Chapter 13
Thirteen
Luca
Nova comes barreling into me headfirst and then grabs my arm, dragging me out of the hallway and into the closet. The closet is huge, and while it was made for coats and shoes, there’s a nook in the back with a stained-glass window that reaches the courtyard out back.
Natural light shines in through the window, making it so neither of us are literally in the dark.
“Are you okay?” I ask, sensing her dread. I’m just not sure what she’s so worked up about.
“Where’s Harper?” Nova asks, her voice catching in her throat. “I can’t find her anywhere, and last night a lot of shit went down. Do you know what happened? Rhys stood outside my door and wouldn’t let me leave my room.” She’s panicking, and I don’t blame her.
I feel the panic setting in since last night, and the dread still hasn’t gone away yet. I’ll feel better when she’s back home, well, at the very least, back here in the compound.
“She’s out with Mom,” I say.
“Your mom or mine?” Nova asks, her brow pinched as she’s trying to process the information. “And why is she hanging out with one of our mothers?”
“My mom,” I clarify and wince. I’m not sure how much to tell Nova. “Shit got really bad last night.”
“Fuck.” Nova’s eyes shut, and she pinches the bridge of her nose. “I never should have invited her over; that was stupid of me.”
I want to agree with Nova. It is partially her fault we’re in this mess, but I’m not going to place the blame on her. We’re all responsible.
“What’s done is done,” I say. We can’t change the past, no matter how much I wish it were a week ago, or even a few days ago.
“What the hell happened last night? Do you know? I heard a gunshot.”
I stare at her pointedly. “We all heard it. Pretty sure it was Caden who was shot.”
“A fucking capo?” Nova’s jaw drops. “No way. Your dad wouldn’t have ordered him executed.”
“He admitted to Harper that they’re mafia.”
“Holy Hell,” she gasps and paces the length of the closet. “Where’s Harper now?”
“With my mom,” I reiterate. I thought I told her that already, but she’s freaking out, and I’m doing my best to keep myself calm. “Harper wandered into the prison cellar.”
“No fucking way!”
I’d scold her if I didn’t use the same language. “There’s a bigger problem at hand.”
“Bigger than Harper—oh my gosh, is she being held downstairs? No, wait, you said she’s with your mom.” She’s trying desperately to keep up. “How did she end up going from witnessing the prison to hanging out with your mom?”
“You’re going to need to sit down for this.” I gesture to the bench by the window. It’s wooden, not the most comfortable, but it will do.
Uneasily, she sits and clasps her hands together, but she’s fidgeting.
I can feel the nervousness exuding from her, and I’m wracked with the same amount of guilt that Nova must be feeling.
“Harper heard a crying sound and wandered into the basement last night. Turns out my father is holding a little boy hostage.”
“Your father is unbelievable!” Nova jumps up from her seat.
I point for her to sit back down.
“That’s not all of it?”
“Do you think Harper would just go back to bed after that?” I ask.
Nova’s eyes widen as she realizes something worse had to have happened. She waits for me to finish the story.
“Harper tried to escape with the boy. I attempted to help her, but she got caught by the fence line and dragged back here. The worst part, I was ordered to kill her, and Ashton had orders from my father to kill me and her if I didn’t go through with it.”
Nova’s sitting at the edge of the bench, her hands gripping the seat. “You obviously didn’t kill her.”
“She’s fine, mostly,” I say with a heavy breath. “Dante wanted her to kill Caden. She doesn’t have it in her, and I wasn’t going to let her pull the trigger. So, I came up with a solution.”
Nova’s brow furrows. “You came up with a solution?” She’s not convinced. To be honest, I’m becoming less and less convinced of the idea the more I sit with it.
“The two of us marry, I join my father’s business after college, unless I can get drafted by the NHL. Then, after I’m done with hockey, I’m forced to work for him.”
She rests her head in her hands, the weight of everything heavy on her.
“You’re going to marry Harper?”
“I don’t see another choice,” I say. “You know how Dante always rattles on about protecting family. I’m making Harper part of our family.”
Nova slowly lifts her head, glancing at me. “But you’re damning your soul to work for Dante,” she says. “You hate your father. You always swore you’d never become him, never work for him. I know you care about Harper, but maybe there’s another way.”
“I’ll have to make sure I’m drafted into the NHL,” I say. It’s the only answer that gives me the chance of freedom.
“You’re not alone, Luca. We’ll figure this out,” Nova says.
“Thanks.”
“So, why is Harper with your mother?” she asks for the umpteenth time.
“Mom caught wind this morning of our swift engagement. She wants to get to know Harper and is probably doing her own brand of interrogation on her.”
“That’s not great news, considering your mom was the daughter of Gino DeLuca.” He was another mafia boss, now he’s just a corpse.
“Yeah, but Harper doesn’t know that. She didn’t know this place was a mafia compound until Caden used the m word.”
“Mother,” Nova cackles.
“You know what I mean.” I didn’t even want to come back home. I wouldn’t have if it hadn’t been for Nova’s birthday party.
I swallow the blame, it’s mine to endure. I should have woken when Harper climbed out of bed. It was my job to keep her safe, and I failed miserably.
“What are we going to do about this boy?” Nova asks, tilting her head to the side as she stares up at me.
