Chapter 20
Luca
“Not too bad, kid,” I said as we walked up to his target, a series of charred holes just shy of a bullseye.
“I’ll be as good as you any day now, and the boss will put me in the field.” Excitement radiated off him as if becoming a killer rivalled winning the Little League Championship, the gun his trophy.
I sighed my resignation. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, hotshot. Next week we’ll work on shooting under pressure.”
As we returned to the barracks, he clapped my back. “Want to get out of here, Mancini? Some guys are going into the city.”
I didn’t think. I just nodded agreement to meet him in fifteen.
Relief struck me when I returned to Vivienne’s empty suite.
Dami paced the perimeter of the shoreline while she swam, and I showered, dressed, and tucked a gun in my belt, only to leave again without stopping to think about anything other than breathing.
We bypassed a long line extending around the corner of the club, entering without question.
Working for the Cabellos had a few perks, especially at Dante’s club.
Pulsing lights, New York’s hottest DJ, pounding bass, long legs, and short skirts.
The scent of alcohol, stale cologne, and sweat lingered in the air, bodies pressed together in the pit and out, rolling in time to the beat.
The staff knew me well enough to let me be.
That, and my scowl clearly shouted back-the-fuck-off.
I headed directly to Dante’s VIP room on the second story and to an open balcony, allowing a panoramic view of the floor below.
Before I settled in, I walked behind the bar and grabbed a bottle of bourbon.
I cracked my neck, then drank to numb the restlessness beneath my skin.
Even with fire burning down my esophagus, the only thing I saw among the hundreds of people below me was a tiny blonde with a man on either side of her hips.
I ground my teeth together, then took a long swig.
It didn’t matter what the fuck I did or where the fuck I went; Vivienne was always somewhere in my mind.
The exact reason I hated this assignment.
I ran my tongue over my teeth as if I could brush her name out of my mouth. Erase it from my brain. A goddamn hopeless endeavor.
I watched Vivienne because that was my job.
I listened to her conversations because I could.
Sofia didn’t shake me up as much as Vivi believing her bullshit did.
She accepted her cousin’s torment at face value when, for one, it was a lie.
My bird was so beautiful that she was the brightest star in the sky, but that wasn’t what drove me insane or forced the separation tonight.
I watched Viv and her cousin, and I heard everything.
Vivi didn’t want me. A dark laugh boiled in my chest. What a fucking joke.
The truth was written all over her pretty face and in the way she rolled her cunt against my dick last night.
That girl thought of me too, and I knew it, liked it, and loathed it all at once.
That wasn’t the reason for this clawing rage, either.
No, I was on the edge of insanity because of the confirmation Vigo would have Vivienne under contract by the end of the month.
That right there made my blood flow with pure resentment, and I had to get out.
I had to breathe and think about anything but Vivienne, her frosty eyes and hot temper, her ivory skin, and how smooth it felt beneath my fingers.
How she felt like mine.
Good Christ. I’ve known for a long time that I was beyond salvation, but this newfound fact proved there was no hope for my soul.
Whoever Vigo chose, whoever dared to touch my bird, was a dead man. It was that simple.
For the first time in my life, I reveled in my dark side. As my monster raged, I pacified myself by thinking of the plan. Then reality sank in. Vigo would just sell her off to someone else. She’d be tormented no matter how I tried to stop the suffering, which only made mine worse.
Fottuto idiota.
I railed at the universe for handing a man like me an arsenal that included feelings.
So, I drank, drowning my inadequacies in a twenty-thousand-dollar bottle of Bourbon while stalking a look-alike Vivienne and the two men sandwiching her in on the dance floor. A rough sound rolled through my chest.
“How about you calm the fuck dow—”
“How about,” I interrupted Dante, my tone passive but dark. “You mind your own fucking business.”
He laughed, goddamn ass. I handed him the alcohol, which he glanced at with appreciation before pouring a line down his throat.
“Good year,” he said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
I smiled as much as I could manage. Dante made up for what I lacked in good humor.
