16. Lucy
Lucy
I fully intend to stick around the house and follow all the rules. My conversation with Adriano keeps running through my head. The smell of blood on him. The tired, haggard look in his eyes. The way he stared at me with a strange, impossible-to-ignore hunger.
That man is dangerous. And for some reason, I’m drawn to him, like a moth trying to burn itself on a flame.
Except Kennedy invites me to a trendy bar near Adriano’s place, and I feel my heart flutter in my chest. Despite what she said, I keep assuming she’s going to disappear from my life like everyone else has over the years.
I tell her I’ll be there and hurry to get dressed. It’s around five in the evening on a Thursday, and I figure this won’t be that big of a deal. What assassin is hanging around chic gastropubs during happy hour? People only get murdered after sundown.
I leave a note for Luca, though, thinking it’ll cover my bases, before sneaking out the back. I hurry through the side gate and make my way four blocks to a cute little place called Moonlight, tucked between a comic book shop and a used bookstore.
There aren’t too many people drinking this early. Most of them are in business casual outfits like they’re straight from the office. I find Kennedy sitting at the bar with a big teal drink in front of her and one already waiting for me.
I’m weirdly nervous. But as soon as she turns and smiles, it’s like my world brightens. She hops down from her stool and gives me a big hug. “God, it’s weird not seeing you every day,” she admits.
“How’s the house going without me?”
“Oh, the usual. Helena’s been twice as awful since you left.” Kennedy makes a face. “I’m not sure how long I’m going to last, if I’m honest.”
Another swirl of nervous energy. But it doesn’t matter if she quits. I don’t live there anymore, and she’s not my employee.
We’re just friends. This is normal, regular friend stuff.
“You could always come work at Adriano’s place,” I say, sort of joking, but also desperate to have our old relationship back.
She just laughs, though. “Come on, do you really want that?”
“I miss seeing you every day too.”
“Yeah, totally, but you don’t need me hanging around. Besides, does Adriano have much of a staff?”
“Not really,” I admit. “Unless you count a bunch of hulking, dangerous guards as staff .”
“Which I don’t.” Kennedy nudges my drink toward me. “Come on, be happy you escaped your grandmother’s clutches.”
“I don’t feel like I have much to be happy about right now. You know, the whole car bombing at my wedding thing?”
Kennedy flinches a little. “I’ve been trying to forget that.”
“Yeah, same. How’s that going?”
“Not great.”
“Also same.” I lean against her, and my anxiety slowly melts away. This feels so completely normal. There’s no strain, no awkwardness. We’re just friends. Normal friends, without any hang-ups around money or social standing or anything like that.
Although I’m aware of people looking in our direction.
Moonlight’s popular right now, which means a lot of Philly’s society people show up here.
I recognize one guy sitting at a corner table in the usual finance bro costume: long sleeve button-down with a Patagonia black vest over it.
He’s a minor son from some secondary family or whatever, but he definitely recognizes me.
I’m self-conscious, stepping back into this world. I’ve been out of it for so long, but now my marriage to Adriano is enormous news. And it doesn’t help that our wedding is currently the most notorious social event of the last decade on account of the attack.
Still, it’s good to be out with a friend. Kennedy complains about the rest of the Willing-Morris staff and my grandmother in particular, and I tell her a little about living at the Marino Mansion.
“His dad’s really that sick?” she asks, frowning sympathetically.
“He doesn’t like to talk about it, but yeah, I think he doesn’t really come out of his room. I haven’t actually met him yet, so I don’t know all the details.”
“Hold on. You live with this guy, and you haven’t met him?”
“It’s a really big house, and he honestly never comes out of his suite. I met his nurse though. She’s like the housekeeper too.” I tell her a little about Donatella, the only person at the mansion who I actually like. Although some of the guards aren’t too bad.
“God, that’s so bleak.” Kennedy stares at her drink. “Imagine living in a house with your sick father and never talking about it.”
“Honestly, sounds about normal for my world.”
“That’s true. You rich people are all—” She rolls a finger at her head.
“More money, more problems.”
“More like: more money, more dark hidden secrets.”
“Oh, come on, my family doesn’t have dark secrets.”
