Chapter 19 NORA
NORA
Three days ago, Dino and I nearly got wiped off the road. My ribs still throb from hitting the dashboard, and every loud exhaust pipe in the driveway makes my pulse jump into my throat.
Luca keeps claiming this estate is impenetrable, but sitting alone in his guest wing with nothing except my racing thoughts was driving me out of my mind.
So yesterday afternoon, while Luca was down in the motor pool, I snuck into the library, grabbed an encrypted burner phone Matteo keeps hidden behind the encyclopedias, and locked myself in the adjoining washroom.
My fingers shook so hard on the keys I dialed twice before the line connected across the continent to North London.
"Blake residence," my mother’s voice chirped through the tiny speaker, accompanied by the familiar clatter of keys on her vintage typewriter. "If this is the dry cleaner, Oliver swore the stains were red wine, not stage blood."
"Mum," I breathed out, leaning my forehead against the cool marble tile. Just the sound of her voice felt like a glass of ice water in the desert.
"Nora Elizabeth!" she gasped, keys clattering to an abrupt halt. "Oliver! Put the duck down, our daughter has finally surfaced! Where on earth have you been for months? Did that Zurich paper tycoon finally stop screaming at his board?"
"Months without a single roast dinner," Dad’s booming baritone drifted from the background, punctuated by a wooden spoon striking an enamel stockpot.
"I’ve had to feed your portion of Yorkshire pudding to the neighbor's golden retriever, Nora.
The dog is getting chubby and you are neglecting your family duties! "
I let out a shaky, wet laugh, biting down on my thumb to keep my composure steady. "Zurich was messy, Mum. Lots of non-disclosure agreements. Terrible cellular coverage out here."
"Well, you sound hoarse," Mum diagnosed instantly, her keen writer's radar zeroing in through three thousand miles of copper wire.
"Are you sleeping properly? Did you catch that dreadful Nordic chill?
Or did some billionaire client try to cheat you out of your retainer again?
Because if they did, I will write them into chapter six and give them a very embarrassing bout of food poisoning. "
"Nobody cheated me, Mum. Just long hours," I lied smoothly, smoothing a hand over my bruised ribs. "And too much black coffee."
"Nora, listen to me," Dad cut in, his voice closer now as he clearly took the handset from her.
"I perfected the cherry reduction sauce yesterday. If you are back in London by Friday, I will roast the beef rare and we can argue about your mother’s ridiculous poison plotline.
She wants to use hemlock in a lemon tart.
Hemlock! In pastry! It is an culinary insult. "
"It is historically accurate, Oliver!" Mum shouted from across the kitchen.
"I have to wrap up a few loose ends here first, Dad," I managed, swallowing the thick lump lodged in my throat. "The contracts are taking longer than planned. But I'll be home soon. I promise."
"Drink some tea with honey," Dad instructed tenderly. "And wear a scarf. You work too hard, sweetheart."
"I will. Love you both."
I cut the call before they could notice my voice cracking, erased the log, and tucked the phone back where Matteo wouldn't notice.
Calling them made the danger feel ten times heavier, but it also reminded me why I refuse to sit around like some helpless ornament waiting for Vincenzo Bellini to strike again.
Which is exactly how I ended up here tonight: cornering Luca in his private study, refusing to leave until he dragged out the surveillance drives and bank ledgers so we can track down the mole who leaked our route.
Being trapped in Luca's private office with stacks of security logs and financial records doesn't feel like an assignment. It feels like an endurance match.
I slump into the big leather chair across from his desk like I own the place. "You check the bank papers. I'll watch the video. I've got better eyes. Plus, I look better solving crimes."
Luca slides a thick leather folder across the mahogany with two deliberate fingers, his gaze fixed on the dual monitors. "You handle both. I supervise."
"Supervise. Sure." I yank the folder toward me across the polished wood. "Does that mean you get to stand there looking pretty while I do all the actual work? Because you look very scary right now. A real tough guy."
He turns a page without looking up. "Just do the job, Blake. These numbers won't read themselves."
I drop my chin into my hand, resting my elbows right on his clean desk. "I am doing the job. I'm watching your jaw twitch every time I speak. It's funny. You look like an angry statue."
His pen stops on the paper. He sets it down very carefully, as if he might break it in two if he squeezes any harder. "Someone walked past the east fence. Look at that part first."
"East fence. Got it." I swing the monitor toward me and scroll back through the recorded time logs. "You know, if you just wanted to hang out with me alone for three hours, you could have asked nicely. We could have had wine. Less paperwork."
He gets up from his leather chair and walks around the desk, stopping right behind me until I can feel the heat coming off his clothes. "Look at two in the morning."
I rewind the video. A dark shape slips right past the outside fence, walking easily like he knows where the cameras can't see him.
"Well, look at that. Someone knows where to hide.
" I tilt my head back to look straight into his face.
"Your fancy cologne smells way too good, you know. It's annoying."
Luca lets out a slow breath against my hair. His hard jaw never softens. "Keep your eyes on the screen."
"I am looking." I pause the video and trace a circle with the mouse over the guy's shoe.
"See that? The heel of his left boot is ripped up.
Same as the guy who signed for the fuel delivery on Tuesday.
