9. Luca
Chapter 9
Luca
“ H as Viktor left?”
“Nope.” I flicked the lighter on. “He’s specifically interested in how we maneuver our drug shipments.”
The inside of Enzo’s office was sleek, hard glass and colorless—fucking depressing.
Roman hummed, appearing calm and collected but his eyes had darkened into a bottomless pit of nothing. “You show him the art museum yet?”
“Fuck. No.” I was the owner of the building and a popular attraction site for our citizens. But they had no idea it was run to transport cocaine using the art pieces they admiringly gawked at. “Ric pulled his file for me and there was nothing suspicious.” It wasn’t surprising. The same way we erased material that traced back to our names, the Russians did too. “But I could kill him if you want?” I suggested because it seemed that he wasn’t fond of our new guest .
“No. I’m fully capable of doing that myself, if necessary.”
“Bummer,” I feigned disappointment. “I’m always more creative.”
“That’s because you’re a sadist who gets off on inflicting pain,” Enzo remarked sarcastically.
“If you’re boring just say that, Enzo.”
He muttered something under his breath in annoyance before the screen on my phone lit up, displaying the picture of a smiling Eva.
I stood from my seat and answered. “What’s wrong?”
“Luca.” Her soft voice came down the line in a whisper. “Can you come get me, please?”
Pinpricks of ice slithered in my veins at her tone. “Are you okay?”
“Y-yes.”
“I’m on my way.”
That’s all I had to know. When my sister needed me, I’d always go running to her.
I hung up and gave Roman a look, knowing he’d understand my silent words.
The way to my father’s house wasn’t long and I might’ve driven like a maniac but at least I didn’t kill anyone in the process.
Once I stepped foot inside the house, Eva came running toward me, her small frame crashing into mine.
"Hey," I soothed. “Hey, you’re okay now, Evangeline.”
“Please, don’t leave me. Please.”
My heart thudded against my tightening chest.
Did my father want to die? It was blatantly obvious that he was the reason for her distress .
And even though my sister had begged me to not leave her before, I knew this time was different.
She shook against my hold, clutching me as if she’d die if she let go.
“What happened?” I was trying to stay calm for both our sakes, but I could sense that rage bubbling inside of me, wanting to be released.
Eva sniffled; her voice muffled against my chest. “He made me. . . present myself.”
“What does that mean, Eva?” My jaw ached from grinding my teeth.
She sobbed harder, stumbling through her words as she hiccuped. “Those men saw me naked.”
Guilt punched me right in the chest at how na?ve I’d been.
Had my sister been lying to me all this time about how she was treated in this house?
I gently pulled her back, and she looked up at me with streaks of mascara running down her face.
Now that I could take in her appearance, I could see what she was wearing—a scrap of fabric that could hardly be called clothes.
The pulse in my neck throbbed as I shrugged my leather jacket off and put it around her. “Stay right here.”
Her face paled, her eyes widening with uncertainty. “Luca, don’t do it. Please, let’s just leave.”
I cupped her face and leaned down, so I was eye level with her. “I won’t do anything. Stay here, okay?”
Doubt flickered across her features, but she nodded her head and wrapped my jacket tighter around herself.
It didn’t take long for me to barge into my father’s office, grab the baseball bat he always left lying around like a fucking idiot and swung it across his face.
The sound of bones crunching fueled yet eased that rage inside me.
“I thought I told you to leave my sister alone, old man.” Another swing. “Did I not accept your offer?” Another swing. This time with more force causing him to lose consciousness but I didn’t care, unaware of where I was even aiming. Blood splattered across his desk and floor as I took another swing.
When his eyes fluttered, I made sure he heard my next words. “I should kill you for all you’ve done,” I seethed. “But that’d be too easy.”
He was barely breathing, his face swelling and body limp.
I stood and threw the bat on the floor, the sound of metal echoing in the room.
“You wanted a monster?” I asked, chest heaving. “Here I fucking am.”
My mind hadn’t calmed down since earlier and I knew it was seeking a release that only pain could ease.
I’d exerted myself, punching the black bag in front of me over and over again until my muscles screamed at me.
The Underground Club was empty, but it usually was around four in the morning. I enjoyed the quiet—only for a short while—until my thoughts plagued me.
Grabbing a towel from the rack, I wrapped it around my neck and wiped the sweat off my face .
I needed to head home soon before Eva woke up. I didn’t want her to stress about my whereabouts because I knew she didn’t enjoy my methods of calming down.
At least this time, I didn’t kill anyone.
Stripping my sweatpants off, I wrapped another towel around my waist and made my way down to the sauna.
It was dark in the large room, the hot air inviting, and easing the ache in my muscles.
I exhaled a breath of relief as the tension dissipated slowly.
My life wasn’t a walk in the park by any means but lately it seemed that it was getting harder to quiet my mind.
Eva.
My father.
