Luca also suspected his move to Maine soon after Drago’s revelation to Tyler as his half–brother was viewed as an attempt to distance himself. No need for all this drama. Luca liked and respected Tyler and did wish to give the newly united brothers bonding time. However, he would never consider Drago as anything less than a big brother.
Now that Tyler was no longer in the room to provide a buffer, the weight of the situation was making Luca antsy all over again. After years of harnessing the art of coolness, this feeling felt quite foreign to him. He was used to being in control of his emotions, one of his best traits as an assassin. But lately, he seemed to be nothing short of a hot mess. Standing from the couch, he walked over to the window, running his hand through his hair while he struggled to form the appropriate words.
“It can’t be that bad,” his pops said encouragingly from the desk behind him.
“The assignment… I can’t do it.”
The recollection of his hand as it began to tremble while holding the vial of poison over the wine glasses assailed him, followed too quickly by the vision of Sheila the next morning as she held the broken vial and his blue jeans in each hand. For the first time in his career, Luca had found himself second guessing his actions, wondering if Sheila in any way, shape, or form deserved what he’d been ordered to do to her. It had unnerved him.
His usually stable stomach started to quiver from the dumfounded look that had been on her face while holding the vial and the overwhelming fear he’d felt at the possibility of losing her forever. All it would have taken was her figuring out what it was.
Closing his eyes, Luca managed to once again temporarily block out the guilt he’d forever be encumbered with due to the events of that night and finish his line of thought. “I’m in love with her.” His words were met with silence. Not sure what to expect, he turned to face the two men, ready to defend his proclamation. Nathan’s look was thoughtful while Drago opted for one of pure amusement.
“What’s so funny, Dre?”
“You, man,” Drago answered with a snort. “Hasn’t experience taught you not to let your dick get the best of your common sense? You fucked the target, didn’t you? All those years of hard–core training and you fucked up and fucked a target.”
“Oh, look who’s talking!” Luca shouted, throwing up his hands in exasperation. “Whatdaya call what happened between you and Rie?”
“That was different. Rie wasn’t my target, I was hers. Well… kinda,” Drago stated, tapping his chin in thought. “We also knew each other long before anything happened. And, for your information, Rie and I have never fucked. We make sweet, beautiful love,” he profoundly stated with a nod of his blond head for emphasis.
Crossing his arms over his chest, Luca openly regarded his cousin. “I’ve heard you two. You fuck. End of story.”
“Okay, you two. That’s enough,” Nathan calmly interrupted as he elegantly rose to his feet. Both men knew to shut it down when the boss demanded they do so. “Where is she?”
“California. She’s spending the holiday with her parents.”
Nathan sighed. “You do realize there’s backup on this assignment? Someone really wants this woman dead. That’s one of the reasons I specifically ordered you to distance yourself from her, at least until we can figure out what Sal Patina’s up to and who those other actives are. And Drago does have a point. Even though I’m quite familiar with her family, we really don’t know this woman or the extent of her involvement in whatever this mess is.”
“Yes, Pop, I realize that. But, crazy as it might sound, my gut is telling me there’s no way she’s purposely done anything to bring a death sentence upon her. It might just be that dickhead ex of hers trying to get her money.”
“Ex–boyfriend, huh? Are you sure you’re referring to your gut and not something a little lower, bro?”
“It ain’t even like that, Dre. Trust me, staying away from her was much easier said than done,” Luca replied, allowing his shoulders to fall. All that discipline Drago spoke of had never prepared him for this. “Don’t worry. I have someone on her.”
Raising an eyebrow, Drago quirked his head to one side, the way he always did before confronting Luca. “If you’re so in love with her, why aren’t you on her? Why didn’t you pledge the Tenshi Ansatsusha oath to her?”
“I did!” Luca shouted, fisting his hands at his sides defensively.
“Okay, then. Answer my question. Why aren’t you on her?” Drago repeated, pointing a finger at him.
Luca felt the power behind that digit, even though he stood quite a distance from his cousin. Swiping a hand through his hair, he blew out a harsh breath, attempting to quell his emotions and stifle the heat from the blood pooling in his cheeks. “She got mad at me. I couldn’t get her to come here, and she wouldn’t let me go with her.”
Both men raised inquisitive eyebrows as their eyes bore into him.
Again, Luca blew out a long breath, this time raising his eyes to the elaborately painted ceiling. He forced himself to trace the outline of the angel up there, silently praying she would somehow intervene and save him from this growing discomfiture. Yet, his face grew warmer still. “I told her I didn’t want her working at that damn lab anymore. Can’t stand the thought of her being out all night like that, let alone driving in the dark when she’s dog tired.”