I like that we’re on the same page. The two of us have always been allies under this roof, and while our fathers condone violence, neither of us wants there to be any more bloodshed.
Nova lost her mother and her nanny as a young girl.
I don’t know how she’s come to forgive her father. If Mom had perished, I’d never forgive Dante. Hell, I still don’t forgive him for what I witnessed as a child.
“I can’t ask Dante,” I say and stare at her pointedly. “I can cause another distraction, but there are cameras, and I’m not sure my ruse will work again.”
“I’ll talk to my father as soon as he returns with Harper,” Nova says. “Did we get the boy’s name? Maybe we can do a little reconnaissance and figure out who he belongs to.”
“I did not and Harper didn’t mention it.” I rub the back of my neck. Anxiety pricks at my skin. “I could send an anonymous tip out—”
“And get this place raided?” Nova stands and huffs. “You could get all of us killed!”
The closet door swings open unannounced, and Dante stares at the two of us having our little secretive meeting.
How much did he hear? I know better than to ask, but it weighs heavily on me.
“Nothing goes unnoticed under my roof,” Dante says, his voice chill as he gestures for us to exit the closet.
Nova hurries past me, knowing not to upset the don.
I take my time, stopping at the entrance to the hallway, and stare into his icy cold gaze. “I may be forced to work for you, but I’ll never trust you,” I seethe.
Dante doesn’t so much as flinch. “I can live with your hatred, son. I’ve done so for years. Your fiancée will be home any minute. Might I suggest you focus on that instead of whatever else you two were scheming.”
I huff under my breath and brush past him, stepping out into the hallway.
At least he doesn’t know what we were discussing. If he did, he’d probably throw me down into the prison cell with that child.
I ignore Dante, stalking down the hallway. Nova already hurried off, probably keeping out of my father’s way. I don’t blame her, she’s smart. Besides, she’s still living under his roof until graduation in a few weeks.
He digs into his jacket pocket, retrieving his phone, and glances at the screen. I can tell he’s tracking Mom with his app, and I roll my eyes, heading for the kitchen.
I’ve barely had anything to eat today, my stomach doing somersaults after last night, but maybe a cup of coffee will at least keep the impending headache at bay.
I know my way around the kitchen, and while they have a personal chef, I prefer to do things on my own, my own way.
A few minutes later, I hear the commotion from the hallway as Mom and Harper join us back inside the compound.
I breathe a sigh of relief, not because I worried Mom would do anything to Harper, but Moreno was with them. The coffee is just about ready, but it’ll have to wait. I hurry to check on Harper, wrapping my arms instantly around her waist.
She leans into my embrace, exhaling softly like she’d been holding her breath the entire day. I know better than to ask if she’s doing okay. She begins to unbutton her coat, and I pause my hands over hers. “How about we take a walk?” I suggest, wanting the cover of privacy to talk.
“Oh, okay.” Harper nods agreeably, and I slip on my coat and shoes, accompanying her out the back door into the yard. While there are cameras outside, they don’t pick up on any sound.
I hold her hand as we walk, unwilling to let her go. I need to feel her to know that she’s truly safe.
“How’d lunch and the spa with Mom go?” I ask.
“We only did lunch,” Harper says. A heavy breath of air rushes out of her lungs.
“That well, huh?” I can sense her frustration.
We walk alongside one another through the yard and into the forest, where it at least feels peaceful. I know it’s anything but that—last night she was running through here trying to escape with the child.
“Your mom seems nice, but I don’t know—Moreno was with us the entire time. It definitely felt like he was there to make sure I didn’t say anything to your mom about last night.”
I tug her hand and stop walking. “I’m sure Mom knew what was going on.”
Harper stares at me, confused. “How?”
“He probably told her,” I say. “There’s no way that she didn’t hear the gunshot last night or the men storming the compound. Nova woke up, they had a guard outside her door.”
“Oh,” Harper whispers, her eyes wide. “Do you think—was it a test?” Her cheeks burn, and I can only hope that if it was, she passed it.
“Tell me what happened.”
She recounts to me the events of the lunch, how my mother asked about us. None of it seems suspicious until she admits that Mom came to check on her in the bathroom when she couldn’t eat lunch.
“I swear I didn’t mention the little boy,” Harper whispers. “I almost did, but I thought better of it.”
“Good.”
“What did you tell her?” I ask.
“That I was having a panic attack and was overwhelmed. Not a lie.”
My heart aches hearing what Harper is going through.
I pull her tighter, closer, wrapping my arms around her.
Her damn coat is in the way, but I don’t care.
My fingers move to her cheek, caressing the soft skin as I run my fingers into her hair, pulling her lips closer to mine. “We’re in this together,” I whisper.
She shivers and smiles weakly. “Yeah, I know.”
“Let’s get you back inside if you’re cold.”
I escort her back into the house. It’s several degrees warmer, and already I’m sweating from the sudden flux in temperature.
I strip out of my jacket and shoes, Harper doing the same.
We waltz past the kitchen, and I pause when I hear Nova’s voice and catch the back of Moreno’s head as we’re heading in their direction. They’re standing several doors down, and I yank Harper with me into the open bathroom, not wanting to interrupt them.
I hold a finger over my lips, gesturing to remain quiet and still.
“Since when are you in the business of kidnapping children?” Nova asks, glaring at her father.