“He’ll want to fight with you,” Titan adds. “He’s loyal to you.”
“Then he will do what I tell him to,” I growl, knowing he’s right. I want him with Haven. There are only five guys I trust with my life who are not blood related, and Nite is number fucking one. Two of the other four are currently in this room.
“I don’t know,” Titan speaks. “It could still tip him off. He pulls Haven away from you to speak to her. Then his men go missing. Now you want to make the one location he plans on killing us out of the game?” He shakes his head. “He could get spooked. Think she informed you of his plan. What are the odds that someone else besides her knows his plan?”
Bones smiles. “He’ll get nervous. And men who are nervous will fuck up.”
I stand, making up my mind. “I need to talk to Cross.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
HAVEN
I STUMBLE OUT of the elevator laughing. Jasmine has her arm hooked through mine and her free hand on the wall to help stabilize us.
We had a lot to drink at the club. Grave hooked us up. The shots just kept coming, and we kept swallowing them.
I see the two guys standing guard outside our hotel suite. They look at Nite, and he nods once. I’m sure it’s some code for we’re all right. Just two wasted women who can’t hold their liquor. Jasmine already puked twice in the bathroom, then she washed her mouth out with a shot of vodka. I threw up once in the bathroom sink.
Good times.
We come up to the door. She tries to push the door open, but it doesn’t budge. Leaning forward, she places her face to the door and cups her lips. “Please open up.”
“What the hell are you doing?” I ask with a laugh.
“Communication is key,” she slurs.
I shove her out of the way so hard she falls onto her ass. “You had way too many cocktails,” I say, but my laughter grows.
“I haven’t had any cock yet tonight.” She looks up at Nite. “How about—”
“Stop it,” I interrupt her. Poor Nite. He probably hates Luca for putting him on babysitting duty. I wanna ask why he isn’t with Mia anymore but stop myself before I do. This is not the place, and Jasmine may be my best friend, but no one is supposed to know that Mia exists. Plus, he wouldn’t answer me anyway.
“I’m gonna give up alcohol,” she states, sitting up to place her back against the black and gold wallpaper of the hallway.
I snort and dig through my purse for the hotel key. I hope I grabbed it.
“I’m going to do sober October.”
I look down to see Nite grab her arms and lift her drunken body up off the floor. “It’s May,” I inform her.
She shrugs awkwardly. “And no sex November.”
“Dear Lord …”
“No dick December. No fuck February.”
“You skipped over January.”
“Why is it so hard to find good dick?” she asks, ignoring me. “Like I don’t wanna be loved.” She laughs. “I just want someone who will lick my pussy and fuck my ass.” She spins around, her hands slapping Nite. She looks up at him with her heavy eyes. “I bet you know how to fuck a woman.” She reaches out to grab his crotch, but he moves quickly, capturing her wrists and holding them away from him. “The silent and brooding ones are always the dirtiest.”
The door yanks open, and I turn to see Luca. It’s three a.m., and he stands there dressed in a button-down and slacks. “Why are you standing out here?” he demands.
“I couldn’t find my key.” I hiccup, not sure why Nite didn’t use his. Maybe he was enjoying the show that Jasmine was giving him.
“Trying to get laid.” Jasmine smiles.
He steps to the side and gestures for us to enter. Jasmine trips into the room, and Nite reaches for her and keeps her standing. Her knees buckle, and he slides one hand behind her back and the other underneath her knees and picks her up. Her head falls back over his arm, and she closes her heavy eyes.
Luca sighs as Nite walks through the door and takes her over to the guest room off the side of the kitchen.
“I guess you had fun?” he asks me, closing the door.
I ignore him and head to our bedroom. I trip over my heels and silently cuss myself.
“Haven, I’m talking to you,” he growls.
I snort.
“Haven?” He grips my upper arm and pulls me to a stop. I spin around to yell at him, but words die on my tongue as I catch sight of the TV that hangs on the living room wall.
