Chapter 16
The Past
I once had a boyfriend in high school who called his attorney after his friend grabbed my ass at a party. He wanted to sue the guy, not punch his lights out. I broke up with him two minutes later.
That was the moment I realized I’d never date a man like him.
I don’t want a my father will sue you man.
I want a touch her and die man.
Loud music booms against as I swing my hips to the beat on the dance floor. Darcy, dressed in a glitter minidress, grabs my hand, twirls across from me, and shakes her ass. Her maroon-dyed hair is sweaty, sticking to the side of her face.
This is our first time at Seven Seconds—the hottest nightclub in the city.
It’s also Cristian and Benny Marchetti’s club, and Melissa’s parents weren’t comfortable with her coming to any establishment run by another Mafia family.
I wave my hand in front of my face and mouth, “ Drink break ,” to Darcy.
She nods, taking my hand. We weave through the crowd toward the packed bar, where people scream their drink orders to busy bartenders.
Standing on my tiptoes the best I can in my heels, I wave my arm in the air to get one’s attention.
No luck .
Ugh.
“Shit. Darcy! Genesis!”
I drop my arm and turn to find Jeff and Kevin—two guys we went to high school with—coming toward us.
“Are you trying to get a drink?” Kevin yells over the music, motioning toward the bar.
“Yep,” I shout back.
Kevin grabs my hand, leading me to the opposite end, while Jeff does the same with Darcy. When the bartender sees Kevin, he slides a drink to a patron and heads straight toward us.
Like Darcy and me, Kevin and Jeff are trust-fund babies. I’m sure they spend plenty of money here and tip well. Private sections here alone cost thousands a night.
“Whatever they want,” Kevin says to the bartender, signaling toward Darcy and me. “And send two more bottles to our section.”
“Got it.” The bartender wipes his forehead, cutting his gaze to us.
“Mojitos,” Darcy and I say at the same time.
It’s been our go-to drink lately.
The bartender salutes us and starts on our drinks.
“Do you come here often?” Kevin asks, resting his arm on the bar.
Darcy slides in closer. “This is actually our first time.”
“We have a VIP suite,” Kevin says, his glassy eyes on me. “Come hang out.”
“Sounds good.” I fan myself.
A break from the blaring music and men trying to grind on me sounds amazing.
“Two mojitos,” the bartender calls out, handing us glasses.
My lips pucker when I take my first drink.
“Let’s go,” Kevin says, flicking the tip of my straw when it’s out of my mouth.
Darcy pouts her red lips. “I actually wanted to dance more.”
Jeff offers his hand to her. “Lead the way then.”
Their attention whips to me, as if asking for permission.
Darcy wants to make sure I’m comfortable with being alone with Kevin. We always do that with each other.
“Go dance!” I smack a kiss on her glittery cheek and wave them off.
She grips her drink and disappears through the crowd with Jeff.
“It looks like it’s just you and me taking a break from the madness,” Kevin says, flashing me a bright white veneered smile. “The suites are better on the ears, I promise.”
I return the smile. “ That’s music to my ears.”
While I love all music, I tend to lean more toward girlie pop.
Gripping my mojito, I follow Kevin. Eventually, I grab his arm so I don’t lose him in the crowd.
When we reach the VIP area, a group of men is huddled near the entrance. Kevin raises his chin in their direction, but none return the gesture. As we get closer, my gaze lands on a recognizable face.
The face of the man I thought could replace my fixation on Julian.
Unsure what to do since it’s been years, I keep my head down.
He doesn’t let me off that easy, of course. As we pass the men, he snatches my wrist, stopping me.
Kevin halts, peering at me over his broad shoulder.
“I need to talk to this one,” Luca says to Kevin.
“Chill out,” Luca tells Kevin in irritation. “We own this club, and she knows me. I won’t hurt her.”
Realization of who he is dawns on Kevin.
Luca Marchetti.
Just like with Damien and Julian, he’s dangerous and very much Mafia involved. He’s also a killer and a man who only plays by Cristian Marchetti’s rules—most of which aren’t legal.
“It’s okay,” I assure Kevin with a smile, tightening my hand on my mojito. “I’ll come to your section in a few minutes.”
Luca draws me away from the crowd toward a lit area. The other men return to their conversation, and Kevin walks away. When we’re around the corner, Luca swings me around to face him.
I smile, taking in his dark hair, beautiful tan face, and strong jawline.
We were only sixteen and at a restaurant when Melissa pointed him out to Darcy and me.
She said while all Mafia families are violent, the Marchettis were the worst, and Luca and Benny were just as cruel as the lineage before them.
