"What's going on, brother?"

"I'm alive," he says. "I need you to find Flash. b.i.t.c.h f.u.c.king tore up my house. I mean, there's nothing left! Make sure she understands." He gives me a knowing look and then surprises me. "Give her cash and make sure she stays the f.u.c.k away. If she doesn't, then it's the end." He's letting some b.i.t.c.h trash his s.h.i.t and letting her off?

I nod my head. "You've got it."

"If anything happens to me, you're in charge of my girls. You take care of them." I nod, not letting the shock register. "I mean it. If I don't make it through something, you make sure they are cared for." d.a.m.n him.

"Got it."

He turns and looks up at the ceiling for a long time.

I break the silence. "You're out of here tomorrow. I know you have to take it easy, but you're coming to the clubhouse so we can celebrate."

"All right."

TANNER LIES UNDER me, her eyes full of fresh tears. I just came so hard I saw f.u.c.king stars behind my eyes, and she did, too, so why is she crying?

"What's wrong?"

"I love you," she whispers.

The heart that I don't deserve to have, especially after how I made Flash go away earlier today, opens wide for this woman.

Tanner's eyes are shining, and I can feel it deep in my soul. I know I've f.u.c.ked up more times than I can count, but I'm taking this and f.u.c.king running with it.

I place a soft kiss on her lips and brush the tears that have now spilled from her cheeks. "Sprite, love you, too," I whisper softly.

She gasps. "I did-" I place my finger over her lips, silencing her.

"I feel it and wouldn't say s.h.i.t if I didn't mean it. All the other s.h.i.t will fall into place."

She nods as I pull my finger away then kiss her breathless.

We lie there, just staring at each other, something I've only done with Tanner, my sprite, and I f.u.c.king love this s.h.i.t.

"Mom wants Dagger to come live at our apartment." It looks like Pops was right. Mearna hasn't left his side for long, so when the discussion of his care came up, Pops thought for sure it would be Mearna wanting that role. "He needs someone to take care of him for a while, and she refuses to let anyone else do it."

I chuckle. Her mom sure is a spitfire. I can see where Tanner gets it.

"That's good."

"Yeah, it is." She snuggles into me, resting her head on my chest.

THE GIRLS HAVE been cleaning up the clubhouse, getting it ready for Dagger's party tonight. He came home earlier today, and Mearna got him settled. She told everyone to stay away so he could rest. She's got a bite to her.

The brothers and I helped move some tables around and brought in a recliner for Dagger to sit in. Ma and Princess have been ordering everyone around while all the ol' ladies help get everything ready.

Arms wrap around my stomach, and just from the feel, I know they belong to my woman.

"Hey, Sprite." I turn her in my arms and plant a kiss on her lips. f.u.c.k wanting other women. No f.u.c.king way. Tanner is all the woman I'll ever need. I never thought I could love another human being this much, but each day, it grows. f.u.c.k me, I'm a sap.

"Where's Buzz!" is screamed from the doorway.

"Who's that?" Tanner asks, seeing the black-haired woman who just barged in. Her long hair cascades straight down to her short, white shorts, but it's her look of panic that sets all of us on edge.

"That's Bella. She's Casey's friend from school," I tell her as Princess walks up.

"And she's friends with Buzz and Breaker," Princess tells her. "What?" she says, seeing my scowl. "She'll find out sooner or later."

"Both of them?" Tanner gasps, but my focus goes back to the gorgeous woman with jet black hair that I swear has some blue in it. Her eyes are frantic, setting me on guard.

"What's going on, Bella?" Pops comes up and asks.

"Buzz told me that I needed to get here now, so I did. What's going on?"

Pops looks to me then to GT and Cruz. What the f.u.c.k?

Buzz bursts through the bas.e.m.e.nt doors, moving right up to Bella and scooping her in his arms, hugging her tightly to his body. His head goes to the crook of her neck.

"Buzz?" Pops asks from behind him.

He pulls away just as Breaker pulls Bella to his front, his arms wrapping around her.

"We need church. Now. I know who it is," he says, and everything comes to a halt.

f.u.c.king s.h.i.t.

