The Loft (Rossi Family #1)

Chapter 1

Lucas

Christmas Eve

Desmond plops down behind me on the floor, stretches his legs out beside mine, and grabs a Lego from the pile on the coffee table.

Danny snatches it back. “No, no, no.” He wags his finger. “It’s Wocco’s turn.”

It sounds more like ‘wacko’ than Rocco, and everyone laughs—not maliciously, but the boy frowns and hangs his head. Harper tries to cheer him up, encouraging him to pick a Lego, but he doesn’t budge.

“They’re laughing because they think you’re right—I’m a wacko.” Rocco lifts Danny’s chin and flashes him a grin. “And because you’re too darn cute. Show me which piece goes next.”

Ethan’s uncle sneaks a glance at Harper, and she quickly looks away, a blush rising on her cheeks. I stayed up all night digging into her husband, and Reece won’t be happy with what I found.

Danny brightens and points to a brown rectangle. “This one! For his tail!”

“Perfect.” Rocco places the Lego. “Now it’s your turn.”

The afternoon sun streams through the panoramic windows, and a sudden, piercing pain lances through my skull. I squeeze my eyes shut, press my palms to my temples, and duck away from the brightness, narrowly missing the edge of the coffee table.

Des guides me to his lap, his body blocking the direct sunlight, and leans over me. “You okay?”

My head throbs—fuck, my teeth throb—and I curl into a ball. “Migraine,” I murmur. “Just the light hitting my bad eye.”

“Let’s get you downstairs and into the dark.” He starts to rise to his feet.

“No. No, just give me a minute. You don’t need—”

“Don’t argue,” Dante says flatly, now in front of us. “You’re still on concussion protocol.”

Oblivious to my misery, Danny squeals as he finishes another part of the Jurassic Park Lego set. I wince and bury my face in Des’ hoodie.

He threads his fingers through my hair, avoiding a tender spot at the back of my skull, and massages my temple with his thumb.

“Come on.” Dante’s shadow falls over me. “Or I’ll carry you.”

His threat gets me moving. “I can walk.” I push to my feet, my body swaying. Self-conscious of my injuries, I yank my sleeves down to cover the bandages on my wrists. As I’m doing so, I catch a glimpse of Reece’s pinched expression.

“I’ll follow,” he insists. “You have meds for pain and nausea?”

I shake my head, rattling my brain, then abruptly stop. “Not nausea.”

He strides down the hall to their bedroom, calling over his shoulder, “I got some.”

I manage three steps toward the elevator before the Christmas lights blur and my knees give way.

Des wraps an arm around my waist, steadying me. Thank the Resistance, Jax is in the bedroom with Ethan and Aurora. Seeing my battered face is too much for him. He doesn’t need to witness this and feel worse than he already does. It’s not his fault; he was a victim too—far more than me.

The elevator doors open, and the brisk air hits me like a balm, followed by the awkward hush that creeps in whenever the twins and I are alone.

Since the kidnapping, it’s been weird between us. They barely touch me—intimately. I tell myself they’re being considerate, but, deep down, I think they’re too polite to kick me aside while I’m injured. Who would want this mess?

Des guides me to the king-size bed in the middle of the open studio. Relieved, I crawl under the blankets and bury my head in the soft pillow.

“Stay there,” Dante orders. “I’ll get some water.”

The light from the adjoining kitchen is a blade slicing through my brain, and I pull the covers over my face and breathe through the pain.

I must pass out, because the next thing I hear is Reece’s gruff tone.

“Hey.” The mattress dips beside me. “Meds for nausea, and I brought your prescription for pain.”

I reluctantly peek out from under the blanket. He extends his hands, offering the pills and a bottle of water.

“Thanks.” I take the medication and wash it down. The drink is cool, soothing to my dry throat, but my stomach roils. “Where are the twins?”

“Upstairs. Jax is making spaghetti. They’re getting you a plate so you can eat something with those meds.”

I hand him the bottle and tug on my earlobe, a signal we use when we need to talk privately.

He sets it on the nightstand and leans in. “Here? Or do you wanna go elsewhere?”

“The place is clean as far as I know, but I haven’t searched fully. You have your tags on?”

“No.” He shakes his head and lowers his tone. “There’s nothing on the surveillance, and neither Jax nor Ethan has mentioned anything about cameras down here. What’s up?”

I take a shuddering breath, the painkillers not yet dulling the throbbing in my skull. The weight of what I’m about to say presses down on me harder than the migraine, but it’s now or never. Who knows when we’ll be alone again?

“Bennett is blackmailing me—us.” I shield my mouth with my fist just in case.

His brows knit together. “How?”

“She’s…” My chest constricts. “She’s forcing me to investigate the Rossis.” The confession burns, acid climbing up my throat, and I swallow it down.

“No.” He shakes his head harder. “You can’t. They’re family, Lucas.”

“I know—fuck, I know.”

He draws a deep inhale and releases it slowly. “What does she want?”

“Says she’ll put the twins away.” I push up, wrap my arms around my knees, and rest my temple on them. “Said if I didn’t gather intel on the family’s operations, she’d make sure they ended up in prison.”

“Son of a bitch,” he hisses. “How the hell are you supposed to do that?”

“Watch them. Convince Rocco to hire me at the firm. Hack into the servers. Provide the team with access.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” He rakes his fingers through his hair. “I have to tell Ethan.”

My eyes well up, and I bite my lip to keep my composure. “He’ll warn the twins. He’s not gonna put me above them—above his family. They’ll never trust me again.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do.” The ache isn’t just in my head anymore; it radiates through my entire body. “They let me in, despite me being a federal agent, and I’m lying to them. Dante will murder me—slowly, painfully.”

“You’re not the villain here. Bennett is.” Reece’s gaze hardens. “She’s manipulating you. She’s not gonna arrest the twins. She has no leverage.”

“Maybe, but I…I couldn’t take the risk. I should’ve told them after she approached me in the hospital, but Rocco and Dimitri were there.” I thrust a hand in the air. “Now it looks like I’ve been playing them.”

The elevator rumbles, and Reece quickly asks, “How’d she get you alone?”

“Followed me into X-ray.”

“What have you given her?”

“Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

“Keep quiet. I’ll figure it out.” He straightens. “Anything on Daniel?”

I raise my head and, with a sigh, let it fall back onto the headboard. “Deployed for the past five months. Has an extensive record: expunged DUI, non-judicial punishments for unauthorized absences, multiple neighbor complaints of shouting, resulting in loss of pay—”

“An all-around fuck up,” he cuts me off before it gets worse. “And let me guess: my father helped him stay out of the brig.”

I give a slow, solemn nod.