The Lucianos looked like the polar opposites of the Carusos. Just as much as the Carusos looked immaculate, the Lucianos looked rugged. The men who did wear suits were far from the expensive Italian ones the mafia was often known for. Grooming wasn’t much of a requirement for them, either. Some men were also covered in tattoos from their hands to their necks. They were a rough-looking family, matching their surroundings of the rough area of Kansas City they owned. Here in this warehouse, the Carusos looked out of place, while the Lucianos looked at home.
A pair of dark-haired twins mostly covered in tattoos sat to one side, while on the other side was a hawkish man with brown hair who seemed to be doing the same thing Lucca was—taking in the enemy.
It was Lucca’s job to know each and every one of them. The three were brothers, sharing the same father, but only the twins had the same mother. Angel and Matthias were younger than their older brother, Dominic. He and Lucca were both the underboss of the family, under their father. However, even though Dominic was slightly older than him, he hadn’t been the underboss for as long as Lucca had. It was only a year ago that Dominic had taken the title.
Pulling out a cigarette, Lucca held it between his lips while he flicked his wrist, bringing the flame from his Zippo to light the end. He inhaled deeply as his eyes travelled to the man sitting in the middle of the table.
The Carusos called him by his last name, Luciano, but to his men, he was known by another name. A name his men gave him out of respect, a name to be feared. Dante told Lucca long ago not to call him by the monstrous name, because he was anything but, and he wasn’t to be feared.
Luciano adjusted his suit jacket. “Before we end this meeting, you know I have to ask you, Dante, for a bigger territory over Kansas City.”
“You should know the answer to that by now, Luciano, and my answer has yet to change after all these years.”
A snide smile came to Luciano’s thin lips. “I was hoping this would be the year we could forget that part of the contract.”
“Maybe we should forget about the whole contract, then.” Lucca knocked his cigarette ashes onto the floor. “I think time is making you forget how close to extinction the Luciano name is. It was the Carusos who wanted to end the war and decided to give the option of the contract so the Luciano name wouldn’t die out. Tell me, how many of you are there now?”
Two of Luciano’s men moved to stand behind him, while the only one to move behind the Carusos was Drago. The empowering man was bigger than the two Lucianos combined.
Luciano slightly flexed his jaw. “Me and my three sons will continue the Luciano name.”
Lucca smiled as he inhaled deeply from his cigarette. “Yes, and thanks to the generosity of the Caruso family, you can continue to do so on the agreed-upon territory.”
The air in the spacious warehouse seemed to be sucked away. Not until Luciano nodded his head did the air return.
Dante then nodded, standing up as he buttoned his suit jacket and bringing the meeting to a close. Luciano also stood, and the two men came out from behind their tables to shake each other’s hand.
“Glad we could have another successful meeting. I’ll see you next year, Luciano.”
“Till next year, Dante.”
The two men dropped each other’s hand, and then Dante led the Caruso family out first. However, Lucca continued to sit there, watching his men and the Lucianos leave the warehouse one by one until only himself and one other remained.
Finally, he stood up, stepping on the little bud that was still smoking from where he had dropped it. Picking up his cigarettes and lighter, he put them back in his pocket while grabbing the heavy ring that weighed on him.
The cold man looked him up and down. “Next to your father, you looked like you were sitting at the wrong table. You could almost pass for a Luciano.”
“Almost.” He rolled the ring between his fingers, walking toward the only other man in the warehouse.
“Yes, well, we both know what you look like when you clean yourself up.”
As Luciano’s voice turned dark, Lucca’s turned darker. “Yes, we do.” Holding the ring out for him to view, Lucca continued, “Have you seen this ring before?”
Picking up the ring, Luciano’s face began to match his voice. “No, I haven’t. Why do you ask?”
Lucca flashed a cryptic smile. “I’m trying to find the owner of my new dog.”
Understanding his innuendo, he gave the ring back. “I’m surprised you didn’t put the dog down.”
“I like dogs.” He put the ring back in his pocket.
Luciano seemed amused by his choice of words. “Good-bye, Lucca.”
Lucca stared into the soulless black eyes of the man before him. “I’ll be seeing you, Lucifer.”
He had wanted—needed—to call him by the name to show there wasn’t one man Lucca was afraid of, not even the Devil himself.
Soon.
Sixteen
From the Worst to the Best Types of People
Even though Sal was Lucca’s friend, she expected him to hurt her at any second. She couldn’t help it; it had become ingrained in her.
Sal raised an eyebrow. “I take it you decided not to turn in the assignment.”
Huh? “Y-You’re the o-one through the c-computer, r-right?”
Laughing, he took a seat next to her after pushing the chair far enough away from her to give her plenty of room. “Yes. Do I not look like a guy who could program your computer?”
“N-no. Yes. I m-mean … I don’t know. I just thought you worked with Lucca, Drago, Nero, and the rest of them. They don’t r-really seem to be the c-computer type.”
“I do work with them.” He looked at her in confusion. “Lucca hasn’t told you what line of work we’re in yet?”
