The woman studied her for a second, then smiled. “Yeah. I get that. I’m Aurora.”
Sophia blinked. “Aurora, as in Tony’s wife?”
“That’s me,” she said. Aurora held out her hand to Sophia and smiled. “You must be Sophia,” she said. Sophia felt about ready to crawl under a rock and hide for the rest of the night, butshe had just told the woman that she wasn’t a coward. She took Aurora’s hand into her own and shook it.
Relief and embarrassment hit at the same time. “I’m Luca’s—” she stopped herself, not quite knowing what to call their relationship, and then she corrected, “friend.”
Aurora’s smile turned knowing. “Ah. That Sophia.”
Sophia groaned softly. “Please tell me he didn’t tell everyone that I’m his foster sister again. I hate it when he introduces me that way. He’s so clueless.”
Aurora laughed. “Oh, honey, I’m sorry to report that he did. Don’t worry, Sophia—we’ll fix him. Come on, I’ll come with you to the ladies’ room, and then we’ll get you a drink. You look like you could use one.”
Sophia smiled, tension easing for the first time that day. “You have no idea how badly I need a drink, Aurora.”
LUCA
Luca let out the breath that he had been holding the second he saw Aurora emerge with Sophia at her side from the ladies' room. Sophia was smiling, but it didn’t touch her eyes, and Aurora’s hand was still resting protectively on her back. That alone was enough to put Luca on edge.
He stood and crossed the room to meet them. “What happened?” he asked, taking Sophia’s hand into his own.
“Let’s sit down, and I’ll tell you everything,” she promised, nodding to the table where Tony and Rocco were watching them. “It’s not a big deal, really.” She pulled him along to the table, not giving him much of a choice in the matter. Sophia was always a little bossy. It was one of the things that he liked about her.
Aurora slid into the booth beside Tony, her expression calm but her eyes sharp, and Luca knew that whatever happened was going to piss them all off. “So, which one of you wants to tell me what happened?” Luca asked, looking between Aurora and Sophia.
Sophia fidgeted, and Aurora spoke up. “Some idiot thought it was a good idea to call her honey and block her path to the bathroom. But we handled it.”
Rocco’s chair scraped back an inch. “Which one is he?”
Sophia shot Rocco a look. “He walked away after Aurora told him to get lost. It’s fine. I don’t want to cause any trouble.”
Luca didn’t miss the way her fingers curled around the strap of her purse or how she positioned herself closer to him when she sat down. His jaw tightened. He leaned in slightly, keeping his voice low. “Did he touch you?”
“No,” she said quickly. “He didn’t. Aurora stepped in before things escalated.” Luca nodded once, forcing himself to sit back. He trusted Aurora. If she said it was handled, it was handled. Still, the familiar burn of restraint sat heavy in his chest. Between Pete and now this, it was becoming clear that Sophia had spent far too much time feeling unsafe in her life. He used to believe that was just part of being a kid in the foster care system, but it still bothered him that he wasn’t there for her to help keep her safe. That changed now, though. He was going to take care of her, whether she liked it or not. And keeping her safe was now his top priority.”
Sophia tipped her glass toward Aurora. “First round is on me.” She was trying to change the subject, and from the angry looks on Tony and Rocco’s faces, that was probably a good idea.
Aurora laughed softly. “You’re officially my favorite person.”
Tony scowled at her. “Hey, what about me? I thought that I was your favorite person.”
“Well, you can be my favorite person next, when you buy me my next drink,” Aurora teased, making them all laugh. The bartender came by, and Sophia ordered a vodka soda. Luca stuck with water. He was still in training, and if Jonesy found out that he had a drink, he’d murder him.
The conversation picked up easily after the drinks showed up. Rocco talked about an upcoming fight. Tony complained about being outnumbered at home by his kids. Aurora filled the gaps, teasing them all mercilessly. And Sophia relaxed little by little, laughing more, leaning into Luca’s side like she belonged there. And that did something to him. She fit too easily into his world. Like she’d always been meant to be there. He sometimes forgot that she used to be a huge part of his life, and having her fit into his new life meant everything to him.
When the second round of drinks came, Luca finally cleared his throat. “I asked you guys here because I need help.” The table went quiet. There was no tension, just attention. Sophia covered his hand with her own under the table, and he smiled over at her. “We need your help.” She squeezed his hand and nodded at him, flashing her shy, sexy smile.
“Just name it,” Tony said.
“Anything,” Rocco agreed. “You’ve got our help, just say the word.”
He knew that he could count on the guys, but they also had to know what they were getting themselves involved in before he let them agree to help. “There’s a guy from our past,” Luca continued. “We were all in the same foster house just before I aged out of the system. His name’s Peter and he’s stalking Sophia.”
Aurora’s smile vanished. “Stalking how?”
“Showing up at her apartment. At her work. Watching her,” Luca said, keeping his voice even. “She’s filed a restraining order, but we all know how well that works at first.”
Rocco leaned forward, forearms on the table. “You want us to keep an eye out.”
