“Luca…stop.”
My feet hurt and it’s not only because of the heels.
When my ex-friend showed up and held a gun to my side and told me to follow him, I did. Not because I was scared of his weapon, but because he threatened to kill Adrian.
Besides, I want this whole thing resolved so we can all move on with our lives. Ever since that day at the park, I knew he’d come back and make a move. I just didn’t know when.
After what I learned from Papa, I now understand why Luca wishes me harm. He’s obviously an enemy of my father’s and has been using me all along.
Just like Adrian.
No. My husband might have wanted to use me and even planned to, but he didn’t go through with it. In fact, he hates that I got myself involved in the whole scene.
“Luca.” I try to pull my hand from his as he drags me forward.
He drove here—after he shoved me in the trunk—so I have no idea where we are.
It mustn’t be too far away, though, because it didn’t feel like he drove for a long time.
We’re in what seems to be a forest, or the outskirts of one. Tall trees are the only things in sight and they appear like monsters’ arms in the darkness. The only light illuminating the way is the one coming from the cottage Luca is pulling me into.
It’s small with a wooden patio and flooring. He shoves me inside and I stumble, catching myself at the last second before I hit the entrance hall.
I expect someone else to come, but no one does. I remain at the entrance while Luca pulls all the curtains closed with his gun still in hand as he peeks outside through the window.
Goosebumps cover my skin from the cold. I left Sergei’s house in a hurry and didn’t bring my coat out, so I’m only in my dress.
My gaze flits from Luca, to his gun, and then to the door. If I attempt to escape, he’ll catch me in no time, considering he obviously knows the area better than me.
Or maybe he’ll hurt me.
Besides, I can’t escape before I sort all of this out.
Hugging my arm, I stare at Luca. He’s wearing black army fatigues and a baseball cap that casts a shadow on his face. He’s removed the mask, so at least he’s not a dark shadow anymore.
“Now what?” I ask.
He keeps staring at the window. “Now, you shut the fuck up until your daddy pays a price for you.”
“A price?”
Luca spins around and crosses his arms over his chest so that the gun is facing forward. “If he wants to get you back alive, he’ll have to give us a share of his South American drug shipments.”
“I don’t know who you think I am, but I’m not important enough that Lazlo Luciano would sacrifice anything for me.”
“Nice try. But you forget that we’ve been hiding you all along, Duchess. Lazlo won’t turn a blind eye on his only blood offspring.”
“So it’s true? You’ve been keeping an eye on me?”
“What do you think?”
“How about Adrian? Why did you have me spy on him and then plot to kill him?”
“Because he’s a threat to us, too. Not as much as Lazlo, but he’s close behind. He’s been killing every one of our guards who knows about your identity.”
He’s been doing that? I scoff internally. Of course he has. He said it himself, that he’ll kill people if he thinks they’re a danger to me and that I’m not to question him about it.
I focus back on Luca. “And let me guess, you didn’t want him to uncover your identity and your plan about using me?”
“Something like that.” He throws his weight onto the sofa, swinging his arm to hug the back. “Now be a good little Duchess and sit with me for old time’s sake.”
“What old times? The ones when you lied to me? Why didn’t you tell me you were a Rozetti?”
“You wouldn’t have understood.”
“I could’ve tried.”
“Tried? You should’ve tried to spy on Adrian or at least not gotten in the way when I went to kill him, but you were more trouble than you were worth.”
“You’re such an asshole, do you know that?”
“Thanks.”
“It wasn’t supposed to be a compliment. And if you had told me what type of role I played in your life and was genuine about it, I would’ve willingly helped you with Papa. But you had to go and stab me in the back.”
He retrieves his phone and taps on it as he speaks, “Aren’t you the dramatic one, Duchess?”
“Dramatic? Yeah, I guess I can be dramatic if I find out that the person I thought was my friend was only using me because of family feuds or whatever.”
