His Ruthless Claim (Devils in Armani Suits #2)

21. Luca

21

LUCA

I lean back in my leather chair, studying Enzo across from me. He looks more on edge than usual.

"I can't keep meeting with you, Luca," he finally says. "I know you want Maria, but if you can't offer me what I need, you're only jeopardizing me."

I trace the edge of my watch, the metal cool against my skin. "Your current position with the Cappalletti isn't sustainable."

Enzo's jaw tightens. "Alfonso made sure of that."

"Which is why I'm prepared to offer you more than just protection." I slide a folder across the mahogany desk. "You'll have your capo status, as discussed. But I'm also giving you the Fourth Ward territory."

His gray eyes widen slightly - the only crack in his composure. The Fourth Ward is prime real estate, bordering both Cappalletti and Mantione territories. It's a power play that will piss off both families, but I don't give a fuck about their feelings.

"The territory around Lincoln Park?" Enzo's gray eyes narrow. "That's Figarello's turf."

"Was." I adjust my watch band, the familiar metal cool against my skin. "I acquired it last week. Consider it a gesture of good faith - a sign of loyalty."

Bas shifts beside me, a slight movement that would be imperceptible to most. He knows what it took to get that territory - the bodies we had to bury, the deals we had to break. But Enzo's worth it. His connections alone make him valuable, but his ruthlessness makes him perfect for what's coming.

Besides, I'd do anything for people I actually care about. Maria is one of the few.

"Along with protection and the capo position you requested." I keep my voice steady, controlled. "What do you say?"

My fingers find my watch again, checking the time. Two hours until I need to pick up Skye. The image of her in that silk dress floods my mind - the way she felt against me, how she tried to stay quiet as I-

"You seem distracted." Enzo's voice cuts through my thoughts.

Bas coughs, poorly hiding his knowing smirk. This is the third time I've checked my watch, and he knows exactly why.

"I'm growing impatient." I force my thoughts away from amber eyes and soft skin. "It's all that you want. Just help me get Maria."

I can admire him wavering. Loyalty is important and I wouldn't trust someone who could be so easily swayed. But I don't care for men that can be walked all over. So, in Enzo's position, I understand his position.

"I'll help you. As long as you make it look like you kidnapped me in return. And the guys that are there with me."

I nod. "We can do that." Keep the heat off him. The Cappallettis might come for him, but it's nothing I can't handle

But even as we dive into logistics, my mind keeps drifting to Skye. The way she challenges me, pushes my control. How she makes me feel things I've spent years burying.

Bas catches my eye as I check my watch again, his expression far too amused for my liking. I'll have to deal with that later. For now, we have to focus on saving Maria.

Once we have a plan laid out, I leave, Enzo staying behind for the next half hour so we aren't seen together. He has his burner to reach out to me if he needs.

I head back to the office, somehow managing enough control to not go to Skye's boutique. Maybe it's Bas' smug smile.

And I can't escape that , either. I'm barely in my office for ten minutes when he raps on the door, and I'm about to threaten him when I see who is with him.

The door opens and Bas leads in Flavio Russo, my father's former consigliere. Even at seventy-two, he carries himself with quiet authority, his silver hair neatly combed and suit impeccable.

"Look at you." He spreads his arms wide. "Running your own operations now."

I stand to greet him, memories of his steady presence during my childhood flooding back. He was there after my mother died, offering quiet support while my father raged. Never stepped in - no one dared challenge Don Mantione - but he'd slip me books on strategy and business when father wasn't looking.

"How's Florida treating you?" I gesture for him to sit.

"Peaceful." His dark eyes scan my office. "Though I miss the excitement sometimes. I hear you've been expanding territories."

"Among other things." I pour us both drinks, scotch neat. I don't care to drink, but I won't disrespect Flavio like that.

"And I hear there's a woman." His knowing smile reminds me of earlier days, when he'd catch me sneaking extra desserts from the kitchen. "Christina mentioned her. Says she's changed you."

I don't ask how his daughter knows. She's married to one of my enforcers, and I know that everyone talks. I actually want everyone to know Skye is mine.

My fingers tighten around my glass. Normally, I'd shut down any personal discussion. But this is Flavio, who taught me chess and showed me how to tie a tie when father was too drunk to care.

"Skye." Her name slips out before I can stop it. "She's...different."

"Different how?"

"She makes me feel." The admission costs something, but Flavio's always been able to see through my masks anyway. "Things I buried after my mother died."