It’s the local news channel. A woman stands outside of a cathedral. The cathedral we plan on getting married at next week. It’s gone. “What …?” I stumble away from him, and he releases me. I fall onto the cream leather couch in the living room and watch as the reporter explains there had been a fire. St. Mary’s Cathedral is a complete loss, but thankfully, the place was empty. “At this time, some are throwing speculation out regarding arson, but nothing has been confirmed yet …” The reporter goes on. “The fire marshal …”
“We were going to get married there,” I say, turning to look over my shoulder at Luca.
He stands behind the couch with his arms crossed over his chest. His dark eyes are focused on mine. He doesn’t seem the least bit concerned. Or surprised.
My heart begins to pound as I stand on shaky legs. I turn my body fully so I can face him. “Did you do this?” I ask.
He just stares at me.
“Luca.” I lick my numb lips. “Why?” I ask. He doesn’t have to admit it out loud because I know he’s responsible.
“We needed to change the venue.”
“What?” I ask, cupping my forehead. The room is starting to spin, and my eyes are heavy. I’m either going to get sick or pass out very soon. “Why …?”
“We need to bring Rossi to us. And we needed to do it without tipping him off that we’re onto his plan. He can’t know that you are on our side.”
“So you burn down a place of worship?” I ask in horror. “Dear Lord, it’s like college all over again. When Cross …” I pause as my words sink into my foggy brain. I look to my right where he stands there next to Bones. “You had Cross do it,” I say breathlessly, falling back down onto the couch.
Cross got his name in grade school. He had marks all over his back that looked like crosses. We could only guess where he got them from. And we all came to the same conclusion. His father. But Cross got his revenge. He doesn’t carry around a Zippo for nothing. He likes fire. The heat of the flames. He’ll burn you with no remorse.
I begin to rock back and forth. “It’ll never work,” I say even though I don’t know his plan. The Dark Kings obviously had a hand in it as well. Rossi will take them all out. He’s too smart. Too protected. They’re going to serve themselves up on a silver platter.
“Haven …”
“Not to mention the fire marshal … They are going to investigate.” I continue blabbering. “He’ll get caught. Arson …”
“Haven!”
Hands grip my shoulder, and then I’m being shaken.
My heavy eyes land on Luca’s as he kneels before me. “Calm down. You’re drunk and overreacting. Trust me, I have it all handled.”
“And if you don’t?” I can’t help but ask. I’m still mad at him, but that doesn’t mean I want us all to die. All I’ve ever wanted was him. I look down at my ring. I thought I still had time to escape this wedding, this life, but the joke is on me. I’m already in it. Then I wonder if I had a chance to get out, would I? I’m not sure. I’ve always loved Luca. What if I lose him now? It would hurt too much.
“I do,” he says simply.
LUCA
I tuck a very drunk Haven into our bed. She passed out right after I managed to calm her down. She was on the verge of hysterics. I know she’s scared, but she was also unable to think rationally. Alcohol will do that to you.
Exiting our bedroom, I see Cross standing in the living room. He’s staring at the TV. They are still reporting on the church fire, which is good. I needed it t
o make the headlines.
Another man I know well stands next to him with his hands in the front pockets of his slacks. He too watches the news.
“Jeffrey,” I say, getting their attention. “Glad you were able to meet with me on such short notice.” I look over at the open kitchen to see Grave making some drinks. Titan sits on the couch and Bones leans up against the sliding glass door that leads to the balcony. My eyes go back to Jeffrey. “You know the drill,” I tell him.
He sighs but starts to unbutton his black button-down. Once he gets to the last one, he opens his shirt to showcase a hairy chest and beer belly. Then he allows the shirt to drop off his shoulders, and he spins around, showing me his back.
I nod my approval.
He begins to button it back up. “I’m aware of what you need, Luca. You didn’t need to send your dogs to retrieve me in the middle of the night.”
Cross’s brows pull together at that statement. Grave just laughs as he pours two more glasses of scotch.
