31. Luna
31
LUNA
Massimo loved me.
He loved me.
It still felt like a dream just thinking about it. For so long, I had wanted nothing more than to have just one person on my side, by my side. And I had found that with Massimo, but love? It had felt like this distant idea, unreachable for someone like me.
But he loved me. And he would always choose me, even over Lina.
No one had ever chosen me over Lina.
Everyone knew she was the true mafia princess, and I had been nothing more than a child from another man whom Andre had taken in.
But Massimo chose me.
I blinked, feeling tears well up in my eyes. It seemed I hadn’t been able to stop crying since the night I found him and Lina in the office.
I should be surprised that my sister had been trying to seduce my husband. Sadly, I wasn’t. Romeo had called Massimo the day after to tell him he had Lina set up at one of the safe houses. I didn’t bother asking for details, nor did I want to know.
We should have done this the day Lina came to me. I didn’t owe her anything. I certainly didn’t owe her a safe haven in my home, even if I did feel bad about her situation with her husband…
Although, I didn’t think she had mentioned even once that he hit her. She came to me with a black eye that was well on its way to healing by the time I brought her into my home.
She never said Boris was the one who gave it to her. Which made me wonder if she might have found that trouble somewhere outside her marriage, got caught by her husband, and ran away.
But that was merely speculation on my part. I shook away the thought. I knew better than to make assumptions.
I was still trying to push away all thoughts of Lina when my phone rang. Mom’s picture came on the screen. My heart dropped.
Not once had she tried to call me since my marriage to Massimo and my move to Las Vegas. I was half-convinced she had forgotten about me. It might have been better that way, considering my heart still hurt just seeing her picture.
I picked up on the last ring before it went to voicemail and held the phone up to my ear. “Hello?”
“How could you?” Mom asked. She didn’t yell, but her tone told me she was angry.
“What?”
“How could you send Lina away when she came to you for help?” Mom asked.
I frowned. “How did you know—” I stopped when I heard Lina crying in the background. “She left her safe house?” I asked, surprised. “Do you know the Russians are looking for her?”
“Yes,” Mom snapped. “And you just turned her away. She’s your sister.”
“She tried to seduce Massimo,” I argued. What had she expected me to do?
“And you believe that man over your sister? How na?ve, Luna. That man has probably fucked a dozen whores between the moment he said ’I do’ to now.”
“Are you seriously suggesting that my husband would cheat on me?” White-hot rage filled me as my mother’s accusation hung in the air, thick and suffocating. I gripped the phone tighter, my knuckles turning white.
“You don’t know Massimo,” I said, trying to keep the shakiness from my voice. I didn’t know if the tremors were due to anger or heartbreak at this point. “You don’t know anything about my marriage.”
“I know enough,” Mom retorted. “I know the kind of man men like Massimo are. I know the kind of twisted world he lives in. The world we as women would never be allowed in. The kind of world that gave them all the power and no accountability. Men like that don’t change, Luna. They don’t suddenly become faithful husbands.”
“Just because Andre couldn’t be faithful doesn’t mean Massimo is the same way,” I said and instantly regretted it. Silence followed through the line. “I’m sorry?—”
“Save it,” Mom interrupted. “How brave you are, now that you’re married to the head of Las Vegas.”
Even if I felt guilty for what I said, it didn’t take away the anger, the sting from before. If anything, it just made me even angrier. “Braver than you’ll ever be. Braver than you ever allowed me to be.”
I could hear Lina’s sobs growing louder in the background. It was a sound I recognized, one that had often echoed through our childhood home, the manipulative tone like an old song I knew well. Mom wasn’t stupid. She knew when Lina was lying to her. But she always, always chose to believe her lies, mostly at my expense.
I let out a small sigh. “I don’t want to fight, okay? I— Where are you?” I asked, suddenly realizing the danger my mother might be in. Massimo had said Andre grabbed Mom and left Chicago after it was exposed that he was making deals with the Bratva and had taken some of Emilio’s men with him.
“We’re safe,” Mom replied curtly. “You don’t have to be concerned.”
