Luca went still, and Isabella knew that she had hit a nerve. She was telling him something that he didn’t know, and that shocked the hell out of her. “I heard names,” she added.
“Which names?” he asked.
She met his eyes. “People who shouldn’t have been involved.”
“Like who?” he asked, pressing her for more details. Her heart pounded in her chest because she knew that this was important. This could change everything.
“My cousin,” she said. Isabella felt like a nark, but if she was right, her cousin was the one trying to kill her. Telling Luca might be the only thing that kept her alive.
Luca’s gaze darkened. “Which one?” he growled.
“Serge,” she breathed.
Luca slowly exhaled. “That tracks,” he said.
Her stomach dropped. “You believe me?”
“Yes,” he said. “I believe you.” There was no hesitation, and no doubt. That hit harder than disbelief would have.
“Why?” she asked.
“Because he’s already on my radar. In fact, Serge has been on my list of people to watch for a damn long time.”
Her breath caught. “Then you knew that he could be the one who betrayed me?”
“I suspected,” he admitted.
“And you didn’t tell me?” Yeah, that hurt, but she was trying, and failing, not to let him know it.
“I wasn’t sure,” he insisted.
Her hands clenched. “But you’re sure now?”
“Yes,” he breathed.
The certainty in his voice made something inside her twist. “My family—” she whispered, stopping when her voice broke. The thought of someone who called themselves her family, coming after her—well, that just hurt.
“They’re not worth your anguish, Isabella,” he said.
Her gaze snapped to his. “That’s easy for you to say.”
“No,” he corrected. “It’s not. They tried to kill you.” She swallowed past the lump of emotion in her throat. “They tried to use you,” he added. “To me, that means that they are no longer your family.”
“Not to me,” she spat.
“No,” he said. “It wouldn’t be that easy for you to accept. You are the one who was betrayed.”
He closed the distance between them, always seeming to stand too close to her. “And now?” she asked.
“Now we find him,” Luca said, his expression mean.
“You want to find Serge?” she asked.
“Yes,” he breathed. “I’m hoping that you can help me with that.”
Her pulse kicked harder. “And then what? What happens when we find him?”
Luca’s expression didn’t change. But something in his eyes did. Something darker and final stared back at her. “Then we end it.” The words sent a chill down her spine because she knew what that meant. She knew what he was capable of and knew what ending it looked like in his world.
