by Haley Stuart
Nicolai and Romelo begin passing out thick envelopes.
“In these envelopes are specific instructions made for each individual in this room. Do not open them until you are in your safe zone. And follow them. If you don’t, or anything is suspicious, we will assume the worst.”
I look around at all the faces in the room.
“We will meet again, and when we do, we will take back what is ours and get rid of the swine that dared cross the North Mafia.”
Cries of agreement echo throughout the room. These men are just as angry as I am.
I step out of the room, and Elise is in the foyer like I have asked. Romelo and Nicolai are by my side.
“Luca, what’s going on?” she asks, eyeing the men exiting the room.
“I’ll explain everything in the car.” I grab ahold of her hand and walk her toward the garage with me. Sure enough, the car is running. I can see Matteo sitting in the back seat.
“Go get in the car.”
Elise looks at me warily but walks around to the passenger seat, closing the door behind her.
I turn to Romelo and Nicolai.
“Are you sure you don’t want us to go with you, boss?” Romelo is the first to speak up.
I shake my head. “Yes.” I can tell by his reaction Nicolai doesn’t appreciate my answer. “You two are my most trusted men. Not only that, but you are my best friends. Keep in touch. Remember what I told you.”
They nod in unison. With that, I get in the car, closing the door. Matteo is asleep in the back seat, but Elise is awake.
“Luca, what is going on?” Her voice is panicked, and I can see her body shaking in fear. I should have explained to her earlier, but I have been so focused on getting out of here and explaining the situation that I’ve forgotten she is paranoid. Gosh, I am an asshole.
I grab her hand in mine as we pull out into the road. I bring her hand to my mouth, giving her a gentle kiss. “We’re getting off the grid for a while. Something’s come up, and it’s just a little precaution. I promised you I’d protect you and your brother, Elise, as well as our son, and this is me keeping that promise, okay?”
She nods slowly.
We ride in silence for a little while, and I notice Elise has finally fallen asleep. I want to sleep myself, but I don’t have the time. The sooner we get off the grid, the better. I am going to protect my family, no matter what. And I will kill anyone that gets in the way.
Chapter 52
Elise
When Luca says he’ll explain everything to me, I think he is really going to do just that, but he proves me wrong, because explaining is the last thing he does. He drives us to the airport and puts us on a plane without so much of an explanation. The flight takes us about nine hours, and even then, he refuses to tell us where we are going.
“The less you know, the better.”
That is what he keeps telling us every time we ask.
Since the plane has landed, we have been driving for about three hours. I am exhausted and cranky, but I try my best not to show it. Whatever is going on is serious, because Luca is tense and very vague when answering questions.
Wherever we are has to be another country, because the sun is coming up. Matteo is sound asleep in the back, and I can feel my eyes getting heavy, but I can’t go to sleep.
“You can go to sleep if you want to, Elise. You look tired.”
I sit up in my seat and look over at him. He still has a hard face, as if he were trying to hide his emotions from me. “Are you okay, Luca?”
Now he looks at me. “Why would you ask that?”
“Well, you kind of came home in a hurry … and you just packed us up in the middle of the night and made us leave, and you won’t even tell me where.” I am a little afraid to admit it, but I feel like I can talk to Luca more now than ever.
He lets out a deep sigh. “There are just things going on right now, and we just need to move out of the open for a little bit.”
My heart jumps at his words, and I feel myself beginning to panic. I hate how afraid I am of everything.
I feel a hand over mine. Luca clasps my hand in his. “Elise, I won’t let anything happen to you. Where we’re going, no one can hurt you, I promise.”
After I catch my breath, I respond to him, “And where are we going, Luca?”
“A little cottage I bought on my own a few years back. No one knows about this place, not even Romelo or Nicolai.”
I look at him in confusion. If anything, Luca is the last person I expect to buy a cottage, of all things. He strikes me as more of the flashy kind of guy. Which explains why our homes are so large and his cars are so extravagant.
As if he has sensed the direction of my thoughts, a smile flits over his lips.
“When I was younger, my mother brought me out here on a mini vacation, to get away from the daily hell I was born into.” His smile grows larger, as if he is remembering the exact moment. “She hated having guards. So one day, she just took me and we went riding. I was about thirteen at that time. We got completely lost in a foreign country, and we came upon this cottage. It was beautiful, and she absolutely loved it. She said she wanted it to be our secret spot. That no one would know about it. Not even my father. But with her being the wife of the capo, no purchases she made would be private. So when I turned eighteen, I bought it for her. Had it renovated and everything. She used to come out here all the time.”
He grows silent, and his smile slowly drops.
“I haven’t been here since she died.”
“When did she die?” My voice is an almost whisper.
I have always been curious as to how Luca’s mother has died. No one has ever had a clear story of how she has died, or even when. But everyone knows she has. She has stopped showing up to events, and Luca’s father has become an unpleasant person to be around. And Luca … well, it is hard to tell if he has been raised that way or if he is acting out because of what has happened to his mother.
