26. Luna
26
LUNA
I had one towel wrapped around my body and the other on my head as I sat on the bathroom counter, watching Massimo shyly.
He had one towel wrapped around his hips and another he was using to wipe off some of the water in his hair. Who knew the sight of him like this could be so… sexy ?
My core clenched, and I winced when I felt a bit of pain. I might not be able to go again until tomorrow, at least, considering how rough Massimo had been with me.
But hell, if I didn’t want to.
I was getting wet just watching him. He shot me a knowing look, causing me to blush.
He opened his mouth to say something, but I sneezed, stopping him.
He frowned. “We spent too much time out in the rain. You’re getting sick.”
I shook my head. “I feel fine. You don’t have to worry.”
He walked up to me and grabbed my hand, holding it up to his lips and kissing the back of it. “I will always worry about you.”
I could feel my heart softening. Could I fall any more in love with him? I hadn’t thought so, but here he was.
And I had been nothing but a brat all week. Guilt and shame over the way I had acted earlier came to me. I looked down at his naked chest, taking in the small scattering of hair there.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you earlier. I just…”
He squeezed my knee. “I get it. You’re feeling off. I don’t blame you. I can’t say I know what you’re going through; I don’t. But I do know what it feels like to be helpless. To feel like nothing is in my control.”
My eyes widened in surprise at his words. “Who could ever make you feel like you have no control?”
It wasn’t a stretch to say my husband was one of the most powerful men in the country.
He smiled a little at me. “It might not seem like it, but I didn’t always rule over the De Luca Famiglia.”
“You mean when you were little?”
There it was again. The alluded childhood I had never heard him talk about. Would he talk about it with me?
I bit my bottom lip.
He pulled it away and pressed his thumb over the abused flesh. “Ask me.”
“Was your father mean to you?”
He chuckled, his hand coming up and cupping my cheek. “Are you asking me if my father was mean?”
I nodded, wondering what was so funny about the question.
“Not so much as mean but strict. And uncaring.”
I looked away from his eyes. I could only imagine. And he was probably giving me the tamer version of it.
“And your mom?”
“A victim of her own circumstance.” He looked off to my left, his eyes taking on a distant look. “She hung herself when I was a teenager.”
I gasped. “What?”
He nodded.
“I’m sorry.” I wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled him in closer to me, wishing I could take away that memory from him, or at the very least, the pain associated with it. Because he could lie and say otherwise, but I could see that was still affecting him.
“It was a long time ago, baby.”
“That doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.”
He didn’t say anything but wrapped his arms around me. “Most of my life, I had felt out of control. Afraid that one slipup and my younger siblings would be the ones to pay the price. I had tried to do everything right, trying to shield them as much as I could. I’m still not sure I did a good job at that.”
“Of course you did. I would have loved to have a brother like you growing up when everything…” I trailed off.
He pulled back and looked at me. “I wished I could have been there to protect you from everything.”
I smiled a little. I wished he could have been there too.
“I don’t think my mom and sister like me very much.”
He nodded. I hadn’t expected him to disagree with me, but it still hurt that he could clearly see that from the small interaction he witnessed between Mom and Lina and me.
“But I wouldn’t change anything.” Not a damn thing. “It was because of it that I married you.”
He held me against him. “I’m glad it was you.”
I softened against him. “Me too.”
Things were on their way to being how they had been before Marco showed up at the house.
Massimo still wasn’t sure how he had gotten past the guard and the gate leading into the community. It seemed to be something he was focused on.
I wasn’t as focused. I just wanted this to be over so I could forget it ever happened.
I sat by the pool, looking through a list of resumes Luigi had dropped off. Massimo’s people had thoroughly vetted them, so all I had to do was pick a few to interview and decide.
We might even finally have a chef.
I was getting tired of takeout meals, so I made a vow to learn to cook before the year was over. Hopefully, by then, I could make something for Massimo to enjoy. Just thinking about it filled me with contentment.
I was still lost in the daydream when my phone rang, the shrill sound loud in the small bubble I’d found myself in. I grabbed it and looked at the phone.
Unknown number.
I debated whether to pick up when the call ended. I let out a small sigh of relief, which was short-lived, when my phone rang again with the same unknown number.
I answered it, bringing the phone up to my ear. “Hello?”
There was nothing but silence for a beat or two. And then, “Luna?”
I sat up at the sound of Lina’s voice. She sounded off. She didn’t sound like herself. “Lina?”
“I’m in Las Vegas. Can you come see me?”
Luigi drove me to a small bar Lina said she was at. Luigi was the only one I could think of to drive me to see her. I hadn’t wanted to call Matteo or any of Massimo’s brothers. Not until I knew for sure why Lina was here.
Which could be a bad idea on my part, considering Massimo had said Lina was married to the Bratva. This could be a trap, but a part of me didn’t think so.
Luigi came to a stop.
I was about to get out of the car when he stopped me. “I have already alerted Mr. De Luca about this, ma’am.”
I paused. “You have?”
He nodded. “This isn’t something you want to keep from him. We have men standing guard in every corner of the place, and if they sense something is wrong, we are instructed to grab you and get out of there. I will be right here should you need me. Just call out.”
“Okay,” I said quietly. I should have known better than to think I would be able to hide this from Massimo. I got out of the car and looked around for my sister. It didn’t take me long. She was sitting on a small bench just outside the bar, her head downcast. I didn’t think I had ever seen her look so… beaten down.
I walked over to her cautiously. “Lina?”
She looked up.
I couldn’t help the small gasp that escaped.
She smiled, the action pulling on her features and making the black eye she was currently sporting more obvious. “Hey, sis. Thanks for coming.”
“What happened? Are you okay?”
“What happened? Fucking Boris Novikov happened.”
I frowned. “Your husband?”
She laughed, the sound bitter. “Who else? I ran away from home.”
She grabbed my hands suddenly, startling me. From the corner of my eye, I could see a huge man making his way over to us, a menacing look on his face.
I shook my head at him and pulled my hands away.
“You have to help me, Luna.”
“How?”
“You have to take me in. Have Massimo protect me. You don’t run from the Bratva. Ever. They won’t forgive me for this. And if you send me back to New York, you might as well be asking Boris to put a bullet to my head.”
“Does Andre know about this?” I asked.
“Yes,” she snapped. “Why do you think I’m married to the psychopath in the first place? Daddy set up this marriage.”
Her eyes flared, not bothering to hide the hatred in them.
I was still shaken over the fact that Andre willingly handed Lina over to the Bratva, especially knowing what they were capable of.
She looked up at me. “Are you going to help me or not?”
There was no pleading in her voice. Just expectation. Expectation that I would give in and do as she asked, simply because she asked.
The sad thing was, I was going to help her. I knew I couldn’t leave her for the Bratva to find her. And sending her back to Andre and Mom would only result in her going back to New York.
Even if bringing her back home with me, with Massimo , and intruding in the peace I had found for myself was the last thing I wanted.