by Reilly, Cora
By God, I knew. I had seen glimpses of what he was capable of when he’d dealt with others. I had seen the blood, had seen the darkness and excited glimmer in his eyes. I knew exactly what kind of man he was. But God help me, I loved him despite it all. Loved him more than anything else in this world. I forced my body to relax in his grip even though it was the hardest thing I’d ever done. Luca felt it too, and his brows drew together.
“Then do what you must do, Luca,” I whispered, and I could say it without hesitation because I knew no matter how angry he was, no matter how dark the times were, he would never hurt me. I trusted him completely.
He smiled joylessly and leaned closer, his thumb pressing against my wrist once. “This betrays your true feelings, Aria. I know you are scared.”
My body fears you, but not my heart. “I am,” I admitted. “But not of the pain and not of you.” That was a lie—the prospect of pain scared me very much—and we both knew it but I continued, “The thing that scares me most is that you won’t trust me again, that I ruined the best thing in my life, that I hurt the person I love the most.”
Luca’s expression could have brought down worlds with its intensity. He released me like he had been burnt and whirled around, then he stalked into the bathroom. I knew I shouldn’t have but I followed. He was clutching the washbasin, glowering at his reflection. His gray eyes shone with fury. When he spotted me in the mirror, he jerked his hands up and ripped the washbasin off the wall. “Damn you, Aria. Damn your fucking love. Damn it all.” He released the washbasin and it fell to the ground, broken. I took a step in his direction because with him I simply couldn’t stay away.
“You are turning me into a fucking fool,” he snarled.
And then he was upon me, tall and imposing. He gripped my hips and lifted me off the ground, then hoisted me up against the tiled wall. His body pressed up against me and his mouth crashed down on mine. I tasted blood, not sure if it was mine or his, and not caring. His tongue claimed my mouth without mercy, and I returned the kiss. His fingers clamped down on my thighs painfully as he held me up. He shoved my skirt up then ripped away my panties. I heard him undo his belt and unzip his pants, and then he thrust into me in one hard stroke. My gasp was swallowed by his mouth. He didn’t wait for my body to adapt like usual; instead he started pounding into me hard and fast, his hands gripping my ass, his mouth unrelenting. And I surrendered to him completely. I clung to his neck, ecstasy mingling with pain as Luca took me harder than ever before.
He panted, eyes angry, as he got closer to the edge. He stopped kissing me and only stared into my eyes with the most intense look I’d ever seen. He still loved me. I hadn’t lost him.
And then he tensed, his cock expanding in me, and he growled, his head falling forward. I buried my face in the crook of his neck and allowed myself to cry as I clung to him and listened to his harsh breathing and erratic heartbeat. His musky scent filled my nose. Luca exhaled sharply, muscles softening under my hands before he lifted me gently and pulled out slowly. I couldn’t help but wince. I was sore. Luca set me down and our eyes met. Slowly his gaze traveled down to his cock, which was smeared with a bit of pink. I couldn’t describe the look on his face then. Regret. Sorrow. Anger. He sank to his knees and pressed his face against my stomach.
“Damn it, Aria,” he rasped. “I swore I’d never hurt you.”
“It’s nothing,” I said.
He shook his head, and for a while we stayed like that: his face resting against me, my hands in his hair. “I am your husband and your Capo,” he said eventually, before he pressed a kiss to the soft flesh of my stomach and his gray eyes met mine. “Don’t ever betray me again.”
It was half order, half plea. There was only so much his love for me could endure; I understood that now. He was a predator, a monster. He was mine. “I won’t,” I promised, and I hoped I could keep that promise.
chapter 7
LUCA
I chanced a last look at Aria. Her back was turned to me. She was naked from head to toe, every inch of that perfect porcelain skin that only I got to touch on display. Her shoulder blades and butt cheeks were red from where they’d rubbed against the tiles when I’d fucked her.
Angry fucking. That was something I’d never wanted to do with Aria, but something had snapped in me, and I hated myself for it. Hated that I’d hurt her even if she said it was nothing. She was mine to protect. She was mine, fucking mine until the fucking end. She hadn’t run, and she wouldn’t. I knew that now.
