Chapter 97
ALEX
I stood at the mirror, fixing a loose curl into a diamond pin, when Luca popped his head into the bathroom.
Licking his lips, he stopped a few inches behind me, dressed in his usual armor—a black suit that fit his muscular body like a glove.
I wore a white Roman-style dress that swept over one shoulder with golden accents and a long slit up to my right thigh.
“Your family is arriving soon. You look divine. Like a goddess.” His fingers trailed down the length of my arm. “If we had more time…” He pressed a kiss to my shoulder. “The things I would do to you.”
“We don’t have time.”
He kissed my neck, then my jaw, and slid his fingers beneath my chin. I leaned back against his chest, drinking in his delicious scent.
“I’m a patient man,” he said against the shell of my ear. “But the wait is killing me. I want to make you my wife this second.” Luca buried his face in my neck, peppering my skin with kisses. “I can’t lose you.”
“You won’t lose me, Luca.” I patted his hand on my shoulder. “I’m right here.”
“I have to tell you something.” His eyes met mine. “You won’t like it. But trust that I will keep you safe.”
My chest tightened at his words. “What is it?”
“We still haven’t found Cal Kurti or his father, which means someone is hiding them.”
Attempting to still my racing heart, I breathed deeply and relaxed against his muscular chest. “You will find them. I’m not worried.”
He released a sigh. “A dangerous man connected to the Kurtis won the auction. He plans to come for you.”
“Who is he?”
“An assassin for hire. A man I thought was a myth until now. They call him The Carver. That’s why Cal and his men roughed you up. This man has particular tastes. He likes to beat and torture women before he kills them.”
I gasped at his confession.
“We don’t know who he is. But we’re working on it. My dad thinks he’ll attend our wedding and try to take you.”
“I know him. I met him on the boat.”
“Then you’ll sit down with a sketch artist. Any leads on this monster can help. Is there anything you remember about him or the boat?”
“He looked like your dad.”
Luca pressed his lips together, and a worried look crossed his handsome face.
“I won’t let him take you. I promise. We invited friends and family to the wedding. We’ll have plenty of protection if he shows up.”
My chest heaved with each shallow breath I took. “Couldn’t we just pay him off?”
“Our allies are hunting him. So are we. Cal, his father, and The Carver will turn up, eventually.”
“Luca, what’s going to happen to me?”
“Nothing, baby.” He tucked a curl behind my ear and kissed my forehead. “I will gladly give my life for yours.”
“No, you can’t. I won’t allow it.”
Luca spun me around so we could face each other. He took my hand and covered his heart with my palm. “You feel this? My heart only beats this way for you. You are a part of me, Drea. Without you, none of this shit matters. My life doesn’t matter.”
“Luca, don’t say that.”
“You revived me the day we met.” He shoved his hand through my hair and pulled my lips to his.
“I was drowning in a sea of darkness, so close to tipping off the edge. And then you saw me. All of my scars and pain, and I just knew at that moment that you understood. Something clicked into place when our eyes locked. You saved me, baby girl. I’m not a good man, and I never will be.
But the part of you that lives inside me is good.
And I save those parts of myself for you and only you. ”
I sucked his bottom lip into my mouth, reveling in the taste of him. “Luca, I…”
A knock on the door made me jump.
“Dad wants you downstairs before the Wellingtons arrive,” Marcello said.
“We’ll be down in a minute,” Luca told him.
After Marcello left, I stared at Luca, memorizing every detail of his gorgeous face. His moments of vulnerability were so rare that I wanted to soak them all in.
“Now that you know,” Luca said, serious in tone, “I need you to be careful. Don’t complain about Marcello or Dom accompanying you around the house.”
“I’d rather it were you.”
“I can’t be with you every second of the day. My family relies on my expertise.”
“I still don’t understand what you do for Salvatore Global.”
“I’m the COO.”
“I get that. But what exactly do you do?”
“On the books, I oversee the company’s daily operations. I handle interactions with VIP clients and coordinate business dealings with American and foreign governments. That’s why I travel so much. I’m in command when my father is unavailable.”
I cocked a curious eyebrow at him. “And off the books?”
“I map trade routes throughout the world to move illegal products.”
“Do you sell women?”
“No, I would never willingly sell women. But sometimes, a client insists we don’t know the contents of the container. Sometimes Salvatore Global and Mac Corp look the other way, depending on our relationship with them.”
“Sonny’s family helps you move things?”
He nodded. “We use Mac Corp shipping containers and commercial vessels because we can’t go through the normal channels with guns, drugs, and other illegal things.”
“So that’s what you do all day and night in your office? Map trade routes.”
“Among other things,” he confessed. “It’s complicated. I have to jump through many legal loopholes to get around certain issues. It’s not black and white. I operate more in the gray area.”
“Thank you for being honest with me. I always ran because you never opened up to me. I never felt like I had a place in your heart.”
“You do.” He pressed his lips to mine. “Always.”
