30. Luka
30
LUKA
L ucia’s father isn’t quite what I imagined.
At least twenty guns aim at me as I step toward the waiting army, one man in front of the rest. He’s the only one without a weapon in sight, and I can only guess he’s Ricardo Valdez.
I pictured him taller. And older. His hair is as black as Lucia’s without a gray hair in sight, and his clean-shaven face must make him appear youthful because I wouldn’t guess he was a day over fifty.
I tower over him as I approach and give a nod I hope is respectful instead of curt. “Senor Valdez, I presume?” When he says nothing, I hold out my hand. “Luka Alekseev. We spoke on the phone.”
His eyes dip to my hand before meeting my face. “The other one assured me he was retrieving my daughter.”
I nod and drop my hand. “She’s inside. She’ll be out any minute.”
“Has she been hurt?” His eyes lower to my shoulder where blood has soaked my shirt. It hurts like a bitch, but I’m careful not to show it. Careful not to appear weak in front of this man.
“I don’t know, sir.”
“You don’t know?” His eyebrow raises. “Over the phone, you proclaimed your love for her, but you didn’t bother to see if she was okay?”
“She didn’t answer when I asked if she was okay, and I didn’t press. I noticed her cheek is bruised, but she’s standing fine, sir.”
“Hm.” His lips pucker as he looks me up and down. I can read his thoughts, feel the disdain seeping from him. He doesn’t think I’m good enough. He’s right.
“Luka!”
I unwind at the sound of Lucia’s voice but don’t turn my back on her father. When she reaches us, she throws her arms around me. I hug her back, but as seconds pass, it feels like she’s shielding me more than she is embracing me.
Ricardo clears his throat.
Lucia pulls back and turns toward him, standing squarely between us. “Papá,” she exclaims, not stepping an inch away from me. I wonder if it’s as obvious to him what she’s doing as it is to me. She presses a hand over her mouth and shakes her head as she cries.
He steps forward and wraps his arms around her while she clings to his chest. “I was so scared.”
He speaks back to her in Spanish, rubbing her back.
“They had planned to kill me just before Luka arrived. If he’d been a few minutes later, I’d be dead.” She pulls back to look up at her father. “He saved my life, Papá.”
Footsteps sound behind me, and a glance shows Vitaly leading Mendoza our way.
Ricardo’s face reddens as his hands slide from Lucia. “Where is the other one?” he growls at Vitaly. “I wanted my daughter’s kidnapper alive . That was our deal. Two lives for one. Where is he ?”
Vitaly shoves Mendoza to the ground where several men form a semi-circle around him, their guns keeping him locked in place while he spits and mutters.
I watch Vitaly hoping the question is obvious in my expression, but he doesn’t look at me anyways.
Two lives for one?
Vitaly made a deal? For me ?
“Sorry,” he says, stepping up to us. “I couldn’t make it happen. He’s dead.”
“What?!”
“I killed Mario, Papá,” Lucia says, raising her chin as she speaks. I just blink at her.
She killed him?
Bullshit .
“He was my enemy, therefore, my kill.” She waves her hand toward Mendoza. “Here is yours. Justice has been served, now can we please go home ?”
He scoffs before glaring at me. Several moments pass while he seems to make up his mind. “I should kill you,” he says with so much disgust I think he might spit his bitterness at my feet. “I’m a family man, Mr. Alekseev. My daughters mean everything to me, and you ruined one of my best. I should hang your entire family by your toes for what you’ve done.” He glances at Vitaly before letting out a heavy breath. “But I do not want another war.”
I turn to Vitaly, my jaw loosening.
Did he threaten a war with the cartel for me?
Once the question forms, I know the answer. It’s even clearer when he meets my eyes, his blank face softening for just a moment as he gives the slightest nod of recognition.
My chest tightens. My lungs constrict.
I turn back to Lucia only as she screams at a man throwing her over his shoulder. “No, wait! Stop! Luka!”
Men gather Mendoza and lead him away, along with Lucia while she calls my name.
Ricardo turns, and I take a step toward Lucia, but Vitaly puts a hand on my shoulder to stop me. “Let her go,” he says. “You’re both alive. That’s enough.”
“I love you!” she screams. “I love you, Luka!”
I close my eyes as a breath shudders out of me. I’ve been waiting to hear those words. Now they just sound painful. They fucking break me.
“Wait,” I yell, striding toward Ricardo. “ Wait .”
He pauses and turns, his face an angry mask.
“Let me marry her,” I say, breathless with desperation. I’d fall to my knees if I wasn’t certain it’d make me look weak. “You said it yourself—she’s ruined. Let me marry her. I’ll work for you. We’ll live in your compound. Whatever you want, just please, let me make this right.”
