“Don’t you come near me, or I’ll blow her pretty little fucking head off. I swear I will.”
Fire raging in his eyes, Luca stood down. He looked angry, but he also looked desperate. Desperate to get to me. Desperate to keep me safe.
“I’m okay,” I reassured him. I needed him to know I wasn’t hurt in any way.
Antonio laughed and shuffled me around the room. “Do you know she has the most beautiful neck? Did you ever stop fucking her long enough to notice that?” With one hand he stroked the side of my neck and licked it. Luca’s eyes blazed with more fire as he desperately fought the urge to lunge for him. Antonio just stood there, laughing harder.
“I wish I could stay longer—maybe even make you watch—but I feel I don’t have much time.”
Motioning for Luca to get out of the way with his gun, Antonio pushed me towards the door. “Tell your men to stand down. I will let her go, but I swear I’ll put a bullet through her head the minute I see anyone come near me. Get it?”
Gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, Luca shot a glance at all his men. “Get out of his way.”
Antonio gripped me harder. “That’s better. I just need to get to my car, and I’ll be on my way.” He shuffled me out of the room, and I watched as Luca looked at me in turmoil. He followed us out as I backed away from him, causing Antonio to aim his gun higher. “Stay there until I tell her it’s safe!”
Luca stood still, and I eventually was led out to the front garden of the house. I saw several cars, but Antonio was leading me to the one at the far end. I was hoping and praying he would make good on his promise to let me go. I was so done with this. I was about to wage war on the little fucker if he didn’t set me free.
Opening the car door from behind, I felt Antonio tug it open. “Now,” he said still clutching onto me. “I’m going to get into this car and drive off. When I do, you can holler all you like. I’ll be long gone. It was a shame we couldn’t have become better acquainted, but I’m a patient man. I will come for you again, and when I do, I won’t fucking hang around for no one.”
Finally glad to be getting rid of this son of a bitch, I laughed. “As I said, Antonio … over my fucking dead body.”
Having pushed me off him, I turned around and found him still pointing the gun at me with one foot in the car. “Until next time, my cherie.” He blew me a kiss, and then, off he went like a bat out of hell towards the exit. Thank God for that!
“Luca! Luca!” I shouted as loud as I could.
Luca, along with the others, came running out towards me. Some of them ran into the cars and sped off after Antonio as fast as they could. The others came to see if I was okay. First and foremost, though, Luca was there throwing his loving arms around me in a great, big, protective, bear hug.
Kissing my head, Luca sounded so full of despair. “I thought I’d lost you. I thought…”
“Shh,” I whispered, stopping him with my finger. “I’m okay. Nothing happened. I’m here, I’m safe, and despite what you saw, they never once managed to get what they were after.”
Luca gripped me tightly and hissed between his teeth, “I’m going to kill the fucker!”
I stroked his face, looking up into his eyes. “I think I agree with you there.”
Luca smiled down at me and leaned in for a gentle kiss on my lips. “I’m so sorry I let him get to you.”
“Don’t do this to yourself. I was bored more than anything. It was far worse being held hostage there then it was by you.” I tried to joke, but Luca didn’t seem to find the funny side.
“If that asshole who grabbed your hair like that wasn’t already dead, I’d kill him again. Fuck, this was all my fault!”
Cupping his face in my hands, I held his stare. “This is not like you. Stop blaming yourself. I’m here. I’m fine. Let’s just go home. Please?”
Luca grabbed my hand and led me to the car. Standing by the door was Tony. “Clara, I’m so sorry about—”
I immediately put my hand up, stopping him. “Unless Luca wanted you in there to see me getting undressed, then I can’t see how apologies will work. You can’t watch me twenty-four-seven. It’s okay, and if some people tell you otherwise, I’ll smack ‘em one!” I looked over at Luca’s enraged face to let him know I meant business. I wasn’t going to let Tony take the fall for this.
“You’ve only just been freed from that fucker, and yet you still can’t resist voicing how much you want to hit me.”
