He Made Me Bark, I Grabbed His Gun

Chapter 2

The third impact brought the gate down.

The entire iron frame collapsed inward and crashed onto the marble foyer floor.

Above us, the crystal chandelier swayed violently.

I raised an arm to shield myself from flying glass.

Papa was already on his feet.

His shirtfront was soaked with blood.

His eyes remained perfectly calm.

"Nobody move."

His voice wasn't loud.

The entire room fell silent anyway.

A man in a dark gray trench coat walked through the wreckage.

Black leather gloves.

Mirror-polished shoes crunching across broken glass.

Twelve men in black suits followed behind him.

Victor Wolfe.

Cassian's father.

The Don of the Wolfe family.

He glanced at the two bodyguards on the floor.

Then at his kneeling son.

His gaze lingered on Cassian for three full seconds.

Cassian swallowed.

"Father—"

Victor silenced him with a raised hand.

Then he turned to me.

"So you're Vivian."

"I am."

"You put two of my men down."

"You made my son kneel."

"They attacked first."

"And he knelt on his own."

A step closer.

"Little girl, do you know every De Luca shipment passes through routes controlled by my family?"

"I do."

"Then understand this."

"You offend me tonight, and tomorrow your cargo gets held at the Port of Naples."

"The day after that, the fire marshal suddenly inspects your Long Island warehouse."

"The day after that, the health department shuts down your restaurants in Queens."

"Do you understand?"

"I understand."

"Good."

"So what's your plan?"

"I don't have one."

"Victor."

Papa finally spoke.

"If you're here to negotiate, negotiate with me."

"Not with a child."

"I'm standing right here."

Victor adjusted his cuff and turned toward him.

"Enzo. Twenty-three years ago, we signed an agreement."

"East Coast shipping."

"You stay out."

"I stayed out."

"But your daughter humiliated my son in public."

"The agreement is dead."

"Starting tomorrow, the De Lucas and the Wolfes are no longer friends."

Papa stepped forward.

"The agreement didn't die when my daughter made him kneel."

"It died when your son stormed into my home."

"When he smashed my front door."

"When he broke Santino's hand."

"When he pulled my wife's hair."

"When he forced my daughter to bark like a dog."

"For twenty-three years, I showed you respect."

"But tonight, you crossed my doorstep."

"This stopped being about respect."

"This became blood debt."

Victor's jaw tightened.

Three seconds of silence.

Then he raised two fingers.

"Two conditions."

"First, you sign the dock transfer agreement tonight."

"Second—"

His hand shifted toward me.

"You hand over that daughter of yours."

"She owes a debt."

"At the Wolfe estate, she'll learn what discipline means."

I looked down at the pistol in my hand.

Cassian's pistol.

Four rounds still in the chamber.

"Victor."

I smiled slightly.

"I have a condition too."

He didn't answer.

"Within ten seconds, you tell Cassian to walk over here."

"Place his right hand on this coffee table."

"I'll break his fingers."

"One by one."

"One finger buys you one shipping route."

"Ten fingers buys me your entire East Coast operation."

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Behind Victor, the twelve men had already begun moving.

Three toward the front entrance.

Four toward the side doors.

Two beneath the windows.

Three surrounding Cassian.

I glanced at Papa.

There was no warning in his eyes.

No command to stop.

Only one thing.

Trust.

I turned back.

"Nine."

"Eight."

"Seven—"

Victor raised a hand.

His men froze.

"Little girl."

"I'm giving you a chance."

"Six."

"Five—"

"Enzo! Control your daughter!"

Papa didn't move.

"Four."

"Three—"

Victor's hand drifted toward his waistband.

"Two—"

I fired.

The same marble tile shattered again.

Victor's foot jerked backward.

"One."

I lowered the gun slightly.

"I told you."

"You had ten seconds."

Victor breathed heavily.

Then he looked back at Cassian.

His son was pale as paper.

Victor understood.

If he pulled a gun on a young woman inside the De Luca estate tonight, the entire underworld would hear about it tomorrow.

And the reputation he'd spent decades building would die in a single evening.

Slowly, he removed his hand from his waist.

"Leave."

One word.

That was all.

He turned and walked away.

His men followed.

Cassian brought up the rear.

Before stepping outside, he glanced back at me.

Hatred.

Fear.

And something else.

Something I couldn't quite name.

"Victor."

My voice stopped him at the door.

"You mentioned the Long Island warehouse."

"The Queens restaurants."

"The Port of Naples."

"If you touch even one of them..."

I smiled.

"I'll teach you exactly what blood debt means."

Outside, SUV engines roared to life one after another.

The sound gradually faded into the distance.

The mansion finally fell quiet.

I crouched beside Santino again and carefully took hold of his wrist.

But deep down, I already knew the truth.

This wasn't over.

Not even close.

This was only the first bill the Wolfe family had sent.

And sooner or later—

Someone was going to collect.