32. Lucie
THIRTY-TWO
lucie
I’m officially, and secretly, in love.
I knew sex was good.
I never knew it could also be otherworldly.
Transcendental.
Magical.
I put a cup at the bottom of the coffee machine, slide a pod into place, and press the Start button.
If Viv was here, she’d squeal, then tell me I’m being ridiculous, that I’m coming down off an adrenaline rush of Callahan rescuing me.
But she’d be wrong.
This has been coming since he saved my life outside that horrible club, since he kissed me and fingered me in the park.
It’s been coming since that wedding night when he cut himself and bled for me.
Since he took me to the sex club and taunted me.
Since he took Arnold and Clawzilla into his home.
All of it. Every moment.
Bad and good and frustrating.
I know, I know he’s a very bad man.
But he’s so good to me, and he’s saved my life so many times.
Even marrying me was saving my life from whatever else Dad might have had in store for me .
I can see now that Dad was never letting me go.
It’s why Viv ran, selfish as that was, and left me in the lurch.
But then again, I wouldn’t have expected her to take me with her.
It was always all about Viv, what she wanted, what she needed.
I pull the cream from the fridge, spoon my four teaspoons of sugar into the cup, and top it with the cream.
I’m about to take a sip when Declan comes into the kitchen, all smiles.
“Hey, Lucie, look. I got this for Clawzilla!” He holds up the silver and black cat carrier backpack.
Clawzilla gives it a dubious look.
And the click of claws on the tiles announces Arnold’s arrival.
“Didn’t we get him something, too?”
“I don’t know. Did we?” Declan rolls his eyes like I’m ruining his morning.
I know he’s on “protect Lucie” duty, taking over from Torin who’d muttered something about me staying put as he had a lot of work to do and they needed to pick one place to call their official office.
Declan opens the hard pack and drops the cat in.
Clawzilla hisses, making Arnold growl.
Clawzilla sits there in the pack, looking nonplussed, then he seems to realize it’s soft and he can see through the sides and walk around.
So the kitten stretches and settles down.
Then Declan puts the pack on and looks at me.
“Drink your coffee and we’ll go for a walk.”
Arnold barks his approval.
He’s so smart.
We’re almost home when I ask Declan to stop so I can go to the bakery at the end of our street and get cupcakes .
“Which ones?” he says to me like I’m twisting his arm to check out the delicious treats in the window.
There’s an array of them, and I’m drawn to the carrot cake ones with the candied ginger cream cheese frosting.
Declan shoots them down.
“Look, Lucie, carrots are fine things to eat, but they belong with the vegetables on the dinner plate. Chocolate and vanilla. Or as a compromise, red velvet.” Then he leans in.
“Callahan likes red velvet.”
I blush.
I can’t help it. Because my mind’s full of me and Callahan in the dress shop, fucking in the dressing room on the red bench.
“Interesting,” he says, looking at me.
“Very interesting.”
“Shut up and buy the cupcakes.”
“Where’s your purse?”
“I didn’t bring it. Don’t worry, Arnold and I will stand right here.”
He mutters something and hands me Clawzilla’s case, which I rest on the ground so Arnold can check on him.
Then he heads into the bakery.
“Miss de Rosa.”
I whirl around, the intruding voice startling me.
“Mikey.”
“Your father told me to find you. I was waiting down the road for you when I spotted you here. He needs you now.”
“I can’t, I’m waiting for?—”
“You have to come.”
And he slides a hand around my arm and drags me off.
Arnold starts barking.
Mikey rushes me into the SUV as Declan comes running out of the store, gun drawn low, phone pressed to one ear.
But Mikey’s already pulling away from the curb and he’s locked the doors .
“Mikey, you know this is kidnapping. Let me out.”
“Lucia,” he says, calling me by my first name, “please be calm. Everything’s going to be all right. I just need to make a call.”
I flop back on the seat, fuming.
Mikey talks low on the phone, but I’m pretty sure I hear him say ‘de Rosa’ and ‘sir’ and ‘Callahan.’
Reporting in to Dad?
But Callahan already spoke to him.
Maybe Dad wants to see I’m okay himself.
Thing is, Dad’s not exactly the warmest man.
