I drove my truck out of Florence and into the heart of Tuscany.

There was only one person I wanted to see right now.

Vanessa’s answer was even worse than what I imagined. They bought each other’s paintings without even realizing it. I wasn’t a romantic guy, but I knew that meant something. Stuff like that didn’t just happen.

They had a deep connection.

She loved only me, and that’s all that should matter.

But it bothered me.

Infuriated me.

Because none of that would have happened if her father hadn’t stuck his nose where it didn’t belong. None of that would have happened if I’d been given the chance I deserved. During those three months, Vanessa met a man who easily could have become her husband. Based on the small amount of information I knew about him, he sounded like her other half. What were the odds that the two of them would find each other that way? By falling in love with each other’s artwork?

Of course he went after her.

He went after my woman.

I gripped the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white, and I was tempted to punch out the side window just to feel something shatter against my hand. The victim of my beating should be Antonio, but that wouldn’t be right.

Only one person deserved the beating of a lifetime.

Thirty minutes later, I pulled up the house I’d only entered once. It was a place I’d never felt welcome, not even now. I killed the engine, stormed up to the door, and then banged my fist hard against the wood.

Then I waited.

My temple was pounding as the adrenaline circulated in my veins. All the muscles in my arms were tense, ready for the fight that was about to happen. This man had taken everything away from me.

I despised him.

A minute later, Mrs. Barsetti opened the door. “Griffin?” She spoke with surprise, but there was a smile on her face. It was the first time I’d ever seen her smile at me. It was the first time she’d looked pleased to see my face, despite how angry I must have looked. “I didn’t know you guys were stopping by.”

“I want to see Crow.” I could barely get the words past my clenched jaw. I could barely keep my hands still because I wanted to yank the door off the hinges.

She picked up on my intensity. “Uh, is everything alright? Is Vanessa with you?”

“I want to see Crow.” I turned my back on her and stepped away from the house until my feet hit the gravel of the driveway. I didn’t hate her as much as Crow, but right now, I didn’t like her either.

She didn’t ask me any more questions and disappeared.

It seemed like a lifetime later before Crow finally showed his face. He shut the door behind him then approached me, his boots hitting the concrete before they crushed against the gravel. “Griffin.”

I surveyed the landscape of the vineyards for another second before I turned around and faced him. He stood in front of his three-story mansion, a man full of so much wealth he didn’t have enough places to stash his money. Not only was he wealthy, but that privileged life had been handed down to his children as well. A man with a perfect life, he thought he was a god who could do whatever he wanted.

I looked at him, my blood boiling when I saw his stern expression. With dark hair like Vanessa and the same olive skin, he was clearly her father. He showed the signs of strength despite his age, and after seeing him in battle, I knew he was a man worth his salt. Fearless, strong, and selfless, he would give his life for his son in a heartbeat—I saw it with my own eyes.

He watched me, his shoulders tense as he studied me with trepidation. “What is it?”

“I had to walk into her apartment, the apartment I bought for her, and see that goddamn painting on the wall.”

He kept his expression blank, maintaining a poker face even though he must have been confused.

“She bought his painting, he bought hers, and that’s where it all began—like a goddamn fairy tale. I don’t need to hear any more of the story to understand how it goes, to know that Vanessa found a perfect man whom she connected with.” I shook my head, doing the best I could not to punch him in the face. “Of course, you approved of him. A successful painter with his own gallery. A nice young man from a good family. I’m sure you dug into him and couldn’t find a single flaw. Then you encouraged your daughter to date him, to forget about the psychopath criminal that she loves. You got what you wanted—for her to forget about me.”

As the conversation continued, he slowly narrowed his eyes and he erected his walls, knowing this conversation would only get worse.

“I worked my ass off to get your approval.” I pointed my finger in his face since he was slightly shorter than me. In his black t-shirt and jeans, he had a corded neck and a hard jawline. He might not be afraid of me, but he was thirty years older than me and not nearly my size. I could crush him—and we both knew it. “I gave you free labor, put up with your brother’s bullshit, and listened to you call me trash. Fucking trash. Do you think that painter boy would have put up with that?” I slammed my fists into my chest. “Do you think that painter boy could have handled that? Do you think any other man in the world would have done that for your daughter? But did that mean shit to you? No. That asshole didn’t have to do a damn thing for you to like him. But me…I was never given a chance. You stuck your nose where it didn’t belong, and you took away the one thing that meant something to me.” I slammed my hand into my chest again. “I’ve got nothing but my self-made fortune and my boys. I don’t have a family. She was everything to me. I worked my ass off for her, but you wouldn’t let me have her. So some other asshole got his shot. He fell for my woman. She never loved him, never slept with him, but that doesn’t matter. In time, it would have happened. In time, she would have loved him. And that’s all because of you.” I pointed my finger in his face, not having an ounce of respect for him. “You know what my life was like for those three months? All I did was work and drink. Too depressed to go on, I drank until I lost my mind. I crashed my truck and ended up in a hospital. I spent all my nights alone, trying not to think about the one person I wanted to be with. And that’s all because of you.”

His features softened slightly, but he remained as stern as ever.

“I didn’t save you and your son because I gave a damn about you. I couldn’t care less whether you lived or died. She was the only thing I cared about. If she lost you, she would have been more devastated than when she lost me. That’s the only reason I took that bullet for you. I was taking it for her because she would have died if you died. Make no fucking mistake, Crow Barsetti, I don’t like you. I will never like you. I will tolerate you because of Vanessa. I will shake your hand because it makes her happy. I will treat your wife with respect because she’s the mother of the woman I love.” I stepped closer to him, getting right in his face. “But I hate you the way you hated me. Now it’s your turn to earn my respect, my approval. But don’t waste your time—because I’ll give you the same chance you gave me.” I stepped back, knowing I had to move. Otherwise, I might actually throw a punch. “Fuck. You.”

Crow took all my words with the same stern expression, his eyes locked on to mine without blinking. He didn’t show anger or hurt. He showed nothing at all, internalizing what I said in silence.

I finished what I came to say, dumped all of the blame on the person who should take all the credit. If Conway hadn’t pissed off the Skull Kings and got himself in harm’s way, I wouldn’t be with Vanessa right now. She would have ended up with Antonio, and I probably would have put a gun in my mouth and pulled the trigger. This man had far too much control over my life, and I was done with it.

Finished.