***Captivate Me (Ravage MC#4) coming in 2016***

Acknowledgements Thank you to my Sinner's group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/RyansSultrySinners/ Your support has meant the world to me. I've enjoyed every moment of getting to know each of you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!

To my betas-Lisa, Amber, Lori, and Lisa-thank you for all your hard work on this book. I appreciate every comment, every red mark, every bubble, and every slash.

To Keeana and Elizabeth-thank you for your keen eye.

To Jessica, Kimberly and Ember-thank you for catching what I couldn't see.

To my family, thank you for standing by me while I'm on this journey. Thank you for putting up with the take out, dirty house, and sometimes barely-there mom while I allow my characters to come out of me. I love you, K, P, and D.

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Chapter 1-Catarina.

"YOU STUPID f.u.c.kING b.i.t.c.h!" Antonio seethed like a p.u.s.s.y as he looked up from the filthy-a.s.s floor of the bar, holding his throbbing crotch.

I laughed, tossing my head back for good measure. b.i.t.c.h was the worst he could come up with? I had been called worse than that at work when I lost a client's millions on a b.u.m deal.

I picked up the pointed heel of my black, stiletto boot and plowed it hard into his windpipe, crushing it as he gasped for breath, his eyes wide with fear. He needed to be taught a lesson about f.u.c.king over a Lambardoni. It did not come without repercussions, and I wanted to be the one to teach him.

Unfortunately, I knew my bodyguards had called my brother Val. They always did when s.h.i.t with me happened, and if I didn't get on with it, Val would ruin all my fun. I was more than capable of handling this weak, pathetic a.s.shole. Val should know that. He and my other brother D had trained me to fight and shoot a target with precision, but something about being "the sister" gave them the right to be overprotective and overbearing, even if I was older than both of them.

As I removed my foot, one of his hands wrapped around his throat as the other continued to grip his aching crotch. The stupid f.u.c.ker didn't know whether to grab his b.a.l.l.s or neck, his arms flailing in both directions as he rolled from one side to the next, trying to ease the pain. He gasped for breath, the look of confusion in his eyes laughable. I did pack one h.e.l.l of a powerful knee thrust, though. No doubt his b.a.l.l.s were shoved so deep inside he could taste them in his mouth.

Wicked thoughts crept in my head. Using my best weapon of the moment-the hot a.s.s boots Kiera had insisted I wear for the night-I picked a spot on his rib cage and began kicking it over and over again, plowing into him, hoping like h.e.l.l the blows would crack the f.u.c.kers. It was the least he deserved.

I moved with him at each turn he tried to make, hitting him dead in the same spot. He grunted and attempted to bat my foot away from his body with his hands as he tried to hold himself at the same time. His less than stealthily attempts only made him look like a bigger pansy-a.s.sed b.i.t.c.h. It was amazing how much actual joy I felt from watching him struggle.

He tried to curl up in the fetal position, the dirt from the floor coating his clothes and both sides of his face. He groaned, taking each hit, but it didn't feel like enough. The f.u.c.ker didn't even have the b.a.l.l.s to really fight back.

"Catarina, what the h.e.l.l happened?" Kiera-my cousin, best friend, and pretty much sister in every way that counts-said loudly at my side, trying to compensate for the music blaring in the distance. Regardless, my focus stayed on the f.u.c.ker on the floor as I stepped farther back from his withering body.

When Kiera and I had decided to come out to the club to let off some steam from a brutal week at work, I hadn't realized I would be getting a hefty workout this way instead of on the dance floor.

I stared down at the man I had thought loved me, who had said I was the one for him, the only one. Stupid. I should have known by now that the only reason men found an interest in me was because of my father and family. Each one seemed to want that pivotal "in" to the business, and for some reason, they thought I could get it for them.

I knew Antonio wanted to move up in the ranks with his family, but it wasn't in the cards for him. That right there should have been a huge red flag for me, but I had trusted him when he told me, if he couldn't move up in his own family, he didn't want to move up at all.

Lies. All f.u.c.king lies. One would think I had learned this lesson over my twenty-nine years on this earth, but I kept falling for it: hook, line, and sinker. The word sucker was plastered on my f.u.c.king forehead, and that life that I craved so much was completely un.o.btainable. Not anymore. This would be it. This f.u.c.ker would be the absolute last.