We found him. Now, are you going to keep hovering over me, or are you going to admit you want to grab me? "
He doesn't step away. He reaches over my shoulder to start the next clip, his arm brushing my skin. I sit up straight and don't budge. "You're wasting time," he murmurs by my ear.
"I'm doing two things at once. Finding your rat, and seeing how long you can last before you touch me." I spin the chair around so my knees bump against his legs. "You're losing this fight with yourself, Moretti. I can see it in your eyes."
Luca drops both hands flat onto the arms of my chair, trapping me in place. His voice drops real low, rumbling against my chest. "We have work to do."
"This is just an excuse to get close to me." I poke my finger into the middle of his chest. "Admit it. You like that I don't run away when you try to look scary."
He clamps his warm fingers around my wrist before I can poke him again. "I want to catch this guy so I can deal with him myself."
"Always so tough." I pull my hand free and slide the paper back in front of him. "Look at this bank transfer. Fake company registered out of the country. It uses the same account from those forged papers last month. Your rat isn't very smart."
He leans closer down to look at the numbers, his face right next to mine. "Good work."
I turn my chin just enough so my mouth almost touches his cheek. "I'm smart like that. Do I get a prize? Or are we pretending you don't want take me again?"
Luca looks down at my lips for a second, then pulls back and checks his shiny watch. "Check the next one."
I shake my head and laugh out loud. "You are so stubborn. Watching you try not to want me is the funniest thing I've seen in three days."
He walks back around to his chair, pulls out another black folder, and writes a check mark on a page. "Check the garage camera from three in the morning. Watch it twice."
I load the video and play it slowly. "Same guy. He took off the dark vest and put on a coat, but he's wearing the same scuffed boots. He's an idiot. And look at the way he marches. He was definitely in the army. How did your guards not spot him?"
Luca clicks his pen against the pad. "People got lazy. Keep looking."
I stand up and stretch my arms, letting his big shirt slip up my legs a little. His eyes narrow immediately. "You know what would help me work faster? If you stopped staring at me like you're starving."
Luca grabs the edges of the desk with both hands, his fingers digging into the dark wood. "Sit back down, Nora."
"Come make me." I hop right up onto the side of his desk, swinging my bare feet. "Just one quick kiss to clear the air. Help me focus on the job."
He doesn't move a muscle, but his jaw clenches hard as he glares at me. "No."
"You're no fun at all." I lean in closer across the desk, keeping my voice down. "I still feel where your hands were on my waist. I remember what you said while pounding to me. And now you're going to sit there like a stone and pretend you don't want me?"
Luca slams the folder closed with a loud slap. "We finish checking the cameras first. Then we talk about that. Not before."
"Talk about that?" I let out a snort. "Is that what you call ripping my clothes off?"
He takes a deep, ragged breath. He leans forward and grabs the computer mouse from near my knee. "Camera four has a second view. Turn it on."
I slide off the desk and brush against his arm as I sit back down. "You're sweating, Luca. Want me to wipe your face off?"
Luca blows out air through his teeth, fighting his temper. "Just play the tape."
I hit play. We watch the screen quietly for a few seconds until I hit pause and tap the glass. "Look right there. Behind that metal box on the wall. He's hiding a tiny USB drive. Zoom in on that."
Luca leans over and taps the keys, blowing up the picture until the black plastic drive shows under a pipe. "Got him."
I give a quick clap. "We found him. Great teamwork. Now, about my reward..."
He moves fast, shoving the chair back and crowding me until my spine hits the tall bookshelf. He slams his palms against the wood on both sides of my head, locking me in place. "Don't push me, Nora."
"I like pushing you." I tilt my chin up and stare straight into his eyes. "Especially when you look ready to eat me alive."
His gaze flicks to my mouth again. Holds longer this time. I wait. Smile. Daring him.
He stares at me for a few long seconds, then steps back and jots down a note on his pad. "Matteo will grab the drive in the morning. You're done. Go to sleep."
I step in front of him before he can reach the door and plant my hands on my hips. "Done? After three hours of helping you, you're kicking me out like a kid? No thank you? Nothing?"
Luca pauses by the doorway and grips the frame until his knuckles turn bone white.
"You almost died on that road three days ago, Nora.
That night was a mistake because every time I touch you, I drag you deeper into a war that isn't yours.
I'm putting you on a flight to London the second we clear this rat, and I won't do anything that makes you want to stay. "
I face his rigid back, arms crossed over my chest. "Stop treating me like glass, Luca. I slept with you because I wanted to, not because I'm some naive stray in need of your noble protection. If you want me out of your world, you're going to have to push a lot harder than this."
Luca turns the handle and opens the door wide. "Go to bed, Blake. Tomorrow we lock this place down."
I walk past him into the hall, making sure my arm brushes right against his ribs. "I don't sleep early. And if you dream about me tonight, you better tell me about it over coffee."
His quiet laugh follows me into the hall. Low. Rough. Like it surprised him on the way out.
I smile all the way to my room. He can play the disciplined boss all he wants. I just spent three hours watching the cracks form. And tomorrow, I'm going to push harder.
Because denying Luca Moretti is almost as fun as winning him.