But the sooner this is over and done with, the better.
I just wish I had my phone so I could let Callahan know I’m okay and not to hurt Declan.
He wouldn’t seriously hurt his little brother, but he might punch him.
“Mikey, can you call Callahan or ask Dad to? Or even Mom?”
“It’s all fine,” he says.
“And Mrs. de Rosa is on a retreat.”
My fucking parents.
I close my eyes until we reach Queens and I storm into the mansion, searching for Dad.
He’s reading the paper on the sofa in the great room.
And he takes his time acknowledging me.
So I march off to his study where he has his landline.
Of course, I don’t know anyone’s actual phone number apart from my own because they’re all stored in my phone, but I can at least call a cab or a car service.
Dad appears in the doorway, the newspaper tucked under his arm.
“Don’t be tiresome, Lucia. I just wanted to finish my article.”
I slam the phone down, lasering him with a hard glare.
“You had me kidnapped off the street in Manhattan, Dad.”
“Stupid child. ”
Something in me snaps.
I’m sick of being called horrible names, sick of the abuse I’ve taken over the past couple of days.
First that maniac O’Sullivan and now Dad.
I just want to go home.
To my husband.
It doesn’t matter that Callahan doesn’t love me and that it’s just another prison.
It’s a better cage, and maybe one day he’ll love me back.
It’s better than here, with Dad.
Whom I don’t think I like.
I love him. But I don’t like him.
“Don’t say that. I’m not a child and I’m not stupid. You had Mikey take me. Against my will. That’s kidnapping.”
“I had him bring you home because you’re not safe with that Callahan. I tried. I did, but it’s not working. He’s not sharing the avenues he promised me, the riches he said would come my way. And he’s taking advantage of you and of me. He even put you in danger.”
“The man who took me was a monster.”
“ His enemy. You need to choose your family. Callahan has enemies, and that man, the monster, was the one working to bring him down because Callahan took his sister and did horrible things to her. Help me destroy Callahan.”
“Dad…” I stare at him, shaking my head.
Not for one second do I believe any of his bullshit.
“That’s not true. How… how did you even come up with that? If O’Sullivan fed you that story, trust me, he was lying. He wanted revenge on Callahan for an old beef in Ireland and he absolutely was a monster of the worst kind. You have no idea what he did to me.”
“I have a path open, but I need Callahan out of the way. If I hand him over, have him and his family taken out, then we’ll be safe and my power will grow. Help me do that.”
Horror fills me.
“I can’t. I won’t.”
“The Murphys will kill you. I can’t let you leave.”
Callahan won’t stand for this, and I have to talk Dad down from whatever madness this is.
Because there’s one thing I know.
If Dad goes ahead with this insane plan of his, no matter what I do, what side I choose, only one man will walk free and alive.
Dad.
Or Callahan.
And my own father is making me choose.
But it’s not even a choice.
“What’s it going to be, Lucie Joy?”
My father’s cheeks turn red with anger and my knees threaten to give way when his voice hits my ears.
“Callahan,” I breathe out when he appears behind my father.
“Dad’s just scared, he’s got it wrong, he thinks the?—”
“I know what he thinks, don’t I, de Rosa?”
“If I kill you,” Dad says as Callahan pushes past him to get into the study, “I get everything.”
“Try it.”
They both pull their guns and I step right between them.
“We can work something out. No one needs to die,” I shout.
“Move, Lucie,” Callahan says, “Please.”
“See, Dad? He’s a good man.”
But my father laughs.
“She’s obviously not very bright.” He looks at Callahan.
“I went through the contract. Null and void if she chooses me. Null and void if she’s dead.”
“You’re a fucking bastard,” Callahan mutters.
My throat tightens.
“ She is. See, I don’t care what actually happens to this one. If it was my Viviana, then yes, I’d do anything to protect her, but my bitch of a wife fucked one of my rivals and had his spawn. Lucia. Having her around worked for me, gave me something to hold over the man’s head and all that, plus, it was great for controlling the wife. So you have a choice, Murphy. Give me what I want or Lucie’s dead.”
The world sways and I clutch the sides of my head, my stomach churning, blood gurgling with rage.
Holy fuck.
So much makes sense right now.
He’s not my fucking father.