“What binds us will destroy us,” I whispered. “I’m not going anywhere, Luca.”
He smiled, a real one for once, and then he kissed me.
We entered a dining room smaller than the great hall, though not by much. The room had a high ceiling, ornate molding, and tall windows. A large portrait of Arlo Salvatore and his sons dressed in suits hung over the mantle.
The Salvatores sat behind a long table with Arlo at the head, reminding me of a king overlooking his courtiers. Luca’s adoptive brothers sat to his father’s right, with Marcello on his left.
Luca flung out his hand, gesturing for Bastian and Damian to move.
They crossed the table and sat beside Marcello.
After Luca pushed my chair into the table, he took his place at his father’s side.
A server poured wine into our glasses. Luca raised it in front of his face, swirling the liquid as he took a whiff of the grapes.
His family owned vineyards across the United States and Italy—one of their many legitimate businesses that served as a funnel for illegal activities.
A few years ago, after Arlo had bought a vineyard in California’s Wine Country, Luca whisked me away for the weekend.
We had spent two days drinking and fucking under the stars.
It was one of my fondest memories of Luca.
Silence fell over the hall.
Everyone looked around the table at each other, a silent exchange occurring among the Salvatores. My stomach churned as I waited for someone to speak, anything to remove the tension from the room.
A few minutes later, the butler announced my family. My father and grandfather wore bespoke black suits with crisp white oxfords and silky ties. Aiden was dressed in a black suit, his curly blond hair cut shorter than the last time I saw him.
He smiled as our eyes met.
I rushed over to Aiden and flung myself into his arms. “You look handsome without all the facial hair.” I brushed my fingers against his cheek. “No more peach fuzz.” I traced my finger down the right side of his face, feeling the roughness of his scar. “I’m happy to have my brother back.”
He smiled. “Happy to be back. I didn’t realize how bad I looked until you pointed it out.”
“That’s because you haven’t had me around to remind you to take care of yourself.”
Aiden shrugged. “Too bad you’re not moving back into the house with me. I’m going to miss you, Lexie.”
“I’m only a mile away. Come see me anytime.”
My brother glanced over my shoulder at Luca and held his tongue. Even after Luca had saved his life and given him a place among The Devil’s Knights, he still hated my future husband. They probably would never get along.
Blair cleared her throat as she entered the room.
Like anyone cared about my grandmother from hell, she wore a gown fit for a ball that reminded me of Belle's dress in Beauty and the Beast .
My mom stood at her side, looking regal in a strapless navy blue gown with two rows of pearls swooping across her long neck.
They both looked like American royalty, standing tall in their four-inch heels and snot noses pointed up at the ceiling.
Arlo’s eyes shot straight to my mother. His face was expressionless, though when he tugged at his tie, I knew it was because my mother’s presence affected him.
Arlo rose from his chair to greet my family, kissing the women on their cheeks and shaking the men’s hands like old friends.
He was so charming and fake. His sons had inherited his deceptive ways, using them to manipulate everyone in their path.
I hugged my grandfather and waved at Blair and my parents. My grandmother ignored me while my parents nodded. They could have cared less about me.
“Our children are getting married,” Arlo said to my family as he stood at the table’s head. “I brought you all here to discuss the wedding… and the Wellington dowry.”
“You’re joking,” I muttered. “A dowry? We’re not in the nineteenth century.”
Arlo gave me a devilish grin.
I turned to look at Luca, who didn’t seem the least bit surprised. Of course, he knew all about it and never told me—Master of secrets and lies.
Arlo’s eyes met mine. “Your mother promised you to Luca before you were born. But none of us had anticipated that you and Luca would come to like each other. That made this transaction easier.”
My cheeks flushed with heat. “I’m not a transaction or something for you to barter.”
Luca clutched my wrist. “Drea, calm down.”
I snapped my head to him. “No, I will not calm down. Your father is insulting me.”
I was so sick of Arlo’s backhanded insults and rude comments. After what he did to Aiden all those years ago, I had never forgiven him.
“He meant nothing by it.” Luca rubbed my palm to soothe me. He leaned over my chair, the heat from his lips brushing my earlobe. “Just let him finish. It’s not what you’re thinking, mi amore .”
“As I was saying.” Arlo cleared his throat, his gaze on my grandfather. “We will host the wedding at my estate.”
This place was a fortress, armed with dozens of men who could protect us in the event of an attack. And if The Carver came for me, we would need all the help we could get.
“After the wedding, Blair will vacate her seat as president of the Devil’s Creek Belles to Alexandrea.”
My grandmother pursed her lips and then forced a smile.
“As for the dowry, Alexandrea’s shares in Wellington Pharmaceuticals will transfer to Luca.”
My mouth dropped.
What shares? Was this guilt money for my mother killing Evangeline Franco?
“To the start of a brilliant partnership between the founding families.” Arlo raised a glass, drawing everyone’s attention to the head of the table. “To Luca and Alexandrea.”