“You want control?” she added. “Then use me.” If he took her up on her offer, she’d be aligning herself with the Camorra family completely, and Luca would know that.
His hand came up, gripping her jaw lightly, tilting her face up toward his. “Careful,” he said quietly. Her pulse jumped, but she didn’t look away.
“I am being careful,” she insisted.
“Are you?” he asked. That almost made him smile—almost. Instead, his grip tightened just slightly. It wasn’t enough to hurt, but just enough to remind her who was in control.
“I don’t make mistakes,” he said.
“Everyone does,” she countered.
“Not like this.” Her breath hitched, but she didn’t back down.
“Then don’t start with me,” she said. “Don’t let me be a mistake, Luca,” she whispered. He was quiet, and for a second, this thing between them wasn’t about Serge, her father, or the Russians. It was just the two of them—her and Luca. The tension between them hadn’t gone away after last night. It had gotten worse. Luca’s thumb brushed once along her jaw before he let go.
“Stay in here tonight,” he said. It wasn’t a command—not exactly. He was giving her a choice, and she knew her answer before even giving it to him.
“I would like that,” she agreed. “Not because you told me to.”
His mouth curved slightly. “Yeah, I get that.”
She exhaled slowly, watching him, measuring him the same way he measured everything else—including her. “You’re going after him,” she said. It wasn’t a question. She knew how things worked.
His expression didn’t change. “Yes.”
Her chest tightened. “When?”
“Soon,” he said. She knew that he’d want to stay one step ahead of Serge and the Russians.
She nodded. “Be careful.” The words slipped out before she could stop them. Before she could filter them. Before she could pretend she didn’t mean them.
Luca stilled, and then his gaze locked onto hers. “Always am.” She knew what that meant—he wasn’t just going after Serge, he was going to end the war, completely. And this time, there would be no coming back from it. Not for Serge, and not for anyone standing with him. And definitely not for her.
Luca
Serge didn’t run away or back down from the war, but then again, men like him didn’t run. They repositioned, regrouped, and started again. Luca had known men like Serge all his life, and he knew how they operated. Serge wasn’t going to back down, but neither was he.
Luca stood in his office, the city lights cutting across the glass. Dante sat across from him with a tablet full of movement patterns, safe houses, known contacts—everything they had on Serge Romano and the Russians backing him, but it wasn’t enough. It never was.
“Just say it,” Luca said.
Dante didn’t hesitate. “He’s regrouping at a shipping yard off the river, down by the old import hub. The Russians have used it before, so it makes sense.”
Luca nodded. “Do we know numbers yet?”
“He’ll have more men than he showed up here with. He’s not testing you this time,” Dante warned. Neither was Luca. Dante shifted slightly. “You want to hit him now or wait?”
Luca didn’t answer right away, because this wasn’t just about Serge. This was about ending the family that wanted to hurt his new wife. Her father had made a deal with the Russians, and heneeded to pay for his involvement. He just worried that going after her dad wouldn’t end well for him, but he really had no other choice.
“You move fast, you risk missing pieces of the puzzle,” Dante added. “You wait, and they’ll dig in.”
Luca’s jaw tightened. “I’m not giving them time.” The decision was made, even if he wasn’t sure that it was a good one.
Dante nodded. “Then we go after the bastards and take them by surprise.”
“I want a full sweep done,” Luca said. “There will be no warnings and no negotiations.”
Dante’s mouth curved slightly. “Figured,” he breathed. “You want her locked down?”
