One month later, LUCA
“The Sphere is still going strong, but the Pergola is closing in. Despite the Russians trying to piss in our pond, we’re still making a shitload of cash with our clubs. And Pergola will be the hottest club in town next year, I can feel it,” Matteo said as he checked last month’s earnings from our dance clubs.
I didn’t really give a shit if we owned the hottest clubs in the city. Our main business was drugs, and the numbers in my laptop told me that we weren’t selling as much as we could. “Heroin is slowing. These new designer drugs are what people are all over,” I said. “We need to make sure our distributor delivers on time. I don’t give a fuck if the labs are producing as fast as possible. It’s not fast enough. Pay him a visit.”
Matteo’s lips twisted in a creepy as fuck smile. “Will do.”
I shook my head with a smile of my own. “You sick fuck.”
“Takes one to know one.”
My phone rang. I pulled it out of my pocket and looked down at the screen. Romero. “Yes, Romero?”
“Sandro is passed out in the kitchen. Aria and Gianna are gone.”
My pulse rate doubled. The Russians. “Repeat that.” I closed the laptop and straightened in my chair. Matteo’s eyes slanted over to me, vigilance banishing his grin.
“He’s been drugged and they tied him up with tape. One of the cars is gone. Gianna and Aria must have packed some bags because clothes are missing in the wardrobe. There’s no sign of an attack. They must have run off.”
Run off? My eyes found the graffiti painting Aria had given me four months ago, which hung on the wall behind my desk.
“What’s going on?” Matteo asked, closing his laptop and putting it away.
I stood. Fury was simmering under my skin, and another emotion. A weak emotion I wouldn’t give space. An emotion I’d never bothered with until Aria, and now she was gone. She was fucking gone. “Romero found Sandro drugged and tied up on the floor of the penthouse. Aria and Gianna are gone.”
Matteo rose slowly. “You’re fucking kidding.”
I got into his face, so fucking angry, it was burning me up inside. Angry, and worried. Fucking worried because my wife was gone. Aria had run. Run from me. “Do you think I would joke about something like that?”
“I thought Aria was in love with you,” Matteo said snidely.
My fingers itched to close around his throat. To crush something. Fuck, it had felt so good when I’d crushed the last man’s throat. But Matteo hadn’t betrayed me. I should have wanted to hurt my wife for running from me, and yet I didn’t. Fuck. Damn you, Aria. Damn you for making me care.
I stormed out of the basement of the Sphere. Some of my men lingering at the bar watched me curiously. Others got up as if to join me on whatever crusade I was on. But I couldn’t risk them finding out that my own wife had run off, that I couldn’t even control the woman at my side.
Love. The root of weakness. That’s what our fucking father had called it. I didn’t like the man, had hated him with every fiber of my being, but perhaps he’d been right for once. Aria was turning me into a fool, and I had fucking allowed her to do it.
Matteo followed close behind me.
If he hadn’t wanted the fucking redhead, then nothing of this would have happened. The whole thing was no doubt Gianna’s fucking idea.
“This is Gianna’s fault. This girl is the root of every problem. Why couldn’t you stay the fuck away from her like I told you?”
“Probably for the same reason why you let Aria play with you,” Matteo muttered.
Fuck it. Matteo was my brother. If other men started thinking the same way, I’d have to make a bloody statement—again. All because of Aria. I got into my car and Matteo mounted his bike, then we were off to meet with Romero.
He was waiting for us in my penthouse, next to a delirious Sandro. That asshole should have watched Aria and Gianna; instead, he let two untrained women knock him out. He didn’t meet my fucking gaze, and I focused on Romero before I ended up killing that useless fucker. “Spill,” was all I got out of my fucking tight throat.
“Ten thousand dollars and two passports are gone. Looks like they planned this over a long period of time.”
I nodded, trying to mask what this information did to me. Aria had told me she loved me. I had told her I loved her, had treated her as well as I knew how to do, had never hurt her, and now this?
I’ll go where you go no matter how dark the path
Had the last few months been a fucking show? But nobody could be that good an actress. This was Gianna. Fucking Gianna’s fault.
“We need to go looking for them,” Matteo muttered, as if I didn’t know that.
I glared. “And where do you want to begin? They could be anywhere. They will hardly take their fucking mobiles with them.”
“Might be worth a try anyway,” Romero suggested quietly.
I tried to calm myself and think straight, then gave a tight nod, before I took out my phone and opened the tracking app. And a second later Aria’s cell popped up. Surprise, then relief followed by suspicion shot through me. She was heading out of the city, up north.
“Do you think that’s them?” Matteo peered down at my cell. “They are too clever to keep their phones on them.”
“Perhaps this is a ruse, but it’s all we’ve got right now,” I said. Before Matteo and I headed out to hunt our women, I told Romero, “Call me the moment you’ve got news.”