I closed my eyes, feeling so tired and heavy all of a sudden. “Mom, you should know, Andre walked out on Emilio. He’s being hunted down right now. You need to stay away from him. Emilio can be reasonable. He won’t fault you or Lina for Andre’s mistake?—”
“What an ungrateful little bitch you are, Luna. After all those years that I raised you as my own.”
I froze at the sound of Andre’s voice through the line. My nails dug into my palm as I tried to keep my composure.
“Andre,” I breathed out, my voice barely above a whisper as memories of childhood fear and resentment bubbled to the surface. “This isn’t Mom or Lina’s battle. If you love them, let them go back to Chicago.”
He laughed, the sound sending chills down my spine. “Lina is going back to Boris. That was the arrangement. A wife for the Russian psychopath, and I would get backing from them when I try to take over Chicago.” I could hear Mom and Lina’s cries in protest over Andre’s words.
That felt too… simple. The Bratva only wanted a wife? No, there was more. Andre gave them something else besides Lina.
“Go warn Massimo, Luna. Tell him I’m coming for him and everything he holds dear. That means you, sweet daughter.”
“I’m not your daughter,” I gritted out.
His grating laugh was the last thing I heard before the line went dead.
I sat there, frozen in shock and not knowing what to do. I didn’t think calling Mom back would help. I doubt she would even answer the phone.
Lina left the safe house.
She really did the one thing that would have gotten her to Boris the quickest. She went back home to Andre.
He betrayed her by setting up this marriage once, and he would have no trouble betraying her again when he brought her back to New York.
Massimo found me ten minutes later, still in the same position, and sat on the bed beside me.
“Are you okay?” he asked with a frown.
Tears welled in my eyes, and panic moved through his. “Fuck, baby, what’s wrong? Who the fuck do I have to kill to make it better?”
“I talked to my mom,” I said.
His frown eased slightly. “Did she say something to hurt you?”
I shrugged. “I don’t even know why I’m still surprised. I feel stupid for always hoping she would love me the way she loves Lina, you know?”
“Hey, don’t say that about yourself. You’re not stupid for wanting your parents’ love. It is her fucking fault if she can’t see how precious and wonderful you are.”
I looked down at my lap. Maybe one of these days, I might truly believe I didn’t do anything to earn her animosity toward me. That she couldn’t love me the way she loves Lina because I looked too much like my father—something that was completely out of my control, but right now, I was feeling too much to convince myself otherwise.
“Lina left the safe house,” I said.
The look in his eyes told me he already knew.
“Andre is going to bring her back to New York.”
“Do you want me to stop that from happening?”
“You could do that?”
“I can have men stationed out in the airports of New York, waiting for Andre and his family to arrive. We can get your mom and Lina away from Andre. I can hide them out of the country.”
“She won’t leave him,” I said, knowing that was true. Mom really did love Andre. And she would follow him off the cliff if he told her to. “And it’s too risky. No, I don’t want you to do it. Lina knew Andre would bring her back to Boris when she escaped. She did it anyway. We can’t be responsible for her anymore. I can’t…”
He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in close. “Okay, sweetheart. But the option is there if you change your mind.”
I nodded against him, turning my face to his chest, and kissed him right where his heart was beating.
“Thank you,” I whispered into his shirt.
“For what?”
“For loving me.”
“That’s not something you ever have to thank me for. I was born to love you.”
I pulled away and shot him a watery smile. “There you go again with those cheesy lines. What would your siblings think?”
He tapped my nose. “You’re not going to say anything to them. Especially Matteo.”
I grinned at him. He rolled his eyes.
“Well, there is something to look forward to,” he said.
“What?”
“Giulia’s birthday party is tomorrow.”
My eyes widened. “That’s right! I totally forgot. I don’t think I’ve picked out a birthday present for her.”
“It’s okay,” he said, looking at me softly. “I got that part covered. All you have to do is show up and have fun.”
“Show up and have fun,” I repeated. He made it sound so simple.
He kissed me briefly. “Yup. That is your only job tomorrow.”
“Right.”
Did I even know how to have fun?
I ran my hands down the silky red dress in the back of a black car. Massimo was next to me, his face dark and thunderous.
I rolled my eyes at him. “I’m already nervous enough about being in a room full of people I don’t know well. Can’t you at least smile?”
He shot me a predatory smile, depicting no friendliness or happiness. The action pulled at the scars on his face, reminding me of how I thought he was when we first married.
