23. Luna
23
LUNA
I didn’t think I would be able to take any naps during the day with Massimo gone, but I must be more tired than I thought.
He would be happy to know that. The thought of Massimo being happy with me shouldn’t make me feel this light, but it did. I couldn’t seem to get rid of that eager-to-please disposition from when I had been living at home. But Massimo wasn’t like my family. And I was hoping that would be a good thing.
I walked around the empty house. Though Elena and Lettie had made it their mission to avoid me in the house when they were still working here, I hadn’t realized just how empty an actual empty house was.
The only sounds came from me or the low humming of the airflow when the AC kicked on.
What was I supposed to do?
What did Gulia do with her day? I doubted she actually had a job, considering it was looked down upon in our world for the women to work, but I couldn’t imagine just staying here at this house, day in and day out, waiting for Massimo to come home.
The bell rang out, startling me from my thoughts. I looked around the empty kitchen.
The bell rang again, and even if I couldn’t see the person on the other side, I thought there was a note of impatience that had my heart dropping in fear, which was ridiculous. It wasn’t like anyone could just walk up to this house and ring the doorbell. It was in a gated community.
I didn’t think I had ever heard the bell since I lived here. I didn’t get any visitors, considering I didn’t know anyone here.
I walked over to the front door and peeked through the side window. A familiar man stood in front of the door. Marco.
Massimo’s cousin.
What was he doing here, showing up in the middle of the day? A bad feeling came over me, telling me I shouldn’t let him in when no one save for Luigi was home with me, and even then, I didn’t know where Luigi had wandered off to at the moment.
Marco turned to the side window then, his eyes catching mine. My heart raced, knowing I couldn’t get away by not opening the door for him now.
He would see that as a slight, and the last thing I wanted to do was cause contention between Massimo and any of his men.
I straightened and went to open the door.
We didn’t say anything.
The man was slightly above average build, with dark-brown hair, tan skin, and familiar brown eyes. He had Elio’s eyes.
“Hi,” he greeted with an easy smile.
“Hi,” I said back cautiously.
He laughed; there was something fake about the sound. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”
I blinked.
“Massimo’s expecting me. Didn’t he tell you? Is he not home yet?” He shifted on his feet, giving off the vibe of restlessness that I didn’t like.
I hesitated. Surely, if Massimo was expecting company at the house, he would have told me. I knew that. And he would have been here.
But he was still in New York. Why would Massimo set up a meeting with his cousin at his house on this day?
My stomach hollowed from the thought of inviting him in, but there was no excuse I could think of to give him.
“Massimo isn’t home. Perhaps you can come back when he’s here.”
Something like anger flashed in his eyes before he quickly changed his expression to an easygoing smile. I didn’t trust that smile at all.
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m sure Massimo is on his way and will be home soon. I’ll wait for him in his office.”
Marco moved toward me, leaving me no choice but to get out of the way so he could get inside.
He turned to look at me, a cruel, amusing smirk twisting his lips in such an ugly way. “You’re a skittish little thing, aren’t you?”
I didn’t say anything about that, and it didn’t look like he was expecting a response anyway because, with a laugh, he walked away further into the house.
I looked outside, debating whether to wait outside or go to one of the nearby houses, hoping I would run into one of Massimo’s brothers.
But chances were, they probably weren’t home either.
I closed the door to the house and walked further inside, but Marco was nowhere in sight.
Where did he go?
I saw my phone on the kitchen island, so I hurried over to it and texted Massimo a quick message before searching for Marco.
I found him in Massimo’s office, rummaging through the desk and muttering something to himself.
“I don’t think Massimo would be happy to see you going through his office.”
He looked up, startled by my voice. There was something almost… frantic about him that had my heart racing. I stepped back as his eyes took me in. They darkened over the move.
“No? Then why don’t you tell me where he hid it, Luna?”
He walked around the desk, taking slow, measured steps toward me. I backed away, trying to put as much distance between us as I could.
“Hide what?”
“The blade.”
“The blade?” I asked. I could see his anger rising every time I repeated after him, but nothing he said made any sense, and I didn’t know how to answer him.
His eyes glinted. “Would the fucker really be stupid enough to carry around the blade used to murder his old man?” Marco asked with a maniacal laugh, making me back away even further from him.
I should have listened to my instinct and left the house when I had the chance.
“No, he wouldn’t have. If those old fuckers found out he was the one to kill Amadeo De Luca, they would have his head. He hid it here somewhere, and you’re going to help me find it, bitch.”
He came toward me. My heart pounded fiercely in my chest as I turned and ran out of there. My phone beeped just as I got near the door. I looked down at the screen to see Massimo had texted back, the banner showing me his text.