He leans forward, weathered hands clasped. "That's not weakness, Luca. Your mother would be proud to see you opening up again."

The mention of her hits like a physical blow, but for once I don't push it away. "Skye doesn't fear me. She challenges me, makes me question things I've accepted as truth."

"Good." Flavio's approval settles something restless in my chest. "You were never meant to be like your father, son. Cold and cruel, yes - our world demands it. But not empty."

I study the crystal tumbler in my hand, watching light fracture through the amber liquid. "I've been expanding faster than planned."

"For her?" Flavio's knowing look makes me want to deny it, but lying to him has always been pointless.

"She deserves more than just territory." The words come out clipped, precise. "I want to give her everything."

"Everything meaning the whole city?" His lips quirk up.

I set down my untouched drink. "The Cappallettis are vulnerable. Alfonso's power structure is shifting, and Giovanni is getting old. The Buetis keep to themselves." I pause, jaw tightening.

"And you see opportunity."

"I see inevitability." My fingers find my watch again, tracing the worn metal. "But it's different now. Before, I wanted control because it was logical. Power prevents weakness. Territory means security."

"And now?"

"Now I want to build something." The admission feels raw, exposed. "Something worthy of her. She makes me want..." I trail off, unable to articulate the foreign sensation of wanting anything beyond cold strategy.

"To feel?" Flavio suggests quietly.

"To protect. To provide." I lean back, maintaining my composure even as unfamiliar emotions threaten to surface. "She walks into a room and everything shifts. Like gravity has changed direction."

"You're in love with her."

"Love is a weakness." The response is automatic, drilled into me since childhood.

"Love made your mother strong." Flavio's voice carries the weight of memory. "Strong enough to shield you from your father's rage, to show you kindness in a cruel world."

The mention of my mother should hurt, should trigger the emptiness I've cultivated for so long. Instead, I think of Skye's fearless amber eyes, her sharp wit, the way she refuses to let me hide behind my masks. And suddenly, my mother's memory feels a little more like comfort.

"I'm building an empire," I say finally. "But for the first time, I'm not just moving pieces on a board."

Every move, every acquisition, every territory I take - it's all for her. To ensure she never wants for anything.

That realization stays with me until I get home. It's all I can think as Skye tells me about her new collection. We've gotten in the habit of sharing about our days over dinner, and even though I don't love to talk, I know I need to tell her about this.

I'm about to do something that could fall back on both of us.

I watch Skye across the dining table, the way she gestures with her fork as she talks about her day. Her amber eyes light up describing a new shipment of dresses, and something in my chest tightens.

"The supplier swears they're one of a kind pieces." She takes a bite of pasta, those full lips curving into a smile. "But enough about silk. You've been quiet tonight."

"I need to tell you something." I set down my fork. "It's about my cousin. Maria."

Her expression shifts, intuitive as always. "The one trapped with the Cappallettis?" I'm sure she heard about what happened with Jazz, after all. I'm not shocked she knows about Maria.

"Yes." My fingers twitch toward my watch, but I catch myself. Instead, I focus on her - the way her black hair falls in waves over her shoulder, how she leans forward with genuine interest. "I'm getting her out. Soon."

"Is that what today's meeting was about?" When I raise an eyebrow, she shrugs. "Mickey mentioned you were busy when I asked why you hadn't come by."

"Yes. I was meeting with the fixer who has been charged with holding her. Enzo." I study her reaction. "He's agreed to help, and it could get messy."

"The Cappalletti fixer?" She whistles low. "That's going to piss some people off."

"That's the point."

"I could help." She sets down her wine glass. "The boutique gets all kinds of visitors. People talk, especially around someone they think is harmless."

"No." The word comes out sharper than intended.

"I'm already there anyway." Her chin lifts in that defiant way that makes me want to kiss her and shake her at the same time. "Might as well make it useful."

I notice my hand hasn't moved toward my watch once during this conversation. Usually discussing operations sets off that need for grounding, for control. But with her...

"You're not harmless," I say finally. "And you're not getting involved."

"Too late." That teasing smile appears, the one that makes my blood heat. "I'm already involved with you, aren't I?"

She's right, of course. She's been involved since the moment I saw her. Since she looked at me without fear and called me on my shit.

"Fine." I lean forward. "But you tell me everything you hear. Immediately."

"Of course." She takes another sip of wine, those amber eyes dancing. "I always do."

It's an odd feeling, to have someone to rely on. And while I don't want her in danger…

I like it.