I shivered. “Never mind, don’t smile. Don’t smile for the rest of the day, got it?”
I pointed my finger at him. He looked down at it, then back at me. I tried to pull my hand away, but it was too late. He nipped my finger, causing me to yelp in the back of the car and the driver to look back at us through the rearview mirror. My face heated, and I shot Massimo a nasty look.
“Are you going to throw a tantrum all night?” I asked. Because if that was the case, I was going to have Matteo drive me home.
“Tantrum?” he growled, pulling me in close to him. “I do not throw tantrums, baby.”
“Then what are you doing now?” I retorted. I looked back down at the dress. “Matteo thought I looked pretty when I tried on the dress in the shop.”
“Remind me to fucking kill him when we see him,” he said.
I gasped. “You will do no such thing to your brother. I like Matteo.”
He let out a small sigh. “You do look pretty. That is not the problem, wife.”
“Is it because I’m showing a bit of skin?”
Massimo’s eyes darkened. “A bit? That dress is missing an entire back. Every man in that room will be undressing you with their eyes.”
I scoffed, trying to ignore the thrill his possessiveness sent through me. “Like they would even do that when I’m your wife, and you know it. It’s just a dress, Massimo. And I’m your wife. Don’t you trust me?”
I pouted up at him.
He leaned in close, his breath hot against my skin, causing shivers to run up and down my body. “It’s not you I don’t trust, principessa . It’s them. I don’t fucking share what’s mine. I might kill any fucker who looks at you just a little too long.”
I shivered, torn between arousal and frustration. Even if I loved that he didn’t want to share me, this was an overreaction, wasn’t it?
“Well, I thought I looked pretty. I chose this dress for that very reason. I wanted to be someone you can be proud of having on your arm.”
His hand slid up my thigh, fingers tracing the slit in my dress. “I’m always proud to have you on my arm.”
“Yeah?” I asked, my voice soft.
“Yes,” he said, kissing the side of my cheek. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I like it when you’re possessive with me, but—” I held up my finger when it looked like he was about to say something to that. “Not when you’re being frustrating.”
“Frustrating,” he repeated before sucking my finger into his mouth, his teeth nibbling around it and sending waves of arousal straight to my clit. I shifted in my seat, and he shot me a knowing look before he let go of my finger with a pop.
“Is that right?”
I nodded, suddenly feeling shy.
The car pulled to a sudden stop in front of a venue of some sort. A warehouse, almost, but not the sketchy kind. The kind you would expect a wedding to be held at. A kind that would have taken months to hold and a hefty deposit.
Already, there were a lot of cars parked nearby. Something dark moved in his eyes. “Fuck, we’re here. Are you sure you don’t want to skip this party? Giulia would understand.”
I scrunched my nose. “You’re saying your sister would understand if we skipped her birthday party so you could fuck me?”
He shamelessly nodded.
“Yeah, I don’t think so. We’re going.”
He let out a small groan and pressed a hard kiss against my lips. “Fine. Later.”
I didn’t laugh until he was out of the car and the door was closed behind him.
The party was in full swing by the time we got inside.
The warehouse was beautifully decorated, with a crystal chandelier in the center of the room. The music was loud but not loud enough to make people feel awkward talking to each other.
The sun was just starting to set then, so there was still a bit of orange and yellow sunlight shining through the window. I quickly found Massimo’s siblings, with both Elio and Romeo looking like they were only here out of obligation and protection, while Matteo was enjoying himself in the middle of a group of women.
I smiled when he said something to the women, which caused them to laugh. The sound traveled all the way to where we stood by the doorway. I turned to Massimo, who rolled his eyes at his younger brother.
Giulia was at the center of it all, with people approaching her, vying for even the smallest bit of her attention. I was happy she looked so happy, but there was a part of me that was sad and envious of the stark contrast between how we grew up.
It wasn’t that I wanted to be the center of attention, but I envied Giulia’s confidence—the kind that could only come from knowing that you were loved and being sure of your footing in this world.
It wasn’t something I had.
I turned my gaze back to Massimo.
But I was starting to get some of it, thanks to my husband.
I smiled as his face took on an exasperated expression as he watched his youngest brother.
