father sat at the patio table trying to calm him, and guys blocked his way to Carter. Not that they would have been able to stop Nathan if he had really wanted to get through. Lucca was the only one with a fair shot, the only one of them with a matching strong, Salerno build.

“That was amazing Carter,” Reno said in astonishment. He handed Carter a small towel. “Really, I’ve never seen anything like it. You were just— I mean— You’re so—”

Carter looked up in confusion.
Why is he babbling?

“I meant to say that I admire you, Carter. I have since the day you came to New York,” he said.

Carter looked up at him curiously. When she locked eyes with him she saw it … He stared at her with longing in his big, green eyes.

Shit
. Katherine was right…

Carter sighed and took a drink of her water. Reno was good at his job, and she liked him a lot. She chose him to take Gianni’s place on her personal security because she knew him well. She also liked him enough to give him the raise in pay the position came with. But if Nathan caught wind of Reno’s crush, he’d be out, and Carter didn’t want that. She felt comfortable with Reno and didn’t want anyone else. She knew Reno would always have her back if a situation presented itself.

“Thank you, Reno,” Carter said. “Do I have any messages?” she asked him in an effort to keep the conversation about business.

He nodded his head.

She hadn’t been back to work yet, but she had definitely been active. She and Nathan had been on the phone all day every day. Carter had mostly been running interference for both Angelo and Nathan. A large number of crime families and businessmen and women wanted to meet with Angelo and Nathan. When they couldn’t get to them, they went straight to Carterina Stone. They knew if anyone had access to the boss and underboss of the Salerno crime family, it was her. So, even in her absence, and even though there had been rumor of her death around the office, Carter had acquired more power and influence in the world she’d grown to love.

“You have a cut, Carter,” Reno said, breaking Carter away from her thoughts. “Right there.”

Carter looked down, following Reno’s eyes to the side of her bare stomach. She wore a pink sports bra and a pair of black Capri yoga pants. Her long ponytail fell forward and nearly brushed against the wound on her bare stomach, but Reno quickly caught it. He ran his fingers through her ponytail then pushed it over her shoulder, letting his fingers linger on her bare skin. Quickly glancing up, Carter could see that he was gazing at her skin. Reno then ran his calloused fingers over the soft skin of her shoulder and bit down on his bottom lip. Carter quickly corrected him, silently praying that none of the men on the porch had seen the contact.

She continued to examine her wound and lowered her voice. “Drop your hand, Reno.”

As if snapping back to reality, Reno quickly obeyed.

“Stand up straight, and take a step back,” she commanded softly.

Reno swallowed and did as Carter said. He frowned and shook his head. “I’m so sorry. I-I don’t know what I was thinking …” He ran his hand over his face nervously.

“Don’t apologize, Reno.” She looked at him with a kind smile. “You just have to be careful. I need you to control yourself. I like you, and I’d like to keep you,” she said lightly, hoping it would put him at ease.

It worked, but it may have put him a little too at ease.

Reno smiled warmly. “You make it kind of hard for a guy, Carter,” he said, laughing nervously. “That’s an understatement. You make it very hard. I can usually control myself, but sometimes … You know …You’re so beautiful …” His voice trailed off as his gaze fell to her breasts.

Carter almost laughed, but cleared her throat instead, getting his attention. “Give me the messages, Reno,” she said, redirecting back to safe territory. She was too used to men’s reactions to her appearance to be offended by his ogling. It seriously got old. Nathan’s compliments about her appearance were the only ones that gave her butterflies. They were the only compliments that she longed for.

Reno’s eyes snapped to attention, and his cheeks reddened with embarrassment. With a small nod, he pulled some papers from his back pocket. Carter reached out to take that papers from his hand and had to fight the urge to roll her eyes when his fingers lingered once again after making contact with her skin.

Carter pulled the paper from his hand. “Reno,” she said, warning him.

Reno cleared his throat uncomfortably. “I’m sorry.
Shit
,” he whispered. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“Well, figure it out, Reno, and pull it together,” she chided. “I told you I want you on my security because I trust you. My husband likes you, too, so don’t screw this up!” she whispered sharply.

