Luca (The Boston Syndicate #2)

10. Giada

Giada

Chapter ten

The last two months have both flown by and seemed to drag at a snail’s pace. My father refuses to see me while his trial is well underway. I showed up the first day and was told by his attorney during a recess that he didn’t wish for me to be there. He didn’t explain why, so I lifted my chin and walked out. This type of treatment from him is harsher than I’ve ever dealt with before but not so out of character that I’m surprised. Hurt? Yes, but not shocked. This is Mafia business, after all. And the last thing any woman in this life is allowed to do is involve herself.

Utter bullshit.

Carlo has become more and more unstable since my father’s been away. He thought it was going to be a smooth transition, him coming into power. It’s been anything but. What I told Luca the day after my father was arrested still rings true. I’m a fly on the wall that no one pays attention to, and I see everything that happens in this house. Carlo has tried to set up meetings at the house, and it hasn’t gone well. He’s flat-out ignored or treated like an insolent child. Join the club, brother. His mood has been volatile, to say the least, and the men he has coming to the house give me the same creepy feeling as Alberto did when he’d come to talk to my father and Carlo. Their leering gazes send chilly tingles up my spine every time we’re in the same room. Thankfully, Luca stays close when they’re around. The way my brother’s associates, Roberto and Pauly, stare at me seems to have his instincts kicking into high gear as well.

“Are you ready to go?” Luca asks as I’m filling up my water bottle in the kitchen.

Even though the way Luca and Carlo irritated the hell out of me when they discussed my decision to take dance classes again, I didn’t let it stop me from doing so. Though I’ll admit, it’s a hell of a lot harder than I anticipated. I guess the old saying if you don’t use it, you lose it has some merit to it. I found a studio not too far from the house, and three times a week, Luca drives me to classes. I was only allowed to take ballet when I was younger, but since I don’t have anyone looking over my shoulder, I’ve decided to go with something a little more contemporary and modern.

“Yeah,” I tell him and follow him to the garage, where he opens the car door for me.

We haven’t been the same since the day in the kitchen when he and my brother discussed me like I wasn’t sitting there, not that Luca and I were ever on the best of terms. The day after my father was arrested and Luca took me to that bar was the anomaly, not the distance that has always been between us. But there have been a handful of times over the last couple months when I’ve had a particularly bad day that I feel Luca holding himself back from…what, I’m not sure. It’s almost as though he senses the doom I feel in my heart and wants to say something to alleviate the frustration and anger I carry. But he never does. He keeps the respectable distance that a guard in his position is expected to. I don’t know whether or not to be happy about it, and that pisses me off to no end.

I feel like a complete fool for thinking one drunken night of me sharing things about myself, things I hadn’t shared with anyone else, would change anything between Luca and I. Honestly, I’m not even sure I wanted them to. Carlo thinks he’ll be controlling every aspect of my life like our father did before he went to jail—and probably prison in a few days if the reports coming in about how his trial is going are any indication. Though he still refuses to see me, it doesn’t mean I’m going to give up, and it certainly doesn’t mean I’m not going to try everything I can to get out of this life. My father is likely going to be convicted and no one wants anything to do with Carlo. The Cataldi organization is crumbling, and I want out. Out of this house and out of this life. I want to move to Italy with a family that cares about me. I want to have a life away from any and all people in this life, and that’ll include Luca. As soon as I know where my father will be residing after the trial, I’ll be paying him a visit and he’d better see me. It’s a long shot, I know, but maybe, just maybe, he’ll give me permission to leave.

The hope that he’ll go to prison has been weighing heavily on me. That’s not what a daughter should pray for at night. But I do. I want an escape, and if my father is convicted, I’ll at least have a shot. No one from a powerful family is going to want to marry the daughter of Francesco Cataldi. It wouldn’t be advantageous for them, and in this world, that’s what marriages are for. There’s no reason to think my marriage contract will be worth what it once was. My only hope is that my father will see it that way. Even if Carlo doesn’t agree, I doubt he’ll have the guts to argue with our father, hopefully.

“I want you to be careful around the guys your brother’s been bringing around,” Luca says, jarring me out of my thoughts.

“You warning me away from other criminals is almost laughable, Luca.”

It’s not like he’s some upstanding citizen.