“You can’t make it right.”
“I love her,” I say, though I’ve said it already. “No one will ever care for her as much as I do. I will protect her with my life until the day that I die. You have my word.”
He steps up close to me, so close I can smell the cigar on his breath. “ No .”
The finality in his voice makes my shoulders sag. I blink, searching for more proposals, but I find none. Then I hear my sister’s voice.
“You’re a fool, Senor Valdez.”
Both our heads turn to look at her as she approaches, two of our soldiers lagging behind her. The car they must’ve come in is parked in the distance.
Her chin is obnoxiously raised, per usual, as she approaches, and she exudes a confidence I’ve resented for years. Now I watch closely in awe.
“Luka is the brother of the Petrov Bratva’s Pakhan, a leader who controls all of Las Vegas and holds ties to Russian organizations across the country. We have resources in this country you can’t touch, and if I’m not mistaken, you don’t even have a US base. Your rival was miles ahead of you.”
Ricardo’s chest puffs, but Mila goes on before he can erupt.
“You are a fool not to see the opportunity that this match presents.”
He deflates slightly and flexes his jaw. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying this marriage unites our families. Imagine the power we could give each other as allies.”
“Allies?” he scoffs, but I can tell he’s thinking about it.
“Let me put it another way.” She steps closer and lowers her voice. “What else are you going to do with a daughter whose hymen has been broken by a Russian ? This can be an opportunity or a tragedy. Choose.”
He stares down my sister, his lips puckered, his eyes narrowed. For a moment, I think he’ll tell her to go to hell or worse, he’ll demand punishment for the disrespect, but no, he truly is considering the offer.
Lucia would be heartbroken if she realized just how little she meant to this man. This isn’t love. This is sick.
After a minute, he sucks in a deep inhale and shouts behind him in Spanish. His men have made it to their SUVs, but at his words, they open the back door to one and let Lucia come out. They hold her back when she tries to come this way.
He meets my eyes. “If you harm one hair on her head, I will kill you. If anyone else harms one hair on her head while she is in your care, I will kill you. Is that understood?
My lungs release a breath as I nod, lost for words. What should I say? Thank you ? He glares at Mila before turning and walking toward Lucia.
“He’s going for it,” I say, my voice nothing but a weak whisper. “How did you know…?”
“Her papa isn’t so different from ours.”
I face her, taking in her sad, almost wounded expression.
She knew because she’s lived this.
“Mi, I… I don’t know what to say.”
She shrugs and steps the rest of the way to me, concerned eyes going to my shoulder. “Say nothing, big brother. Go get your girl.”
I nod and stumble a few steps toward Lucia before backtracking and wrapping my good arm around Mila’s back. She tenses like this is the first hug we’ve ever had, and I think it actually might be. Slowly, she hugs me back, her embrace tightening as the awkwardness fades.
“You’re forgivable, Luka. You’re forgivable and lovable, and no matter what happens, we’re family. Promise me you’ll remember that tomorrow.”
I give one last squeeze before letting go. “I promise.”
When she smiles encouragingly and nods, I turn and head toward Lucia, my shoulder protesting every movement, but the pain feels negligible when she meets me halfway and throws herself into my arms.
I kiss her with my hand cupping her face and try not to show how weak I feel inside. But it’s happiness and relief making me feel that way. I’ve never felt so relieved in my life.
“I love you, Luka,” she says after ripping away from my mouth. She stares into my eyes with such an intensity that it makes me feel like these are the most important words she’s ever spoken.
I nod. “I know. I heard.”
Her smile brightens when I lift my lips into a teasing grin, but it vanishes when her lips crash to mine. When she pulls back again, she’s animated with excitement. Behind her, the SUVs pull away.
“He’s letting me marry you. He—he’s letting me stay here . What did you say?” she asks, her voice nearly a gleeful laugh.
I don’t dare ruin it.
I open my mouth, thinking up what I promise myself will be the last lie I will ever tell Lucia. It makes me think of our first night at the mansion, when she demanded my honesty. It was so important to her then, and ever since, I’ve told nothing but the truth to her. Because, to Lucia, truth is respect, and I felt compelled to give it to her.
But this is not the time for respect. This is the time for love. Sometimes the most selfless gift you can give to a person is a lie.
I shrug. “It was Mila actually. She told him what it was like growing up in societies like ours, and he empathized with her… All of this may be hard for him to understand, but his bottom line is for you to be safe and happy.”
She considers that for a moment before smiling and lifting onto her toes to kiss me. It’s minutes before our kiss breaks this time, but it still feels too soon. The only thing that eases the wanting inside of me is knowing that these are the lips I get to kiss for the rest of my life.
I can live with that.