9. Luca
NINE
LUCA
Vito’s was built for secrets.
Dark, crowded, and noisy enough to cover whatever sins went down in the shadows. Santino owned the restaurant. Apparently, he’d inherited it from a client defaulting on a loan. Overhead, a girl in a glittery costume swung on an aerial hoop.
Maria elbowed me. “Gonna save some attention for me?”
I ripped my gaze from the aerialist.
I hadn’t expected Maria to take me back so easily. It took a few apologies and a little charm. I told her I missed her, but I wanted to make it up to her. I promised a night out at Vito’s. This time, she’d be the center of my world.
The truth? I needed someone on my arm.
Maria had done herself up like I asked. Tight dress, perfect hair, glossy pink lips, tits on display. She looked great. My hand slid down to grip her ass. She giggled when I leaned in to kiss her, but like always, it didn’t stir a thing in me. I might’ve been making out with a plastic doll. This had been a problem for as long as I remembered. I used to think it was stress.
Maria pulled back, brow furrowing. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Just distracted.”
She swatted my chest. “Better be distracted by me and not some other girl.”
If only she knew . I plastered on a smile and let her pull me deeper into the crowd.
Dominic swaggered into view, slicing through the crowd. His suit clung to his broad shoulders and trim waist. The fabric stretched over his biceps as he adjusted his silver tie. Light glinted off the rings on his fingers. His light brown hair was styled back smooth.
My throat tightened as my eyes tracked the line of his jaw and his mouth curving into a smile. The male bartender grinned back at him as Dominic leaned in to say something, his hazel eyes glittering.
That charming smile. Fuck .
Dominic turned his head, and his gaze crashed into mine.
The breath I’d been holding punched out of me.
His stare locked on to me like a shot fired straight across the room. The noise around us fell away, and all I could hear was the rush of blood in my ears.
I froze.
His gaze slid to Maria. His smile grew taut, and disappeared.
Fuck him. I didn’t need his approval.
I yanked Maria toward me, forcing my lips onto hers. I kissed her. Her tongue played with mine. Slippery and revolting. Goddamn it . I used to be able to do this. Now it made me feel disgusting.
Maria would see through me. She’d tell everyone I couldn’t perform like a man should, and it’d be all over. My grip on Maria’s waist slackened, the taste of her lip gloss lingering like stale sugar.
What would it be like to kiss him ?
I shoved down the question, but it spread like fire through dry grass. I pictured him leaning in, fingers tracing my jaw, mouth hovering above mine. I imagined the heat of his breath, the intensity in his eyes, daring me to lose control. There wouldn’t be anything soft about his kiss.
A rough mouth. Whiskey instead of mint. I deepened the kiss. Maria let out a breathless moan, shattering the fantasy. I pulled back, shoving down a wave of nausea, and looked at Dominic.
He was smiling at me.
Maria yanked on my tie. “Why do you keep looking over there?”
“Nothing. Thought I saw someone I knew.”
“Dance with me,” she pleaded.
“Yeah, sure.”
I pulled her onto the floor.
Dominic laughed at something the bartender said. Some guy clapped him on the back, too damn close for my liking.
Why couldn’t I let it go?
I’d spent the whole morning working out until my muscles screamed. Squats, deadlifts—anything to push him out of my head. I couldn’t. I’d sucked on his thumb. If he would’ve touched me, I wouldn’t have stopped him. I probably would’ve come. From another man’s fucking hand.
Jesus Christ.
I’d been fine before I met Dominic.
I spun Maria around, focusing on her. We danced through another slow song.
“You’re tense,” she whispered. “Do you want to ditch this party and head to my place?”
Dominic still chatted with the bartender. Was he flirting with him? I tried to focus on anything but Dominic, but a cold whisper cut through my frustration.
I scanned the crowd. Then I saw them.
Two men near the far wall, just barely in the light. One of them had a jagged scar across his cheek. The other, in a black leather jacket, stood at an angle. My gut clenched.
Bratva .
My chest tightened.
“Luca,” Maria said, her hand brushing my chest. “You’re not even listening to me.”
I forced a smile. “I need you to do me a favor.”
She frowned. “What kind of favor?”
“Go home. I’ll meet you there later, okay?”
Maria’s pout deepened. “You’re ditching me? Luca?—”
“I’ll explain later, I promise. Call a cab. I’ll take care of the bill.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You owe me for this.”
“Whatever you want. Just go now.”
Maria huffed and turned, weaving her way through the crowd toward the exit. I didn’t relax until she stepped through the door and out of sight.
Then I moved.
I cut through the bodies, my focus locked on Dominic at the bar.
I tapped Dominic’s shoulder. “Got a minute?”
Dominic glanced at me. “What do you want?”
“We need to talk.”
Dominic turned around, leaning back against the bar. His smile deepened. “What’s eating you, Luca?”
I clenched my jaw. “We have to leave.”
“We just got here. Sit, have a drink.”
“I don’t want a drink,” I ground out.
“Want something else in your mouth?”
Heat prickled up my neck. “No.”
“You sure?”
My stomach dropped. “Look, what happened the other day was a mistake.”
“You seemed to be enjoying yourself.”
I swallowed hard. “It won’t happen again.”
Dominic’s eyes gleamed. “Why not?”
“Because it’s wrong.”
Dominic let out a soft laugh. “That wasn’t wrong, Luca. That was hot as hell, and don’t act like you didn’t know it.”
“You don’t understand.”
His smile turned wicked. “I do, though. You can’t stand how much you wanted it. You hated how hard I make you. Now you’re here, hoping I’ll forget it happened.”
“ Please . I need this to stop.”
“Then stop it,” he shot back. “Face it, Luca. You came here because you can’t get me out of your head.”
“No, I?—”
“You’re standing here, vibrating with how bad you want to hit me. Or fuck me. Maybe both.”
“Go to hell.”
“You think bringing that girl here changes anything?” He jerked his chin toward the crowd. “She’s not enough.”
I swallowed down my rage. “She’s everything I want.”
“Keep telling yourself that, buddy.”
“Why do you have to be so fucking difficult?”
“Because watching you tie yourself in knots over me is entertainment I can’t buy.”
“Fuck off, Dominic.”
“Oh, I will. Right after you tell me why you sucked on my thumb like a good little boy. But hey, if you wanna keep playing these bullshit games, that’s on you. I’m not the one coming back for more.”
“You think everything is a goddamn joke?—”
My gaze locked onto a man’s pale face—Alexei, a scarred ghost from my nightmares. Older, his face more lined, a cold sneer twisting his lips. His shaven head stood out from the crowd.
A cold room. Bright lights. Alexei’s hands gripping my shoulders, shoving me down into the chair.
“Don’t move, boy.”
He tied me to the chair. My arms burned where the ropes dug into my skin. I kicked out with a leg, and he slapped me across the face. Pain burst through my cheek.
“Stop fighting.” He crouched down, glaring at me. “You think someone’s coming to save you? Your papa’s dead. So is your mama. You’re alone.”
I thrashed harder. “You’re lying!”
He grabbed my chin. “You belong to us now.”
I could still feel his hand squeezing my jaw until I choked. Alexei’s mouth curved into that same cruel smile. His voice slithered into my ears, pulling me back into that room.
They’d come for me.
Pain clamped around my chest like a vise. Grief, rage, a cocktail of emotions so potent it was hard to breathe. His glare drilled into me, his eyes hollow pits of darkness, and then he slipped through the crowd.
Shit .
How many of them were here?