LUCAShe walked out like she hadn’t just torn the soul from a man. Head high, spine straight, not a shake in her fingers. I saw it though, there was a shadow coiling in her shoulders, the anger pressing down as she pushed through the door outside with Pietro. I needed to make sure Alberto was dead before I left. His blood had stained the floor, but it wasn't enough anymore. Pulling the gun Alina had used, I emptied more bullets into his stomach, until he was still on the floor. Vector was still leaning against the wall, his legs crossed as he stared at Alberto. “I never could believe he would have changed so much.” He muttered. I turned to him slowly, and before he could blink, I slammed him against the wall so hard his head bounced right off. He grunted, but he didn't fight back. And for a moment, I wished he would so I could punch the hell out of him. “I told you to stay away from her.” My voice was a whisper. Vector’s lips were white and tight.m. “I couldn’t. She was at risk
ALINAArriving with Pietro and Marco to pick up Luca, we sat in the car while Campbell asked for and got bail. I'd been sitting in the car for damned near three hours, and I didn't mind waiting for another three if it meant I got to see Luca walking out of those doors. As though I'd called him out with my thoughts, I saw him then. His hair hung down his face, yet, he ran his hand through it, his arm blocking his face from the reporters who were taking pictures of him leaving. “Who told them he was leaving now?” I asked. “No one has to. The reporters never left him alone, Alina. He's The Monster. They just as surprised as you are that he's in there.” Luca slid into the back of the car behind me. I turned and threw my arms around him, hugging myself into his sides. “Luca, don't do that to me ever again.” “You don't have to worry about that, Sunshine. That will never happen again.” “Good,” I closed my eyes, relaxing my head against the pump of his heart under his skin. “But, I ha
LUCA “Look who crawled out of his hole,” I said, standing from the bunk, rolling my shoulders like I had all the time in the world. “How long you been rotting away in here? A year? Two?” His face didn’t move. He just stood there, thick neck bulging like he was choking on rage. I chuckled, tilting my head. “Let me guess, you’re here from Alberto? He sent you to take your shot before he does?” Paolo spat into the corner, his eyes black pits of hate. “Alberto’s a bastard.” That made me grin wider. “Good to know we agree on something. But I don’t care why you’re here.” I stepped closer until I was toe to toe with him, until I could smell the stench of his breath. The last time I'd seen him was at my wedding ceremony disrespecting my wife. “Last time I saw you, it was at my wedding. Remember what I told you that day? Stay the hell away from my wife. Now I need you to stay the hell away from me.” I could see that he rememberered, and worse I could see the rage light in his eyes.
LUCAI didn’t leave because I was running.I left because I needed control. If the cops were coming for me, then I’d walk into it on my terms. Not dragged out like some street rat, not hidden in a bathroom because my wife panicked.No. If they wanted a show, I’d give them one they’d never forget.The car ate up the road in silence, my hands steady on the wheel. If Marissa was coming here and Vector had found it, then I was certain a lot more people knew. There would be headlines, so I would give them headlines, because once they locked me up, and let me out, they couldn't drag me back to court for the same thing. That was the law. And if they thought a few hours in a cell would break me? They didn’t know who the hell I was.By the time I pulled into the driveway, the house was quiet. I slammed the door and went inside, pushing off my thoughts with every step. Blood was still caked under my fingers so I showered fast, the water pounding against my skin. When I came out, I dressed in
ALINAThe door fell completely off the hinges. I stepped back as it slammed into the ground, the sound of the crash causing my ears to ring. A second later, Luca steppedthrough the ruins of the door. His eyes met mine, and I flinched. His shirt was tied around his hand, his hair dripping, and his eyes were dark steel, tight at the corner with anger that had its own gravity. His fingers were bloody, and his chest was sweaty, but he looked as sexy as a god. His arms flexed as he slowly untied the shirt and allowed it to fall on the floor. He stood just inside the bathroom, the shadow brushing his jaws harshly as he looked at me. “You locked me in the bathroom.” His voice was calm in that way that terrified me more than shouting ever could.I didn't know what his next move would be, what he would say or do, and it scared me to hell. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. He glanced back at the wrecked door, then returned his eyes to mine, one brow lifting. “Did you really think a
ALINAI felt the ground tilting under me when the words left my mouth. Hide. That was all I wanted from him, just this once, to take the safest option instead of the proudest one.Luca’s eyes were dark and smoky, his jaw locked in that way that always told me I was about to lose the argument. “No, I'm not hiding.” The words were already carved in stone. I pushed forward, stepping into his body, standing so close that I could feel his breathe on my lips. “You have to, please, Luca, if they take you…” “They won’t keep me,” he snapped, the heat in his voice doubling against my fear. “They don’t have a body, no footage, nweapon, not a shred of evidence. Marissa’s wasting her time trying to pin this on me.”He tugged my fingers off his chest, and thought the action was gentler than his voice, it didn't stop the shake racing through me. “And when she's done making a fool of herself, I'll sue her. And the entire police department, and anyone who so much as breathes the wrong way.” “You