Rubbing my fingertips together nervously, I left him to it and made my way across the house to face the family, praying this nightmare would be over soon.
CHAPTER10
Luna
“Please, come in and make yourselves comfortable," Luca said as everyone arrived, gesturing to the large formal dining room. The capos filed in, greeting him with respect and taking their seats around the table.
I hesitated in the doorway, my stomach churning as I watched the table fill up. A few of the men I recognized from the club, but not as many as I'd feared. Good. Maybe they'd actually take me somewhat seriously.
A large, warm hand touched my lower back, and when I looked up I was surprised to find Tristan beside me.
"You don't have to do this, Luna," he murmured.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. "No, I want to. If it'll help you find Gino, I'll do what I can." My voice sounded steadier than I felt. The thought of facing the capos, the men who knew my father, made my insides twist in knots. But I had to be strong. For Logan. For myself. And for the damaged man standing beside me.
"You understand that if we find him, he'll be dead as soon as Luca gets all the information out of him that he needs."
"Yes," I told him. "I understand." And I did. If Luca didn't kill him, Tristan would.
His dark eyes searched my face for a long moment, and then he gave me a nod before leaving me standing there in the doorway and making his way to his place behind Luca's chair.
Enzo came in then and guided me to a chair by the windows near Luca. I sat, my hands twisting in my lap as Lisa bustled in and out, setting out bowls of bread and plates of pasta in front of the guests and filling their glasses with water and red wine. As everyone caught up with business, I pushed my food around on my plate, feeling Tristan's constant stare as he watched me.
The men at the table also openly stared at me, some with appreciation, some not, but no one was rude enough to question why I was at the table. They probably assumed I was Luca's new side piece since Veda wasn't here.
Luca waited until pleasantries had been exchanged and everyone had eaten some of their meal before leaning forward, his elbows on the table and his fingers laced together. "Thank you all for coming on such short notice. We have an urgent situation to discuss." He waited until everyone was paying attention. "As I'm sure you've noticed, Gino Ricci is not here."
There were some murmurs around the table.
"He's not here because he's in hiding. I've had my suspicions for quite a long time, however yesterday I saw the proof with my own eyes. Gino is working with the Bratva."
"I don't believe it!" The shout came from the end of the table. A man around Gino's age threw down his napkin. "Where is your proof?"
Luca cocked his head at the outburst, and a chill ran down my spine as he said, "The fact that I saw them with my own eyes isn't enough for you? Are you saying I'm lying?"
The older man was red in the face, but he backed down when everyone turned to look at him. "Of course not, Luca. I apologize."
"Should we be speaking of this right now?" another man across the table asked, lifting his chin toward me.
Luca sat back in his chair. "This is Luna. She's Gino's daughter."
Another rumble of murmurs exploded around the table.
"I thought both of the children died with their mother?" someone said.
"That is just one of the many lies Gino has told us," Luca told them. "The children were put up for adoption, and you can see by looking at her, Luna is the image of her mother. Her brother, Logan, is currently recuperating fromhisreunion with their father here in my home."
The looks I received now were more curious than lewd.
"Luna is here because she recently stayed with her father after he found her in the club where she worked, and she has some interesting things to say." He looked to me. "Luna, please tell everyone about how you found your father again and what it was like living with him. As much as you can remember."
I glanced at Tristan, who hadn't taken his eyes from me. Of course, Luca knew what my role was—and what he'd done to me—at Gino's before Tristan took me out of there.
I swallowed hard, my mouth dry. Haltingly at first, I began to recount the events of the past few weeks—seeing Gino where I worked, the poker games, how I got in on them, our bet, how he'd starved me, how he would get drunk and confuse me with my mother. I didn't go into details about the rapes, but I did tell them it always happened when he was drinking. Lastly, I told them how he came into my room with a gun, ready to kill the both of us. And how Tristan had brought me here.
My voice shook as I described how Gino had gone after Logan, and how I'd found him beaten and tied up. I skipped over the parts of the story where Tristan was involved. Again, it wasn't my story to tell.
The capos listened in grim silence, their faces darkening with each revelation. When I finished, Luca sat back, rubbing a hand over his mouth before he spoke. "If what his own daughter just told you isn't enough, we've suspected for a while now that Gino has been working with the Russians. Not long ago, I gave them all a little warning, one Gino and the Russians chose to ignore. Yesterday, however, we got our proof. Enzo, Tristan, and I saw Gino with them. They opened fire on us." He paused. "Gino needs to be taken care of."
