“How serious are you about my cousin?” Dom asked.
“We’re serious about seeing where this goes,” I said. Dom was Paulie and Carlotta’s son. He looked easy-going, talked like he was easy-going. But behind those flashy clothes and winning smile was the calculating boss of the De Lucci crime family. But I didn’t think he would stick his nose into my love life. No. It was someone else. “Is Luca making you ask this?”
He grinned. “He is my uncle. And he wasn’t too happy about the publicity yesterday.” Dom had called this meeting for our side of the family. This was when the illegitimate and legitimate sides clashed and caused friction.
“He didn’t call me.”
“It was a boss-to-boss matter.”
“Bullshit,” Nico snarled. “Is he invoking the made-men crap again?”
“You really should let go of that imagined prejudice. It’s only in your head.”
“Then he should’ve called me,” I pointed out calmly. When my brother started losing his temper, it was up to me to balance it out. “It made more sense.”
“He wasn’t sure if you had the knowledge of the security surrounding Sera.”
“I’m surprised he hasn’t demanded her back on the plane.”
“He considered it.”
I arched a brow. “So what swayed him to let her stay?”
Dom shrugged. “Something about not making the same mistake again.”
“Is this about Sera’s boyfriend who nearly became fish food?” I asked.
“It’s become a Chicago urban legend. For someone as young as Luca, that’s a feat.”
“Or a curse for people around him,” I muttered.
Dom eyed me. “So you’re not one tiny bit afraid of Luca?”
“Not in the least. What does he want?”
“From what he said and from our own sources, there’s turmoil within the Galluzo clans. They’re split on what to do about Santino.”
“Where’s that fucker now?”
“Word on the street is Frankie Rossi is hiding him.” Francesco “Frankie” Rossi was the boss of the Rossi crime family.
“I’m not liking this.”
“Rossi’s men ventured into our territory early this morning.”
“What?” My brows furrowed. “Was The Turk involved in this?”
“Sandro is minding his business as far as I know. Which is surprising that you turned up at his club.”
“It’s neutral ground.” I didn’t want to tell him that it was Sera and Ivy who went there. “You should have told me sooner that Rossi’s men crossed into our territory.”
“I’m telling you now,” Dom said. “Need to know, cuz. It’s for your own protection. They were bar-hopping close to here.”
“They’re casing our stronghold.”
“Yes. When they got too close to this building and since the coffee shop was already closed, our men turned them around.”
I looked at Renz. My youngest brother’s family lived on the second floor of this building. “You want me to take Sera back to the Upper East Side?”
“No,” Dom sighed. “We don’t have enough eyes there. It would have helped if you and Nico moved into Hell’s Kitchen.”
“This hasn’t been a problem before,” I said.
“It is now when you stole the bride of a Galluzo capo,” Dom said. “This wasn’t the way we discussed about weakening their organization. We didn’t want to start a war.”
“What did you think would happen when I went after the shares?” I asked.
“Truth?” Dom said. “I didn’t think you could pull it off.”
The smile I gave him was all teeth.
“But I knew better than to underestimate you,” he said. “But back to my question. Is what’s going on between you and Sera serious because I need to know before I back up your relationship.”
“It’s serious,” I said without hesitation.
Nico made a sound in the back of his throat indicating surprise. I speared him with a warning. He, Daniel, and Trevor were the only ones who knew it was fake, but things had shifted with Sera. I wasn’t sure I was ready for us to end.
“Okay. Best thing is to have you guys out of the city.”
“And look like we’re running? No fucking way.”
“Think of it as a vacation. If Frankie goes with Galluzo, we don’t have enough people to watch over all the De Luccis and the last thing I want is to have Chicago send their soldiers.”
“Agreed.” I thought about the piss-poor job Rocco and Tony had done. “We haven’t worked with them before.”
“And there’s no telling where Luca’s loyalties lie,” Dom said. “My uncle has always been fucking unpredictable, but he’s protective of Sera and I’d like to think he doesn’t want to go to war with us either. There’s that at least.”
I winked. “Carlotta will have his ass.”
Laughter went around the room.
Still smiling, my cousin said, “We have three compounds from here to Maine. You choose.”
I didn’t have to think twice. “Maine.”
Sera
“We’re going to Maine, baby.”
