CHAPTER SEVEN
LORENZO
“Maria has always been insufferably stubborn,” I muttered. She is driving me crazy enough to know I have no control over my thoughts because they have been completely consumed by her.
She is the kind of woman who would argue with a wall if she thought it was standing in her way. A beautifully difficult hurricane of a person, spinning at her own damn speed, dragging everyone in her orbit along for the ride. It has always been like that—since we were kids—since the first time she looked me dead in the eyes and told me I was being an idiot, which, for the record, I was not.
That has always been the problem with her. That has always been why I’ve been pulled to her and why I had avoided her. Being close to Maria was a goddamn hazard.
It was frustrating. Maddening. A slow, painful, delicious kind of self-destruction. A kind of disaster that drowns you in its wake. That is who Maria Russo is.
And now she is back. In my world. Wanting to know more. Wanting to be involved.
I should have tried to scare her off by telling her the danger of the world she wanted to get involved in because she doesn’t have a clue how brutal it can get. She should keep out of this world.
But Maria never kept out of anything. If she wanted something, she would find a way. If she wanted to stand in the fire, she wouldn’t wait for permission—she’d walk straight in, head high, daring it to burn her.
She is that kind of storm.
And if I wasn’t careful, she’d take me down with her.
My thoughts were interrupted when Dante walked into my office without knocking as if he owned the place. He did that often. It pissed me off, but not enough to actually stop him.
“Shipment’s in Shade. No hiccups, we were able to seal the deal, and the transaction scaled through.”
He leaned against the desk, arms crossed, watching me.
I exhaled, rolling my shoulders. “Good.”
That should have been the end of it. Business done. We had been working on this deal for a month—big money, high stakes, and all worth it in the end. This was the part where we poured a drink and celebrated a job well done. But Dante was still watching me, like I was some kind of puzzle he couldn’t quite piece together.
“What’s wrong with you?” Dante asked with concern etched on his face.
Nothing. Everything.
I shrugged.
Dante narrowed his eyes. “No, seriously. We just pulled off a million-dollar deal, and you look like someone ran over your dog.”
I scoffed. “I don’t have a dog.”
“Exactly.” He pointed at me. “Which means something else is making you act like this. So spill, Shade.”
I shot him a glare. “When did you start caring about my feelings?”
He smirked, unbothered. That was the problem with him—he had been around too long and knew me too well. I could get men to shut up with a single look, but Dante? He had walked through hell with me and come out the other side laughing.
We had known each other since we were kids. We were not even friends then. He also knew Maria, but they weren’t close either. Dante grew up isolating himself. We belonged to different worlds, different families, and different lives, but somehow, we ended up in the same place. He was the only one who had been there when I became Shade and when I couldn’t show this part of me to Luca because he would not understand the demons I struggled with. It was when I stopped being just another rich kid and stepped into something much bigger and much darker. When things had gone sideways, bullets had flown, and people had dropped, Dante had taken one for me.
That wasn’t something you forgot.
So, I let him push even when I wanted to knock that smug look off his face.
I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my jaw. “Maria wants in.”
Dante blinked. “Into what?”
“The business.”
His brows shot up. “Which part?”
“She wants to understand it all. She wants to know how the business works, so when it is time for her to inherit her property, she would have a soft landing.”
Dante let out a low whistle. “Hate to break it to you, boss, but you know how difficult it would be to let her in. She knows that none of this is pure, even the seemingly harmless part.”
I rolled my eyes. “She knows her father didn’t run a charity organization. She knows her father wasn’t a saint,”
“She’s got guts, though,” he mused. “Not a bad thing.”
I knew what he was thinking before he even said it.
“She needs to learn, Lorenzo. She’s back in this world now. Whether you like it or not, she’s in it. If you don’t show her how things work, someone else will. And not in a way that’s good for her.”
I clenched my jaw. The thought made my stomach turn. I had refused to think about it from this angle because I wanted to protect her from all of it.
“There are terrible people in this world,” Dante continued. “And you can’t protect her forever.”
I hated it when he was right. I hated that he could read right through my thoughts.
I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling sharply. “Fine. I’ll start with the casino. The clubs. Keep it on the surface.”
Dante smirked. “Smart. Give her a taste. See if she actually wants in or if she just likes the idea of it.”
“She’s not going to let it go.”