“There’re criminals, then there’re men like your brother has working for him,” he retorts.

A caustic laugh escapes me. “You work for my brother.”

“You know what I mean, Giada. There’s something off about those two. I don’t like the way they look at you when your brother isn’t around. Hell, when Carlo is around, they don’t seem to care much about being caught ogling you either.” If Luca wasn’t wearing sunglasses, there’s no doubt I’d catch a dramatic eye roll.

“I can take care of myself. You seem to forget I’ve grown up in this life.”

“The problem with that theory is you have no sense of self-preservation when it comes to dangerous men.”

I almost feel as though he’s referring to the conversation we had when I was drunk. From what I remember, I told him a few things I probably should’ve kept to myself. Nothing bad per se, but if he tells my brother that I know more than I let on or that I’m pissed he’s trying to claim dominion over my life now that our father’s in jail, Carlo will be none too happy. Not that Carlo isn’t well aware of how I feel in regard to him trying to take over every aspect of our family. But it’s an entirely different story if I go to his employees and start complaining. He expects a show of family loyalty, even if it’s fake as hell.

“I’ve survived this long, Luca. Even without you warning me about the people my family associates with.” It’s not as though I’ve never been leered at before by a few criminals. And my brother or father never gave a shit either way.

“Can you just please make sure you aren’t alone with those two?”

“Well, with the way you’re always around, I don’t think it will be an issue.”

“I may not always be around, Giada. That’s why I’m telling you this. Jesus, can’t you just say okay and leave it at that? Everything always has to be a fight with you.”

We’ve pulled up to the dance studio, but I haven’t made a move to get out of the car yet.

“What do you mean ‘always a fight’? I’ve barely talked to you for months. Not since you proved once again that you’re a good little puppy towing the company line.”

“What company line?”

“The one where Giada needs to be handled. Keep the little princess occupied and let the men handle her life. It’s the same bullshit I’ve been dealing with my entire life.” I shake my head and blow out a breath, completely disappointed in myself. “I was stupid enough to think maybe there was another side to you, but you’re all the same. So, excuse me if I think your warnings are laughable. Those men may be pigs, but it’s not like they hide it. And my brother may not care that they can’t keep their eyes in their heads, but they won’t touch me. It would be disrespectful to Carlo and my father.”

“You’re fucking naive if you think that’s going to stop them. And I’m not sure your damn brother would care all that much either way.”

“Why do you care?” I shoot back.

Luca opens his mouth to answer, but the words die in his throat. He lifts his sunglasses from his face and pins me with a stare. “You think I like the way I see women being treated in this life by men like your brother? You think seeing those men follow every move you make, playing disgusting fantasies out in their twisted minds when they watch you, doesn’t make me want to rip their eyes from their heads? I’ve never not cared about you, Giada. I may not be able to show you how much, but that doesn’t mean I don’t.”

I open and close my mouth like a fish underwater as I search for the words to say. “Luca…”

“Forget about it, Giada. You’re going to be late for dance.”

He adjusts his glasses back over his eyes and stares in front of him, not speaking another word. I nod numbly, completely taken aback by Luca’s admission and open my car door, grabbing my bag from the back seat before heading into the dance studio. What did he mean by not being able to show me that he cared? I could tell there was more he wanted to say, but for some reason, he wouldn’t let himself. And I can’t lie and say the remnants of my teenage crush didn’t spark back to life briefly. But it doesn’t matter about any stupid crush or teenage fantasy I used to wish so hard could be a reality. It can’t be. He works for my father, he’s my bodyguard, and he’s part of a life I don’t want.

Two days later, Luca, Carlo, and I are sitting in front of the television, listening to the reporter on the screen in the family room.

“Francesco Cataldi was found guilty on all charges, including racketeering, conspiracy to commit murder, and fraud. This is the first time Mr. Cataldi has been convicted of any crime.” The reporter continues her story and the three of us stare at the TV.

“He’s going to prison,” I whisper, looking at Luca with tears in my eyes. To anyone, it would look like I’m devastated by the news that my father is never coming home, but deep down, I’m so fucking relieved. This is my chance to escape. All I need to do is convince my father that no one is going to want to align himself with Carlo, and I’ll be free. Who in their right mind would want to marry a girl from an empire that’s disintegrating right before our eyes?