“They’re not my dogs,” I say, referring to the Kings. I would have sent Nite, but I’m not removing him from Haven. He is to be with her at all times until Rossi is dead. “And you know I don’t do business over the phone.” Wires can be tapped. You never know who may be listening. And that’s exactly why I made him undo his shirt and show me his chest. That day my father killed my uncle, I learned a lot about betrayal. It can come from anyone at any time. Always check before you open your mouth.
I walk over to the bar and pick up two of the drinks that Grave places on the counter. I walk back into the open living room and hand one to Jeffrey. Taking a sip of mine, I sit on the couch. “I expect you can handle it?” I question.
“Of course.” He sounds offended. “A warning would have been nice, but I can take care of it.”
“We didn’t have much time to work with,” Cross says, taking a full glass from Grave as he enters the living room as well.
Jeffrey throws back his drink. “How much evidence did you leave me?” He looks at Cross.
A slow smiles spreads across his face. “Like I said, I didn’t have much time. Open oxygen tanks in the boiler room …”
He hangs his head, running his hand through his hair. He looks back up at us just as his cell rings in his pocket. He digs it out and places it to his ear. “Hello … Yeah, I’ll be there in twenty.” He hangs up.
I take a sip and call out. “Nite?”
He sits on the couch across from me. Standing, he places a black duffel bag on the glass coffee table. “It’s all there,” I tell Jeffrey. “You’re free to count it.”
He shakes his head. “I know you’re good for it.”
My father has had the fire marshal on our payroll for years now. Along with many other important people in this city. When you want to run a city, you have to own every inch of it. And we do. Whoever I don’t own, the Kings do. We use each other’s resources all the time.
“I hope you have a damn good reason for burning a cathedral to the ground,” he says, eyeing us.
I arch a brow, a smile spreading across my face. “Afraid for our souls, Jeffrey?”
He shakes his head and sighs heavily. “I’m afraid for all of our souls, Bianchi.”
“It’s not like anything we do is forgivable,” Titan adds.
With that, Jeffrey grabs the duffel bag and sees himself out.
Sitting back on the couch, I take a sip of the drink, feeling a little better about our situation. Now all we have to do is come up with a new plan to accommodate our new location.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
HAVEN
I SIT ON the couch in our hotel suite. Jasmine sits to my right. And we both stare up at the TV. Luca is walking out of Kingdom. He is dressed to empress with a charcoal gray three-piece suit on. His hair is slicked back, and his hands are in the pockets of his slacks. He walked out of our suite this morning, telling me he had to go to Glass. I know it was a lie. He needed to be seen. It’s been three days since he put my drunk ass to sleep and we’ve been hiding out. I thought the news crew parked outside would give up and go away, but he knew better. The longer they waited, the sweeter this would be for him. The fire is on every news channel and the radio. It’s all I hear people talking about when I walk through the casino. Not to mention social media. I’ve stayed off it, but Jasmine keeps sending me all these links.
News crews surround him. “What do you have to say about the burning of the cathedral?” one female reporter asks.
“Do you believe it’s a sign from God to not marry?” another chimes in.
“You ever realize how stupid these damn questions are that the reporters ask?” Jasmine asks, shoving popcorn into her mouth.
“Yep,” I answer.
Luca comes to a stop, slowly pushes his black shades to the top of his head. All chatter stops but the flashes from their cameras continue. He looks at the camera in his face and speaks. “What happened at St. Mary’s Cathedral was a terrible loss. That’s why I’m going to have it rebuilt.” The people who surround him ahh and gasp at his generosity.
“Oh, he’s good.” Jasmine chuckles.
“Yeah, he is.” I sigh.
The reporters start yelling, but he raises his hand to stop them. They silence at once. “And my wedding to the lovely Haven Knowles is still on. A fire isn’t going to stop me from making her my wife.”
I turn off the TV.
“Hey, I was watching that,” Jasmine protests.
I stand from the couch and begin to pace. “He’s making a point.”
“To Rossi,” she adds.
“That he’s changed the location.” The fire was ruled an accident.