Our heads turned toward the door when the men marched in. I was taken aback by Liz’s husband. The youngest De Lucci was as big as his brothers, but was rougher around the edges and I couldn’t imagine him in a suit, but he was sure rocking that close-cropped hair, muscled tee, sleeve tattoos, earring in one ear, and torn jeans.
“Hi, Uncle Nico, Matteo,” Sam called from the living room where she was watching cartoons after finishing breakfast.
“That’s your husband?” I turned big eyes to Liz just as Matteo reached us.
He gripped my chin with his thumb and forefinger and turned my gaze back to him. “Eyes on me, yeah, baby?”
I rolled my eyes, but not before he planted a kiss on my lips.
Renz cast his brother an amused glance. “Have we entered the twilight zone and my high and mighty big brother has succumbed to the De Lucci curse?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Matteo left my side to join his brother in the kitchen.
“Do you want a cappuccino, Sera?” Liz asked me. “Renz makes the best.”
“Hey, I do okay,” Matteo said.
“When you’re in the same room with me, coffee is my domain,” Renz told him.
While the eldest and the youngest bickered, the middle one plopped himself beside us.
“So, what exactly is the De Lucci curse?” I asked Liz. “Paulie mentioned it.”
“It’s a myth,” Nico said. “Lorenzo wants to perpetuate it.” He lowered his voice and looked over to where Sam was still riveted on the television. “Because of his raging hormones, he got Liz pregnant and blamed it on the curse.”
“Oh, I believe in the curse.” Liz winked at me. “It’s said that some De Lucci men only love once.”
“Now don’t go planting crazy ideas in her head, Liz,” Matteo called from the kitchen.
“Obviously it doesn’t apply to you,” I retorted.
“Why do you say that?” The man in question looked offended.
“Ivy said Nico’s and your love lives resembled the ticket counter at a deli bar,” I said.
“Oh she did, did she?” Nico said. “And why was Miss Wu investigating my love life?”
“Did I just say you?”
“I find it interesting, that’s all,” he muttered.
“You’re doing it wrong,” Renz scolded Matteo.
“What are you two up to?” Liz asked.
“Older brother here wants to make the cappuccino for Sera.”
“Aw,” I teased. As nonchalant as I made it sound, my heart’s pitter-patter skipped a beat. Matteo’s gaze met mine briefly across the room. The corner of his mouth was tilted in a ghost of a smile that made him look incredibly hot.
“So going back to the curse.” An impish smile formed on Liz’s lips. “They said that De Lucci men get very obsessed and singularly focused over a woman and there’s no escape.”
“Well, what if the woman isn’t interested?” I asked.
Nico started chuckling. “That could be a problem.”
“Were you interested in Renz?”
“She made me work for it,” Renz said in between the latte art lessons he was giving Matteo. “Hold it in the middle. It’s all about symmetry.”
“He was too cocky,” Liz said. “And I wasn’t interested in a bad boy.”
“You just didn’t know you needed this bad boy,” Renz replied without looking at his wife and was frowning at what Matteo was doing. “For f-freak’s sake, you ruined it.” He grabbed the cup from his brother and slid it over the counter.
“Nico. Take this.”
“I don’t want a cappuccino.” Nico glowered at the cup in front of him like he’d been handed the biggest insult.
“Well, we’re not giving this to Sera.” Renz pointed to Matteo. “Make another one.”
He scowled. “You’re bossy.”
“Like I said, big brother, coffee is my domain.”
Liz translated for me. “Matteo has typical oldest brotheritis.”
“Uhm, always sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong?”
Then the strangest thing happened. Liz’s smile dropped from her face and her eyes became unfocused before she forced a small smile—which looked really fake because I’d seen her genuine one. She averted her gaze to look at Sam. “You doing okay there, sweetie?”
Her daughter gave a thumbs up.
“Right,” Nico was the one who answered.
“Ah, easy-peasy.” Matteo’s triumphant voice cut through our discussion.
We all watched him approach, holding a cup and saucer as he carefully laid it down, perfect latte art on top.
“Oh, yum, so you’re an expert now?”
“That’s pushing it,” Renz laughed. “Wipe the sweat off your forehead, bro.”
“Fuck off.”
“Kid in the room,” Liz warned.
“You know that’s useless, right?” Nico said. “She’ll be cussing like a sailor in another year.”
“I’m trying to preserve her innocence for as long as I can,” his sister-in-law quipped.