When Matteo saw us, he broke away from the group and walked over to us. He looked like he wanted to give me a hug, but Massimo intercepted him and punched him on the arm instead.
I gasped, and Matteo glared at his older brother. “Fuck, man. What was that?”
“Don’t take my wife dress shopping ever again.”
A mischievous glint entered Matteo’s eyes, and he looked past his brother to me. “You look sexy, Luna. Spin for me. I want to see the back.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at his antics but did as he asked, giving him a little twirl. By the time I faced the brothers again, Matteo was full-on smiling, and Massimo’s face had darkened even more.
Massimo pulled me close in his arms and leaned down, growling in my ear, “You are pushing your luck, baby.”
“Yeah? And what are you going to do about it?” I challenged.
His smile turned devilish. My heart raced. “I’ll show you when we get home.”
“Can’t wait,” I said. He groaned and pulled me in front of him. I was surprised when I felt him hard against the small of my back. I turned to look at him with wide eyes. He winked.
“Uh, guys, did you forget I was here?” Matteo interrupted.
“Go away,” Massimo said.
“No way. I need a dance with Luna.” Matteo moved to grab me, but Massimo twirled me away before he could.
Romeo and Elio came up to us, blocking Matteo from doing anything else.
“Come on, Luna,” Matteo said, peering around Romeo’s broad shoulders. “Just one dance. I promise I’ll behave.”
The look in his eyes said he would do just the opposite.
I giggled, still pressed against Massimo’s sturdy chest. I felt him tighten his arms around me. I didn’t think Massimo would let me go soon or at all for the entire night. “Maybe later,” I answered. “I think your brother might actually kill you if you try anything.”
“I just might for the fun of it,” Massimo murmured into my hair.
“I would like to see the pretty boy try,” Matteo said, flexing his biceps a little.
Romeo clapped Matteo’s back, shaking his head. “Give it up, man.”
Matteo was about to say something when Elio pulled his phone out of his pocket and answered it. The brothers seemed to be on high alert then, the tension in the room thickening. Behind me, Massimo stiffened as I watched Elio’s face change from being expressionless to angry in a nanosecond.
He hung up the phone and turned to Massimo.
“What is it?”
“The guard caught sight of some Russians sneaking around the property.”
“Did they catch them?” Matteo asked.
“They caught three. Do you really think they planned on crashing this party with just three men?” Elio asked.
Massimo was about to say something when a loud explosion rang out in the far corner of the room, causing screams to erupt throughout.
Everything happened at once. A low, incessant ringing bloomed in my ears, and something burned my eyes. I blinked, but everything was just dark. And I felt like a wall was crushing me down on the ground. I couldn’t get up, and I might be blind and deaf.
I called out for Massimo, but I couldn’t hear my own voice. Was I even calling for him, or was this in my head?
Panic set in.
What was happening? Tears streamed down my face.
I blinked, and suddenly, my vision came back, and so did my hearing. But I wished it hadn’t. Everything was just so loud.
Too loud.
And someone was calling my name.
Who was calling my name?
I looked around but saw nothing but smoke and plaster on the ground.
I turned and finally saw Massimo. He was shaking me. And I was on the ground. How did I get on the ground? Did Massimo push me down? Everything ached.
“Luna, can you hear me?” he asked, his face alarmed. I could hear him, but it sounded like he was speaking in slow motion.
I shook my head.
“I need you to get to safety,” he said.
How?
Someone pulled me away from him. I panicked, struggling in their arms.
He shook his head. “It’s okay.”
I didn’t hear him so much as I was reading his lips.
It’s okay?
What was okay?
I turned around and found Matteo pulling me away. The sound became clearer, and I was able to focus more.
“Come on, Luna. Romeo got Giulia. We’re taking you to the back, where it’s safe.”
“But Massimo?—”
“Can take care of himself. Come on.”
He pulled me up to my feet and grabbed my hand, rushing me back to Romeo, who was holding a crying Giulia. Romeo pushed Giulia toward Matteo and me. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her close, just as Romeo rushed away, probably to help Massimo and Elio.
Please let them all be okay.
Please.
“It’s okay,” I said to Giulia, though I wasn’t sure if I was saying it to reassure her or me.
It was going to be okay.
It had to be.