“Family feuds?” He glares at me over his phone. “My fucking parents were murdered by your damn father, and my few remaining family members put me with a make-believe adoptive family of their workers to save me from my parents’ fate. Lazlo didn’t and will never stop until he erases us off the face of the earth, and while I would rather put a damn bullet in his fucking head, I can’t do that, because that monster Nicolo would erase the few family members I have left.”
My heart aches for him despite his monstrous deeds. Luca has been angry and bitter since we were kids, and now, I understand why there’s always that constant grudge in his gaze.
I inch closer so that I’m not far from him. “So what do you plan to do?”
“Force him to give us a share.”
“He won’t agree to that.”
“He will if he wants you alive.”
“Are you serious? This is his business, and he wouldn’t choose me over it.”
“In that case, he’ll have your corpse. Maybe then he’ll understand what it means to lose family.” He pauses. “My uncle said that hiding you from Lazlo was our secret weapon. He was right.”
“Was…my mother forced into it?”
“At first, I think. Then the man who married her betrayed the family and refused to hand you over.”
“My stepfather was one of you?”
“Of course. So was your fake grandmother and the man who took you from Italy to the States. Your parents tried to smuggle you out, but my uncle found the man who was supposed to fetch you from the cottage that day, tortured him for the code word, then killed him and took you. We did a good job of hiding you from Lazlo until one of the fucker guards spilled the truth about you to Adrian under torture.”
My head swims from the load of information and my legs barely carry me. “My…grandma was fake?”
“Yes. If she had been real, Lazlo would’ve found you. He searched the whole damn world for your mother.”
Oh. So he did search for Mom.
“Let me talk to him, Luca.”
He narrows his eyes. “About what?”
“About letting you have the shares.”
“It wouldn’t make a difference.”
“You just said it would.”
“Only if your life is threatened, Duchess.”
“He will erase your family from the face of the earth if you hurt me.”
“If this plan doesn’t succeed, he might as well do it, anyway. I’m at a point where I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.”
“But—” My protest is interrupted when a sound comes from outside.
Luca leaps up from his position on the couch and yanks me in front of him, using me as a shield while he jams the gun into my temple. The door barges open and my breath catches when I make eye contact with Adrian’s intense gray ones.
Kolya, Yan, Boris, and a few of his other guards are with him. All of them have their guns out.
My heart beats fast as Adrian’s entire demeanor sharpens and his body turns in my direction.
“You’re not supposed to be here.” Luca’s tone is light, but I can feel his body tightening behind me. “Now drop your weapons before I kill her.”
“You need me, Luca,” I say in a low voice.
“Not if my life depends on it, Duchess,” he tells me, then addresses Adrian. “Your weapons, Volkov.”
My husband’s gaze meets mine again for a brief second before he motions at his guards to drop their guns. As they do, Luca drags me to a back door while still using me as a human shield.
I stumble a few times, but Luca’s firm hold on me keeps me upright while we cross the distance.
It’s so dark outside that I can barely see my hands, but I keep staring at the door until I can make out the shadow of Adrian and the others.
It’d be a lie to say I’m not scared, especially knowing Luca’s impulsiveness, but the fact that Adrian is here gives me a small relief.
Pebbles crunch beneath my feet and when the sound of waves hits my ears, I notice that Luca has taken us to the edge of a cliff.
I suck in a deep breath as I stare at the water below violently hitting the rocks.
Just like that night.
My body trembles and tears spring to my eyes. The thought of repeating that experience paralyzes me, causing the world to close in on me until all I can hear is the pounding pulse in my ears.
“Lia.”
My head snaps up to find Adrian a small distance away from me and some of my fear lessens.
“Breathe, Lenochka. I’m here.”
“Adrian…” I shake my head. “I didn’t mean to that time… I don’t want to now…”
“Nothing will happen to you.”
“Yes, it will if you don’t stay away.” Luca presses the weapon harder against my temple.
Something glints in the darkness in Adrian’s hand and my eyes widen as I recognize the gun.
Luca seems to have noticed it, too, because he pulls me back in one swift movement.
I shriek as a bullet is fired.
Bang!