Being the daughter of a very powerful man came with a stiff price, the biggest being whom to trust, which I had learned, mostly the hard way, wasn't many. Family was about the only ones I could, and d.a.m.n if that didn't suck a.s.s with finding a love life.

Even women had proved too scarce in the honesty department, mostly wanting to f.u.c.k my brothers rather than actually get to know me. That was why Kiera and I had stuck together over the years. It was safer for everyone. No one else understood this life.

I wasn't and never had been a weak person. Growing up in the Lambardoni family, it was not an option. Between my father, uncle, brothers, and cousins, both Kiera and I had been taught with an iron fist-a loving iron fist, but still, a strong, gripping fist.

Glancing down at the floor, I couldn't believe I had wasted my time on this man. I would have to thank my brother Dominic-D for short-for teaching me kickboxing. It proved very handy, even if my technique was s.h.i.t at the moment, but it was kind of hard to really show technique when the guy was on the ground.

The a.s.shole growling under my feet thought he could profess his undying love for me and then go f.u.c.k some blonde wh.o.r.e in the bathroom. Mistake. Big mistake.

When he told me he was going to get drinks then headed in the opposite way of the bar, every flag in my head stood to alert. Val had taught me how to observe one's surroundings, promising me it would come in handy one day, and that day was definitely one of them.

Throughout Val's teachings, my eyes became sharper in viewing my surroundings and noticing those key things that were out of place: a car parked somewhere it shouldn't be or a person walking a bit to closely. I would see it, and it would keep me on my toes.

Realizing Antonio turned down the hallway in his quest for drinks, I motioned for my full-time guard, Sc.r.a.per-yes, that was his name-to follow him. He took off, only to report back minutes later that Antonio had a piece of a.s.s in the women's bathroom.

The pained expression on Sc.r.a.per's face sent me into action. I knew it was pained because of the betrayal to me, and I would be putting Antonio's a.s.s on a stick.

I rushed through the crowd with Sc.r.a.per on my heels, trying to get through the crush of people. I knew Sc.r.a.per would stay out of the confrontation until or if he needed to intervene. He had been my guard for the past six years, and while at first we couldn't stand the sight of each other, he had grown on me over the years. After growing up together, I even liked him, and he knew when to step back and let me take the lead so I could prove myself capable to my family, which was a must.

I caught a glimpse through the crack in the door of that piece of s.h.i.t, confirming he was in fact b.a.l.l.s deep in p.u.s.s.y that wasn't mine, and then I waited. I was exceptionally patient, one of my many redeeming qualities. As I stood back in the shadows of the darkened, narrow hallway that led to the bathroom, I tried reining in my anger. It would get me nowhere and cause me to make stupid mistakes. Having a clear head was the only way to go. Hurt had already gone out the d.a.m.n window, so there was no need for that or any emotion.

Sc.r.a.per had stayed on the other side as my back-up. He knew the f.u.c.ker had to pay, exactly as I did. It would actually just be the start of his repercussions. Once my brothers, cousins, and-G.o.d help him-father and uncle heard, he would get a h.e.l.l of a lot worse than what I was about to dish out. It was probably demented, but I was actually happy about that.

After the blonde wh.o.r.e left, swaying her fake a.s.s down the hallway, Antonio came strutting out like the cat who got his mouse-a wide smile across his face and even a bead of sweat on his brow. Before he could see me, I lifted my knee with every ounce of power I could muster in my five-foot-ten body and kneed him in his b.a.l.l.s. He hunched over, and I helped him to the floor by kicking his legs out from under him with one solid swoop of my leg against his. He plummeted to the ground hard, his shoulder taking the weight of the fall. Stupid f.u.c.k.

"Just handling some trash. Caught him f.u.c.king some blonde in the bathroom," I said to Kiera, whose beautiful face turned glacial in seconds. The smooth skin around her eyes turned narrowed with lines as she heaved out a heavy breath.

Kiera picked up her heel from her beautiful, hot pink pumps and smashed them smack into Antonio's nose, causing blood to splatter at my feet and across the floor. I had been going for no blood, but it happened.

"Dammit, I just got these boots, too." I pretended to whine, stomping my foot for added emphasis. In actuality, I couldn't give a s.h.i.t. I would go buy new ones tomorrow.