“That fucking bitch!” Carlo shouts and throws the glass lamp against the wall next to the TV screen. He turns and stomps out of the room before I hear the door to his office slam shut.

The noise barely registers as Luca holds my gaze.

“It’ll be okay, Giada. I’m sure they’ll appeal or something,” he says, mistaking the meaning behind my tears for sadness.

“You don’t understand. This means I have a shot of being free, Luca. With my father no longer in charge, maybe I can convince him to let me leave, let me move to Italy with my family there—or anywhere, really. What good is a marriage to the daughter of a man who has no power?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t you get it? No one will want to be tied to a dying organization, and that’s exactly what this is if my father gets put away. That’s all I’ve ever been good for in the eyes of my father and brother. Just someone they can marry off to form an alliance with another family. But now I have a chance to get the hell out of this life.”

“Be careful of what you say, Giada. If the wrong person hears what you’re talking about they might see it as betrayal to your family.”

“Fuck my family,” I shout, jumping from my seat. “What the hell have they ever done for me? All I’ve ever been to them is a pawn in their games. The organization is dying, Luca. You’ve seen the way my brother is.” I wave my hand toward the broken lamp. “No one wants to work with him. It won’t be long until other capos start gunning for him and anyone who stands in their way.”

Luca’s eyes dart around before closing the double doors to the family room and walking over to stand in front of me. “You need to be quiet. Your brother is in the house,” he says in a low voice.

“I’m going to see my father; make him see reason. I want to move the hell away from here. There’s no reason for him to keep me locked up here like I’ve been my entire life. If he agrees, Carlo can’t say anything about it.”

“And if Carlo decides he doesn’t need to listen to your father?”

“Then I’ll figure it out. I have to try. I have to get out of here. I don’t want this life.” Tears spring to my eyes again, thinking about being chained to some asshole my brother picks out for me. It could be anyone, and he won’t care about what it means for me so long as he gets what he wants.

That thought has always terrified me with my father. If my brother has the right to negotiate a marriage contract on my behalf…I don’t even want to consider it.

“Please don’t tell my brother,” I beg Luca. He works for my brother now and no doubt feels loyalty to him. And I could very well have just ruined my chances of getting free from these ties by confiding in him. Real smart, Giada. “Let me talk to my father first. If Carlo finds out, there’s no doubt he’ll try to sabotage me before I have a chance to speak to him.”

Luca stares at me for a moment before nodding his head. “We never had this conversation.”

Just like all the other conversations we’ve never had but I can’t seem to forget about.

Three days have passed, and I haven’t been able to see my father yet. Apparently you can’t just walk in and they let you through. I’ve filled out the paperwork and now I’m just awaiting approval from the warden or whoever signs it, saying I’m allowed to visit.

My brother has been MIA since the conviction. He’s probably out running around with whatever flavor of the week he has or simply drowning his sorrows at some brothel my family owns. Who the hell knows? He’s never bothered to explain his comings and goings to me—or to anyone else, for that matter.

I’m curled up with a book in the family room when I hear a commotion coming from my brother’s office. He’s back and we need to talk.

I walk in and watch as he pulls a few weapons from the safe in the wall behind his desk.

“Carlo, what’s going on?” I ask, my brows rising at seeing him load the magazine into his gun before he starts cramming bullets into a few spare magazines in front of him.

“Nothing. I have some business to take care of. What do you want, Giada?”

He doesn’t look at me or give me any of his attention. Typical.

“I need to talk to you about what happens next.”

“Our father is going to spend the rest of his life in prison. That’s what happens next.”

I take a breath, shoring up the courage to tell him my plan. “I want to leave, Carlo. To go to Italy and live there. There’s no reason for me to stay. Our father’s in prison. I’m not any sort of asset to this family.”

Carlo stops what he’s doing and spears me with his glare. “You aren’t going anywhere. You’re still part of this family, and you’re still required to fulfill your obligations as Francesco Cataldi’s only daughter.”

I let out a disbelieving laugh. “Our father isn’t going to ever see the outside of prison walls again. You know that as well as I do. What further obligations could I possibly have?”

“Just because he’s in prison doesn’t mean I can’t find you a suitable husband.”