I smirked towards Tony and got in the car. “I’m not letting what happened in there get to me. I refuse to. I wasn’t frightened; I was just so frustrated that I couldn’t cut Antonio’s balls off.”
Luca laughed, scooting over to where I sat and held my hand. “You know, you never fail to amaze me.”
Luca’s telephone chimed, interrupting our little talk. Luca answered and sat there, holding the bridge of his nose. “What do you mean you’ve lost him? I want you to find him, and when you do, hold him until I get there. I shall have every pleasure in dealing with Mr. Cavelli myself.” Gritting his teeth, Luca threw the phone on the seat and growled. “Why doesn’t this fucker just die already?!”
As I watched Luca, I suddenly thought of something that had been bothering me for the past two days. It had been bothering me so much that I had to ask, “You know when you came home, and I slapped you?”
Luca uncovered his face from his hand and looked over at me with a quizzical smile on his face. “Yes.”
“You mentioned that all the women you love keep slapping you. What did you mean by that?”
Noticing something out of the corner of my eye, I looked over to Tony, who was smiling in the rear-view mirror.
“Of all the things to ask, you ask this now? Don’t you want to rest first? Or better still, why don’t you tell me what you went through in there?”
I gripped Luca’s hand with a sigh. “If I told you what went on in there, you’d flip.” I could see he was about to boil over, so I gripped harder. “Luca, stop it. Now. The worst I saw was Rachael and Antonio fucking like rabbits in front of me. I may have been bashed about a bit, and I was almost raped…” I heard Luca suck in a breath. “Almost, Luca. It never happened. Although, I know what Antonio’s plans are. He’s one sick bastard.”
“What?” he asked, clenching his fists.
“He wants to impregnate me.”
Luca took deep breaths as he closed his eyes. Tony just sat there in silence, shaking his head. “He what?”
“He knows you love me and would do anything to get in the way of that. He told me some things. Things you and I need to discuss … alone.” I motioned towards Tony, and I think Luca knew exactly what I was referring to.
“Whatever he said, they were all lies. I didn’t mean for that to happen. Someone told me the house was empty.”
“So, you did do what he said you did.”
“Yes, but that was only because I thought the house was empty.” I pulled my hand away and turned to the window in disgust. “Babe, please. I’ve only just got you back. Don’t shut me out. I didn’t mean for that to happen. I would never hurt his family like that. I wanted to teach him a lesson; that was all. I was told the house was empty.” Silence filled the car, and I could hear Luca trying to calm. “Tell me what he said.”
Turning my head back towards him, I realised that—no matter what—I couldn’t stay mad at him for long. No matter what he may have done, I still loved him. I believed that he believed the house was empty. I would have to take his word for that. I accepted Luca and all that he is. I told him that the family business side of things didn't matter. I had to stick to that decision.
“He said he thought you would be too disgusted with me to ever touch me again. He wanted to keep me there until I got pregnant. He thought that if I had his baby growing inside of me, then you would never touch me again. That you would be revolted by me.”
Luca grabbed my shoulder before pulling me over to his chest. “I could never be revolted by you. Nothing h
e could do would ever change how I feel. I just wish I’d had the chance to kill him back there. I just couldn’t risk it when…”
“Shh. Stop the ‘what if’s.’ I’m sure he will get his comeuppance one day. Anyway, back to what I asked. Why do all the women you love keep hitting you?”
Kissing my head, he squeezed my shoulder. “You were right about you being an elephant. You never do forget, do you?”
I squeezed his hand. “No, and don’t sway from the conversation this time. Tell me.”
Sighing, Luca smiled. “The first time I saw my mother after so many years apart, she hit me. Slapped me right across the face.”
I laced my fingers through his—unable to hide the little smirk on my face. “Really? Why?”
“She was mad because I broke my promise and came to Sicily. I’m so glad I did, though. She was in prison when I saw her.”
I shot up from his embrace. “In prison?”
“Yes—for killing my father.”