ARIA
I drove for a long time, first in one direction, then in the other. I was sure they had discovered Sandro by now and knew that Gianna had run off. Would Luca think I’d gone with her? That the words I’d spoken to him had been a lie? I wasn’t sure. My heart ached when I thought about it. Luca wasn’t a man who trusted easily, or at all. But I had his trust. Perhaps not anymore.
I glanced at the clock in the dashboard. Gianna’s flight to Schiphol had left almost one hour ago. I needed to get home. If they’d tracked my mobile, they should have been on the wrong trace by now and not suspect that Gianna had taken a plane. Luca had tried to call me several times. He was probably furious.
I turned the car and headed back to Manhattan, my heartbeat picking up the closer I got to my home.
The moment I entered the underground parking garage, the desk clerk watching everything on his monitors was probably already notifying Luca of my whereabouts.
I took the elevator up to our penthouse. When the doors slid open, Romero was waiting for me. He shook his head, something close to anger on his face. He’d never openly displayed anger toward me. He lifted his cell to his ear but didn’t take his eyes off me.
I didn’t have to ask whom he was calling. I walked past him toward the windows and glanced out. Gianna was on a plane to freedom. She’d be landing in Amsterdam in a few hours, where she’d start a new life. Away from all of this. Away from the mafia and arranged marriages. Away from golden cages and man-made rules.
I hoped Gianna would be clever enough to evade her pursuers, because there was no doubt in my mind that my father would send his men out to catch her. And I had a feeling Matteo wouldn’t let her slip from his fingers that easily either. She would have to find someone who could give her a new identity. In this country, nobody would go against the mafia, except for the Bratva, and contacting them would have put the final nail in our coffins. But most of all I hoped Gianna would find what she was longing for.
“Luca, she’s here,” Romero said finally. “No, alone. Yes. I will.”
Romero came up to me. I glanced over my shoulder at his tall form. “I won’t run. You don’t have to stand two steps behind me to make sure of it,” I said jokingly.
Romero didn’t smile. He took another step closer, closer than he usually came, his brown eyes hardening. “Luca is Capo. And he’s the best there ever was. Because he rules without mercy. Because he rewards those who are loyal. Because he protects those deserving of protection.”
I turned to him fully, stunned by the fierceness of his words and not sure where he was going with them.
“You betrayed him.” He practically spat the words at me.
“I didn’t—”
Romero interrupted me. “You went behind his back and ran off. I don’t care why. In our world that means betrayal and you should know better, Aria.”
I stared up at him, shaken. Was that how Luca saw my actions as well?
“With anyone else, Luca wouldn’t hesitate to deal out harsh punishment. Betrayal means death, torture at the very least. But you are certain you are safe,” he said. He leaned closer, and again I was reminded that the man in front of me was a killer despite his easygoing nature. “Never forget that Luca is still a Capo who needs to keep face in front of his men. Don’t push him too far. Don’t force him into doing something neither of you will recover from.”
I swallowed, glancing down at my bracelet.
In the darkest hour you are my light
Romero wasn’t threatening me as I’d first thought. He was worried. I hadn’t thought it was that big a deal.
No, that wasn’t quite right. I’d suspected how bad it would be if I helped Gianna run, but I couldn’t not help. She was my sister and I loved her.
The door to the guest bedroom opened and Sandro stumbled out, his shirt pulled out of his trousers and crinkly. He looked pale and disoriented. When his eyes settled on me, anger flashed across his face, then he glanced at Romero beside me, and lowered his head. I had wounded his pride, which was the worst shame possible for a Made Man.
“Are you okay?” I asked him, feeling bad for having drugged him, but he wouldn’t have let Gianna and me leave.
He walked toward the sofa and sank down. He leaned back slowly but didn’t say anything.
“Is he hurt?” I asked Romero when it became clear that Sandro was determined to ignore me.
Romero shrugged. “The drug haze will be the least of his problems. His screwup will cause him bigger trouble, believe me. Luca doesn’t tolerate incompetence.”
Sandro winced visibly.
“Luca won’t punish him, will he? I have to talk to him—”
“No,” Romero said sharply. “You should start thinking about self-preservation, Aria. Be careful.”
I snapped my mouth shut.
The elevator jerked into motion. My eyes darted to the screen. It was going down to the underground garage. Luca.
My stomach tightened. I was nervous. Romero’s words had left an impact. But I knew Luca. And he knew me. He would understand. I hadn’t gone against him. I’d only helped Gianna. Right?
I realized it might look different from the outside. God. Fear began bubbling in my stomach. I turned back to the windows, needing time to control my expression.
Had I messed up everything?
