Chapter 22
Luca’stempersimmeredashe stared through the iron bars of the cage.He’d known of Riko Tanaka’s fondness for cages—his sick little habit of using them to humiliate his enemies—but never had Luca imagined he’d be on the receiving end.
A cage.Like an animal.
The thought gnawed at him, every second making the humiliation bite deeper.His pride burned, but beneath it, fury coiled tight in his chest.This wasn’t just a show of power—it was a message.Tanaka wanted to taunt him, to make the great Luca Bernardi look small.
But Luca had let it happen.
Not because he’d been careless.No, he’d walked into this trap on purpose, to get close to Tanaka, to confirm the whispers he’d been hearing for months.The Yakuza weren’t just circling—Tanaka was already moving his pieces.Luca had calculated the risk, knowing his men were near, waiting for the right moment.Still, sitting here in this ridiculous cage made his blood boil.Tanaka would pay for it, and when he did, the retribution would be bloody.
“Luca!”
The whisper sliced through the silence, soft but urgent, not belonging to any of Tanaka’s guards.Luca froze, heart skipping.
He knew that voice.
He turned his head sharply, ignoring the dull throb in his skull, and there she was—Ava.
His breath caught at the sight of her, standing in the shadows, clutching a length of pipe like she meant to swing it at someone’s head.
“Ava, what the hell are you doing here?”he hissed, disbelief twisting through him.She couldn’t be here.Not in the middle of this.Yes, he had a plan, but one wrong move could bring the whole thing crashing down—and if she got caught in the middle…!
He tested the cage door, satisfied that his men had altered the lock.His men had fixed it so that the lock only seemed to click into place.But a second push would open the cage door without any friction.He’d heard Tanaka clanking the cage door shut a few minutes ago and knew that a second clank would reveal the truth.But he hadn’t counted on Ava showing up.
“I came because someone hurt you and dragged you away from my house!”Ava’s voice trembled with anger more than fear, her eyes blazing.“I followed them here.”
Luca’s chest tightened, his eyes darkening.She was holding that pipe like she meant to use it.Ava—beautiful, fearless, maddening Ava.Did she even realize what kind of men she was up against?What kind of danger she had just walked into?
“Don’t worry,” she pressed on, dropping the pipe as she crouched by a scattered pile of tools, her expression hardening with determination as she examined the options for breaking the iron bars with one of them.“I’ll get you out of there.”
“Ava!”Luca snapped, his voice a low growl edged with both panic and pride.“Get out of here.Now!”He scanned the shadows, his instincts screaming that time was running out.Tanaka wouldn’t be gone long, and when he returned, he’d bring reinforcements.If Ava was still here when that happened—
But she ignored him.
She grabbed a hacksaw from the pile, standing tall, her hands steady.“I can cut the bars away with this.Just get as far back as you can—I’ll cut you out—”
Luca’s heart slammed against his ribs.In a surge of frustration, he swung the cage door open, his hand darting out to seize her arm and yank her against him.
Before she could protest, he kissed her.Quick, rough, controlled—not the hungry claiming he wanted, but enough to silence her, to make her stop.
When he pulled back, his voice was a rasp against her lips.“Honey, you need to leave.I promise you, I’m fine.My men are close.I just need you to—”
The growl of an engine cut him off.
Bright headlights slashed across the construction site, flooding the shadows, blinding in their intensity.Another vehicle was pulling in.Damn it.Tanaka was back already.
Ava stiffened in his grip, her wide eyes flashing toward the oncoming lights.
“Hide.I have a plan,” Luca hissed, shoving her gently but firmly away from the cage.His pulse pounded in his ears.His men should have been here by now.Where the hell were they?
Ava’s gaze darted between him and the headlights.Then, without a word, she snatched up the pipe she’d dropped and sprinted to a nearby stack of lumber and steel rebar.Not the safest spot, but at least it gave her cover.
She was still close enough that Luca could hear her quick, shallow breaths.The tension between them was almost unbearable—every second she remained here increased the risk.He had to focus on catching Tanaka, on timing his plan perfectly.Yet every instinct screamed at him to break free now, tear out of the cage, and shield Ava with his own body.
He clenched his fists, forcing himself to stay put.For now, silence was his only weapon.The sound of tires screeched through the night, each second ticking like a hammer against his skull.
Ava crouched lower behind the stacks of rebar and lumber, pressing herself into the shadows.Her pulse pounded so loud she was sure it would give her away.All she could do was pray the cover held, that the arriving car’s occupants wouldn’t notice her.
