17. Luca
LUCA
Dear Diary,
Apparently, I’m expanding the family business into sports crime now. Diversification is important, I guess.
Istopped in at my father’s office after we got back to the house and knocked on his door. Waited for the obligatory “enter” to be called out, then pushed my way inside.
My uncle, Enzo, sat across from him, papers spread out everywhere on the desk between them. Neither of them bothered to acknowledge me.
I spoke anyway, not interested in playing their power games. “I just wanted to let you know I’ve made Lynx coach of the hockey team you gave me.”
That got their attention. Both men paused and looked up at me.
“You fired Coach Buckle?” Enzo asked.
I nodded. “I did.”
Enzo shrugged and went back to his paperwork. “I’m sure that went down well.”
“About as well as a lead balloon.”
My father eyed me from across the desk. “So you’ve stolen my newest employee then?”
I shrugged. “Wouldn’t say stolen. He’s still yours all for but two hours a couple times a week for training. You’ll be pleased to know his first objection was that he already had a job. Your princess will just need a new guard for those couple of hours.”
“She’s my fiancée, Luca.”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. “Yeah, sure. Whatever.”
Enzo sat back and studied me. “Why have you got your panties in a twist over her?”
“Why?” I asked, voice dripping with incredulity. “Because she’s a fucking Matish, and you welcomed her right in with open arms like her father isn’t likely to stab you in the back at any minute.”
“You don’t trust her,” Enzo said, stating the obvious.
“Why the hell would I? Why do you?”
My father sighed heavily. “Of course we don’t trust her. But we also aren’t telling her anything to report back.” He stared at me. “Are you?”
“No.”
My father nodded. “Not that she has any way of contacting anyone anyway.”
I paused at that. “What does that mean? You aren’t letting her speak to her parents?”
“I’m not an idiot, son. Even though we might not be telling her anything, there might be things she picks up on, just from being in this house. She can’t have any contact with her family. Her father agreed to this when he gave her to me.”
“What about her friends?”
“She’ll make new ones.”
The words “of my choosing” hung unspoken in the air.
It was the exact same thing he’d done to Isabella. Kept her in a prison made of gold walls. It made me sick to my stomach. “Does Nyah know any of this?” I asked.
My father raised one shoulder in a shrug. “She’ll see her family at the wedding.”
“And then, what? Never again? She’ll just be kept in some ivory tower, only brought out to be paraded around on your arm when it suits you to have a younger, beautiful trophy wife?”
My father narrowed his eyes at me. “You think my fiancée is beautiful, Luca?”
I should have tread lightly. Thought about my response. But instead, I blurted out exactly what I’d thought ever since I’d laid eyes on her naked in my bed. “She’s fucking gorgeous.”
Enzo went stiff beside me, and I waited for it as well. My father was a jealous creature. I’d seen it with all of his wives. The way they couldn’t so much as look at another man without him losing his shit.
And I’d basically just said his fourth wife was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.
Eh. It had been nice having a head. I was sure mine was about to roll.
But my father nodded, a pleased smile spreading across his expression. “Good.”
Good? What the fuck did that mean?
I needed to get out of this room. But I knew better than to try to leave without being dismissed.
My father picked up his pen again, tapping it on the desk. “I want you to take me to the street fights.”
I raised an eyebrow at the sudden change of topic. “Why would you want to go there? They’re in Saint View. They’re mostly just thugs brawling. Not exactly your scene.”
“You might have noticed, what with the hockey team you’re taking care of, I’m moving the business in new directions.”
“You’re telling me you suddenly have an interest in sports? Even though for pretty much my entire life, you told me I couldn’t play football because football players were Neanderthals with probable brain damage.”
He smiled a little at that. “And didn’t I do you a favor? Your nose isn’t crooked. You’re intelligent enough to hold a conversation with. You have all your teeth…more than I can say for most football players.”
This was exactly why I had never told my father about the times I’d put myself in a boxing ring. Because he’d never approved of anything I did, really. Not the businesses I’d started. Not the sports I’d played.
Not the men I’d dated…not that I’d ever given him a chance to have an opinion on them. Because I’d known exactly what it would be.
Me being into men would have been seen as a weakness. My father’s circles were mostly rich older men, of the generation where my sexuality had been presumed from birth.
I would marry a woman.
It didn’t matter which one. They weren’t important enough for that to be a consideration. She would be someone my father chose; in the same way he chose his own brides. Each one picked for what her family could bring to his empire.
Me being married off to someone’s son had never been a consideration.
So I’d hidden the fact I was into guys for as long as I could remember.
It was easy enough to do. All my hookups had been one-night things. I’d never had any interest in a real relationship, because what was the point when it couldn’t last?
One night was all it took with someone to erase the itch.
Until it came back.
That itch had been sitting forefront in my mind ever since Lynx had walked into my life.
I seriously needed to fuck him. Get it out of my system so I could move on to the next person.
And yet, when I thought about fucking Lynx, Nyah was there too.
The three of us, naked in my bedroom, her smaller body writhing between mine and his.
Enzo clicked his fingers in front of my face.
I blinked. “What?”
“Your father asked you a question.”
I hadn’t heard it.
Dad didn’t seem at all pleased to have to repeat it. “I asked you when we’ll be going to the next fight.”
“Oh.” I shook my head, trying to clear it of the thoughts I’d been having about my father’s fiancée and her bodyguard. “Uh, I think there’s one on Friday night. I’ll find out.”
Carlos nodded. “See to it that you do. I have plans, Luca. Expanding our reach into sports and match fixing and gambling.”
And there it was. There was always some sort of illegal element to my father’s interests.
He could never do anything completely on the up and up.
I didn’t know what it was about him that craved that element of danger, but it had to be one of two things.
He was numb inside and it was the only way he could feel anything at all.
Or, more likely, he was so fucking arrogant he assumed he’d never get caught.
I stood and moved toward the door. “It’ll be a fun daddy-son bonding session. I can’t wait.”
His gaze followed me all the way across the room. I didn’t need to see it; I could feel it burning a hole in my back.
“Oh, and Luca,” he called right as I hit the doorway.
I stopped and turned around. “Yes?”
“Keep your eyes off my woman. She might be beautiful. But she isn’t yours.”