“That didn’t last for Bianca.” A fond smile curved Matteo’s mouth. “She said a cuss word when she was in kindergarten. Mom and Dad got called in.”
I laughed. “Must be hard when you’ve got three older brothers.”
“You got that right. So what’s this going to Maine?” Liz asked.
“We knew someone would have a problem with my relationship with Sera,” Matteo said.
“Just to give context,” Renz said. “Sera was supposed to enter an arranged marriage with Santino Conte.”
“Luca suggested it.” I was getting tired of repeating myself. “I considered it. Maybe I should just put a statement in the New York Times.”
“You’ve got a live wire there, bro,” Nico commented.
“Santino thought I was a foregone conclusion,” I shared in annoyance.
Using his ankle, Matteo tugged my barstool close and murmured in my ear. “Now you’re mine.”
I wasn’t sure if we were acting. Wait a minute. We were past acting. This man gave me my best orgasm and made me scream his name and God’s over and over. Plus, he marked my freaking boobs!
I gave him a narrowed look, but he treated it like a playful game and kissed me. “Talk later.”
“Aw…” Liz sighed, turning to Renz. “You’re like him.”
“I’ve got better moves,” Matteo’s youngest brother grumbled.
Two hours later, Matteo had me packed in his Jaguar and on our way to Maine. I didn’t even notice until we got on I-95 that there were two Suburbans following us.
I’d been distracted because I’d been talking to Luca for the past fifteen minutes. My uncle was willing to go with whatever I wanted, but there was a nagging feeling he really wanted me to stay here in New York.
“Don’t you miss me?” I asked, a tad suspicious.
“I can’t have you underfoot.”
“You make me sound like a puppy.”
He sighed. “I’m busy.”
“You were all ready to fly over here when you couldn’t get a hold of me.”
“I was worried then because no one could produce you. I made sure De Lucci knew his days will be numbered if a single hair on your head is harmed.”
“I wish you wouldn’t make me sound so fragile.”
“You’re far from fragile. Doesn’t mean I don’t worry.”
“Are you up to something?”
He exhaled an irritated breath. “Like what?”
“No side business with the Russians about drugs, okay?” I knew he steered clear from human trafficking too, so I wasn’t worried there.
“Not right now.”
“Luca—”
“Cara, the only time I deal with those products is as a favor. When an organization wants to use our ship, I don’t monetize from it. I allow it because it’s important to have allies.”
“Mafia goodwill,” I said dryly.
“Exactly,” he said. “Maybe in a few weeks you can bring Matteo for a visit.”
I gave an incredulous laugh. “And have him subjected to your inspection.”
“I’m not that bad,” Luca protested.
“You’re forgetting the reputation you earned after you dragged David from my apartment in nothing but a towel—”
“—the Hillside gang was using him to get to me.”
“—and bundled him into a car and drove off. You have no idea how that ruined my reputation. No one dared date me again for a long time.”
My uncle muttered something about doing it for my own good.
I glanced over at Matteo because I felt a sudden interest from him in my conversation. He was staring straight ahead, but his fingers had stopped drumming the steering wheel.
“Anyway. You have all our contact numbers.” I ended the call.
I exhaled a long-suffering sigh.
“Everything okay?” Matteo asked.
“Yes.”
“It doesn’t sound like it.”
“It’s really nothing. This reminds me why I don’t want to be away from Chicago sometimes.”
“The place or the family.”
I angled my eyes at him. “The family.”
“You’re not Luca’s keeper.”
Taken aback by his statement, I said, “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He stayed quiet for a while before saying, “You’re right. We’ll talk, but not here when I can’t give it my full attention.”
“Where?”
“You’re so impatient,” he tsked. “I’ve got plans. Something tells me you’ll love it.”
I was reflected in his aviator shades, so I couldn’t really tell what he was thinking about.
“Shouldn’t we be lying low?”
“Dom just told me he’s got eyes on Conte and his men. Where we’re going is a De Lucci stronghold.”
I shook my head. Even when I’d grown up in the famiglia, it still amazed me that there were marked territories in the mafia, where the typical American wasn’t aware of another world running alongside their existence.
I guess that was why it was called the underworld.
“Plans, huh?” I held my tongue. We were going to Maine. Of course I knew what his plans were, but I held my tongue because I couldn’t wait.