Reno nodded his head seriously, seeming to get his head back in the game.

He changed the subject while he waited for Carter to look through her messages, and Carter was genuinely grateful for it.

“Are they sure you need security with you?” Reno asked, looking at the slowly recovering men on the ground. “It looks like you can handle yourself pretty well,” he said.

Carter scanned her messages. “I just need men there to have my back— just in case. And the added security will put my family at ease when I go back to work. After what happened, they’re all a little overprotective,” she muttered.

“Yeah, I know. I hope you know that I have your back, Carter. Nothing will happen to you if I can help it. I-I just want you to know that I—”

Suddenly Carter felt her body warm and her muscles tense. The hairs on the back of her neck stood and an intense chill shot down her spine, causing her to gasp.

Nathan.
Shit!

Carter quickly interjected. “Reno, that will be all for now. We’ll talk later, okay?” she said quickly.

Reno frowned, wondering why she had cut him off. “Um … Yeah. Sure— I just—”

“All wrapped up over here, baby?”

The sound of the underboss’s voice was all it took for Reno to snap to attention. “I’ll talk to you later, Carter,” he said quickly. With a nod, he turned to leave.

Carter saw Nathan’s jaw tick.
Dammit! He’d seen.

“She’s gorgeous, isn’t she?” Nathan called to Reno.

Carter rolled her eyes.
“Oh shit …”
she thought.

Reno muttered some expletives under his breath and stopped walking. He turned to Nathan, feigning confusion. “I’m sorry, boss. I didn’t hear you,” Reno said, becoming visibly uneasy.

Reno suddenly looked so small. Carter had never thought him a small man before, and she was sure he was about six years older than Nathan. But Nathan and his father had the ability to make any man look tiny. It wasn’t because of their height or build, but more because of their overwhelming aura of power.

“Carterina. She is beautiful, yes?” he asked with a hint of his distinct accent becoming audible. It was a mixture of both of his parent’s accents. Mostly Russian, in Carter’s opinion.

Reno cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Yeah, boss. She’s very beautiful,” he answered softly.

Nathan raised an eyebrow. “‘Very beautiful,’” Nathan echoed.

Reno nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Nathan, leave him alone,” Carter said, feeling sorry for Reno.

Nathan ignored her. “Her hair is beautiful too, yes? It is like a soft cloud. Feels good against your skin, doesn’t it?”

Reno didn’t respond.

“Answer me,” Nathan commanded.

“Yes, sir,” Reno answered, willing himself not to lower his eyes shamefully. “It does.”

“And her skin …” Nathan smiled deviously. “Exotic, isn’t it?”

Reno nodded yes.

“Stunning shade of brown, and very smooth.” Nathan took long, slow strides until he stood directly in front of Reno, towering over him. He crossed his arms over his chest. “Did you enjoy touching my wife, Reno?” Nathan asked in a menacing tone. “Her skin— is it as soft as it looks?” When Reno didn’t answer, Nathan snapped. “Answer the question!” he shouted.

Reno flinched. “Forgive me! It won’t happen again, boss!” Reno said frantically.

Nathan gripped Reno’s shirt and jerked him forward. “You’re fucking right it won’t happen again, you little shit! If I ever see you put one fucking finger on my wife again, I will detach the offending hand from your body! Do you understand me?” he roared.

“Yes!”

Nathan pushed Reno back forcefully, and he slammed to the ground with a loud “Oomph.”

Nathan straightened his clothing. “Good,” he said, suddenly calm. “I was hoping you would. You’re good at what you do, Reno. It’d be a shame if this family lost a soldier like you. As long as we understand each other—”

“Yes, sir,” Reno said, standing up and making sure to show no weakness.

“All right.” Nathan gave a flick of his wrist. “Now get the fuck out of my backyard.”

Reno quickly left.

Nathan looked over to see that Carter’s four opponents had recovered and were getting up from the ground. “Goodbye,” he said to dismiss them.

With a nod, they all tried to shake off the obvious pain they were in, and they jogged out of the backyard.

Nathan shifted his gaze to Carter. She hadn’t moved. She just stood staring at him, a blank expression on her face. After a moment, Nathan closed the distance between them.