by Lux Miller
Yet, here I am. I’m dressed in a gown that rivals the finery afforded to movie starlets. I’m being fiercely protected by a gorgeous man that wears his ‘bad boy’ status on his sleeve. And when the parade is over and done, instead of going back to a seedy club to turn over the baubles I’ve stolen from the citizens of New Orleans, I’ll be attending an exclusive ball held in the presidential suite of a ritzy hotel owned, at least in part, by my boyfriend.
Another trinket lands at my feet and I squat down carefully to pick it up, holding onto the railing with one hand as I twist my body so I don’t topple over because of my heels. I pick up the shiny beads, and my eyes widen immediately when they land on the resin pendant that dangles from the twisted strands. I stand up with Luca’s assistance and pull my mask off.
He blinks at me in surprise, his entire body tensing as his hand automatically lands at his waist. I know he’s seconds from snatching his gun from his waistband. “Emily… what’s wrong?”
Shaking my head, I knock his hands away from his waist. Thrusting the necklace into his outstretched hands, I murmur. “I need a purse.”
Luca chuckles nervously as his shoulders slump slightly. He grabs my biceps gently. “Don’t startle me like that, Emily. I’m programmed to fight first and ask questions later. I thought we were in danger.”
Blushing, I apologize profusely. “I… I’m sorry. I just, I’ve always wanted one of these.” I brush my fingers over the brightly colored purse medallion and look up at him to see him watching me intently.
Luca shrugs. “So we’ll call Royce and have him make you one. Just give him specifics and I’m sure he can whip anything you dream up into existence. But I’m not buying it tonight… I have my eyes on a prize...” He gives me a playful smirk as his eyes flick to the offensive strand of dick beads he’s holding in his hand.
I shake my head again. “While I appreciate the offer, you don’t understand. I didn’t know we were watching Nyx. They throw purses… highly coveted, hand-decorated masterpieces. I caught one once and I… I had to turn it over to Andre. It was worth a lot of money. Not because it was expensive, but because they’re so highly coveted. I suspect he hawked it to pay you.”
Luca wrinkles his nose and pushes his mask up his face. His eyes meet mine, and I can feel my breath catch in my throat. The look he’s giving me right now says he would do anything for me at this moment. Thank God I’ve only asked for a purse that I know is obtainable from the floats.
“Tell me how to make it happen for you, and I will make it happen.”
I shrug both shoulders, because I don’t know. The one I caught as a teen was a fluke. Though I hid it from Andre for weeks, he found it eventually one night following an illicit encounter. He confiscated it, and I never saw it again. “They throw them off the floats. Some of the Krewes throw unique trinkets. The Muses throw shoes. Carrollton throws shrimp boots. Zulu throws coconuts. Nyx throws purses. Some are just kitschy and meant to be funny, but some are really, really pretty and they become collector’s items. They also cause fights on the parade route sometimes.”
Luca tilts his head to the side as he looks at me. “They throw coconuts?”
I can’t stop the snort that rushes out of my nose as I nearly double over in laughter. It takes me a minute to catch my breath, but when I right myself, I am nearly taken to my knees again as I’m wracked so deeply in laughter that I feel like I’m nearing stitches in my side. “Luca… all of that information and you zero in on the coconuts?”
Luca shrugs and for the briefest of moments, an almost childlike innocence flashes across his face. It takes me by surprise to see the man that I’ve come to know as guarded with his walls down in genuine curiosity. I stop laughing and peer at him for a moment before brushing my hand along his cheek.
“You should do that more often.”
Luca raises an eyebrow and the walls return. He isn’t standoffish, but he’s clamped his control around the openness I saw just moments ago. “Do what?”
I sigh and stand on my tiptoes, holding onto his shoulders for balance so I don’t fall over in the heels. I peck his lips in a chaste kiss, then stand up a bit taller, stretching so I can plant one on the tip of his nose. Luca narrows his eyes at me, and I shrug.
I murmur as I wrap my arms around him and lay my head briefly against his chest, “Show your feelings. You claim to love me, but you’re always so restrained. Except when you’re buried inside of me, but that’s what I want to see more of - you letting your feelings show without all the worry about recourse.”
Luca stiffens and grunts, but doesn’t push me away. “Emily, it isn’t that easy. Being buried inside of you lowers my inhibitions and that’s why, after that first night when I realized that I lose control around you, we’ve only ever had sex in the privacy of my home. Because I can’t maintain my composure when my mind reels with what you do to my body.
“I know I’m not a good man, Emily. But there are times… in the middle of the night when you’re lying next to me and you’re sleeping after making love to me… those are the times when I want to be. I know I’ll never be good enough for you, but I hope that your love for me doesn’t corrupt you in the process. I want to rise to your level, not bring you down to mine.”
I blink at him, completely caught off-guard by his unexpected confession on the balcony as beads and trinkets clang against the wrought-iron surrounding us. I swallow the lump in my throat and loop my arms around his neck. I thread my hands into his hair and twist the dark locks around my fingers, tugging him down to me.
