13. Luca
Chapter 13
Luca
I rina slept soundlessly as I watched her.
When I locked up the museum tonight, I hadn’t expected to see her on the narrow streets of Italy, drunk no less.
Anger stroked along the base of my neck from her stupidity. Anyone could’ve taken advantage of her.
I expected Aurora to be with her at all times, which made me curious as to why she had been out alone getting drunk.
There was depth to Irina, and she might be able to deceive the world by hiding herself in a shell, but not me. I saw right through those cracks in every snide remark.
As she slept, I remembered her unexpected comment before she passed out in my arms.
She thought I was beautiful.
I didn’t think I’d ever been described that way before.
My lips lifted into a smile, recalling the way her face fell when she realized I’d heard her .
Okay, maybe I didn’t mind drunk Irina if only to hear her unfiltered thoughts aloud.
At least then I would actually know what she truly thought of me.
I stared at her, the rise and fall of her chest steady. Her hair fell like a halo cascading around her angelic face.
If she thought I was beautiful, I wondered how she perceived herself.
My fingertips vibrated with an urgency to feel her skin against mine.
Whatever power she held over me consumed me entirely. Every nerve ending in my body came to life when she was near, and I was addicted.
Light sniffles drew me from my thoughts, causing me to stand and move toward Irina.
Her face was pinched in anguish, her body thrashing beneath the covers as if she were trying to free herself from something.
I put one knee on the bed and leaned over her, placing my hand against her chest, her heart beating wildly against my palm. “Irina.”
A broken whimper slipped from her lips as she continued trembling.
Damnit. “ Irina !”
The more she fell into the abyss of her nightmare, the harder it was to reach her.
Wrapping my hand around her throat, I squeezed, hoping to reach her.
Every second that passed, my blood ran colder, and I felt helpless .
That same helplessness I experienced when I saw my mother die.
“Irina, wake up, sweetheart.” I shook her, urgency running through my veins. “Wake up!”
A loud gasp escaped her as her eyes shot open, wide with panic.
“Fuck.” I slumped forward, finally being able to breathe.
“Luca?”
I wrapped my hands around her, bringing her up until I crushed her to my chest as if I needed more reassurance that she was with me.
What are you doing to me, piccola ribelle?
Her hands rested against my back, hesitant. “What are you doing here?”
“You don’t remember?”
“I remember you carrying me. . . ”
I pulled back, searching her face. “You passed out, and I brought you home.”
“And you didn’t leave,” she whispered, a furrow creasing her forehead.
The air became charged with thick tension as her words hung in the silent air.
“Do you want me to leave?”
Her blue eyes shone with trepidation as she searched my own, seeking answers to unsaid questions.
“No.”
That one word took root in my chest, the beginning and end of me.
I lifted the covers and laid beside her, our hands inches apart and resting in the middle as we faced each other.
Time halted as I traced the outlines of her features as intently as she was tracing mine, her blue eyes warming my skin with every touch.
Neither one of us said a word, comfortable in the stillness.
Eventually, her eyes became heavy, but before she dozed off to sleep, her hand inched closer to mine.
Hands reaching but never touching.
The tense push and pull between us that had always been there.
Only now, it was different.
The night melted into the first rays of morning when I snuck out of her room.
I hadn’t slept at all, exhaustion heavy on my muscles, but how could I when it was insignificant compared to spending hours memorizing Irina?
I could’ve stared at her for another few hours and it wouldn’t have been enough.
When I got the call that my father was awake a week later, I came to see him.
The door clicked shut when Dr. Aldo stepped out of my father’s room.
“He’s stable,” he said, holding his notepad to his chest. “You can see him if you’d like.”
I nodded my head and put my hand out in front of me.
He eyed me nervously before dropping the two vials in my palm hesitantly. “Do you know how a syringe works?”
I smirked at his dubious expression. “I’ll manage. Stay out here and I’ll call you when I’m ready.”
He nodded before walking away with a hunched back. Old man refused to retire.
I entered the room and leaned against the wall with my ankles crossed, letting the glass tubes clash in my hand back and forth.
My father’s eyes flicked toward me; his body completely immobile.
“Looks like I won’t be needing this one.” I raised the first bottle so he could see and walked toward his bed to set it down on the table nearby.
If what the doctor said was true, he still had sensation in his body.
To test this theory, I grabbed his index finger and pushed it back until I felt the bone crunch beneath my skin.
His face became red and sweaty, a tear streaking down his face as he stared at me in horror.
I couldn’t help but laugh aloud, my blood heating from excitement. “This is going to be an afternoon well spent.”
There was no ounce of sympathy or pity present as I broke each of my father’s fingers until he’d passed out. I couldn’t imagine being motionless and voiceless while experiencing excruciating pain, but I also wasn’t a horrid man like him.
I stepped back from my work in satisfaction as I admired his hands, his fingers crooked and bent in odd directions. In a disturbing way, it was sort of artistic .
My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I dropped the syringe on the bed before reaching for it.
My trainer’s name flashed across the screen, and I cursed before answering it on the third ring.
“Where are you?” His voice came down the line, a bit muffled by the background noise.
“Cleaning up a mess.”
“Clean it later and get your ass to the Club,” he said in agitation. “You already missed your session this morning, so I hope to hell your heads screwed right for tonight.”