“For what? No one is going to want to marry me with a father in prison and a brother who…”

His icy stare stops me midsentence. “Who what, Giada?”

“I’m not stupid, Carlo. I see how hard it’s been since Father was arrested. The other capos don’t want to follow you.”

In two steps, he’s towering over me. “You know nothing.”

“I know what I see. I’m not some little girl you can boss around anymore.” I stare into his erratic gaze with a steely glare of my own, refusing to back down.

The noise of his slap registers moments before the sting of the blow brings tears to my eyes. My hand covers the burning flesh of my cheek as I stare at him with wide eyes as his glower bears down on me.

“Make no mistake, Giada.” He roughly grabs my arm and brings me closer to his face, speaking through gritted teeth. “Whether or not those spineless assholes want to follow me, I’m still in charge of this family, and that means I’m in charge of where you live and who you marry. You think you can walk away? Think again. I own you just like I own everything else that was our father’s. You aren’t going anywhere.”

Luca walks into the room and sees the tear making its way down my face and Carlo’s rough fingers digging into my arm.

“Hey, Pauly and Roberto are waiting for you. They said something about needing to get to the docks.”

Carlo glances at Luca then back to me. “If you try to leave without my permission, I will hunt you down and drag you back here. Anyone you run to will die for helping you. I won’t be undermined by my spoiled bitch of a sister. Do you understand me?”

I jerkily nod, and he tightens his grip on my arm once more before releasing it.

“I’ll be back tonight,” he says to Luca as he passes him on the way out of his office. “Keep an eye on her.”

Luca nods, but his stare stays fixed on me. The front door slams and it takes all of my strength to stay upright and not fall to the floor in utter defeat. It would have made leaving so much easier if Carlo would’ve agreed. But he’s still under some delusion that our lives or that the organization our father has built isn’t crumbling beneath our feet.

Luca is next to me in two long strides. “Are you okay?”

My laugh at his question holds no humor as I wipe the moisture from my cheeks and try not to wince with pain. “I’m anything but okay.” I look him in the eye. “But I’ll be damned if Carlo thinks this fight is over.”

Carlo never came home the night after our argument in his office. It’s been two weeks since I’ve had word from him or seen him stomping through the house. I asked Luca to look into his disappearance, hoping like hell he was dead in a morgue somewhere, though I’m sure I would have been notified if that were the case. He left me for the first time in weeks to check in with some contacts but made sure to tell me if I see my brother or the other two goons who’ve been working with him to call him straight away.

When Luca knocks on my bedroom door a few hours later, his face is grim. “Seems your brother pissed off the Irish and an MC they work with. He’s disappeared, and either no one knows where he is, or they aren’t telling me.”

It’s not surprising to be honest. Carlo seems to think he’s untouchable even without my father standing behind him. It’s clear he hasn’t accepted that the Cataldi name doesn’t mean what it once did, and now he’s hiding under some rock like the snake he is.

“Thank you for looking into it,” I tell Luca as he stands awkwardly in my doorframe.

“Listen, Giada. If you still want to leave, I’m sure your family in Italy will take you in. This might be your chance to—”

I’m shaking my head before he can finish his sentence. “You heard him. If anyone takes me in, they’re as good as dead. My brother may be a complete asshole, but he’s never not followed through on a threat. I can’t risk it. I have to convince my father that me leaving makes sense. He can’t possibly be under the same delusion as Carlo that anyone is going to want to marry the princess of a dying family.”

Luca nods, but I can tell there’s something else he wants to say.

“What is it?” I ask.

Before he can answer, the alarm on my phone goes off, signaling it’s time for me to get my things together to go to the studio.

“Get ready for dance, I’ll wait for you downstairs.” Luca turns and walks away before answering my question.

With my father awaiting sentencing, he’s still being held downtown. I’ve been going there every week like clockwork, and every week, he refuses to see me. Three months after his sentencing and he still won’t have anything to do with me. The pitying looks from the deputies were almost too much to bear, but I kept my chin tilted high every day while I waited for them to call my name. They never did though. I’ve been iced out by my father for my entire life, but that stung just a bit more. He doesn’t have anything occupying his time. There’s no reason he couldn’t see me, except for the fact that he doesn’t deign me important enough to deal with. I’ve written him letters asking for his help with Carlo, begging him to let me go to Italy where I can start a new life without my brother’s interference.