Now she was the one who stared at him confusion. “Elle told me everyone worked for Lucca and Nero’s father at the casino. Do you all not?”
An amused look came across his face. “Well, yes, I run the security there. I make sure everything runs properly, and I set up any new equipment.”
“So, the rest of them work in security, too?”
“Uh, yes, in a way.”
Chloe could tell by the look on his face that she seemed to be missing something. Don’t ask. You probably don’t want to know.
“W-What does Lucca do, exactly?”
“I think this is a question you should ask Lucca.”
Looking down at her hands in her lap, she squeezed them. “I’ve been kinda afraid to ask him. I know he will tell me the truth, but I’m not sure if I want the full truth. I just wanted a gist of what he does to see if I should ask.”
“Okay, well …” Scratching his head, he seemed to be thinking of the best way to put it. “His father is the president of the casino, and Lucca is the vice president.”
Really? “I had no idea he was that high up. He doesn’t wear suits like the rest of you.”
Sal snickered. “Oh, yes, he is about as high as you could fucking go in the fam—I mean, at the casino.”
She found herself smiling at the thought that Lucca wasn’t as bad as she thought he was. “Well, that’s not bad at all. I thought he might be into something illegal.”
“Well, I wouldn—”
“What about Drago? He looks scary enough, like he’s in security.”
Another silence of thinking. “Yes, he’s Dante’s personal bodyguard.”
She looked back down at her hands. “What about Amo?”
“He definitely works security.” Sal’s snickering had begun again, seeming to find Amo’s job the most amusing.
“He is?” It was starting to make sense to her. He does look like a younger version of Drago.
“Yep, he works on the lowest level of the casino with Nero and Vincent.” Continuing, he wore an even bigger smile on his face, “Amo specifically loves his job. Nero and Vincent have actually requested a position change from the basement.”
Biting her lip, she felt confused. The three
were almost inseparable, so she couldn’t imagine why Nero and Vincent would want to leave when Amo didn’t.
“How come Nero and Vincent don’t like their jobs?”
Again, the wheels seemed to turn in Sal’s head as he tried to figure out the best way to place his words. “Nero and Vincent don’t like the view from the basement, but Amo doesn’t seem to mind.”
Hmm … must be too gloomy for them. “I can see that. Amo isn’t picky and is much easier to please over Nero and especially Vincent. Those two always have to get their way when we pick where to eat.”
“Yeah … Like I said, you should really ask Lucca about this stuff. I probably told you too much.”
“I don’t think Lucca would mind.” Or, she didn’t see why he would. She knew he would tell her if she was brave enough to ask.
“Well, if you tell him what we talked about, be sure to tell him that I told you Amo loves his job.” He winked. “Lucca’s the one who placed them there and would like to know at least one of them likes it.”
“I-I will.” By the way Sal was acting, something told her she might want to hold off asking Lucca about his job anytime soon.
“So, are you ready to start your calculus assignment, or is there something else you’re too afraid to ask Lucca?”
Chloe couldn’t believe it. Her fear of him had dissipated almost immediately when they had started talking. Sal seemed like the complete opposite of Lucca—so warm and inviting, and unlike what his deep black to blue eyes had told her.
Shaking off any remaining fear of him, she couldn’t believe she had thought Sal reminded her of …
Chloe opened her laptop, unable to even put Sal’s name in the same thought as a complete monster.
“Is something wrong, darlin’?” Lucca set his spoon down, watching her twirl hers in the homemade vegetable soup. “I can make you something else if you don’t like it.”
Chloe looked up from her soup, realizing she had traveled deep in her thoughts. “No, s-sorry. It’s really good. I was just thinking, is all.”
He watched her take a bite of her food with a fallen look on her face. “Did being with Sal still bother you after I left?”
“No, I liked him. He was nice.”
She liked how Lucca only questioned her misplaced feelings of Sal in the beginning and not the fact that Sal might have upset her or done something to her. It showed her how much Lucca trusted him and that she could trust Sal, too. The strong bond between the two was obvious. Just like Elle and I… Seeing Lucca and Sal together made her want to be with her best friend.
“Then tell me what’s wrong, darlin’. Is there something I can do for you?”
“I just miss Elle. We used to talk every day, and I feel like I haven’t talked to her in forever. I don’t even have a girl to talk to here, and I think it’s just making me miss her more and more.”
A deep, thoughtful breath came from his chest. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Really? “Really?”
“I can’t promise you anything, but I’ll see what I can do to make you more comfortable.”
It was strange to think he would do that, considering he was holding her captive. She was slowly starting to learn that he wanted her happy for some reason. She was grateful for whatever reason it was.
Smiling, she told him, “Thank you.”
After that, Chloe was able to fully enjoy the delicious meal. Dang, he’s really a good cook. She hadn’t had one bad meal since being here, and already she could see herself weirdly missing the food when she was finally set free.
“So, you liked Sal, huh?” he asked, grinning.
“Yes, he was really nice to me and patient while teaching me how to solve the problems.”
“Good.”
Looking over at him, she saw that Lucca didn’t seem surprised by her answer.