The elevator stopped on our floor and the sound of Luca and Matteo in some kind of argument reached me. In the window I could see Luca’s tall frame towering above his brother. Matteo was tall, but Luca was…Luca. Magnificent. His gaze found mine in the reflection of the window.
I swallowed.
He was stalking my way. He didn’t say anything. I was about to apologize when his strong fingers clamped down on my forearm and he turned me around. I bit back a gasp. His grip was tight, though I knew he must have been restraining himself. I peeked up at him, and shivered. His face was a mask of barely controlled anger. He still didn’t say anything, and that made me realize how bad the situation truly was.
Matteo advanced on me. “Where’s Gianna?”
I ignored him, caught in Luca’s gaze.
“Answer,” Luca said quietly.
I tried to pull from his grip but he didn’t let go. Suddenly a hint of anger flared up in me. He was showing his power in front of everyone, trying to act all macho and Capo.
“She’s gone,” I said.
“Oh really,” Matteo snarled. “Don’t you think we know that? But where did she go? You ran off together, planned everything together.”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “We decided it was better if I didn’t know.”
“Bullshit.” Matteo smiled cruelly. “You know exactly where she is.”
“Aria.” Luca’s voice was steel as he brought my attention back to him. “So far no one knows about this. Not even your father and the Outfit. Soon we’ll have to tell them that your sister escaped while under my protection.”
It would make him look bad. He was Capo. He wanted to appear invincible. I hated these power struggles. Why couldn’t men just let it go?
I pressed my lips together.
Matteo growled. “I’ll find her anyway, if I have to search every club in New York. She wants to provoke me. If I find her fucking around with another guy, she’ll regret it.”
Anger surged through me. “You will never find her. She’s too far away. And Gianna won’t come back. Never.”
“Too far away,” Matteo said with a look at Luca. “So you do know where she is.”
I tensed. “It doesn’t matter. I won’t tell you.”
Sandro let out a snort.
Luca’s expression darkened even further. Matteo stepped very close to us. He gave his brother an imploring look. “We need to find her. Not just because I want her, but because it will reflect badly on the Famiglia.” Matteo evaluated me. His expression scared me. I’d grown to like him. Perhaps I’d too easily forgotten what kind of man he was, what kind of men both he and Luca were. “We need to get the information from her.”
I swallowed. I was about to tell him again that I wouldn’t say anything when I realized where he was going with his arguments.
“If you can’t do it, Luca, let me handle this,” Matteo said in an imploring murmur. “I don’t think I’ll have to hurt her too much. She’s not used to withstand pain.”
I jerked in Luca’s grip. My eyes flew from Matteo to Luca. “You can’t be serious,” I whispered harshly. I could tell that Romero and Sandro were watching in interest.
“Silence,” Luca growled, and I sucked in a breath. He turned his glare back to his brother. “I am your Capo, Matteo. I will handle my own wife. You won’t lay a finger on her.”
Matteo shrugged. “Then handle her, Capo,” he said in a defiant tone. Was he openly challenging Luca as Capo? Was he losing his mind? Was he that obsessed with Gianna to risk even his relationship to Luca?
But what had I done? I had risked my relationship to Luca for Gianna as well. Yet, I had to believe that it was different. I’d done it out of sisterly love. Matteo wanted Gianna out of possessiveness.
Luca pulled me away from his brother and toward the steps leading up to the second floor. “Luca,” I began, but he tightened his grip in warning and I fell silent. Everyone was watching us. What needed to be said was something that was only between Luca and me.
I followed him inside the bedroom, then tried again. “Luca—”
He banged the bedroom door shut behind us and pulled me forcefully against him. The air whooshed out of my lungs from the impact against his muscled torso.
If I hadn’t been married to Luca for months now, I would have cowered under his scowl, but I loved him and he loved me. I had to trust in that.
“Where is Gianna?” he growled.
I shivered at the undercurrent of fury in his voice.
“I won’t tell you. No matter what you do.”
He kissed my throat, backing me up against the closed door. “Don’t say that.” When he raised his head, his expression had changed. He’d raised his barriers, shut me off. He stared down at me, then he pinned my wrists above my head, his grip on the verge of being painful. I winced. A joyless smile twisted his mouth. His eyes were guarded like he was considering me anew, like he was trying to gauge me. Calculating.
Fear settled in the pit of my stomach. Fear of what he’d do. But even worse: fear that I was losing him. That’s I’d lost the trust of a man who’d never before allowed himself to trust someone as much as me.
Luca nodded. “That look in your eyes. I’ve seen it thousands of times in other people’s eyes, but it’s been a while with you.”
His thumb pressed against my wrist and I could feel my pulse hammering against it, but I couldn’t do anything against it.