Her eyebrows raise to her hairline. “Are you serious right now?”
“What? We’re almost normal!”
She cracks up, shaking her head. I grin at her and sip my drink. It’s fruity and strong, and by the time I finish it and consider a second, I feel pleasantly tipsy.
Kennedy takes control of the conversation, and I feel normal for a little while.
Sure, some society assholes are hanging around and watching us like hawks, but I don’t care about them.
I’m out with a friend having a drink like a normal, regular person, and I’m ready to put all my problems behind me.
No more family shame. No more social outcast status.
Just a married woman doing her own thing.
Until a shadow lands across the bar, and Kennedy’s face turns pale.
“Uh, Lucy?” She nods at the person lurking behind me.
Slowly, I turn to face my husband.
Adriano stares at me with the coldest expression I’ve ever seen on a person. He’s looking at me like he wants to turn me into an ice cube.
“Hello, husband,” I say with false cheer. “Lovely to see you. What brings you to this bar, of all places?”
His eye twitches. “Time to go,” he says.
“Oh, don’t be rude.” My smile gets sharp. I feel a rumble of anger in my chest. “You remember Kennedy from the wedding?”
Kennedy waves awkwardly. “Nice to see you again, Adriano.”
He doesn’t even look in her direction. “You know the rules,” he says, practically breathing snow in my face.
“I left a note.” I raise my chin defiantly. “Wasn’t that your whole thing? Tell Luca before I leave?”
His jaw ticks. I can tell his facade is cracking. “It’s time to go home now, wife,” he says through his teeth.
“Why don’t you sit down and join us?” I gesture at the empty stool to my right.
“Uhhhh, while this looks totally normal and fun, I think I’m just going to head home.” Kennedy starts to stand.
“Stay,” I say sharply to her.
She sinks back down. “I don’t want to be a part of your fight,” she whispers.
Adriano comes closer. The big, beautiful monster is inches from me.
He’s practically melting now. I can see the rage breaking through his carefully composed facade, and I thrill at it.
I like having power over him. I can piss him off so easily and push his buttons nice and hard.
I’m very aware that it’s an extremely dangerous game to play, but I can’t help myself.
There’s a thrill in my stomach, and my heart’s beating fast. I’ve never felt so close to danger before, but also so extremely alive.
“You know it isn’t safe for you here right now,” he says quietly. “Come home with me.”
“Maybe I like that it isn’t safe.” I lean closer to him and put a hand on his leg.
He stares at me with pure molten fire.
And Kennedy jumps up again. “Okay, this was something, but I’m out of here. I’ll talk to you later, Lucy!”
I feel bad, but I let her go. She hurries off while I stare my husband down. He looks right back, holding my gaze, expression burning with pure lust in his eyes. For some reason, I think he likes my defiance as much as I do.
“People are looking, you know,” I say quietly.
“Let them. I don’t give a fuck.”
“They’re my people. There are going to be rumors.”
“Good. Let them talk all they want.” He leans in closer. One hand moves to the back of my head. “You disobeyed me, little wife. We both know that note was bullshit. Now I’m going to take you back home to where it’s safe, and I’m going to punish you until you understand your place.”
“My place?” I say and gasp as he grips my hair. “Sounds like some egotistical macho trash. Now let me go, you’re embarrassing me.”
“You don’t give a shit about these people,” he whispers, moving closer. “We both know they don’t matter.”
I feel eyes on me, but their weight seems muted. All my life, I’ve cared about what my social betters thought of me and my family. It crushed me when I lost all my friends and became a pariah, and I feel like I’m still ruined by what happened.
But for some reason, with my focus entirely on Adriano, the sting is less severe. The memory of those years is muted and dull, like it’s all gone into black and white after living in my head in pure color for so long.
I gaze into his eyes, and I hate him for being so controlling and possessive, but I want him to crush me all the same.
“What does matter then?” I ask him.
His grip tightens. “Getting you home. Getting you punished . Now stand up, my little wife.” His lips curl into a smirk. “You wouldn’t want to make a scene.”
With a racing heart, I slowly obey. Not because I’m worried about the rumors or what any of these people think—but because I want this man.
I want my husband.
More than I’ve ever wanted before.