He stops. Because of me. Because I didn’t tell him.
I push the door open before I can lose my courage.
Both men turn toward me, and the expressions on their faces—Danny’s concern, Luca’s fury mixed with anguish—almost make me retreat.
But I can’t. Not with Dad’s life on the line.
“Romano called me,” I blurt out, my eyes fixed on Luca’s face. Those dark eyes narrow immediately, suspicion flashing across his features. “He has my father. He wants us both to come to ameeting place within two hours, alone and unarmed, or he’ll—” My voice breaks. “He’ll kill him, Luca. He’ll make me listen while he?—”
“You realize it’s a trap, right?” Luca’s voice is flat. He still won’t look at me properly, his gaze fixed somewhere over my shoulder like he can’t stand to actually see me. The muscle in his jaw jumps as he grinds his teeth together.
“Iknowit’s a trap!” I snap, hating that he sounds so condescending. “But what choice do we have? If we don’t go, my father dies. If we call the police, my father dies. Romano made it very clear that?—”
“Your father is a coward who got my cousin killed,” Luca interrupts, finally meeting my eyes. The coldness in his gaze—those eyes that were once warm when they looked at me, that went soft and almost tender when we were alone—makes me step back involuntarily. Now they’re hard as obsidian, reflecting nothing but rage. “Why should I risk my life to save his?”
My heart stops. He’s right though. WhyshouldLuca risk his life for my father?
“Because despite everything, you’re not a monster,” I say quietly, even though I’m not sure I believe it anymore. Luca stiffens. “Because somewhere under all that rage, there’s still the man who promised me a future. The man who converted a sunroom for injured animals. The man who—” My voice breaks and I look away briefly before returning my gaze to his. “The man I fell in love with.”
Something flickers in his expression, but it’s gone too quickly for me to identify. His lips press into a thin line, that beautifulmouth that’s kissed me so lovingly now set in a harsh, unforgiving line.
“That man was an illusion,” he says harshly. “A role I played to make you compliant. You said so yourself.”
“No.” I shake my head, watching the way a lock of his dark hair falls across his forehead with the movement. He still hasn’t fixed it from earlier, and I ball up my fists to force myself not to do it. “No, that’s what I said when I was hurt and angry. But it wasn’t true. I know it wasn’t true because I felt—” I struggle for words. “I feltyouin those moments. The real you, not the monster you try to be.”
Danny clears his throat, looking very,veryuncomfortable. “I’ll, uh, I’ll give you two some privacy?—”
“Stay,” Luca orders, his broad shoulders tensing even further under his shirt, and Danny stiffens as if he would rather be anywhere but here.
Same, Danny. Same.
Still not taking his eyes off me, Luca says, “Whatever she has to say, you can hear it.”
The dismissal stings, but I push through it. “Fine. Then hear this. Romano has my father. Whether we like it or not, we’re both involved now. He knows I told you something tonight—his people heard the fight, heard enough to make him nervous about what I might have revealed. He’s making a preemptive strike.”
“So let him,” Luca says with a casualness that makes my body heat with anger. His face remains impassive, that sharp jawline set in stone. “Let him kill Antonio. One less problem for me to deal with.”
“You don’t mean that,” I argue. But even as I say it, I’m not sure. The man standing before me right now—cold, utterly unmoved by my tears—is the man from the warehouse. The one who planned to kill me without remorse.
“Don’t I?” He moves closer, and I have to force myself not to back away. This close, I can see the faint scar along his left eyebrow, the one that disappears into his hairline. Can see the way his nostrils flare slightly with each controlled breath. “Your father is responsible for Marco’s death. The fact that he was coerced doesn’t change that. The fact that Romano used him doesn’t absolve him.” He smiles cruelly. “So explain to me, Giuliana, why I should risk everything to save a man who destroyed my life?”
“Because I’m asking you to.” I’m this close to begging, and I don’t care if it’s beneath me or if Luca finds me repulsive for it. “Because despite everything between us, I’m asking you to help me save my father. Not for him. Forme.”
The silence that follows is excruciating. I watch emotions play across Luca’s face—rage, grief, maybe a bit of longing—before his expression goes blank again. His hands flex at his sides, those long fingers curling and uncurling like he’s trying to physically grasp control.
“Danny,” he says quietly, never breaking eye contact with me. “Start the car. We’re going to need to leave in the next ten minutes.”
Relief floods through me so intensely I nearly collapse. “Thank you?—”
“Stop.” He says sharply, halting me in my tracks. “Don’t thank me. I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing it because Romanoneeds to die for what he did to Marco, and apparently he’s handed me the perfect opportunity.” His smile is terrible to behold, not reaching those cold dark eyes. “If your father survives in the crossfire, consider it a bonus. If he doesn’t…” He shrugs, the movement making his shoulders muscles shift beneath his shirt. “At least you’ll know I tried.”
It’s not comfort. It’s barely even a promise. But it’s all I’m going to get, and for that I’m thankful.
Danny leaves to prepare the car, and suddenly we’re alone for the first time since our fight. The air between us is thick with everything unsaid, every accusation still burning in both our throats.
“Again, you know this is likely a trap,” Luca says after a long moment, sounding bored. “We both know that. Romano isn’t going to let any of us walk out of there alive if he can help it.”
“You think I don’t know? Marrying you was a trap too.” My voice is steadier than I feel. “But—but I have to try. He’s myfather, Luca. He’s the only parent I have left.”
