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Then he walked through a door near the rear of the office and disappeared.

I turned back to the glass.

From here, the club looked completely different than it did from inside the crowd. Every moving piece became visible—the bartenders fixing drinks, security circulating along the edges, servers climbing the balcony stairs, patrons flowing between tables and the dance floor.

I was still taking everything in when the office door opened behind me.

“That view has cost a few men a great deal of money.”

I turned.

The man who entered had thick salt-and-pepper hair and a presence that made the room feel smaller around him. His dark suit fit perfectly, understated and expensive. He closed the door behind him and approached without hurry.

I straightened instinctively.

He was older than the other men I’d met through Lachlan, and there was something about his quiet authority that made me careful before he’d said a word.

He stopped in front of me.

“Isabella.” His gaze held mine for a moment before he extended his hand. “Luca Genovese.”

So this was Luca.

I placed my hand in his. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Mr. Genovese.”

A faint smile touched his mouth.

“Luca. You’re family now.”

The words caught me off guard.

“Then it’s nice to finally meet you, Luca.”

“And you.”

He released my hand and regarded me with the same quiet certainty I’d seen in Nik, although Luca’s carried the weight of considerably more years.

“I heard Lachlan brought you in tonight. I wanted to meet you before he took you home.”

“I’m glad you did. I’ve heard a great deal about you.”

One dark brow lifted. “All good, I hope.”

“Enough to know how much Lachlan respects you. And what you mean to The Syndicate.”

Luca regarded me for a moment before giving a slight nod.

“Respect matters in our world. Trust matters more, and Lachlan has earned both from me.” His gaze held mine. “He’s also a private man. He doesn’t bring many people into the parts of his life that matter most to him.”

I stayed quiet, listening.

“But he brought you here. Into Xyst. Around the people he considers family.” Luca’s expression softened by the smallest degree. “That tells me quite a bit about where you stand with him.”

My heart gave an embarrassing little squeeze.

Luca slipped one hand into the inside pocket of his jacket.

When it emerged, a small devotional card rested between his fingers.