Turning away, I opened the bedroom door and headed downstairs as I pulled my cell out of my pocket to call a few contacts at the airport. I couldn’t waste any time. Word about Gianna’s flight would spread like wildfire, and I would have to make sure it didn’t turn into something I couldn’t control. My uncles and my aunts’ husbands all had their eyes set on my position. They thought they could be better as Capo. Gottardo had told me to my face. The only reason no one had made a move yet was that they quarreled among each other, but I couldn’t count on that to last forever. Perhaps they’d come to an agreement at some point. I needed to make sure that my men were too loyal to me to give them any kind of support. Appearing weak wouldn’t do.
Matteo was glaring daggers at me when he spotted me. “Don’t tell me you couldn’t get anything out of her.”
I sent him a scowl in return. He was my brother but he was starting to piss me off. He needed to stop the disrespect when others were around. “The only thing I know is that Gianna took a plane from JFK. Aria won’t tell me anything, but our informants will let me know where Gianna is going soon enough.”
“Great,” he muttered, his eyes sliding back up to the bedroom door before he turned to me. I didn’t like that look one fucking bit. “And then what? Aria knows Gianna’s plan. They told each other everything. The only way to find Gianna is through your wife.”
Romero and Sandro were watching us, and I got into Matteo’s face. “She won’t tell me anything.”
The fucker actually tried to walk past me up the stairs. “Then let me have a word with her.”
I shoved him backwards, snarling. “You will stay away from her, Matteo.” Brother or not, if he got anywhere near Aria, if he hurt as much as a hair on her body, I’d end him.
“You let her steal your money, your passports. You let her attack our men.” He pointed at Sandro, who was still staring. “You let her make a fool out of you and betray you. You should want to punish her. You are Capo.”
I brought us chest to chest so Matteo had to tilt his head back. “Aria is my wife. It’s none of your business how I deal with her. I told you that Gianna meant trouble but you didn’t want to listen. You should have never asked for her hand, but you had to think with your cock,” I growled.
He stalked out onto the roof terrace. It was better that way. We would have been at each other’s throats soon.
Turning to my men, I told Sandro, “Leave. I don’t have time to deal with you now. Not a single word about this to anyone.” He pushed off the sofa at once and hurried toward the elevator and disappeared, fucking relieved that he didn’t get his ass handed to him today. Then I turned to Romero. “Go call Sami, and find out where Gianna is heading.” Romero gave a quick nod, then pulled out his phone and headed for the kitchen area.
With a sigh, I raised my mobile to my ear, hating what I had to do now. After a few rings, Scuderi picked up. “Luca, I didn’t expect your call.” There was a hint of suspicion in the asshole’s voice. And right he was. We had messed up. I had messed up.
“I have bad news. Gianna ran off.”
There was silence on the other end. Then, finally, “Ran off?” Scuderi sounded as if he wanted to reach through his phone and strangle me. “You swore that you’d protect her. I trusted your word. In Chicago the word of a Capo means something.”
Fuck him. As if things always went according to Dante’s plan. “Your daughter isn’t exactly easy to guard, as you very well know. It isn’t the first time she’s acted up.”
I tried to keep my voice civil—after all, it was one of my men who had fucked up and let himself get drugged.
“What about Aria, did she help her sister?”
He didn’t need to know that Aria had been involved. It was bad enough as it was. No need to add fuel to the fire. “No, she didn’t know anything. Matteo will go search for Gianna immediately. She won’t be gone for long.”
“I will send two of my own men with him. I don’t trust you to handle this on your own.”
I had to bite my tongue not to insult him. We needed peace between the Outfit and the Famiglia. “That’s understandable, but I assure you Matteo will find her. He’s very intent on marrying her.”
“Still? She could be whoring around as we speak.”
I doubted Gianna would use the plane ride to fuck a random guy; she’d be busy trying to figure out a way to stay ahead of us. But later? Yeah, she would spread her legs, no doubt about it, but that wasn’t my problem.