Never in my life had I wanted for anything, but don't think for a moment that I hadn't worked for every penny of it. In my family, you learned very early on that, everything you got, you worked hard for. Your blood, sweat, and tears went into every dollar you spent; hence, why Kiera and I wanted a fun night out, hoping to get a reprieve from life. Life had other ideas, though.

"We'll shop tomorrow." Kiera spat down on Antonio as he started shrieking nasty names at us, some in Italian and some in English. I ignored his comments as I hacked up a wad and spit it down on his worthless body.

Spitting on someone in my family was the formal yet disgusting sign of a person being dead to you. If someone was trash and unworthy of you, you spit. It was pretty d.a.m.n gross, but people understood it and normally asked no questions once it was done. If they did, they were more than likely going to get the s.h.i.t beat out of them again. In Antonio's case, I hoped he would, just for fun.

"All right, ladies. It's done." Sc.r.a.per slid up to us and rested his hands on our shoulders, giving a slight, comforting squeeze.

I wasn't quite ready to give it up as the tension in my body was still wound up tight and needed release, but I looked over to Kiera who nodded in agreement, deflating my plans.

Kiera was always my voice of reason. It was why we worked so well together. We complimented each other to a T.

"The boys will be here soon to clean it up. Let's go get you ladies a drink," Sc.r.a.per said with another squeeze as we stepped farther back, and I tried to pull out of my tension.

Antonio tried hard to stand, his feet and knees wobbling underneath him as he groaned in pain with each movement. He was able to partially get up, but he was bent at the waist and kept shifting on one foot then the other repeatedly, like either one he chose hurt too much to put his full weight on.

"I'll f.u.c.king kill you for this b.i.t.c.h!" Antonio snapped at me. He didn't seem to understand the concept of 'you just got your a.s.s handed to you, so shut the f.u.c.k up.'

Sc.r.a.per pulled both Kiera and I behind him then landed a hard punch to Antonio's jaw, and the loud crack echoed through the hall, even over all the boisterous music playing. Antonio's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he fell back down to the floor, his head landing with an audible thud on the tile. His body was unmoving from what I hoped was just being pa.s.sed out. I didn't need to explain this man's death to my father or uncle.

"Come. Now," Sc.r.a.per commanded, looking down at the piece of s.h.i.t. "Or else a bullet goes through the f.u.c.ker's head."

I rolled my eyes. While I knew he would totally do it, I also knew he would pick a more discreet location than right by the bathroom in a bar. Too many witnesses. Even though no one was around us at the moment, a gunshot would surely bring everyone running.

"Let me wash up." I didn't wait for a response from either of them, entering the bathroom to clean off Antonio once and for all. I hated having Antonio's blood on me in any way, even on my shoes.

Months of my life were wasted on that piece of s.h.i.t, and now my time was gone. I sighed, wishing things had been different. I thought he might have actually been the one. Who was I s.h.i.tting? The one, my a.s.s. He now didn't exist to me.

After I was done, I stepped out of the bathroom to a waiting Kiera and Sc.r.a.per.

"Come on, girl. I'm thirsty." I needed to get something inside of me to calm the hyped up feeling I had coursing through my veins. Love it or hate it, the crash from adrenaline usually sucked, and I wanted to be drunk when it happened. Forgetting seeing Antonio and that wh.o.r.e f.u.c.king was an added bonus.

"I bet you are." Kiera giggled, grabbing my arm and pulling me back up to the VIP section.

Sc.r.a.per led the way up the side stairs, but I could feel Dune and Case behind us, Kiera's guards. She had two because of the whole being the daughter of the great Vino Lambardoni thing. We each had two other guards who we called Ghost One and Ghost Two. We had met them there, but they hid in the shadows, only coming out when necessary, which was seldom. They were there yet not there. It was eerie in a way, but we got used to it like everything else.

I couldn't remember a time in my life when she and I hadn't had guards of some sort tailing our every movement. Most would say it was not normal, but what the h.e.l.l was normal, anyway? Our fathers did it for our safety, and we accepted that, although I'm not saying, back in the day, we hadn't tried to ditch them and escape the confines of our fathers.