“When I turned twenty. We were going to an event. The three of us. It was a party at a friend’s house. And by friend I mean business partner. My father took off with my mother, talking to people and being his usual self. The night was going well until the gunfire started.”
I watch Luca closely. I can feel the anger and despair he feels while reliving this nightmare.
“They caught her. They tortured her and did horrible things to her. And when we thought we had her back, they let her walk out of that car across the street to us and they shot her just as she was near. They shot her no less than five feet away from me. I had to watch her die, because we trusted them. We trusted their word. We thought if we did what was asked of us, they would return her to us. But they didn’t. They lied.”
His hands tighten around the steering wheel. The ride is silent except for Matteo’s soft snoring in the back seat.
I can’t imagine what Luca feels. He has known his mother. He has grown up with her, and he has spent a lot of time with her. Judging from the way he speaks of her, he really loves his mother. And she has been killed in front of him when he is about to save her. All because he has trusted what people have said. Now I can see why trust is such a huge issue for him.
“I didn’t know who you were when I did what I did to your mother. I knew you were too young to remember it, though, or understand what was going on. I had no idea they were going to make me marry you years later. And I am sorry for that, Elise. But I almost had her. She was right there, right in front of me. And they shot her in the back.”
He sighs.
“I loved my father, I did, but my mother was everything to me. A part of me died with her. A part that I never thought I’d get back. That is, until I met you. The moment you said ‘I do,’ I could feel it. You healed a part of me I never thought I’d get back.”
His eyes meet mine, and he looks shocked. There are tears running out of my eyes. My heart is bleeding for Luca. I have never seen him so open before about something so personal.
“
Don’t cry for me, Elise. I’m not a good man. I’ve done some things that I can never take back, and some things I don’t even regret. I couldn’t save my mother because we were weak. We trusted when we should have taken. I won’t ever let that happen again.”
His eyes drift back to the road. I look down to my stomach, which is now carrying a life. When he is born, will he end up like Luca? Can I save him from that fate?
The thing I fear most is that my son may never get to know me like I’ve never known my mother. Or if he does, he’ll end up like Luca once I am gone. Luca says he’ll protect me, but in the back of my mind, I know that is an impossible thing to promise.
Luca isn’t a good man, that I know, but he has good tendencies. He has moments when he makes me forget all the horrible things. And he has moments when I forget he even loves me. But I know the good tendencies must be something his mother has instilled in him. He is a mix of both of his parents, and he’s been with his father the majority of his life. But now that his father is gone, he has moments when he looks at me with so much love that I almost forget the hell that he has dragged me through. Almost. And I have his mother to thank for that.
“What was her name?” I ask.
He looks over at me, and a small smile pulls at his mouth. “Lucia. Her name was Lucia Pasquino.”
I smile at him, rubbing my stomach subconsciously. Lucia.
We arrive at the cottage an hour later. It is in the middle of a forest, but the land around it is cleared out, with a security gate around the property. And there is a large pond behind it. It is a beautiful home. And it looks very warm and inviting. Luca pulls up the driveway, parking the car outside and turning it off. Once he has helped me out of the car, we walk inside the front door. He turns, speaking to Matteo.
“You can go and pick which room is yours.”
Matteo doesn’t hesitate to take off up the stairs. There have to be at least five bedrooms in this place, and it still looks clean, as if someone upkeeps it.
“I have people come in and clean it every two weeks,” Luca says, as if sensing my thoughts.
He grabs ahold of my hand, leading me through the large foyer. I can feel the heat from his hand seeping into mine. It is comforting, the grip he has. As if he doesn’t want to let go.
“We’re going to take the master bedroom downstairs. I don’t want you walking back and forth, up and down the stairs in your condition.” He smiles at me, opening the door to a beautiful room with coral walls.
The sun is shining through the large windows, and I can see down the path to the lake. There is a large bed in the middle of the room, with a fireplace and two walk-in closets.
“Luca, this place is really beautiful,” I whisper.
He and his mother has had this place renovated, and it has really turned out beautiful. He gives me a quick kiss on my temple.
“Thank you. I want you to get some rest. I know you’re probably tired. If you need anything at all, my office is down the hall to the left.” I nod, and he threads his fingers through my hair, giving me a searing kiss.
“You can leave the door open if you want to. I love you.” He walks out of the room before I can respond.
Chapter 53
Luca
I sit in my office and set up the security feed. Nicolai and Romelo have already checked in, and everyone else is good to go. Now that we are all out of the spotlight, we need to take down the bastards that are after us.
Apparently, there is a government agency that wants us gone. A group that even the president knows nothing about. Like he can do something if he does. All I know is that that means things will go better for us. Who will miss something that they never even know is there? So we can kill off every single one of them without having to worry about a big cleanup or any media pressure. This operation can take months to plan and pull off, but I want every possible threat out of the way before my son is born.