Closing my eyes, I realised then just how heart-wrenching that must have been for him to see. Especially after knowing she took the fall for what her son had done. “I’m so sorry, Luca. That must have been hard. I know she slapped you, but she must really love you. That’s the kind of mother’s devotion you could never, ever buy.”
He kissed my hand. “I know. I’m one hell of a lucky man—no matter how many times you and my mother slap me.”
I laughed. I couldn’t help but feel a sudden bond with this woman I had never met. “How long does she have to stay inside for?”
Eyes widening, he smiled. “Oh. She’s out now—and boy does everyone know it. I stayed in Italy with her once she was released. I met up with all my brothers and sisters to whom I had to explain my absence for all these years.”
I frowned. “What did you say?”
“Believe me, I wanted to tell them the truth. I had to say that Papa was forcing me into a marriage and leaving was my only option. I told them the truth about staying with Giuseppe. I just explained that I had built a life there.”
I bit my lip. “How did they feel about that explanation?”
He saw my expression and sighed. “It’s a fucking cop-out. That’s for sure. They weren’t happy, but now that they know I’ll be a part of their lives from now on, they’ve accepted me back. We had a big reunion back at the house where I saw a lot of my aunts and uncles—most of whom I hadn’t seen in a very long time. It was a shock, but I’m glad I have my family back now.”
Thinking about it made me remember the wedding. “You and I were supposed to be married there by now.”
Gritting his teeth again, Luca closed his eyes. “I know. The whole family was waiting for us.”
I gasped, looking up towards his angered face. “What did you tell them?”
“I told Mama the truth. She wanted to come over and kill Antonio herself. She never liked that man.”
I thought about what he said and realised something. “So, this rift between you has been running longer than I thought.”
Luca nodded. “Yes. Too long. That’s why an end needs to be in sight. He’s not going to stop.”
I sighed, knowing he was right. “I know he isn’t. He told me that much before he drove away.”
Luca grabbed me and pulled me towards his chest. “I won’t let anything happen to you. From now on, you’re stuck to me like glue. Well, apart from when that fucker’s found and I pay him a personal visit. One I will enjoy rather well.”
I rubbed my hand on his chest and purred. “Oh, you’re sexy when you get angry.”
Tony’s voice stunned us both. “We’re home.”
I looked out of the window to my castle and sighed contentedly. I never thought seeing such a sight would be so welcoming in all my life.
Running out onto the castle steps were Belinda, Mia, Samantha, and Melinda. All of them looked frantic, and a couple of them were even crying.
Getting out of the car was okay; it was being pummelled by four screaming girls that was difficult. I was squeezed so tightly into them I couldn’t breathe.
“Girls… Girls,” I said, choking. “I can’t breathe.”
“Sorry!” they all shouted in unison.
“Are you okay?” Belinda looked at me expectantly. I think they all thought I might break.
“I’m fine. I could really do with a drink, though.” We all laughed, venturing up the stairs to the bar where I knew everyone would gather to find out what happened. I told them the cleanest version of events as much as possible. Nothing about what took place there was clean, though.
“The only thing I feel bad about was Rachael dying because of me.”
I could hear Luca’s chest rumble. “I don’t know how you could feel that way about her after what she did. I sometimes think you’re too forgiving.”
I looked up at Luca and saw the fury in his eyes. He was gripping on to a stiff drink. That was a strange thing to see. I hardly ever saw Luca drinking. I could tell he was full of pent-up rage and the need for revenge. His body language was giving him away big time.
I was about to retort when Luca’s phone rang. Luca huffed, but he took the phone out straight away and moved away from the bar. I knew it would have been about Antonio, and I knew whatever the news was, it wasn’t going to make Luca calm down anytime soon.
Feeling a tug on my arm, I turned to see Mia smiling. “You know, Rachael made those choices knowing full well what the implications and likely consequences of them would be. You can’t blame yourself for that.”
I smiled at Mia and gripped her hand. “I know. She obviously wasn’t very well, though. Whatever decisions she did make were ones without any logical thought.”
