Caught In The Middle

You picked the wrong car!

Reese entered the warehouse with Tank and Mac in tow pulling Ryan in as he struggled violently in protest.

“What the f**k is this man, I thought you said I was going back to Scarsdale Campus?”

“Did I?” Reese chuckled as he took his jacket off and threw it over a long table that was set up against the wall, he grabbed an old wooden chair and dragged it into the center of the dingy warehouse and pointed to it. “Sit down. Let’s have a chat.”

Tank and Mac pulled Ryan over to the chair and threw him at it, standing in front of him menacingly as Reese wandered back to the table and sought out his vape from his jacket pocket then some boxing tape and started wrapping his hands. A thumping bang sounded on the steel door into the warehouse and Reese being closest unlocked it and Jacob came in with two others.

“For f**k’s sake, come on man…it was just a car, you’re acting like I killed someone!” Ryan stood up but was shoved back into the seat.

Reese clucked his tongue and looked back, his golden gaze burning with an intense rage. “Just a car?” He muttered darkly.

He stalked forward to stand in front of Ryan, still wrapping his hand. “You may think it was just a car, but you picked the wrong f*****g car.”

“f*****g hell…” Ryan licked his lips nervously. “It was fixable, no harm done…”

Reese’s face dropped into an emotionless state. He turned away with a small growl deep in his throat. “The gall of this fucker…” He muttered causing a couple of the men standing around Ryan to laugh to themselves.

Ryan looked at Jacob distraught and fearing for his life. “What the f**k is his problem, it’s not even his car!”

Jacob gave Ryan a strange look. “It’s not the car, but the owner…you have no idea of the consequences of your actions. What made you do it?”

Reese had walked off to the other side of the warehouse where there was a small home gym set up and started punching the bag that hung from the rafters.

Ryan saw him and licked his lips again, nervously. “Mila paid me a thousand dollars to do it.”

“Wow, just a thousand…” Mac commented snidely.

“So who helped you?” Jacob asked as the dull thudding of Reese warming up was clear in the background. Ryan couldn’t stop watching him as he struck out at the bag with a deadly force every punch.

“s**t man…would you give up your friends?”

Jacob laughed, rubbing his cheek. “No. Just thought I would give you the chance, but that’s fine…”

“What is he going to do to me?” Ryan asked feeling a little sick.

Reese walked over, rolling his shoulders and Jacob hauled Ryan to his feet. Ryan looked around at them all as they created a ring around him and Reese stepped into it.

“Guys?” Ryan apprehensively asked.

“You’re going to fight me…” Reese said with a hoarse little laugh.

“W-what? I can’t fight you!”

“Well, I’m not just going to beat someone up, who do you think I am, a thug?” Reese’s cocky grin was facetious.

Reese stepped in quick and slugged Ryan right in the guts. He doubled over, over Reese’s fist and collapsed to his knees when Reese stepped away. He coughed and gasped for air.

“Get on your feet.” Reese growled.

Ryan looked up into the face of a monster, those golden eyes seemed to glow with a feral light from behind the curtain of black hair, and the way Reese licked his tongue over his teeth was pure animal.

“I’m sorry, okay! f**k!”

“Get up!” Reese growled again. Tank stepped in and grabbed Ryan by the shoulders and yanked him to his feet.

He stood in front of Reese and feebly put his hands up. He was taller than Reese, being a Basketballer, and Reese flicked his head to move his hair out of his eyes as he looked up and focused on Ryan’s face.

Ryan held his hands up and crouched down slightly. Reese dropped his hands, giving Ryan an opportunity to strike him. Ryan went for it, swinging out with his right fist in a quick motion forward. Reese blocked it, stepped close and uppercut Ryan in the chin with a solid punch.

Ryan went down like a ton of bricks, his eyes rolled back in his head.

“f**k Rice, are you trying to kill him?” Mac jumped over and checked Ryan’s vital signs then turned him on his side.

Reese clucked his tongue and stalked away. “You guys finish him off when he comes round, make him bleed, and make sure he knows this is Mila’s fault…I don’t want him to follow anything she wants ever again.”

“Got it, boss.” Tank replied coolly as Reese grabbed his jacket and left without even unwrapping his hands.

The guys looked at each other, no one saying anything until Ryan came round, coughing and spluttering. He grabbed his jaw and winced in pain. “I think he broke my jaw!” He cried out in a strange mumble.