The cathedral was old and needed updates. I guess they had had an inspection six months ago and were told that things needed to be replaced.
Such bullshit!
I know it. Luca knows it, and the Kings know it. Nothing would have caused an explosion that big at that time of night. I could see them saying a candle lit set drapes on fire. Blah. Blah. Blah. But an explosion that brought down such a large portion of that big of a building in such a short time?
They paid off someone. That’s the only situation that makes sense. I haven’t brought it up and neither has he. He’s been MIA for the most part. If he’s not at Glass, he’s here meeting with the Kings. I’m getting restless. It’s supposed to be our wedding day. Well, our fake one.
Nite is here with me, but Luca said he wouldn’t be back until later tonight and not to wait up for him. No one has filled me in with their new plan or location for the ceremony. No surprise there.
I do know that they plan on shipping my mother away. For protection, she had said. Just in case shit goes sideways, they wanted her protected.
I didn’t argue. At this point, I just want us all to survive.
I overheard Luca telling Nite that the jet was fueled and waiting for us in case things don’t go how he plans. I guess he’s going to ship me off to Italy with Mia if Rossi wins.
I’ve prayed nonstop that he doesn’t. But I highly doubt God is listening to me after my husband burned down a cathedral. We can hope.
“It’s going to be okay,” Jasmine speaks, getting through the fog.
I come to a stop and stare down at her. Tears filling my eyes. “And if it’s not?” I can’t help but ask.
She stands and walks over to me. “Then we’ll leave together.” She gives me a soft smile. “We’re ride or die bitches. You go, and I go.”
I open my mouth to argue with her, but my cell begins to ring on the coffee table. I pick it up, and my heart picks up.
“Who is that?” she asks as I just stand staring down at it.
“Blocked number.” I swallow.
“Answer it,” she insists.
I shake my head. “I can’t …”
“Haven.” She takes it from my hand. “If it’s who we think it is, you need to talk to him. What if he suspects this happened on purpose, and he just watched Luca on TV? We need him to tell you his pl
an. To protect Luca, Nite, your mother, and the Kings. All involved.”
“You’re right.” I nod. He’s not only my father but also a very powerful man. I need to be ahead of the game. For others’ sake. I quickly look around the massive suite. “Where is Nite?” I don’t want him to hear this.
“He’s in the shower.”
“Answer it,” I tell her.
She slides her finger across the screen before it stops ringing and puts it on speakerphone.
I clear my throat and try to sound like I’m not a scared little bitch. “Hello?”
“Hello, daughter.”
I cringe at the word. “Rossi.”
“I just saw Bianchi on the news. Terrible thing that happened to the cathedral.”
I rub my sweaty hands down my thighs. “Yeah.”
“You must be happy.”
I frown, confused by what he means. “Happy?”
“Why, yes. Your wedding is postponed.”
“Oh, yes. Very much so.” I forgot that he thinks I hate Luca. That I don’t want this wedding any more than he does.
“I’m sending a car.”
What? My wide eyes go to Jasmine. “No, I—”
“I will see you in one hour,” he interrupts me. “My driver will be outside of Kingdom for you. Don’t make him wait.”
“Rossi, I can’t.”
“Yes, you can. Your mother’s life depends on it.” Click.
She throws the phone onto the couch.
“Fuck!” I hiss. “My mother? What does that mean?” I grab my phone and call her cell. It goes straight to voicemail. “Shit. Shit.”
“When was the last time you spoke to her?” Jasmine asks, looking around the room aimlessly as if she will appear.
“I don’t know. This morning. She was going down to the casino …” I trail off. I never thought about her not returning. I thought maybe she stopped and was playing a machine. Or went to the spa. I don’t keep track of her 24/7. “Oh, my God.” I breathe. “He’s taken her.”
“We need Nite …” She goes to leave the living room, but I grab her arm and stop her.
“No. Don’t get him involved.”
“Haven. This is serious. You’re going to need help,” she snaps, pushing her red hair behind her ear.
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