Romero appeared in my field of vision and whispered, “Amsterdam. Schiphol.”
“We know she took a plane to Amsterdam. That’s where Matteo will be heading with the next plane.”
“I’ll make arrangements so my men will be there as soon as possible. Dante won’t be happy about this. That I can promise you. This will have to be discussed in depth.”
I didn’t give a fuck about Dante. New York was my concern, the Famiglia was. “Sure.” I hung up, stifling the urge to throw my phone at the wall. Instead I used it to book Matteo on the next flight. It was the worst time to lose my best soldier. All because of Gianna and Aria. A new wave of blinding fury rolled over me, and I really thought I’d lose my shit, but I needed to keep my calm and stay in control. I was Capo.
I headed outside and stopped beside Matteo, who was braced against the banister with a determined expression on his face. He would catch Gianna. It was only a matter of time. “I called Scuderi. He’s furious and blames us, of course.”
“Of course,” he said quietly.
“He’s sending two of his men after Gianna.”
He still wasn’t looking my way. He was still pissed because I’d spared Aria. As if he would have tortured Gianna to get information. We were killers, maybe even sadists, but definitely not toward the women we cared about.
“I will go with them,” he said.
“I figured you would. I told Scuderi as much. You will meet them in Amsterdam.”
That got his attention. He straightened and turned to me. “Amsterdam?”
I nodded. “I got word that she took a plane to Schiphol.”
“When do I leave?” He was going into hunter mode.
“Four hours.”
“I need to leave sooner.”
“Impossible. I tried everything I could.”
“Damn it. Gianna will be long gone when I arrive.”
“You’ll find her. You are the best hunter I know. She doesn’t stand a chance.”
He touched my shoulder. “You let me go, even though you need me here.”
The Famiglia needed him. I needed him more. The Bratva was a pain in the ass. My traitorous family was breathing down my neck. “You aren’t of much use to me if all you can think about is Gianna.” Even my trust in Matteo had its limits. He didn’t need to know how much I relied on his support.
“It could take weeks,” he said. “I won’t return until I’ve caught her.”
“I know. If Aria had run, I would have done the same.” I would have followed her to the end of the world. I hadn’t wanted to marry, but Aria had changed everything. She was my wife, and I would never let her go.
He nodded.
“I will make a few arrangements to have guns delivered to you in Amsterdam. I’ll check if I can find Rolfo so he can call his family in the Netherlands. You should pack what you need. You should be at the airport in two hours.”
“You should tell Rolfo to get a fucking mobile. The guy is still stuck in the 1970s.”
“He is almost seventy. I doubt anything in this world could convince him to use a mobile. I’ll drive to the Roma. He’ll be having dinner there. I’ll be back before you have to leave.” With that, I headed inside. In passing I told Romero, “I’ll be gone for a couple of hours. Make sure Aria stays in the apartment.”
“Will do, Boss,” he said as I stepped into the elevator. Romero wouldn’t let anyone drug him.
ARIA
I was tired, and I missed Luca. After my quick shower, I had crawled into bed. I was still sore but I didn’t mind. I only wanted things between Luca and me to return to how they were before today. It wasn’t even that late yet, only around seven o’clock, but the day’s events had been draining. I sat up when the bedroom door creaked open. The movement was too cautious, too quiet to be Luca. I slid out of bed when Matteo slipped into the bedroom, then turned to me.
My spine stiffened. “What are you doing here? And where’s Romero?” I moved around the bed but stopped halfway between it and the door.
Matteo’s lips pulled into a dangerous smile. “He’s outside, taking Luca’s call.”
For a moment neither of us moved. I wasn’t sure what to do. I didn’t want to call out for Romero’s help—yet. For one, I wasn’t sure if he could hear me out on the roof terrace, and I didn’t want to overreact. If I called Romero now, he’d have to tell Luca about this, and then things between him and Matteo would turn sour. I didn’t want that to happen because of me. I’d messed up enough already.