Then, last month, all of my hopes that I could see him or get through to him were cut off at the knees when his attorney delivered a letter my father had written to me. He said there was no reason to come to the jail to try to see him. He was never going to get out of prison. My brother was in charge, and all the power my father held was now Carlo’s. If Carlo wants me to stay, then that’s what I’m to do. He basically gave my brother carte blanche and he doesn’t want to hear any of my petty concerns. He said he’s been sick and has terminal cancer and the only way he’s leaving prison is in a body bag. The organization was out of his hands and that was that.

My father told me he was dying in a letter. A fucking letter. Not even facing his mortality can make him have any sort of compassion or sympathy for his daughter. It was the fuck you I’d always expected but prayed wouldn’t come. My father has never shown any concern for me or what I want. But goddamnit, would it have killed him if, just one time, he acted like a father and not some heartless asshole who’s apparently washed his hands of me so easily?

Things between Luca and I aren’t strained, per se, but there’s been tension between us since the day in my brother’s office. My brother was in too much of a rage to notice the look in Luca’s eyes, but I did. He looked three seconds away from pulling his gun and shooting Carlo between the eyes. There’s no doubt in my mind that Luca is aware my brother struck me that day. That’s not uncommon in this life or in this house. Something shifted between Luca and me. Something I’m not even sure he’s aware of or can put a finger on, but we’ve fallen into a routine these last few months. It’s so different from when I came home from Italy and wanted to make his life hell for the fact he was appointed my bodyguard. At the time, I wanted nothing to do with him, but now I can’t imagine being stuck in this house with anyone other than him. When he found me the day I got the letter from my father, sitting at the edge of the pool, he sat right next to me. He never tried to comfort me, didn’t give me empty platitudes. He simply stayed next to me while I cried, when I raged, and when I was silent in utter numbness. He was exactly what I needed without having to ask.

There’ve been so many times I’ve considered sneaking out with nothing but the clothes on my back and finding a way to get the hell away from this house, from this life. I’ve thought about Luca’s offer to get me to Italy, but Carlo’s threats still play over and over in my mind. If anyone helps me, they’re as good as dead, and I can’t live with that on my conscience. Hell, if Carlo found me, who knows if he would let me live at all?

I feel truly defeated for the first time in my entire life. There’s no one I can turn to that can help me out of this mess, not unless I want to worry about whether Carlo is going to find them and end their life. I held hope that my father would help me. Why? I’m honestly not sure. Maybe I was looking for something that’s never been there in regard to how he felt about me. But his letter confirms he views me as nothing but a pawn to be used however he sees fit, or my brother, now that our father has been forced to step down as head of the family.

I’ve tried to call Carlo so many times, but his phone goes straight to voice mail. Every time. He had to have known about the cancer. I’m so damn furious he didn’t see fit to tell me. But what’s one more thing to add to the pile of shit that is my brother?

The knock on my bedroom door pulls me out of my thoughts. It’s nine in the morning, but the passage of time doesn’t really mean anything to me anymore. I’m just a prisoner in this house, waiting for my brother to decide what to do with me. Not unlike how I lived my life when my father was in charge, but this feels heavier. More inescapable.

Nina, the house manager, pokes her head in. “Your brother called and said you were to be packed and ready to leave the property in two hours.” Her face doesn’t give much away; it never has, but I see sympathy in her eyes, which instantly has me on edge.

“Where am I going?”

She walks in and closes the door behind me. “He didn’t say much except a man named Nikolai Petrov was sending a car for you and he expects you at his estate in New York.”

“New York?”

Nina nods.

“The only Petrov I’ve ever heard of in New York is…”

I jump out of bed, grabbing my thin robe and throwing it over my small sleep shorts and tank top.

I pick up my phone and dial Carlo’s number, hoping he finally picks up.

“I suppose Nina told you that you were leaving?” he asks by way of greeting.

“Carlo, what the hell is going on?”

“I’ve found you a husband, dear sister. Congratulations,” he answers, sounding annoyed and completely put out that I’m calling him.

“To a Petrov? How could you? Father would've never condoned this. He hated the Russians.”

“Father isn’t in charge,” Carlo snaps. “I am. The Petrovs have been gracious enough to help me with a couple things recently and my organization will benefit greatly from their continued support on one condition.”