She also told us Luca was very much a noncommittal heartbreaker who swore to stay single forever to prevent himself from being pushed into an arranged marriage.
He was also the Marchetti closest in age to us. I stared at him in fascination, my eyes following his every move, but I didn’t think he noticed me.
I found out he very much was when I left the restroom and he pulled me to the side. Shutting my eyes, I remember our first conversation and how sure of himself he was.
“What’s your name?” he asked, smirking wickedly.
“Genesis.” I could’ve lied, but I had a feeling he’d know I was.
“Cute name.” He crowded me closer. “Where are you from, Genesis?”
I frowned. “Why?”
“I’d like to know how accessible you are to me.”
I stood on my tiptoes to better meet his eyes. “Who says I want to be accessible to you?”
“The way you looked at me said it.”
“How did I look at you?”
He seemed entertained by my sudden attitude. “Like you wanted to fuck me right then, right there.”
“Wow,” I said, drawing the word out. “Someone sure is cocky.”
He arched a dark brow. “Tell me I’m wrong then.”
“You’re so wrong.”
He dipped his head to mine. “Liar, liar.”
I’d given him my number that day. We texted a few times, no phone calls, and when he asked me out, I was on top of the world.
But I learned three things on the few dates we went out on: that Melissa was right, Luca wasn’t interested in anything but hookups, he was decently skilled in fingering women in his back seat, and that even though he was hot and fun to spend time with, he wasn’t Julian.
It’s hard for a woman to forget her first obsession.
The man she fell in love with the moment she saw him.
“Long time no see, babe,” he says with a confident smirk.
I playfully roll my eyes at him, and his smirk widens.
Beyond his craziness, Luca can be playful.
“Considering you came into my family’s club, does that mean you’re looking for me?”
“Cocky much?”
“Miss me much?”
He grabs my hand. “Come on. I’m grabbing you a drink. We need to catch up.”
“Fine,” I say, faking annoyance as he leads me away from the corner.
Just as we’re about to hit the stairs, we stop when someone yells his name.
“Get your ass over here!” the deep, demanding voice adds.
I hold in a breath, expecting Luca to leave me, but he captures my hand, taking me with him.
“Let me have a quick conversation, and then we’ll grab that drink,” he says, leading me to wherever he wants.
Blowing out a breath, I have no power over my body, so I only nod.
We pass three VIP sections and move toward one with more privacy.
“I have someone with me,” he yells before we enter the space.
“Take them the fuck away then,” a man replies.
Luca ignores them, dragging me into the VIP section.
My head spins.
Men seated in a U-shaped leather booth, a table in front of them, stop speaking when they notice me.
My focus first gravitates to Benny Marchetti, the Marchetti prince.
His sharp eyes focus on me, his nostrils flaring at my presence.
Knowing it’s a bad idea to keep the devil’s son’s attention on me, I quickly look away. The man beside him stares at me with the same expression.
I drag my gaze to the next two men, and my blood suddenly runs hot.
Julian and Emilio.
I quickly skip Emilio to Julian, who’s staring at me in hatred.
I lower my gaze, taking in his black suit jacket. A faint bruise is under one of his eyes, and when he scrubs his hands together, I notice his busted knuckles.
He screams violence.
Always has. Always will.
All these men do.
Why am I not running away?
I pinch my face, sourly glaring at him.
Yeah, asshole. I remember what you did last time I saw you.
He could’ve at least taken me to my home, not my parents’. My father spent the following morning’s breakfast lecturing me on choosing the company I kept wisely, claiming people could take photos of me and use them against our family.
Julian relaxes in the booth. “You do know who this is, Luca?”
Luca shifts his attention from a conversation with Benny to Julian and raises a brow. The expression on his face isn’t hostile, but it’s also not friendly.
Julian lifts his chin in my direction. “Vincent Lombardi’s goddaughter.”
Say what?
I open my mouth to say that’s a bald-faced lie, but Julian speaks over me.
“I’d find another woman in the crowd.” Julian’s steely gaze cuts back to me. “This one will bring nothing but trouble.”
All the men stare me down.
While I know of Vincent Lombardi, I’ve never held a conversation with the man. Nor do I want to.
I’m not sure whether I should tell them Julian is lying.
Will they be mad? See him as untrustworthy?
Freaking kill him?
Julian must not know Luca and I have a history. Luca knows exactly who I am, and my connection with the Lombardis. The man gave me a damn questionnaire on our first date to decide whether I was trustworthy or not. That should’ve been a huge red flag then.
Benny stands when his phone rings, collecting it from his pocket and pointing it at Luca. “Stay away from her.” He motions for his men to get up, and they do. “Let’s go. Julian and Emilio, have a drink on me.”