Being the leader of the Camorra
Irina.
A smile touched my lips. Irina. My little rebel.
This insensible fascination I held for her kept spreading throughout my bloodstream every day until I couldn’t think of anything or anyone but her.
And when she cut herself that night at my house, I’d never wanted anything more.
Her blue eyes might be frosted over by a falseness that not even she understood but I could see past that. I saw raw pain in them.
I wanted to know why she did it. What thoughts roamed in her head when she drew distant in a moment like that.
Did she see the world like I did? How cruel and unfair it could be .
A flicker of movement to my left caught my attention, and I averted my eyes to see pale blonde hair.
Irina sat on the highest bench, her hair slicked against her face and her eyes widening a fraction.
A slow buzz slithered beneath my skin and whatever tension that had melted away came back, coiling tight around my muscles.
“This is the men’s locker room.” I trailed my gaze along her body, the robe she had on parted slightly in the front. Her pale flesh glistened with sweat, and I knew my little rebel was naked beneath that fabric. “What are you doing in the men’s locker room, Irina?” I asked with an edge to my tone.
“I didn’t realize you were someone I had to answer to, Luca.”
The way she said my name. . . as if I was the most inconvenient thing in her life made me want to record and put it on replay.
“Maybe you should write it down somewhere, so you don’t forget.”
She could do whatever she wanted but anyone could’ve walked in here and seen her half naked. Another man.
What would it take for her to understand that she was mine and only mine? Maybe I should resort to less pleasant endeavors.
“Or maybe you should mind your own business.”
I stared at her, noting the rise and fall of her chest, the spark in her blue eyes that made me wonder if she enjoyed this push and pull between us as much as I did .
The tension was taut, stretching so thin it was close to snapping.
I removed my attention from her and closed my eyes. This game was far from done and I planned on savoring the chase.
Irina didn’t make a sound; she didn’t leave either as I expected her to.
She’d come here on her own and I wanted to know why. I knew she was physically active when she had kicked my ass the last time we were at the Underground Club but where did she learn that? Why did she learn it?
“How did you get your scars?” Her voice came out in a hushed tone.
I opened my eyes and caught hers, the color in them deepening into a midnight blue.
“What do I get in return?”
“You won’t be getting my pity.”
Adorable.
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” I chuckled before smoothing my features. “If I tell you, I want to know about yours.”
Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. “I don’t have any.”
Like calls to like and if hers weren’t apparent on her body, I knew they ran deep inside her soul.
There was nothing that I’d keep from this woman. I wanted her. And I wanted her to know the darkest parts of me, to understand that once she did, I’d never let her go.
And with Irina, I knew she’d walk me like a damn dog for me to have her.
“My mother was killed in front of me when I was only a young boy,” I said, recalling that day so vividly as if it was yesterday. “My father was the one who pulled the trigger.”
Her body went still as a statue. “Why did he kill her?”
“Wrong place, wrong time.”
My mother was innocent and had fallen into a situation where her life was taken to prove loyalty. She’d overheard something that she wasn’t supposed to.
“My scars are my father’s creations. After that day, he saw to it that I learned what a true heir to the Mafia meant. He said it would make me stronger.” I laughed humorlessly. “More ruthless and unforgiving but it only made me resent him.”
“Did it stop?” she asked with a strain in her voice.
I searched her eyes, a flicker of anger swarming within them.
“At the age of fifteen, when I overpowered him and broke his hand.”
We stared at each other, the air past boiling. Something shifted between us. It was evident in the way Irina’s gaze lingered on my chest as if she was understanding the meaning behind my tattoos.
I didn’t know if I was relieved or if it made me hate her for it a little.
She stood and my hands clenched at my sides thinking she was going to leave but then she stepped in my direction.
My breaths came out quicker when she reached me. It was hard to read her expression.
“You won’t be getting my pity,” she confirmed before surprising me by sitting on my lap, her knees on either side of me. The robe bunched around her hips, and I gripped her waist to keep her from changing her mind.
I didn’t know what was happening or what kind of game she was playing at, but I didn’t care either. Her body felt so fucking right against mine that I didn’t care.
“I want to feel you.” Her gaze was fixated on my chest, where my heart resided and ready to stop beating at any moment.
She raised her hand but before she could touch me, I caught her wrist.
No one had ever wanted to touch my scars, let alone stare at them for longer than a few seconds because of how distorted they appeared. That’s why I had gotten the tattoos to cover them, not because of others’ opinions but to stop being reminded of them.
And who takes care of you, Luca?
Eva’s words replayed in my head, and it might’ve been for all the wrongs reasons, but I guided Irina’s hand down on my chest, her fingers splaying to feel more.
I swallowed harshly, a knot in the pit of my stomach forming from her smooth fingers gently caressing me as if my skin were something delicate and to be treasured.