Get out of there.
Too late.
My hair was tugged back roughly, causing me to fall back on the ground. I looked up to see Marco standing in front of me. He twitched slightly, his eyes shifting from side to side. I didn’t know what it looked like when someone was on something, but I imagined this was how it was.
Was Marco… on drugs?
I blinked, my entire body freezing up. I needed to run—to try and get away from him, but my legs wouldn’t work. It felt like my heart had slowed down, each beat heavy and painful, and my reality suddenly didn’t feel real.
Reality came back when I felt him pull on my hair. So did my fight-or-flight response. I struggled in his grasp, trying to get free.
“Let go! Massimo is going to kill you.”
He laughed. “Yeah? Will he kill me before he’s able to save you? The fucker is always taking shit from me. This house was supposed to be mine. The De Luca empire, mine.”
“If you think you are even half the man as Massimo to be able to rule over the De Luca empire, then you’re fucking delusional,” I gritted out.
He let go of my hair, causing pain to explode over my scalp instantly. I didn’t get the chance to do anything when I felt a sharp sting on my left cheek. I blinked in surprise and looked up at Marco.
He had slapped me.
His face took on an angry red. “You’re supposed to be mine. The marriage to Lombardi’s daughter and uniting the two families. It was supposed to be me and you. You were supposed to be my whore.”
I spat in his face. “I’m nobody’s whore.”
I wasn’t going to outrun him. I knew that now. But I wasn’t going to lie down and take it. I was just so tired of letting everyone walk all over me. If Marco wanted to hurt me, I wasn’t going to make it easy for him.
“We’ll see about that.” He pushed me down on the hardwood floor, his hands moving over my body. I struggled against him, my knee going up and hitting him in the groin. He let out a pained grunt but didn’t let me go.
I shook my head when I felt his hand on the waistband of my leggings. I kicked my legs out, trying to throw him off.
He climbed on top of me, resting his weight on my thighs and grabbing both of my wrists, holding them up above my head.
Tears stung my eyes. “Let go.”
He laughed, the sound maniacal and ugly. I wanted to hurt him.
But he was stronger than me. So much stronger.
Why hadn’t I paid more attention when Massimo tried to teach me self-defense? Why was I so fucking scared? And now I was going to pay for my cowardice.
The tears fell when he gathered my wrists in one hand and let his other roam down my body. His hand cupped my breast, squeezing painfully hard.
I let out a scream.
The front door flung open.
Marco and I both turned to it.
“What the fuck?—”
Marco didn’t get the chance to finish his sentence before Massimo pulled him off me and threw him against the wall with a roar.
I didn’t know what I felt as I watched the scene unfold.
Was it relief?
Or terror over what could have happened? Or was it anger that Marco had even had the chance to touch me? Or something worse? Something sinister like satisfaction as I watched Massimo climb on top of Marco’s body—much as how he had done with me—and start throwing punches?
But why was I shaking so badly?
I let out a startled cry when I felt hands on me and flinched away.
“Hey, sorry. It’s me, Luna. Matteo.”
I looked over to the voice but couldn’t make out his face. Did he say Matteo? Why was he so blurry?
“Matteo?”
“Yes. I’m sorry it took us so long to get here. I’m so fucking sorry, Luna.”
I wanted to tell him it was okay, but the words would not come. Why couldn’t they come? Why was it so hard to speak?
Matteo spoke again, but I couldn’t make out what was said or if he was even talking to me. The edges of my vision darkened, and there seemed to be a loud roaring in my ears, and I…
What was happening?
Arms banded around me then.
Darkness slowly receded, and my vision became clearer as the roaring turned almost silent. I looked up to see Massimo beside me.
He tightened his arms around me when our eyes met.
My lips trembled. “Massimo?”
“I’m here, Luna.”
Tears welled in my eyes. “You’re here?”
“I’m here,” he repeated.
“Welcome back,” I said hoarsely.
He smiled a little at me, even if there was nothing happy about it. “Thank you, principessa .”
The nickname was what threw me over the edge. I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face in his chest, letting out a pained cry. I couldn’t seem to stop. I didn’t know how to stop.
Marco could have…
I didn’t want to think about it.
But Massimo was here now, and everything was going to be better. It had to be.
Because Massimo was here.
Massimo was here.
I tightened my arms around him from the thought, afraid he might be nothing more than a figment of my imagination. Afraid he might not be real. But no, he was solid in my arms. A strong wall to stand between me and anything and everything bad in the world.
He was here.
And that was all that mattered.
Massimo.
My husband.
My monster.
My protector.