“Alright, you two. We have a plan to form. You can suck each other's faces off later.”
Oliver’s voice carries a teasing edge, and I feel the heat rise to my cheeks. Olivia doesn’t even flinch; instead, she throws a middle finger over her shoulder without breaking contact with my lips.
Then, with one more press of her lips to mine, she finally pulls away but keeps her hand on my hip, pulling me close so there's no gap between us.
We get back to Alex’s house, and everyone piles into the office. Olivia sits on the couch, pulling me onto her lap, not letting there be any space between us.
“So, what's the plan?” Alex is staring directly at Oliver, who seems distracted as he stares at the desk. I wonder what happened in the casino that caused his whole demeanor to shift. I turn and look at Olivia, raising my eyebrow at her. I know she can also see the shift. She shakes her head and pulls me tighter, burying her face in my back, making sure I don't get off her lap.
“We need to figure out what ties the Starr brothers have to the Italians,” Oliver says without looking up from the desk.
I look back at Olivia, who is staring at Oliver with wonder. Without breaking her stare, she speaks up next. “We need to make sure they get nowhere near Rachel and end it before it even begins.”
Olivia grabs me and sets me down next to her before she stands and heads straight for Oliver, who still looks lost in thought.
“Oli,” She says to him, causing him to lift his gaze just enough to look at her, nod, and follow her out of the office.
I watch them until the door shuts, and I turn to look at Alex leaning against the wall; his leg is bent against the wall, and his arms are crossed. His frustration was apparent on his face.
“You good?” I look at Alex, eyebrow raised in question.
“Hmm? Oh yeah, I’m fine.” He looks at me. He must have been lost in thought also.
Chapter fifteen
Olivia
Wewalkoutintothe hallway, and Oliver turns to me. He looks at me, but his eyes look so dead.
“Want to tell me what has you distracted? You haven’t been yourself since we left the casino.”
He shakes his head in response. God, this man is going to make me mad if he doesn't spit it out real soon.
“Oliver, I am not stupid. What is going on? Why do you look like you have seen the ghost of your past?”
He looks down at me in shock, like I just hit the nail on the head.
“Ah. The ghost of your past. Got it. Please just tell me if it was a Starr brother or the Italian.” I cross my arms in front of my chest. Waiting for Oliver to spit it out. I don’t need him to have a past with the Starr brothers, where he tries to stop me from ripping them apart piece by piece.
“Ugh. Why do you have to push Liv? I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Fine! Don’t talk about it. But stop sulking so we can get this plan sorted out, and my girl isn’t still stuck in the fucking crossfire!” I shoulder-check him as I walk back toward the office, and he grabs me by my wrist.
“Fine! I'll tell you, Liv. Just give me a second to get my words together.” He lets out a dramatic sigh.
“Alessio.. That is his name.” I raise an eyebrow at him to get him to continue talking.
“We have met before. When Dad and I went to Italy when we were sixteen, to handle somebusiness, he was there. He is the son of Antonio Luciano.” He stops to look at me again; this time, I see a whirlwind of emotions raging in his eyes.
“Who is Antonio Luciano?” I ask. I think he keeps forgetting that I don’t know anything about the mafia world he has lived in.
“Antonio Luciano runs the biggest mafia family in Italy. We went over there because of an issue with the New York Luciano side. It turned out to be just a mix-up. We made a deal, and now we’re on the same side.”
I am listening to everything he says, but my brain can only focus on the part where he is talking to me, as if I have been involved with all of this the whole time. As if he and Dad didn’t exclude me for almost thirty-five fucking years. My heart squeezes with betrayal. I don’t want to have resentment against my family, but here it is, showing its ugly face..
“Alright, so you went to Italy to lay down your law and met Alessio. Why are you acting like you have seen a fucking ghost?”
He looks frustrated. “I am getting there, you impatient fuck!” He spits out.