His lips crash into mine with a groan from both us, but I end the kiss quicker than I want to as I gasp to catch my breath. “Luca… I meant it when I said I’m in love with you. I don’t love your parts, I love you… all of you, including the darkness and the things you think I don’t know about.
“I knew who you were when I gave you my heart, Lucario… I’m not living in a fairytale where the handsome prince sweeps the commoner off her feet and makes her a princess. My prince isn’t going to ride off into the sunset with me on the back of a white horse, and I’m okay with that.”
Luca groans softly as I press my body against his and whisper, “My prince carries a .38 and spills his blood to protect those he loves. He’s more likely to spout Italian curse words than poems. He wears linen in the summer, because he’s fucking crazy, and he has a cold heart that some say is made of ice.”
He’s stiff as he keeps his eyes closed and listens silently to what I’m saying. “But Luca… one thing you fail to remember. I spent ten years on the streets, and I have secrets and skeletons of my own. You’ve put me so high on a pedestal that I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed when I fall off, because nobody can be as perfect as you seem to think I am.”
Luca opens his mouth to undoubtedly argue when I hear the door to the balcony creak open. Luca growls as he turns to the door, and he’s like a starved dog ready to pounce on unsuspecting prey. Except when the figure that stands in shadows inside the door steps forward, the air in Luca’s sails whooshes out, and his shoulders slump.
“Dante… what are you doing here? I thought you were keeping watch from the streets?”
Dante nods curtly, then looks up at Luca with a serious expression that I’ve only seen on Dante’s face a couple times before. Their eyes meet and Luca’s entire body tenses. He untangles himself from me and lowers his voice, probably out of habit, “Dante… what’s happened?”
Dante sighs, his piercing green eyes focused on me as he speaks to Luca. It makes me shiver, and I have no idea why he’s staring at me. He clears his throat and continues, “Another girl. Same MO. We’ve got rock solid alibis, but that’s not the concern.”
Luca grunts and tugs me closer, his arm around me painfully tight. “Was there a card with her?”
Dante nods and hands over a plastic baggie with a playing card tucked inside. I know I should avert my eyes and try to pretend like I can’t hear what’s going on, but curiosity bubbles up to t
he surface, and I chance a glance at the card. There’s blood on it, but it’s clear to see that it’s a Queen of Spades. Luca exhales heavily and looks at Dante, “That’s three… and the only one missing from the set is…”
Dante bows his head, acknowledging what Luca is about to say before he says it. Together, their voices murmur, “The Queen of Hearts.”
Luca foot taps nervously against the balcony, “Have you made any connection between the three of them?”
Dante’s gaze flicks to me again, and now there is a knot of dread twisting inside my gut. His voice strains as he replies to Luca, “Aside from the cars, it’s circumstantial at best. I lifted those from the scenes before NOPD arrived, so they won’t be exploring that angle. But they all had drugs in their system. Some kind of designer mixture. Can’t be for sure what it is exactly, but we’ve got guys working on that… NOPD’s got their Vice guys on it too.”
Luca’s voice is tight as he pushes for more information, “You’re not telling me everything. What else do you know?”
Dante shifts uncomfortably and fumbles with his smartphone. I hear the unmistakable ding of Luca’s notifications from inside his suit pocket. He pulls it out and looks up at Dante, a look of confusion on his face.
Dante sighs and closes his eyes. “I don’t know, but I have a hunch. Show the picture to Emily.”
Luca hesitates, but finally turns his phone around and an unexpected gasp slips out of my mouth as the picture that lights up the screen of Luca’s phone dredges up memories of the life Luca rescued me from. “Cassie?!?”
Luca tenses, and his gaze shoots up to meet Dante’s. Dante nods, “Show her the other two. I suspect she’ll make the connection before you do.”
He swipes through the phone and stops it on another picture. Both of my hands fly to face at the gruesome scene as a strangled gasp slips through my lips.
Luca’s gaze narrows as he swipes again and a single tear slips out of my eye and cascades down my cheek. Luca nudges me gently, “Did you know these girls?”
I nod as I turn to look at Dante, a hundred questions flitting through my mind. I finally settle on one that I ask softly, “Why is someone hunting down Andre’s girls?”
Dante gives a knowing look to Luca. “That’s what we have to find out, but there’s more, Luca. The girl wasn’t the only victim tonight. Somebody is sending a message loud and clear, and I think it’s time we listen…”
Dante hands his phone over to Luca, and Luca’s gaze grows dark. His jaw is set in a determined line as he looks up at Dante. “Carter?”
Dante nods as he clears his screen and tucks his phone into his pocket. “He was found down by the Natchez Dock. He was mutilated. His fingerprints were burned off, presumably with acid. And he was found with this in his mouth, which was then sewn shut.”
Dante produces a second baggie with a Joker card inside. It’s bent and wrinkled, and has obviously been folded in half.
Luca closes his eyes for a moment. When he opens them again, he turns to me, and I can see that his eyes have clouded over with darkness. “I’m sorry Emily, but I’m going to have to raincheck the ball. I’d feel much safer if you went home, where I can keep a twenty-four hour guard on you.”
I blink, shaking my head quickly. “What does this have to do with me? Luca, what aren’t you telling me?”