Tank chewed his lip. “f**k…let’s just c***k a couple of ribs and get him to a hospital.”

Later Reese pulled up to the curb outside Quinn’s place and walked up the driveway to the rear house that was hers, knocking on the door. He noticed a camera doorbell and pushed it, peering into the little camera lens with a cheeky smirk.

“What the hell are you doing here? Go away, you can’t be here!” Quinn’s panicked voice came through the speaker.

“I wanted to check on you. Open the door.” Why was she so panicky?

“I’m fine, how did you even know where I live?”

“I can find out most things when I want to…open the door, Quinn, I’m not leaving.”

“You don’t understand…my brother will know.”

Ah, so that’s why she sounded panicky. “Who gives a s**t?”

“I do, very much…please, Reese.”

He grit his teeth against her plea. She was definitely scared of her brother. “Just open the door and show me you’re okay and I’ll leave happy.”

“You promise you’ll leave and not try to barge your way in?”

“Barge in? What do you think I’m here to do?” Reese was a little taken aback.

He glanced at the door when he heard a clatter and it opened to reveal Quinn standing there wearing gym clothes, her face sweaty. She had a sloppy cardigan on over the top, the sleeves pulled down over her hands and she held a towel up to her neck.

“You were working out?” He asked a little amused as his eyes tracked down the skin tight Lycra crop top and bike shorts. His mouth twitched into a sultry smirk. “I think I like you sweaty…”

Quinn groaned, appalled and went to slam the door shut on him. “Just leave!”

He put his hand on the door and stepped into the threshold. “Wait, sorry…I couldn’t resist teasing you a little…come on…when are you going to relax around me?” He noticed she was keeping a tight hold on the towel and wondered if she was trying to hide something.

Quinn opened the door back up and pouted. “You promised you wouldn’t try to barge in…”

“Actually I never did, but I won’t…I just want to see you, make sure you’re okay after yesterday and…” He ran a hand through his hair. “…get an explanation about how the f**k Antonio Ferrante is your brother?”

Quinn stared at him fearfully. “That’s none of your business.”

“You’re clearly scared of him, Quinn.”

“Wouldn’t you be, you should be if you know who he is, especially with being here? He has cameras to keep an eye on my safety…you should go.”

Reese grit his teeth at the tension he was feeling from her. “So the Ferrantes keep you hidden, is that it?”

“If you like.” Quinn snapped, clearly getting annoyed.

Reese chuckled. “Calm down, what would he do? I’m just talking to you on your doorstep…does he govern who you can speak with?”

“Yes, he does…now leave.” She went to close the door again but Reese put his hand up again to stop it, his face clouded with suspicion.

“Is that f*****g sadistic prick hurting you?” He demanded, causing Quinn’s expression to startle, her eyes widening and her grip on the towel became deathly. “I know his reputation…he better not be doing s**t to you because of what Mila had done to your car!” He looked her over more carefully but he couldn’t see any signs of her being hit except that damn towel and she was covering her arms and hands. He felt better about what he did to Ryan now and almost felt like going back and doing it again.

“He would if he found out she did it because of your mate…he’s extremely over protective when it comes to me associating with guys…so if you don’t want me to get hurt because of you please leave.”

“f**k…you’re not shitting me are you?” Reese’s eyes seemed to glow with an intense rage. “That f*****g asshole…”

“Look, just leave it alone, you obviously know who and what he is.”

“Yeah, I know…but you don’t know who I am…” Reese backed up, looking dangerous and pissed. “But I get it…our family can be like this with the daughters too. I’ll go, but come back to college if that’s the only place I can talk to you freely.”

“I’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Cool…take care of yourself, Quinn.” Reese’s voice held his sincerity and she smiled to hear it. He seemed like a nice guy under all that dangerous.

“That’s what I’m trying to do.” She said quietly, hugging the door.

He gave a little nod of his head and passive smile before walking off. He looked back to see her watching him leave. He waved back curtly and she smiled before closing the door.

Reese sighed bitterly.

Ferrante’s f*****g sister…hidden from enemy eyes by a different name but held in check and controlled heavily by Antonio, the new Don.

“Damn it to hell.” Reese muttered as he got in his car and drove off. “Just as I was really beginning to like the chick…” He paused in his thinking.

Wait a minute…

Didn’t she say she was from Boston?