“Now, you’re catching on!” Luca snaps and shakes his head. He runs his fingers over the table, and I reach for his hand, hoping to draw some sense back into him and calm him down.
He blanches the moment I touch him and pulls away from me.
“Why are you here?” I ask, staring at him.
“Do you think Dante is just going to let you run away? He’s hunting you down. You embarrassed the family. That doesn’t just get swept under the rug.”
I hadn’t considered what my betrayal to the family might mean. I knew Zeke was in my custody and I’d keep him safe. My parents, they could fend for themselves. By not being close with them lately, it would protect them.
“I’ll apologize, but I won’t go back.”
“You will,” he says firmly. “Whether I have to carry you to the car or you walk, we’re going back home.”
“I don’t—” My breath catches and I glance toward the playroom for Zeke.
He’s oblivious to what’s happening, thankfully. Ashton is keeping him busy.
“Run away with me,” I whisper. “We’ll take Zeke, maybe we can even get Ashton to cover for us.”
I won’t leave without my son.
“Ashton would never do that,” Luca says, and he grinds his teeth, his jaw tight as he stares at me.
There’s a coldness he exudes, and it sends a shiver down my spine.
“Dante won’t let us leave. I’ve told you that, repeatedly. He has men all over the country who will do his bidding.”
“What if we change our names?—”
“You’ll never be safe. We’ll never be safe,” he reiterates. “The only safe choice is to marry me.”
I sit back in the booth and exhale heavily.
“Wow, that bad of an option,” Luca says and laughs darkly. “You weren’t saying that when we were fucking the other night.”
I grimace.
He’s angry with me.
I shouldn’t have expected anything less. I’m not sure why I thought leaving him a note, telling him not to chase after me, would work.
“You don’t want to marry me.” I meet his frosty stare.
He silently swallows and his tongue darts out for a second, swiping across his top lip.
His silence is all I need to hear.
“Let me and Zeke go,” I say. “Dante won’t keep chasing me when he realizes I’m worthless to him.”
Luca slams his fist on the table, growling at me. “You don’t fucking listen!”
A staff member glances at us, and I can feel her worried gaze on me.
I force a smile, but she reaches for her cell phone.
She’s watching, waiting to see if she should call the cops or if everything is okay between us.
“We need to get out of here,” I whisper, keeping my voice down.