Luca kisses me quickly, but he’s stiff as he pulls away. “Emily, somebody is playing a dangerous game. Carter was one of our guys that we planted inside a local drug cartel to get intel on them. He’s dead and now so are three of the girls you knew through Andre. The Queen of Diamonds, Queen of Clubs, and Queen of Spades have all been found on the dead bodies of girls who had known ties to Piacere.
“Somebody in the city has declared war on the Barresi family. The fastest way to bring a crime syndicate to its knees is to remove the power from those who wield it. And to bring down a King…”
Gasping, I realize what Luca is saying. I stumble as my knees become weak, and I wobble unsteadily on the fancy shoes. I’m rendered speechless, but Dante finishes Luca’s sentence with five words that make my blood run cold, “You take out his Queen…”
FOURTEEN
Luca and Dante stand toward the back of the balcony as they discuss what actions they’re going to take regarding the threat that has now ballooned. Apparently, whoever has been targeting the Barresi family is threatening to pull me into their crosshairs, and it has Luca on edge. Even more so than normal, his body language is stiff, and he’s scowling as he speaks with Dante. Even from my position leaning against the balcony, I can feel the tension in the air. It’s palpable and though Luca has asked me to watch and enjoy the parade, it’s hard to ignore the brooding brothers behind me.
Despite the uncomfortable suspense that surrounds the pair, I try to do as Luca asks and watch the rest of the Nyx parade. Armfuls of trinkets rain down on the balcony, but as the final float rolls by, the disappointment in my gut clenches as I realize I’m not going to catch one of the coveted purses.
A dozen necklaces in sparkling shades of the rainbow adorn my neck, and I have handfuls of baubles that should make any parade goer giddy. I’ve caught a light-up flag bearing the logo of the Krewe of Nyx, a couple Frisbees, cups, and even a hot pink doubloon with the Krewe’s famous masked face. The despondent ball of frustration in my gut is palpable.
I feel ridiculous as soon as the thought materializes in my head. Dante and Luca are discussing the murder of an associate and probably a friend, plus the murders of at least three girls I used to know. I didn’t know two of them well, but Cassie and I were friends at one point. By the time of my rescue from Andre’s clutches, she had fallen into favor with Andre while I had fallen out, so we didn’t talk much, and the loss doesn’t feel real.
I don’t want to face Luca right now, because I know that my dismay is written all over my face. He has enough to worry about. The fact that his incredibly spoiled girlfriend didn’t catch a certain kind of parade throw just seems insignificant when he’s discussing with his brother how best to protect me from the monsters in the shadows who will stop at nothing to topple Luca’s empire.
I’m pushing down the nasty taste of discontentment that bubbles in my throat when I feel a strong hand on my hip. I glance to my right and bite down on my bottom lip to try to hide my disappointment from Luca as he peers down at me. If he’s noticed my unhappiness, he doesn’t dwell on it. Instead, he leans down over me and presses a kiss to the top of my head. “Dante thinks we should go to the ball anyway.”
A surprised puff of air slips past my lips at Luca’s statement. “What? I thought you said it was too dangerous?”
Luca nods. “It is dangerous. But there’s an enormous target on your back just because you’re my girlfriend. Ball or not, the level of danger you’re facing by continuing to be with me doesn’t change. But Dante thinks that if we skip the ball, we’ll tip off whoever is behind this that we know. And that could force their hand to move against us.
“Dante has suggested that if we project an air of ignorance to the amount of danger we’re facing, that they’ll remain in the shadows for now. And by going to the ball as a publicly united couple despite everything, we’ll dilute their ability to instill panic in us. Their greatest weapon against us is fear.”
Luca brushes his hand down the side of my face and smiles at me. “And our greatest defense is refusing to back down. But only if it’s what you want to do. I won’t force you into anything, my love. The future is wholly your decision, and I will support you in any choice you make.”
I swallow down the lump in my throat and nod. “What if I wanted to leave New Orleans?”
Luca’s entire body stiffens at the mere suggestion, but instead of arguing or trying to convince me otherwise, he does the exact opposite of what I’m expecting. He inhales a shaky breath and takes both of my hands in his, turning me to face him. “Then I make arrangements for you to disappear from New Orleans… and from my life. I don’t want you to fear for yo
urs. If that’s what you want, it’ll be my honor to follow your wishes.”
I quickly shake my head as a painful twinge twists through my chest. He has a look of utter devastation on his face, but his voice stays even as he offers me an escape for the second time. “I’ll set aside my feelings to protect you, but you own my heart.”
I squeeze his hands gently and lean into him, stating firmly, “Never. God, Luca… I’m not going to walk away from the one man who makes every part of me ache for him. Besides, you and I both know that I’d never be allowed to walk away alive. You may have power, but you don’t get the final say when it comes to the family’s secrets.
“But my mind, my body… my heart… You really don’t get it, do you? This stopped being about pretending for me months ago. My life may be in danger by staying with you, but I don’t want to live without you.”
A surprised hiss behind me startles me as I whip around to find myself face to face with Dante. He presses the back of his hand against my forehead and shakes his head. “Well, you’re not feverish, so you’re probably not hallucinating.”