“Let me guess. If I marry one of them.”

“Nikolai isn’t so bad. Could have been worse. Could have been his father.”

“I can’t believe you would sell me to our enemy. This is low, Carlo, even for you.” There’s no mistaking the absolute disgust in my voice when I spit those words at him.

“I don’t give a shit what you believe or how much you whine to me about how unfair your life is. It’s not your decision to make, nor was it ever going to be. Our family needs this, Giada.”

“Now it’s our family? Just a second ago, it was yours.”

Carlo is silent for a few moments, and I can clearly imagine the vein above his right temple pulsing with anger.

“You will be ready in two hours, and you will get into that car, Giada. If you don’t, I’ll come back to Boston to make sure you end up as a face on a milk carton. Am I clear?”

Hot, angry tears pool in my eyes, but I refuse to give Carlo any sign that I’m about three seconds from breaking down. “Crystal.”

“Good. See you in a few hours.” He disconnects the call, and I stare at the blank screen for several long moments.

“Where’s Luca?” I ask Nina, throwing my phone on my unmade bed.

“Luca?” Nina’s brows draw together in confusion. “In his room, I think.”

Throwing the door open, I run down the stairs, leaving Nina in my room. The only time I’ve heard the name Petrov muttered is when my father would be yelling something or other about the “fucking Russian Bratva.”

When I reach Luca’s door, I rapidly knock, whispering to myself, “Please be here. Please be here.”

The door bursts open, and Luca is standing there shirtless in gym shorts. “Giada, what’s wrong?”

The defined cut of his chest barely registers before I push him inside the room and slam the door shut.

“Tell me what you know about the Petrovs.” I cross my arms over my chest and wait for him to say what I already know.

When his eyes widen at the name I just gave him, it confirms I was right about my assumptions.

“Giada, how do you know that name? Why are you asking?”

My heart is racing, and my breaths come out in quick pants, partly from running from my room to his faster than I think I’ve ever run in my life, but mostly from the very real and very desperate fear of what’s happening.

“Tell me what you know,” I demand.

Luca nods. “Okay…the Petrovs run the Bratva in New York. They aren’t particularly active in Massachusetts, but I’ve heard rumblings that they’re trying to find a foothold in Boston.” His voice trails off when his gaze slams into me. “Why do you need to know, Giada?” He asks the question as though he already knows the answer.

“Nina got word that I need to be ready to leave in two hours. That Nikolai Petrov was sending someone to collect me.” Tears pool in my eyes, and I see a thousand thoughts flick through Luca’s with the information.

I sit on his bed, shoulders slumped as the first tear falls. Luca is still standing in the middle of the room, speechless. I might think he was uncaring about the situation I’ve found myself in, except for the harsh tic in his jaw as he stares at the wall behind me.

“No.” His eyes find mine again. “No.”

The finality of the word only makes the tears come faster.

“There’s nothing I can do, Luca. My father has given Carlo free rein.” I look around the small room, regretting coming in here, regretting that I’m once again putting him in a precarious and dangerous position by running to him with my problems. What can he do to help me? He’s as much a prisoner of the whims of Carlo as I am.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have involved you.” I stand and try to walk past him, but Luca steps in front of me before I make it to the door, his strong hands grasping my silk-covered shoulders.

“Do you trust me?”

His eyes implore me to answer yes. To let him help me, and God, I’m so desperate right now not to be shipped to New York that I answer him honestly and pray he has a way to get me out of this. “Yes.”

He nods and blows out a breath, the scent of mint gliding over my face.

“I’m going to tell you some things that are going to be hard for you to understand, that are going to sound absolutely impossible to believe. But I need you to trust me, then we can leave this house and never come back.”

“Where will we go where Carlo won’t be able to find us, Luca? He has contacts all over. If I leave instead of getting into the car, he’ll hunt me down—you down—and kill us both. You know it’s true.” Hope, desperation, and nearly paralyzing fear war for dominance in my mind.

“That’s the thing. He’ll know where we are. But he won’t be able to take you.”

My brows scrunch as I look into Luca’s sincere blue gaze, a little afraid at this point that he’s lost his damn mind.

“What’s going to stop him?”

“My cousin.”