Shirleen slammed into his back, I slammed into Shirleen’s back, Sissy slammed into me and Tex boomed, “What the f**k?” from the rear.

“What the f**k is right,” Duke growled, staring into my living room.

I looked around everyone in front of me and saw through the doorway that Uncle Vito was sitting in my armchair.

Shit.

What was Uncle Vito doing there? I did not need this.

Time to run interference.

“Hey Uncle Vito,” I called, pushing my way through even though Shirleen tried, and failed, to hold me back.

Duke was more successful. His arm wrapped around my upper chest and he hauled me back against his body.

That’s when things got worse.

See, first I forgot for a second (don’t ask me how), about my face. Second, I didn’t know that Ren was standing by the fireplace nor did I know that Dom was lounging full out on my couch.

The Zano Family took one look at me and the air in the room went electric.

“Get her outta here,” Duke rumbled, feeling the air and pushing me backwards.

Uncle Vito slowly stood and Dom came out of his lounge as Shirleen yanked me back. Unfortunately, Sissy was pushing forward. There was general confusion as we were bumped and shoved but the confusion got sorted out quickly when Ren and Dom entered the equation.

Ren caught my arm and pulled me out of the fray and fully into the living room. Dom caught Sissy and pulled her in.

I was more worried about Dom getting to Sissy. I was even more worried when the electricity ratcheted up to radioactivity when Dom got a look at the fading purple marks under Sissy’s eyes.

“Dominic,” Uncle Vito said in a low, warning tone as Dom prepared to go berserk.

“Look at me,” I heard Ren order.

Oops.

I forgot Ren had hold of me. I looked at him, just had a chance to notice we had nearly identical cut lips (for some reason his looked sexier which I found pretty f**king unfair) when the radioactivity in the room became highly unstable.

“I’m gonna f**kin’ kill him,” Ren whispered.

“Lorenzo.” Now Uncle Vito was saying Ren’s name in a low, warning tone.

“We been at this half an hour and already things are out-of-control,” Duke grumbled.

I ignored Duke and focused on Ren. “It’s okay, Ren. Everything’s fine.”

Ren’s hands came to either side of my neck and his thumb gently pressed into the underside of my chin. His eyes were on the tear on my lip and his face was tight.

“I’m gonna f**kin’ kill him,” he repeated.

“Really, it’s okay,” I said. “Luke’s looking for Noah. We’re looking for Noah –”

Oops again.

Clearly I’d made an incorrect assumption because Ren’s head gave a jerk, his eyes came to mine and they narrowed. I’d surprised him.

“Stark didn’t do that to you?” Ren asked.

It was my turn to have my head jerk.

“Of course not,” I snapped, sounding exasperated.

“Dexter did that to you?” Ren’s voice was trembling with fury.

“What in the f**k?” Dom said from somewhere else but I knew he was talking about me. I didn’t know what was worse than unstable radioactivity, perhaps it was the sun exploding which had to be the power of what it felt like the room was preparing to do.

“You wanna step back?” All of a sudden Tex was at our side and he wasn’t asking a question. Ren’s body didn’t move but his head turned. He didn’t step back and his hands didn’t move from me.

“No,” was all he said but you could tell he meant it.

“Fair warnin’, you step back or I’ll f**kin’ make you step back,” Tex boomed.

“Please, don’t –” I started.

“Lorenzo, son, step back,” Uncle Vito said from behind Ren.

Ren and Tex continued their staring contest.

“Lorenzo, I want to hear what Ava has to say. I’m askin’ you, step back,” Uncle Vito pressed.

Ren’s eyes came back to mine then they dropped to my mouth again. One of his hands moved so his thumb could gently touch the cut on my lip.

His gaze shifted to mine. His eyes were troubled, anger warring with something else, something softer and quietly he said, “Honey.”

This cut through me because I realized, right then, Ren didn’t just want to f**k me. Ren liked me. Ren didn’t just like me, he liked me.

“Ren,” I said softly and I sounded sad, sad enough for him to understand without me saying it that he didn’t have a chance in the world.

He closed his eyes. This cut through me too, deeper this time, because he was a good guy and he deserved to be happy. He had just picked the wrong girl (not that I could make him happy, I was kind of crazy, I had a bad temper and I fibbed a lot, luckily, Luke “enjoyed” that kind of thing). Regardless, I lifted my hand to his cheek.

“Oh f**k,” Shirleen said from somewhere behind me.

That was when the room exploded.

Mainly because, with his usual perfect timing, Luke walked in.

Worse!

Behind him came Lee and Vance.

And no one looked happy.

In a flash, Tex stepped back. Lee and Vance took positions, the heat of the exploding air pressed in and Luke came at us, eyes on Ren. Ren went still, preparing for attack.

Worse than parking lot fistfights mayhem was about to ensue, I knew it, I felt it and I had to stop it.

I pulled away from Ren and got between him and Luke.

“Luke –” I put my hands up, Luke collided with them and halted, his eyes flashed to me and they were scorching.

“Get outta my way, babe.”

I scrambled for something, anything, to make Luke to calm down.

“He just found out about Noah,” I said.

Luke went solid and his brows snapped together. “You told him he touched you?”

Oh f**k.

Fuckity, f**k, f**k, f**k.

“Touched her?” Ren said low from behind my back.

Oh f**k.

Fuckity, f**k, f**k, FUCK.

Luke’s eyes moved to Ren for a beat then they came back to me. He searched my face then his gaze dropped to my hands on his chest and then, for some reason, I felt his body relax.

I had a moment of relief before it was swept away. Because, for some ungodly reason, Luke shared, totally open and brutally honest.

Luke looked at Ren as his arm slid around my waist, pulling me to his side. “Yeah, he touched her. He beat the shit out of her. Duct taped her to a steel support in her basement. Put his f**kin’ hand down her pants and dry humped her. Then he left her in the dark for hours before we found her.”