He unfolded them just enough for her to register. Roy exhaled slowly behind them.
“I’ll wrap up everything here and have her signature before I have the men take care of that nigga.” Roy gestured his head toward a dead Wiley.
Luca’s hand caressed La’Nova’s lower back to ground her. The adrenaline that pumped fiercely through La’Nova cracked, and everything she’d been holding back rushed in all at once. Her wrist trembled; the gun lowered an inch as a tear slipped free, trailing down the curve of her cheek.
“Remember.” Luca winced out in a little pain from his throat feeling back raw. “Calm isn’t something you wait for… it’s something you have to choose over and over.”
His palm rested right between her shoulder blades, right where most of her tension lived. Once La’Nova didn’t pull away from his physical touch, he leaned down and whispered in her ear.
“Whatever it is that’s haunting you… trust me with it one day, so I can carry it…Nova baby.”
La’Nova’s knees almost buckled. She sucked in a breath that felt like it reached her lungs for the first time in minutes. The gunslipped from her fingers, Luca caught it smoothly then held it out to Roy. La’Nova had to tilt her head back to look up into Luca’s dark eyes.
Something deep and unsettling took over her as she realized that Luca didn’t just pull her out of the dark place that she was in. He stood in it with her until she found her way out. Whatever bond had started between them wasn’t soft. It was forged, and she found herself wanting to see it all the way through.
La’Nova let Luca guide her, something that she didn’t let anyone do. She didn’t fight it, nor question it. Just allowed herself to be moved through the house like the filth and roaches no longer mattered. Tracy’s wails rose and fell behind them loud and desperately. La’Nova tuned it all out.
All she felt was Luca’s hand. Warm, rough, and secured against the small of her back. His fingers were spread just enough to let her know he was there and wasn’t letting go.
Luca’s men poured into the house dressed in black with the same gloves as Luca and La’Nova’s. They moved past them without looking at her. Soon as they stepped out into the night, cool air kissed her skin, cutting through the heat still buzzing along her skin.
Luca opened the passenger door for her once they reached his Maybach. La’Nova stopped, turning her body to Luca’s. She rose up on her tiptoes, her hands glided up his chest. She fisted his vest, making Luca lower himself immediately, meeting her where she stood. Their lips fused together, but Luca was more than ready for this moment. He wasted no time, dominating her mouth.
He controlled the kiss, leading La’Nova to where he wanted her. Luca set the pace and added the right amount of pressure. She hadn’t expected him to be so gentle and patient while teaching her how to passionately kiss a man. Their gazes remained locked as Luca broke the kiss to lick a slow path down her throat until he kissed the crook of her neck.
“You good?” He uttered out hoarsely, the echo of her lips was still heavy on his.
La’Nova nodded her head, licking her lips, feeling high off the sudden alignment that she felt between the both of them.
“I am now.” She blushed hard before looking away.
“Good, let’s go home.”
Chapter 12
A woman drowning in consequences …. January 30th, 2026
Lucille’s voice carried before her body did. It cut through Luca’s estate like thunder. Her voice boomed loud enough to make the guards stiffen at their posts. You could hear Lucille from the upper floors; her cursing added more aggression to each word she spoke.
“Get your fuckin’ hands off me!” She snapped. “Di Luca Bonetti! I know you fucking hear me!” She shouted at the top of her lungs.
“I helped built this shit. Don’t hide behind this big ass house and pretend like you don’t know who the fuck I am!”
Luca stood on his balcony outside his office shirtless, his bare skin caught the late afternoon sun. The sky was pale blue with clouds that caused a light breeze to brush across his chest, lifting the curtains behind him.
He didn’t react to his mother. Luca wasn’t even surprised by her appearance. He leaned against the railing, one forearm resting on the cool stone, phone in his other hand. On the screen, one of the interior cameras showed La’Nova stretched out across hisbed, sleeping peacefully. One thick thigh thrown over the covers. Her mouth was slightly open as she snored loudly. Luca loved the sound of her snores, he let them put him to sleep last night.
Luca already determined that La’Nova belonged to him and only him. Because of that, he started to secretly dive into her past that appeared hard to obtain. He put some of his best men on the job while he spent equal amount of time with the twins and La’Nova.
“Luca!” Lucille screamed his name again, losing her cool and whatever patience she tried to reserve before arriving in a furious state.
Lucille shoved past one guard, her pearl handled Desert Eagle flashed at her waist. She wore a fitted cream pantsuit today, tailored to perfection with a silk blouse underneath that lightly clung to her chest. Her hair was laid smoothly into a low bun that rested above the nape of her neck.
Lucille’s makeup was flawless; her red lips sneered at Luca’s guard. Her face wasn’t etched in grief today, it was all about the control that she felt slipping between her fingertips.
Seeing enough, Luca turned from the balcony and walked back inside. His office smelled like lemon and ginger, mixed with remnants of cleaning solutions. He sat behind his desk and lifted his tea before pressing the small intercom button.
“Let her up,” his voice rasped, rough and steady.