“You knew I would like him, didn’t you?”
“Yes, everyone likes Sal. I haven’t met a person who doesn’t like him, from the worst to the best types of people.”
Chloe didn’t doubt it. “He’s like a genius, isn’t he?”
Looking up from his food, he stared directly at her. “He’s not like a genius, darlin’; he is one.”
By the serious expression on his face, it was clear that Sal was even smarter than she believed to be possible. She just couldn’t believe the polar opposites took to one another.
She wasn’t sure if he would answer, but she was too curious not to ask, “Why did your father take him in?”
The question didn’t seem to bother him in the least. “Sal had lived on and off the streets with his mother since he was a baby, but by the time he was ten, his mother had OD’d. She had been dead a while before my father picked Sal up, and after that, he became family.”
“That was nice of your father.”
He nodded. “Yes, my father took to Sal. He liked him better than he ever liked me. Sal is definitely the son he always wanted.”
Sadness washed over her at his statement. She felt bad for the young boy who thought he wasn’t the son his father wanted.
“I’m sorry you felt that way.”
“Don’t be sorry, darlin’. It never bothered me. I was never much for feeling anything, especially toward my father. I was glad Sal was able to have a relationship with a father figure, even if it was mine. He deserved it more than me.”
She bit her lip as she stared down at her food, feeling every word he had said and knowing there was no jealousy of the relationship Sal had with his father. Dang it, she really wished he would stop surprising her with how little she understood him.
“I’m glad you two found each other then.”
His eyes turned that beautiful shade of green. “And I’m glad you like him. It means a lot to me that you feel comfortable around him.”
The crazy thing was, she had. She even felt comfortable with scary Drago. The question was: how? She wasn’t comfortable with anyone, especially men. However, not once had she feared they would even touch her.
Chloe remembered then that, when Sal had sat down, he had pulled his chair far enough away from her and was very careful not to touch her during their tutoring session. It was the same with Drago. He was always careful of the distance between them and to not come close to touching her.
Looking into the green eyes before her, she now knew why, and it had been in front of her the whole time.
“You told Sal and Drago to be careful around me, didn’t you?”
Smiling, he answered, “Yes.”
“W-What did you tell them?”
Lucca leaned in, caressing a strand of her hair. “That they are only allowed to get so close to you.” He twisted the strand around his finger once. “And that they are to never touch you unless it is life or death.” Another twist made the strand wrap around the length of his finger. “Or I’ll fucking kill them.”
A cold tingle trickled down her body. She saw it in his eyes then, that he would even kill a man he considered a brother if he touched her. There was no question about it; she was sure he wouldn’t even second-guess it.
“W-Why?”
He caressed the strand wrapped around his finger with his thumb. “For you.”
It turned out that she not only never understood him, but I don’t know him at all.
Seventeen
Is Today the Day You Want to Die?
Lucca parked his car in the parking garage, right in front of the door he expected the person he was waiting for to come out. Getting out, he leaned against the hood of his classic black Cadillac. Then, pulling out a cigarette, he lit the end. It was his first cigarette of the day, still being early in the morning.
He sucked the contents faster than usual as he waited. Then he pulled out another one, wanting to savor it.
It was rare for Lucca to need help, but he was going to ask for it. He needed to ask it from probably the only person who understood him; the only person who knew how his mind worked, because their mind was like his.
W
e both hear the whispers.
Finally, the door opened, and he heard the clicking of heels. The man to come out the door first held his hand up, stopping the person behind him. When he realized it was just Lucca, he exited, waving for the one he held up to come out.
The clicking of the heels moved closer until the stilettos stopped right in front of him.
“Why does it look like my big brother wants something from me?”
Lucca motioned to the two men standing behind her. “Leave us. I’m taking Maria to school today.”
“No. No, you will not! I’m pissed at you. Don’t leave me with this psychopath!” she yelled after her bodyguards. But despite her effort, the two men made their exit.
Removing the cigarette from his mouth, he looked at his sister incredulously. “I’m the psychopath?”
Maria crossed her arms. “Yes, you are an unstable and aggressive person who lacks empathy and remorse.” She was obviously spending too much time in her psychology books.
“First of all, I’m the stable one; you’re not. But I think you are forgetting a major part of that diagnosis. A real psychopath appears normal and charming, hiding the fact they are aggressive, and lack empathy and remorse.” Taking one long and final hit, he tossed the bud to the ground. “Now, who does that sound like to you? Because it sure as fuck isn’t me.”
Uncrossing her arms, she flipped her long, golden hair behind her shoulder. “You were never good at hiding your true colors. Unlike you, I like the surprise when they find out I’m crazy.”
“Because you are a true fucking psychopath.”
Maria went silent for a moment, becoming serious. “Yes, but if I’m a psychopath, what does that make you?”
The question wasn’t meant to be answered, because the question was an impossible one to answer. They both knew Lucca was too fucked up for a definitive diagnosis.
Folding his arms across his chest, he was done talking about who was more fucked up. “So, why are you mad at me?”
Lucca (Made Men #4) Page 7