As the second son in the Cosa Nostra, he didn’t have a lot of responsibility.
He wouldn’t inherit the business or much, if any, of the money, except what he made from this club.
The one concession from his father, and Dante ran it like a prized thoroughbred.
He understood luxury, led with restraint, enjoyed hedonism, and lived with a balance of all three that showed in the crisp sleeves of his Gucci suit and his polished looks. Only on the rare occasion did his ruthlessness shine through the refinement. He was, after all, a Cabello.
I turned away from him, leaning my elbows on the ledge and searching the crowd again.
“You’re scaring my patrons with your scowl,” he said to my back.
“Then they can look in another direction.”
He leaned on the railing, edging in, so I heard him over the bass. “Anything specific causing your malfunction, or let me clarify, anyone?”
My jaw clenched. “Nothing specific, no.”
“Right. Need I remind you that it’s Thursday, and Maria will squeeze a certain maimed man into her full schedule. Don’t ask me why, but she seems smitten.”
His brow rose as he returned the bottle.
I didn’t need more alcohol, but I drank a good amount anyway.
He was right. I was only human, and what I really needed was to get laid.
It’d been too long. Over a month at this point, and abstinence didn’t serve my easygoing attitude well.
But lately…. Fuck. I just had no interest in Maria, or anyone else, for that matter.
Scratch that. Anyone but a little bird who made my nuts and chest ache.
A silver-haired goddess who was completely off-limits.
If I couldn’t fuck, I needed a good fight to burn off some energy, and I absently clenched my hand into a fist.
“Not interested,” I replied.
For a few silent minutes, we passed the bourbon back and forth. Too bad it didn’t smooth out any of my rough edges.
“My uncle Morty has a saying.”
I scoffed. “I don’t want to hear the bullshit, but let me guess, you’re going to say it anyway.”
“Good guess.” He cuffed my shoulder, then leaned in until his eyes met mine. “Finché C’è Vita C’è Speranza.” While there’s life, there’s hope.
“Fuck that.” Animosity shot through me like anger had a moment ago. “Hope is for fools. It’s like playing with fire. Do it long enough, and one day you’re going to get burned.”
“Then take this as a fuckin’ wake-up call.”
I hung my head to stare at my boots. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
His grip tightened on my neck. “Cut the shit. I’m not the only one who sees how you and Viv look at each other. Stefano’s not blind, and if he knows, Vigo does too.”
A deep ache touched my chest as I looked up.
“What am I supposed to do, Dante?” I hated the desperation in my tone.
I hated that I couldn’t hide this… addiction from him or anyone.
I hated that Stefano knew and that it was probably a factor in marrying Vivi off faster than it would’ve happened otherwise.
She’d be fed to the wolves, and I brought the entire pack to her front door.
“What do you want to do?” he asked.
Tie her up. Throw her in the back seat of my car. Drive for days. Fuck her. Love her. Marry her. Make a dozen babies. Goddamn lunatic over here.
“I don’t know.” I scrubbed my face. “It’s complicated.”
“No one ever said what you want would come easy, but there is always a way. You hear me?” He smacked my cheek.
I glared at him, and he smiled.
Stronzo.
“Figure your shit out, and in the meantime, go fuck Maria until you can’t see straight. Pick up a woman or three, get my sister out of your system, and for God’s sake. Do. Not. Touch. Her. Or complicated will have a whole new meaning. You get what I’m saying here?”
I laughed for real this time—a rough, hollow rasp. “Capisco.”
He clapped my back, mumbling, “Good man,” as a fight broke out on the dance floor. It seemed that the two guys with the blonde didn’t want to share anymore. Dante motioned for security.
“Don’t bother.” I straightened to my full height and shoved the bottle into his stomach. “I’ll take care of it.”
I couldn’t fuck Maria without thinking about Vivienne. I couldn’t fuck Vivienne without killing us both. But I could beat the shit out of these two morons, releasing a little tension while I did.