A fight was exactly what I needed after this visit. “I’m on my way.”
I stole a glance at my unconscious father, staring at his blanching face. I’d visit him again soon and break another part of him.
Leaving the room, I handed Dr. Aldo the supplies. “Give him the morphine and wrap up his injuries.”
“You didn’t know how to use the syringe after all.” He gave me a sly smile, enjoying himself at my supposed ignorance.
“Something like that.”
The crowd roared to life when I stepped onto the stage, heightening the adrenaline pumping through my veins.
Overhead lights shifted over the audience, my name a chant on their tongues.
It would never get old how my mere presence could invoke such thick energy permeating the air. It fueled my need to wreak havoc on the poor fucker across from me .
Fighting was an outlet for me, a way to relieve the anger residing in the dark parts of my soul.
The whistle rang, igniting a surge of manic power slicing through me.
My opponent tonight was a burly man with a snarl attached to his sweaty face, glaring at me as if I was his worst enemy.
I took my stance, a smirk stretching my face before I gestured for him with two curled fingers.
It ticked him off—exactly as I expected—and he lunged forward with a growl, swinging his fist toward me.
I ducked, steering away from his weak aim until I stood behind him, my heart rate accelerating when he turned and came at me again.
This time, I leaned back, avoiding his fist before headbutting him with a vicious strike.
He stumbled back, blood oozing from his nose and the sight itched at the crazed sensation pricking my skin.
There were no rules to the fights that happened at the Underground Club except for one. Every fight was to the death. Whoever took the life of the other would be titled the winner.
And I’d never lost.
I had to admit, though, a sick part of me enjoyed letting them get in a hit or two before bathing in their blood. It kept the crowd entertained and my high fresh.
The man came at me full force and I laughed as his weight crushed me to the floor, the piercing screams of the audience deafening.
He threw a punch against my jaw, the taste of iron bursting on my tongue, causing me to turn my head and spit it out.
One .
The moment my eyes locked with Irina’s in the crowd, standing right behind the roped border, my smile widened.
Her expression was pure shock as she stared at me wide eyed with her mouth parted. She flicked her gaze to the man pinning me to the floor before it shifted back to me, her brows furrowed. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was nervous.
I winked at her as another punch landed on my cheek, the skin tearing.
“That your lady out there? She’s real pretty.” Hot breath fanned my face. “Bet she’d look even prettier underneath me.”
Two .
Black spots appeared in my vision, and I felt the last of my control slip from my fingers. With a hard upward thrust of my body, I swung my leg until I had him caged between my thighs.
All my senses enhanced into a frenzy of fury as I clutched him by the hair and made him acquainted with my fist, the satisfying crunch of bone beneath my knuckles.
Blood sprayed across my torso as I pummeled into his face, every grunt escaping him more ragged with each hit.
I paused, breathing harshly as a raging heat encompassed my sweat covered body.
Gripping his head with both hands, I made him look at me, terror coating his eyes before I covered them with my thumbs and pressed down.
A horrible scream tore from him as I ruptured his eyes, crimson leaking down his face.
“That’s for staring at what’s mine.” My tone was as lethal as my hands.
His annoying wailing grated on my nerves, but it was the perfect opening to stick my hand inside his throat and grip his tongue. With a sharp tug, I ripped it out, his body writhing beneath me until it stopped.
“And that’s for speaking of her,” I said to his unconscious—most likely dead body.
When the ringing in my ears dissipated, the blaring noises of my surroundings rushed in, making me overly aware of where I was.
I pushed up off my hands as they announced my win and scanned the roaring crowd.
My chest rose and fell fast, muscles stretching taut as my gaze caught Irina’s blue eyes.
I didn’t know what I expected to find, but it definitely wasn’t the raw hunger sparking in them.
A hand landed against my back, bringing my attention to my trainer. “Go on and clean up,” Alessio said, his face tense. “You brought in a lot of money tonight with that stunt.”
I’m sure it did, but that stunt might’ve just jeopardized fighting in the near future. I doubted anyone would want their organs ripped from their body while conscious.
Wiping the sweat off my brow, I nodded my head at him before leaving the ring .
The crowds’ applause increased in volume, following me all the way to the back where the locker rooms were.
I closed the door behind me and looked up to find a random woman sitting on one of the benches. She leaned back on her hands, legs stretched in front of her as she eyed me with a mischievous glint.
“Are you lost?” I asked blankly.
I’d been in this exact situation more times than not, and each time, it became less amusing.
“Yes.” Her voice dripped with seduction, red lips pouting. “Glad you found me.” She moved her hands toward the knot on her trench coat, fingers tracing them slowly.
I swung the door open and walked toward my locker, irritation pulsing at the back of my head. “Leave through the door and take a right. Exit should be there.”
Nails dragged across my skin lightly. “How about we play first?”
I turned around and caught her wrists to refrain her from touching me further.
Her eyes glossed over in desire as she bit her bottom lip. “I’ll let you do whatever you want to me.”
Oh for fuck's sake.
I didn’t have a chance to tell her off because one second, she was standing there in anticipation and the next, her face fell as she dropped to the floor, blood pooling around her head.
My gaze flicked toward the door, heart racing as it landed on my woman.
Irina stood there, blue eyes a storming hue as she kept her gun aimed in my direction, setting me on fire with one vicious look.