“She never does,” I added.
We sat in silence for a moment, both knowing exactly what kind of storm we were about to walk into.
Then, because Dante couldn’t resist, he leaned forward with a shit-eating grin. “So, this is just business for you? Making sure your mother hands over the inheritance? Or are we pretending you don’t care about Maria more than you should?”
I shot him a look. “We grew up together.”
“Uh-huh.”
“She’s like family,” I muttered. A smirk appeared on Dante’s face. He does this whenever he is trying to prove a stupid point.
“Right.”
“I’m just making sure she’s safe. But it is just business. Don’t go around thinking otherwise.” I was trying so hard to prove a point. It was infuriating. I don’t know why I even bother.
“Sure, boss.”
I exhaled through my nose, rubbing my temple. “You’re annoying.”
Dante grinned. “And you’re full of shit. But we’ve known that for years.”
I ignored him because there was nothing to say.
This was business.
Because I wasn’t going to let Maria drag me into something I couldn’t afford to feel. At least, that’s what I told myself.
*****
I decided to drive to the Russo’s mansion hours later. It was a little past four. I wanted to speak to Maria to explain myself to her and to tell her that I wanted to do things her way. I would let her in the best I could. Enrico was waiting outside the Russo’s mansion when I got there, and it was like a bad omen.
He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed and eyes sharp like he’d been standing there just waiting for me to show up.
I almost rolled my eyes. I had such a long day, and I truly didn’t want to deal with this or him now.
“You are becoming a regular visitor. Maybe we should get you a room here.” His voice was calm, but his gaze was all suspicion, the kind that made people nervous.
Too bad I wasn’t people.
I stepped closer, slowly and deliberately, because I wanted him to feel it—the weight of me, the space I took up, and the fact that if I wanted to, I could end him before he even realized he’d made a mistake.
Instead, I smiled. “Nice evening, isn’t it?”
“I knew your father,” he said, unrelated. I wasn’t sure what he was driving at, but I have gotten to know people enough to know that if you let them talk, they will reveal their motives and weaknesses.
His jaw ticked. “He wasn’t really a good man. He was involved in a lot of shady deals and was a major kingpin.”
I kept quiet. I wasn’t going to give him the luxury of my response.
He continued, just as I suspected he would. “There’s something about you I don’t trust.”
That made me chuckle. “Smart man.”
“I mean it.”
“So do I.”
His eyes narrowed. “Maria doesn’t need someone like you around her.”
I tilted my head, studying him. “Nice of you to finally pick up the role of a caring uncle, but you and I know why.”
Enrico’s fists clenched, and for a second, I almost hoped he’d be dumb enough to throw a punch. It would’ve been fun. Instead, he exhaled sharply through his nose, like he was trying to keep himself in check. “You think you are smart, but I will let you know that you are not.”
I took a step closer, just enough to remind him that this wasn’t a fight he wanted. Just enough for him to know I wasn’t someone he would want to pick a fight with. “Stay out of my way, Enrico.” My voice was even and calm, but every syllable carried a promise. “You won’t like what happens if you don’t.”
His throat bobbed, but he held my stare. Credit where it was due, though. He had some guts. Not enough to win, but enough to stand his ground.
Without another word, I walked past him and headed inside. I heard him mumbling something unintelligible, but I wasn’t going to stick around to indulge him any further.
Luca was in the kitchen, leaning against the counter with a half-empty beer in his hand.
When he saw me, he smirked. “I saw you pull into the driveway an eternity ago. Were you rehearsing a speech it took you so long to find your way inside?”
I shrugged, grabbed a bottle from the counter, and twisted the cap off. “Ran into your guard dog outside.”
Luca laughed. “Enrico?”
“Yeah. I don’t think he likes me.”
Luca raised his brows. “Can’t blame him.”
That made me chuckle.
I leaned against the counter, taking a swig of my drink. “Maria around?”
The smirk vanished. I might have asked too fast, but I didn’t come here to have small talk with Luca about his overbearing uncle. Not when my mind has been consumed with the thought of her all day.
Luca set his beer down and crossed his arms, suddenly looking like the overprotective big brother I never knew him to be, “Listen to me, Lorenzo, This—” he gestured vaguely to me and an invincible figure beside him, “—is all an act. So don’t get any ideas. This is just business.”