He advanced on me and I staggered back. “Why are you here?” I asked with forced calm, but I couldn’t suppress the small tremor in my voice.
The coldness in Matteo’s eyes tightened my stomach with icy fear. “Getting the information Luca is incapable of obtaining. We both know you planned everything with Gianna.” He stalked closer and I whirled around. This wasn’t Luca. This was Matteo, and he was a man out for blood. A man who was used to getting what he wanted, and Gianna was the one thing he wanted more than anything. I rushed toward the bedside table, reaching for the drawer with the gun. I wasn’t even sure what to do with it. I could hardly shoot Matteo, or shoot at him. My fingers brushed the handle when Matteo’s hands clamped down on my hips. I was suspended in the air for a second before I landed on my back on the mattress, the air leaving my lungs in a whoosh. And then he was over me, and I froze. I had never been in bed with someone other than Luca. I began shaking.
Matteo’s eyes were calculating as he pinned my wrists at my sides, his body straddling my legs. “Perhaps pain isn’t the thing you fear the most,” he said in a low voice. He was appraising me like a means to an end. Matteo harbored the same monster as Luca, but his wasn’t contained in my presence.
I wasn’t sure what I feared the most right now. Matteo was very high up, but there was also the fear of what this meant for his relationship with Luca. I doubted Luca would forgive Matteo for this; he’d kill him, and that in turn would kill Luca. “Let me go before you do something you’ll regret,” I muttered with false bravado. Goose bumps erupted all over my skin. Matteo’s eyes took my reaction in. His calculating quiet freaked me out.
He still hadn’t done anything. He was conflicted. I could see it in his face. I needed to use that opening. Matteo liked me, perhaps not enough to stop him, but he loved Luca, and Luca loved me. “I have only ever been with Luca. This is the first time I’m in bed with someone else, Matteo,” I whispered.
Matteo released my wrists. “You are Luca’s,” he said quietly. “I would never dishonor you like that. Not even when it’s obvious how easily I’d get the answers I want if I did. This isn’t Vegas and I’m not that kind of man.”
Still towering over me, he reached behind his back, and pulled out one of his knives. This wasn’t Luca. Matteo didn’t love me. And I’d heard the stories. I knew what he could do, what he enjoyed doing. Like Luca, he knew no mercy, but with Matteo there was no love protecting me.
“I won’t tell you where she is,” I lied, because it could only be a lie. I wasn’t that str
ong.
“You will,” he said. The blade gleamed in the dim light streaming in through the windows. “Nobody can hold on to their secrets when I deal with them.”
“If I scream Romero will be here in a heartbeat. He will protect me.”
“He will try. And who says I’ll give you the chance to scream?”
He lifted the hem of my camisole and I began squirming, not used to someone else’s closeness like that. I stilled when the tip of the blade touched my skin below my belly button. “This is a very sensitive area. Many nerve endings. Even a small cut will be very painful.”
“Matteo, please,” I whispered. Scream, an insistent voice in my head said, but I needed to give it another try, for Luca.
He raised his eyes from the blade to my face.
“I know you are angry that Gianna ran. You are angry at me for helping her. I know you would do anything to get her back, but Luca won’t forgive you for this.”
“He will kill me, as he should,” Matteo murmured.
Matteo and I stared at each other for a while because we both knew it was the truth. Slowly Matteo lifted the blade but he didn’t put it away. It was still there, still between us, still too close to my flesh.
“He trusts you,” I said.
Matteo glanced down at the way he was still straddling me. My fear was beginning to fade, knowing my words had gotten through to him. I could have cried from relief.
Matteo’s mouth thinned. “This is betrayal. You are his. I shouldn’t be here.”
He got off me, and I quickly sat up and scooted to the back of the bed. Matteo watched me, a flicker of regret passing over his face before it disappeared.
“We are monsters, Aria. Luca and I both. We have always been. We will always be. Don’t make the mistake of forgetting that. Everyone thought he was going to break you, that you’d kill yourself within weeks of your marriage. But here you are. That Luca treats you the way he does is a gift you should cherish and not trample on.”