ALINA The morning light in our bedroom had a golden quality to it. And it was just the perfect day for that, because it was my first ante-natal appointment with my doctor. I'd woken up almost jittery with excitement. Luca stood by the dresser, half-buttoning his shirt, his hair still damp from the shower, and I watched him from the bed, my hand on my stomach. "Are you going to come with me today?" I asked, though I already knew the answer. He looked at me, the edge of his lips curling as he walked back toward the bed. "Of course, I’m coming. I wouldn’t miss it." I didn’t know what it was about seeing him barefoot, with his shirt open, his body brushed faintly by the sun, but something tightened in my chest. It wasn’t just lust, though there was plenty of that. It was the way he looked at me now, the way his eyes softened when they dropped to my belly, like he still couldn’t believe what we’d made. He leaned over and kissed me, slow and tender, and I pulled him down wi
LUCAI dialed Alina as I turned the wheel, my eyes pinned to the taillights ahead of me.She picked up on the second ring. "Hey. Is everything okay?""Yeah. Just checking in. Where are you?""Still home. Valentina came by so we’re just talking. Nothing dramatic."I exhaled, nodding to myself. Her voice grounded me. It made it okay to be calm. She was safe, and at home. "Good. I’m following Marco.""Following him where?""That’s the thing. I don’t know. He’s not headed anywhere specific. Just circling.""Be careful.""Always. I’ll be home as soon as I’m done with him."I ended the call and tossed the phone into the passenger seat. Marco’s car turned again, heading back toward the same stretch we started from. I kept two cars behind, just close enough to track him but far enough that he wouldn’t notice, though I was beginning to think he already had.We made another turn, then another. He was circling blocks like he was waiting for a tail to shake loose. There was no real destinatio
LUCAThe next morning, I was up before the sun. Campbell called just after I got out of the shower, his voice businesslike. "They want to see you again for an interrogation. You know the drill."I did, only too well. But it was the worst fucking day for this. "They're going to bring up the plea deal again," he added. "Just stick to what we discussed. If you're sure you won't take it of course.”I knew damned well I wasn't taking it. My life was disintegrating enough. There was no damned way that I was going to be pleading guilty to Victoria’s murder. "I'm not taking it," I said, pulling on a clean black shirt. "I told you. I'm not pleading guilty to something I didn't do.""You might not get another offer, but if you're sure.” "Then they can keep it."Still, my mind was nowhere near calm as I kissed Alina and left the house.I could see that she was still worried about her mother's marriage. I would need to find my father and have a conversation with him. There was also that fo
ALINAI watched Luca's face closely as he told me about the footprints. He was calm, too calm, which only meant he was trying not to scare me, or the kids, but I could see it in the tightness of his jaw, the way his fingers drummed against the edge of the windowpane. Something had shaken him."You don’t think someone actually got this close to the house, do you?" I asked, keeping my voice as calm as his had been. He didn’t answer immediately. He exhaled slowly."I already called Pietro. They're going to do a quiet sweep of the property. I don’t want to alarm the kids."My stomach dropped. "You think someone’s still here?""I don’t know. But whoever it was, they weren’t wearing shoes. That means they were being careful. Very careful.” “How come the men didn't catch this man? If Leo hadn't seen him, we wouldn't even know.” I muttered. “There will be questions later, Alina. Right now, we need to find this man, and we need to find who he came from.” My chest tightened. There was onl
LUCAI knew I hit him harder than I needed to. The sharp pain up my arm wasn’t just from the impact of fist against jaw, it was from the anger still running wild inside me. Marco staggered back, blinking, then stood with a calm, mocking tilt of his head.“What the hell was that for?” he asked, lips curving slightly like he wasn’t sure whether to be pissed or impressed.I forced my breathing to steady, but my fists were still clenched.“That was for being careless with the gold,” I said. “You dropped it at Talciro's warehouse and forgot to tell anyone? How the fuck did it show up there when we've been searching for it?” He raised both hands like he was surrendering. “I had handed the gold to the truck driver. You could have fucking asked instead of punching me in the damn face, Luca.” I didn’t answer. The truth was, I wasn’t just mad about the gold. I was mad about my father. About the way his voice still got under my skin after all these years. The things he said. The things he
LUCAThe minute I answered the call and heard my father’s voice, my chest went tight like a trigger being pulled halfway.“I have an offer for you,” Matteo said, calm like we were discussing business and not trying to bury each other alive. “Walk away from Alina. File for divorce. I’ll make your little court case disappear.”I didn’t speak. I just stared at the window like maybe the glass could shatter from silence.“She’s a liability,” he continued. “She’s cost you more than she’s worth. You want to survive this world, son? Cut her loose and take over Costa. Kill her if you have to. But take that crown while it’s still warm.”I swallowed the taste of rust. “Kill her?” My voice barely sounded like mine.“It’s not personal,” he said. “It’s strategic. You’re too soft now. You used to have guts, now look at you—letting some girl pull your strings.”I let out a low, hollow laugh. “Then why not kill Bella, if you’re so hungry for blood? She was the one who sheltered me when you were too bu