“You care too much, Clara.” Snapping my head up, I turned towards Belinda. “I’m not saying that in a bad way at all. You should care. It’s sometimes your job to care. But, Rachael was never appreciative of what you did for her. She just took it and asked for more. She was always wanting more than what you could give her. I’m just so sorry that she let it lead her down the path to her own destruction in the end. None of what happened was going to end in a good way. Surely, she didn’t really think you would run away with her and live happily-ever-after on some tropical island somewhere, picking flowers and skipping the days away together.”
I laughed and shook my head. “You know, I think she probably did believe exactly that.”
Just then, all was silent when an almighty crash could be heard outside in the hall. Getting off my stool, I ran out to see what was happening—only to find Luca pacing the floor. His drink and shards of glass were sprawled all over the floor at his feet.
I looked up from the floor to his enraged face. “Calm down, and tell me what’s happening.”
He gripped his hair, looking at me with fury in his eyes. “The fucking bastard’s disappeared again. They can’t find him. Fucking useless pieces of shit, the lot of them. The lot of you!” he said, waving his hands towards his men.
“Luca, calm the fuck down!”
Turning towards Belinda, I saw the shock on her face. I pulled her towards me and whispered in her ear. “He needs calming, and I think I know just the solution. Would you mind cleaning this up, while I go sort out the raging, Italian hot-head over there?”
She smiled, grabbed my arm, and squeezed it. “Of course not. You do what you have to do.”
I turned, storming up the stairs past a pacing Luca before pointing up. “Upstairs—now! And don’t you even think about disobeying me.”
I looked down towards Luca and could see the amusement in his eyes. How quickly his moods changed. Scanning the room with a scowl for his men, he took the stairs behind me. I carried on my journey until I got to our tower.
Once I unlocked the door, I kept it open, waiting for Luca to come through. It wasn’t long before he was there, looking every bit like the male lion I had come to know and love. I sauntered towards his heaving body. He was angry and highly charged. I figured that anger would be best used in a
more positive fashion.
Placing my hands on his chest, I let them fall towards his trousers. “Luca,” I said as gently as I could, “we need to get reacquainted.”
He shook his head, trying to stop me from unbuttoning his trousers, but he still seemed too full of pent-up rage to have complete use of his hands. They were fisted so tightly that I thought they were almost stuck. “We can’t do this. I’m too angry. If I don’t go out there and find him myself, I think I might explode.”
Ignoring him, I pushed my hand down to his cock and started rubbing him gently. Luca moaned, and it wasn’t long before he was growing hard in my hand. “How about you explode inside my mouth? Wouldn’t that be better?”
Thumping his head back against the door, Luca closed his eyes. “Fuck, I’ve missed you.”
I knew I had him then. I knew he was finally calming down. I was worried he was going to have a heart attack soon from all this stress. Having so much anger couldn’t be good for him.
I was about to kneel before him, so I could lower his trousers and take him in my mouth, but Luca somehow found the use of his hands. “Not like this. Not after what…”
He didn’t say it, but I knew what he meant. Maybe that image of me in front of that man was all too sickening for him. Despite what Luca had said earlier, what happened was going to affect us now in some way.
Ridding me of my jumper and jeans, Luca carried me over to the bed. “Hey, how come I always end up naked before you?”
As Luca pulled his shirt over his head, he smiled. “Because I’m in charge. Remember?”
I rolled my eyes, and Luca halted for a second. “Did you just roll your eyes at me?”
I nodded my head with a cheeky grin. “I believe I did.”
“You never fail to amaze me. You’re one hell of a woman. Have I ever told you that?”
Looking over at my man’s bronzed and toned body, I almost purred like a cat. “I think maybe once or twice.”
Luca managed to rid himself completely of his clothes and was on top of me and kissing me before I even knew it. It wasn’t long after that he pulled away, a hint of worry creasing in his forehead. “You’re not doing this just to placate me, are you? I’m not going to do anything you don’t want me to do.”
LUCA (Because You're Mine) (The Sicilian Mafia Series Book 2) Page 8