I lifted a brow. “Ideas?” What was he talking about?
Luca’s eyes narrowed. “You know exactly what I mean. Don’t think of doing anything inappropriate with my sister. I will haunt you if you try it.”
I sipped my drink, saying nothing.
Luca sighed, rubbing his face. “I’m serious, man. Don’t mess with her. And don’t even think about sleeping with her.”
That was when I laughed.
Because it was ridiculous. Because Luca was acting like some terrifying big brother, and I was supposed to be scared, when the truth was, I was taller, bigger, and had probably spent more time in a gym this month than he ever had in his life.
Luca saw my expression and scowled. “Don’t test me, Lorenzo. I’ll knock your teeth out.”
“Sure.” I took another sip. “I’ll try not to cry.”
“Not a joke,” he muttered, frustrated by my nonchalant attitude. Luca and I had gotten into a fight or two when we were younger, and I had always kicked his ass.
“It’s cute that you think you can take me.”
Luca glared, but before he could argue, I heard footsteps. Instinctively, Luca and I veered around to trail the sound, and that was when I saw her.
Maria.
Walking down the stairs. She looked breathtakingly beautiful.
And that was when I knew I was fucked.
Because the second I saw her, every single rational thought left my head.
Her hair was perfectly packed into a ponytail, and she had no makeup on, but she had never needed them. She carried herself in an elegance and composure that only she could pull off while looking both intimidating and innocent at the same time. She wasn’t even dressed up—just a simple top, some fitted jeans, bare feet, and casual. But it didn’t matter.
She could’ve been wearing a garbage bag, and I still would’ve wanted her just as badly.
It wasn’t just how she looked—it was her—the way she moved and the way she carried herself. It was the way she looked at me, like she wasn’t sure whether she wanted to kiss me or kill me.
I felt Luca watching me. I felt his warning like a physical thing between us.
I ignored him.
Maria reached the bottom of the stairs, and her gaze locked onto mine. “You’re here. I didn’t expect to see you back so soon.”
I nodded. “Well, I couldn’t stay away.” Immediately as the words left my mouth, I could feel the glare being thrown at me from Luca’s angle. I glanced at him, and I almost felt intimidated by him. Almost. But almost wasn’t even close.
She looked between me and Luca, suspicion creeping into her expression. “What were you two talking about?”
Luca answered before I could. “Nothing.”
Maria squinted. “That’s not suspicious at all.”
I smirked. “Your brother here was threatening me.” I decided to play a game we used to play when we were younger, where we would try to put Maria in the middle of our gibberish so she could pick a side, knowing she hated it.
Maria’s brows shot up. “Threatening you?”
I nodded. “Said he’d break my jaw if I tried anything funny with you.”
Luca groaned. “For fuck’s sake—”
Maria turned to her brother with arms crossed. “Luca, why would you think of something like that?” Just like we were kids again, Maria unknowingly would always side with me. Those were things she did that made my heart flutter. It was how she saw the good in me.
He threw his hands up. “I was just reminding him this is all fake, and I would punch him if he tries to touch you.”
A chuckle escaped my mouth the moment the words left his. Maria looked back at me. “And you find that funny?”
I shrugged. “A little.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re both idiots.”
Probably.
Maria sighed, running a hand through her hair. “Why are you here, Lorenzo?”
Good question.
I had a reason. Something about the business. Something about easing her into it.
But standing there, looking at her, my brain wasn’t functioning properly.
I wanted her.
Not in a casual way, like I didn’t want my coffee black or creamy. Not in the way that burned hot and fast and then disappeared.
No.
With Maria, it was different. It was slow and deep, something that had been simmering for years. A part of me wanted to turn around and leave.
Because this? This was dangerous.
I wasn’t supposed to want her. I wasn’t supposed to look at her and think about what she’d feel like under me. What she’d sound like if I—
I exhaled, forcing my thoughts back into something decent.
Maria was still waiting for an answer.
I gave her a smile, and I could feel her resolve slowing melting and the walls she put up crumbling.
“Wanted to see you.”
Her lips parted slightly like she hadn’t expected that.
Luca groaned again. “I hate both of you.”
Maria ignored him, and so did I.
My gaze held hers the way she held mine. A fire was burning. We could feel it.
And yeah.
I was completely, utterly, thoroughly fucked.