Her hands were wandering but my attention was focused on her face. She went over every groove, every ragged bump and crevice deliberately, up until she reached my shoulders, and her hands explored my back—the scars there longer and harsher.
Her jaw clenched as she gazed at me with ferocity.
Time ceased to exist in this space of uncertainty. Her warm hands burned hotter on my skin, sending bolts of electricity in every nook of my being .
“Let me ease your pain.”
My fingers curled, pulling her closer to me. Was this her way of thanking me for tending to her cut? If so, I didn’t want it. I’d done that for my own selfish reasons. To carve it into her mind that she’d never escape me— that she’d never be alone .
“I’m not in pain, piccola ribelle. ”
“Then ease mine,” she whispered, leaning down, and kissing me.
The second our lips touched; I was a goner. I had no idea how she could have this indescribable hold on me, but she did.
Her presence calmed that depraved part of me, and I never wanted it to end. I wanted her entwined with me.
I felt her hands between us, and I leaned back to see her untying her robe.
She pulled the fabric open and let it drop, her body completely naked and bewitching.
“You’re killing me,” I hissed through clenched teeth, tilting my head up and staring at her with hooded eyes.
“The thought of you dying at my hands brings me more pleasure than you think.”
A low chuckle vibrated in my chest as I rubbed my jaw in amusement.
This woman was an oxymoron that was for damn sure.
“Kill me later. For now, let me worship you.”
A light shade of pink flushed along her freckled skin, her breaths quickening as she bit her lip and held my gaze. “Say please.”
Was she doing this on purpose? I was nearly ready to have a stroke from one touch but now? Her words might be my undoing.
I was at the complete mercy of this woman and the dominance she exuded was sexy as fuck. It only made me want to feed into it. . . something I’d never done before.
“ Please .”
A satisfied smirk curved along her mouth as she hummed in approval.
And then I worshipped her.
I was gasping for breath, lost in the surge of a high when Irina got up abruptly, grabbed her robe and left the room.
When I rinsed myself quickly in the shower, I changed and left the locker room, hoping she was still here.
She might’ve left but something told me she hadn’t yet.
I waited outside, the sun slowly rising, an orange glow shading the horizon and pulled out a cigarette.
Inhaling a puff of smoke, I let it ground me, the adrenaline still coursing through my veins.
The doors swung open before Irina walked out, her feet coming to a stop when she saw me.
I inhaled another drag and walked toward her. “I’m taking you home.”
“No, you’re not.” Her blonde hair swayed in the wind, and I could tell it was still wet.
My jaw ticked from her lack of proper attire.
I removed my leather jacket and put it around her, pulling the hood over her head. A smile touched my lips at how it swallowed her whole.
“You don’t need to drop me home and you definitely don’t need to give me your jacket,” she snapped. “Just because we got each other off doesn’t mean I like you.” I would’ve let her outburst slide but then she had to continue her obscene rant. “I could’ve found someone else and done the same thing.”
My hand shot out and gripped her jaw, pulling her face close to mine.
Despite her pulse quickening, she stared at me with a narrowing of her eyes, her lips set in a firm line.
“I think I’ve given you too much leeway, piccola ribelle.” I brushed my lips across hers. “Would you like to find out what happens when you abuse my patience?”
“Do your worst.” Straight white teeth as she smiled at me. The odd part was it appeared genuine. “I might be into it.”
Her tongue would truly get her in trouble.
She jerked from my hold, and I watched as she walked toward a motorcycle parked at the corner.
No fucking way.
Irina pulled a helmet from the back compartment and put it on before swinging her leg over the bike.
The engine roared to life, and she drove out of the lot.
She was fast but not fast enough.
Once she was home safe, I’d leave.
I hopped on my own bike and tracked her. I was thoroughly convinced now, that this woman was made for me. And she looked damn good in my leather jacket as she sped through the empty roads .
She was aware of me following her, checking her rearview mirror consistently and speeding up further.
Irina could run from me, but she had to know that I’d chase her right? Until she screamed, cried, and begged for me to let her go. Even then, I wouldn’t.
I kept my distance, if only to amuse her delusions that she could outrun me.
Roman’s house appeared after a few miles, and we entered through the arched gates before Irina parked her bike and got off.
She removed her helmet and faced me, breathing harshly as the sun slowly peaked in the sky,
I leaned against my bike, my feet planted on either side.
The silence was a calm that settled deep into my bones. We stared at each other for long moments, an unspoken conversation with only our eyes. Irina’s were an ocean blue, ready to drown me into its waters.
Neither of us said a word, afraid that it would ruin something that didn’t make sense in the first place.
Then she stepped forward and paused for a second.
I tilted my head at her. I dare you.
Her hands balled into fists before turning away from me with a viciousness slashing across her face that made me grip the handles of my bike tighter.
She disappeared inside the house, the harsh click of the door breaking the trance.
I gazed up at the bright sky with a smile stretching across my face.
She kept my jacket.