He ran a background check on the girl, not a huge shock.
“Anything interesting?”I ask, perching myself at the edge of the desk.
“Yes,” he says and drags his finger over the highlighted portion that he wants me to read.
My breath catches in my throat as our eyes meet.
It seems Harper has been keeping a secret of her own.
Sixteen
Harper
I don’t want to have dinner with Luca’s parents, but it seems I’m out of options.
“It’ll be fine, just be yourself,” Luca whispers as I bring my bag downstairs.After dinner, Luca is planning on driving us back to campus.
Ashton took the bus back to campus.He made it clear he didn’t want to be part of tonight’s dinner, but I think it was really Luca telling him to get his ass out of the house.
The tension between Ashton and Luca has been mounting since last night, and I don’t think it’s going away anytime soon.
I’ll be relieved to return home, but it’s not without scars and nightmares.And there’s little I can do for the child tucked away in their basement.I need a plan, one that involves not getting caught, and that’s impossible with the number of guards around the clock.
As for the engagement, I haven’t reached out to my parents yet.I’ll do that next week when I have to invite them to the Ricci's' for dinner.
I can’t help but wonder if there’s a way out of this mess, but I’ve yet to see it.Am I really going to marry Luca Ricci?
“Come on,” Luca says, and he takes my hand, guiding me toward the dining room to have dinner with his parents.
I’m relieved to see Nova joining them at the table, but Moreno and Paige are also dining with us, and I’m hoping that maybe they can be the bigger distraction this evening.
“When you said family dinner…” my voice trails off.
“We’re all family here,” Moreno says, “better get used to it.”
I exhale, and a sigh slips past as I make my way to one of the empty seats at the table where Luca pulls the chair back for me to sit.At least we’re seated together.He gives my hand a squeeze before relinquishing it, reaching for his water glass.
“We’ll cut past the formalities,” Nikki says, her eyes entirely on me.“I’m well aware of the situation, that you’re marrying my son to gain protection instead of death.”
Her words cut deep, catching me by surprise.
“Mom!”Luca’s eyes widen in disbelief.
“I’m just being honest, which I think is important, don’t you, dear?”Nikki says as she stares at me.
I nod slowly.“Yes, honesty is important,” I say, but I thought they didn’t want me to be honest; they wanted me to hide the truth about what I saw in the basement.Isn’t speaking honestly what was to get me killed?
“Good,” Nikki says, and her eyes shine, but there’s not quite a smile on her face.“I’m so glad we’re on the same page.”She laughs softly, glancing at Paige.“As your family, we expect complete transparency.Do you understand?”
“Mom?”Luca interrupts.“What are you doing?”
She holds up a finger, indicating that she’s not done yet.
“Yes, I understand.Complete transparency with your family.Keep my mouth shut outside the family,” I reiterate.
“Good.Now, is there anything you’d like to tell us or Luca?”Nikki asks.
I thought I liked Nikki, but the way she’s staring at me, waiting for something—I’m not sure what—has me realizing that she’s as cunning as her husband.
