24. Lucia
24
LUCIA
I pull up to the Starbucks a few minutes later, Raffaele sitting silently in the passenger seat beside me. His quietness has persisted throughout the drive, but I haven’t made any attempts to draw him into conversation. As I steer into the drive-thru lane, a sense of hopeful anticipation begins to build, only to have my heart sink when we are met with an unexpected sight: a piece of paper hastily taped to the ordering board— CLOSED DUE TO TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES.
“Guess we’re going inside,” I mutter begrudgingly as I find a parking spot. “Do you have to come in with me?”
Raffaele nods once, unbuckling his seatbelt without a word.
I’m not sure why I even asked; of course, he has to come in with me. Saverio probably has him on a short leash, just like the one he’s trying to keep me on.
We walk into Starbucks together, and I head straight for the line, my feet moving almost on autopilot. The familiar scent of freshly brewed coffee wafts through the air, but it does little to soothe my frayed nerves. Raffaele stands next to me, his imposing presence casting a shadow that intimidates the two kids in front of us, who glance nervously over their shoulders. I shift my weight from one foot to the other, trying to fill the silence between us. “Do you even talk?” I ask, half-joking, hoping to coax a response from the stoic figure beside me.
“Of course,” he nods his head. “I can sing, too.”
Despite my anger, I crack a smile. “You brought a suitcase with you. Does that mean you’re staying at my house?”
“For the time being. Saverio mentioned you had a guest room I could stay in,” he replies with a hint of casualness. It doesn’t surprise me that Saverio would offer him a place to stay at my house; after all, he’s always been one to lend a hand to those in need. Still, it’s frustrating that I wasn’t given the chance to weigh in on this decision.
As we move forward in line, the door opens, and a gust of wind blows in. I glance back, startled to see my twin brother walking in. He spots me immediately, and his features furrow in confusion as he beelines straight toward me. “Lucia?” He asks as if he can’t believe his eyes. “What are you still doing here? I thought you were going home after dinner last night.”
My heart skips a beat as I scramble for an explanation. “Oh, uh… I ended up spending the night with a friend,” I lie, trying to sound casual as I breeze past the details. “You know how it is. We were catching up, drinking wine, then we lost track of time…”
We shuffle forward in line, and out of the corner of my eye, I see Luciano’s expression shift as he notices Raffaele moving up beside me. His eyebrows knit together as suspicion creeps into his gaze. “Who’s this?” He asks, jabbing a finger toward Raffaele.
I’d forgotten about him for a minute. I force myself to smile and tell Luciano, “It’s complicated,” because the truth would take too long to explain.
My brother’s frown deepens, and before I can stop him, he shoves a finger into Raffaele’s chest. Raffaele, who’s of average height but built like a slab of cement. “Who are you? What are you doing following my sister?”
“Luciano,” I hiss, grabbing his hand and pulling it away from Raffaele before he upsets the bodyguard. “Stop.” But my brother doesn’t back down, his protective instincts kicking into high gear.
Raffaele doesn’t flinch, his expression remaining stoic and unyielding as he shifts his gaze from me to Luciano. “We’ve met before,” he states flatly. His voice is devoid of emotion, a chilling neutrality that hangs in the air, making the already tense moment even more uncomfortable.
My brother’s eyes narrow, and I can see the wheels turning in his head as he tries to place Raffaele. It takes a moment, but when recognition dawns on him, his gaze snaps to me, sharp and questioning. “He works for Saverio, doesn’t he?”
I groan inwardly, cursing Saverio and his over-the-top need for control. “It’s nothing, Luc,” I say quickly, trying to brush off his concerns. “Saverio just wants to make sure that I’m safe.” It’s a lie cobbled together with half-truths—Saverio wants to keep me safe, alright—safe from myself.
Luciano’s expression softens just a fraction. His voice drops to a worried whisper as he leans closer, the distance between us shrinking. “Is it the stalker? Is he back?”
I stiffen, darting an anxious glance at Raffaele. With any luck, he missed that comment. I deliberately withheld those details from Saverio, dreading he’d either try to move in with me or do precisely what he’s doing now: forcing me to live with a bodyguard. “No,” I shake my head quickly, “it’s not that. Saverio’s just… worried… about me being alone in Topeka.” That’s a reasonable fear all of my brothers have; Topeka isn’t known for being the safest city in Kansas. “Until we get married, he wants me to keep Raffaele around. To keep an eye on things,” I lie effortlessly; I’m becoming disturbingly adept at spontaneous deception.
Luciano’s jaw tightens, and he turns back to Raffaele. He tries to catch the man’s eye, but Raffaele stares straight ahead. “I don’t like this, but I guess if you’re okay with it, there’s nothing I can do.”
The last thing I want is for my brother to be dragged into this mess. I nod at Luciano, telling him I’m more than okay with it. “In fact, I appreciate it. Sometimes in winter, when I stay late at school, walking back to my car in the dark can be a little scary,” I make up.
My brother studies me for a long moment, his gaze searching mine for any sign that I’m lying. His dark eyes bore into me, probing for even the slightest flicker of hesitation. When he doesn’t find one, he nods, but I can tell he’s not entirely convinced. After what feels like an eternity, he finally looks away, but the tension in his shoulders tells me this conversation is far from over. “Alright,” he says, his voice softening. “But if anything changes, you call me. If your stalker comes back, if this guy ,” Luciano gestures to Raffaele, “is too much, you tell me, and I’ll come kick his ass. Got it?”
“Got it,” I reply, managing a smile. “Get a cup of coffee with us. My treat.”
As we move up to the counter, a feeling of dread settles in my stomach. Saverio’s control is suffocating, and now, with Raffaele shadowing my every move, it’s only going to get worse. But as long as my brothers are none the wiser, I can figure a way out of this tangled web I find myself in.