I hate it every time Elise speaks of me having to raise him by myself. She thinks that no matter what, she is going to die and not get to raise him. Everything I am doing now is to ensure that she will get that luxury. I won’t let her end up like my mother. My father has been too trusting. He’s made mistakes that could have been avoided. And he has driven a wedge in their marriage. I am nothing like him.
The thing about dropping off the map is that everything is ensured to you. You have no backup or anything; it is just you making the decisions or having to protect yourself.
After I get done, I walk past the room to check on Elise, and she is sound asleep. I walk around, ensuring that the escape routes are all still working and the security is in check before the sun goes down completely. I am not going to take any chances with Elise and Matteo being here.
I go in search of Matteo and find him fast asleep as well in the bedroom he has chosen. They must both be tired from the trip. I walk back down the stairs and into our bedroom to find Elise sitting up in bed. Her hair is wet, so she must have taken a shower in the time I have gone checking the perimeter. She is only in a bra and some shorts, her bare stomach out, and she is smiling while she rubs it. She is murmuring something to him.
She is so entranced with what she is doing that she doesn’t even notice me in the doorway. The sun is setting, and the bedside lamp is on, engulfing her in an orange glow. Damn, she is beautiful. She is so damn beautiful. I can’t help but admire her.
Women are a peculiar thing. They can nurture life within them, and once that life is born, they continue to nurture that life until the day they die.
The bulge of her stomach proves that there is a life growing inside of her. Something that we’ve together created. I shouldn’t have done what I’ve done behind her back, but at this moment, as I watch her lovingly caress her stomach, I don’t regret it.
“I love you so much, my little Luciano,” she murmurs.
I let out a surprised breath, and she jumps, looking at me with wide eyes.
“Luca, you scared me! How long have you been—”
I cut her off as I make my way across the room, kicking the door close behind me and kissing her. I kiss her with everything I have in me. And I don’t even realize until the cool air hits my cheeks that there are tears running down my face. I pull back from her, looking into the brown depths of her eyes. When I look at her, true happiness radiates from my very core. I love her. I love her with all I have. Everything in me. I love this woman.
I don’t even give her a chance to say anything; I press another kiss to her lips, enjoying the soft feel of hers against mine.
“I love you, Elise. I love you so much,” I murmur.
I lean down, pressing kisses along her neck and collarbone, and take my hands to push down her underwear. I come back up and continue to kiss her with everything I have in me. And I show her. I show her how much I love her.
* * * * *
We both lie in bed naked and sated. Elise is on her side, curled up to me, fast asleep, her soft breathing keeping me calm. Occasionally, she will flinch and cry out in her sleep, but she hasn’t begun to scream yet.
My father has always told me that no one woman will ever be enough. He has told me I will get tired of the same thing and eventually move on to find mistresses. But for me, that will never be the case. I will never grow tired of Elise, and I will never let anything bad happen to her.
She has told me she has been thinking about it since we’ve never had the discussion of names. I have always been busy, and up until recently, she knows the subject is one that shouldn’t be broached. But when I hear her name choice, every wall I have comes crashing down. She wants to name him after my mother. Lucia. How can one woman come into my life and change me so much?
I place my hand lightly over her stomach. I can feel the small movements he is making. I can’t hold back the smile that appears on my face.
Luciano. It is perfect. Just like my wife.
Chapter 54
Luca
Things, for the most part, have been running smoothl
y. Elise is getting better and better each day, and we have been growing closer. She opens up to me more and isn’t afraid to tell me things. With that being said, her fear of being alone hasn’t been deterred at all. So I haven’t been able to go into town for business or anything, because the last time I’ve tried, she has a really bad panic attack. So I just have the maids that come to clean the house bring me the things I need.
I watch Elise now in the doorway. She is fast asleep, and it is the middle of the day. She is exhausted all the time; the baby keeps her up sometimes, and sometimes her nightmares keep her up. I have considered getting her a psychiatrist but thought against it because too much will be at stake if they figure out who she is.
I walk over to the desk, writing her a little note and putting it on my pillow. One time, I’ve left the room without telling her where I am going, and when she has woken up, she is on a rampage. She is screaming and crying, and quite honestly, I’ve thought she is going to pass out from how frightened she has been. So now I just put a note in the room if she is asleep, letting her know where I am. I make a mental note to take her shopping for the nursery. The baby will be here any week now, and we need to be ready whether it is here or back home.
I move to my office and pull out the floor plans for the building our enemy is occupying. I have been studying these for two weeks now. The deadline is coming up fast. I have video calls with all my men and even more conference calls with Nicolai and Romelo. To do this, we will literally have to be perfect.
“Luca.”
I look up to find Matteo in the doorway. He has been stalking around upset and angry because I am trying to make him normal for the sake of his sister. But he doesn’t want that. He wants to be a part of my world.