“I’m a young Capo, Aria. Younger than most of the older Underbosses like. Many of them want me gone. They are lying in wait for a sign of weakness.” He tilted his head. I tried to glimpse past the mask he’d put on, but for once I couldn’t. “Don’t be that weakness.”
I tried to free myself from his grip, but he didn’t budge. He was much stronger than I. Finally I narrowed my eyes at him. I wasn’t one of his soldiers, and most definitely not a weakness. “I’m not a weakness. Let me go and stop being cruel.”
“I’m not being cruel to you,” he growled. “You have never witnessed my cruel side, Aria. You’ve never seen anything close to it. If you think this is the extent of my cruelty, then you don’t know me at all.” He shook his head. “You are a weakness I can’t afford. It would be easy to change it. I know it wouldn’t take much to make you give up your secrets. Not because you don’t want to keep them, but because I’m too good at breaking people. I could break you so easily.”
In the months of our marriage he’d tried to keep me out of the business, but I wasn’t stupid.
“I know,” I whispered.
You wouldn’t even have to lay a hand on me to do it.
“You don’t know, that’s the fucking problem. I’ve burnt and beaten and cut. I’ve strangled and drowned people. I have done every horrendous thing you only have nightmares about, Aria. Gianna’s destination is less than a minute away if I try.”
By God, I knew. I had seen glimpses of what he was capable of when he’d dealt with others. I had seen the blood, had seen the darkness and excited glimmer in his eyes. I knew exactly what kind of man he was. But God help me, I loved him despite it all. Loved him more than anything else in this world. I forced my body to relax in his grip even though it was the hardest thing I’d ever done. Luca felt it too, and his brows drew together.
“Then do what you must do, Luca,” I whispered, and I could say it without hesitation because I knew no matter how angry he was, no matter how dark the times were, he would never hurt me. I trusted him completely.
He smiled joylessly and leaned closer, his thumb pressing against my wrist once. “This betrays your true feelings, Aria. I know you are scared.”
My body fears you, but not my heart. “I am,” I admitted. “But not of the pain and not of you.” That was a lie—the prospect of pain scared me very much—and we both knew it but I continued, “The thing that scares me most is that you won’t trust me again, that I ruined the best thing in my life, that I hurt the person I love the most.”
Luca’s expression could have brought down worlds with its intensity. He released me like he had been burnt and whirled around, then he stalked into the bathroom. I knew I shouldn’t have but I followed. He was clutching the washbasin, glowering at his reflection. His gray eyes shone with fury. When he spotted me in the mirror, he jerked his hands up and ripped the washbasin off the wall. “Damn you, Aria. Damn your fucking love. Damn it all.” He released the washbasin and it fell to the ground, broken. I took a step in his direction because with him I simply couldn’t stay away.
“You are turning me into a fucking fool,” he snarled.
And then he was upon me, tall and imposing. He gripped my hips and lifted me off the ground, then hoisted me up against the tiled wall. His body pressed up against me and his mouth crashed down on mine. I tasted blood, not sure if it was mine or his, and not caring. His tongue claimed my mouth without mercy, and I returned the kiss. His fingers clamped down on my thighs painfully as he held me up. He shoved my skirt up then ripped away my panties. I heard him undo his belt and unzip his pants, and then he thrust into me in one hard stroke. My gasp was swallowed by his mouth. He didn’t wait for my body to adapt like usual; instead he started pounding into me hard and fast, his hands gripping my ass, his mouth unrelenting. And I surrendered to him completely. I clung to his neck, ecstasy mingling with pain as Luca took me harder than ever before.
He panted, eyes angry, as he got closer to the edge. He stopped kissing me and only stared into my eyes with the most intense look I’d ever seen. He still loved me. I hadn’t lost him.
And then he tensed, his cock expanding in me, and he growled, his head falling forward. I buried my face in the crook of his neck and allowed myself to cry as I clung to him and listened to his harsh breathing and erratic heartbeat. His musky scent filled my nose. Luca exhaled sharply, muscles softening under my hands before he lifted me gently and pulled out slowly. I couldn’t help but wince. I was sore. Luca set me down and our eyes met. Slowly his gaze traveled down to his cock, which was smeared with a bit of pink. I couldn’t describe the look on his face then. Regret. Sorrow. Anger. He sank to his knees and pressed his face against my stomach.
“Damn it, Aria,” he rasped. “I swore I’d never hurt you.”
“It’s nothing,” I said.
He shook his head, and for a while we stayed like that: his face resting against me, my hands in his hair. “I am your husband and your Capo,” he said eventually, before he pressed a kiss to the soft flesh of my stomach and his gray eyes met mine. “Don’t ever betray me again.”
It was half order, half plea. There was only so much his love for me could endure; I understood that now. He was a predator, a monster. He was mine. “I won’t,” I promised, and I hoped I could keep that promise.