Raw emotions took over, compelling him to turn his back on his pop and cousin. Gazing out the French doors, he started reminiscing about how comforting Sheila’s voice and touch had been on the night of his study. That wonderful assassin’s training had conditioned him to sleep lightly, but on that particular night, he’d slept deeper than he had in years, and his fortifications against dreaming had crumbled away. For the first time in a long time, his subconscious had been good to him. He’d been dreaming about Sheila and, for a few precious moments, had been unable to decipher whether his name rolling past her sexy lips was from what he was doing to her in that dream or real from when she’d awoken him in the middle of the night to replace a broken wire.
Adding to his plight, she’d leaned over him, her distinct lavender smell filling his nostrils and making him feel heady as her heavy rack rose and fell oh so close to his face. The contents of the dream had already done their part to harden him. At that instant, it had been all he could do not to give into the carnal urges threatening to overpower him. Clueless, she’d continued hovering above him fully engrossed in her task, not realizing how close he was to ripping her clothes off and pulling her underneath him.
The warmth in his cheeks was set ablaze as his anger started building all over again at the thought of her tucking anyone else in at night. Maybe he was being an ass, but it just didn’t sit well with him. The woman had no idea how potent her sex appeal was, and he could easily see some jack–off coming onto her or trying to cop a feel the way he had fought so hard against doing. Then she would have undoubtedly turned around and given him hell because he’d have no choice but to kill the poor ignorant bastard for trying to muscle in on his woman.
“Then she had the audacity to kick me out of bed when I told her to have her shit packed before I got back so I could move it over to the big house. Goddammit, the heat had gone out in the night, and it was cold as hell in that room! I’m standing there, freezing my willy off and trying to reason with her, while she’s under the nice warm covers talking trash like ‘I just wasted eight years of my life with an asshole and sure as hell won’t be doing that again anytime soon!’” Luca realized he had involuntarily mimicked Sheila’s higher–pitched voice and neck roll. He found himself staring off into the distance of the large back yard, hands on his hips, fuming.
After a moment or two, the burning from the eyes on his back made him remember he wasn’t alone. Chancing a look back at his audience, he found them staring at him with their mouths agape. He turned to face them, knitting his brows together at not being completely sure what that look they were giving him was all about. They were both married to strong–willed w
omen and should easily be able to relate to his predicament.
“Seriously!” Drago stated, catching Luca by surprise. “What century do you think you live in, bro? You’re lucky she left your balls intact. Damn, man!” His cousin shook his head.
“Drago,” Nathan said in his calmest voice, placing a hand on Drago’s massive shoulder.
Drago obediently relaxed in his chair, propping his head on his forefinger and thumb, thus giving the floor up to his uncle.
“Son. If you really love this girl, you’ll do right by her. You should know by now you can’t make a woman do anything she doesn’t want to.”
“But, Pop, you know it would be easier for me to look after her if she’d just stay–her ass– home,” Luca bit out, jabbing a finger at the floor with each emphasized word.
Nathan smiled. “That may be true, son. But look at where your approach got you. You can’t tell me you’re happy with the fact that someone else is watching over her. Claim her, if you want. Tell the world she’s yours, and you might even be able to get away with declaring yourself man of the house.
“However, you have to be respectful of her wishes if you want both of you to be happy. That’s going to be very important now that you’re her primary protector.” Nathan stepped in front of him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Word will get out that you didn’t complete the assignment. You need to be ready for what and or who’s to come.”
Luca averted his eyes. His pops spoke the truth.
Nathan seemed not to notice. “Running her off is only going to make your job more difficult, not to mention more dangerous. If she’s truly the one, and you believe without a doubt she’s innocent, I’ll do everything in my power to help you two through this. Just make sure this is what you really want.”
Luca looked at his pop with new eyes. Though he hadn’t missed the slight undercurrent of doubt toward Sheila, his pop was miraculously giving them his blessing. “So, you’re not mad?”
Nathan shook his head. “Trust me, I understand. But you’re going to have to change that attitude, boy. That line of reasoning you’ve adopted from God knows where can be detrimental to a healthy relationship and, in this case, might get one of you killed.”
Overcome with emotion, Luca wrapped his pop in a bear hug. Unlike Luca and his mom, he and his father had never really been overtly affectionate toward one another, but ever since the night of his study, his whole character had become off kilter. At that moment, he couldn’t have cared less that Dre would undoubtedly tease him for breaking like a little bitch as soon as they were alone. The tranquil moment was interrupted by a quick knock before the door to the study opened.
“Bello, it would appear we have a visitor,” his moms said to his pop from the door.
Luca observed that her usual calm demeanor was intact, but her expressive eyes gave heed to the urgency of the situation. Whoever was upsetting his mother better be toting some serious backup.
Chapter 14
“Stand down.”
At Nathan’s command, Rie deftly slid the daggers she held crossed against each other, the metallic sound of metal biting metal resonating throughout the large living room. The old man flinched as the blades came within a hairsbreadth of his bobbing Adam’s apple, yet maintained the captive position on his knees, facing away from her, without passing out. Rie then brought the daggers to rest on either side of the old, white–haired man’s head. Luca wasn’t the king of fashion sense or anything, but he sure wished Rie had cut off that ubiquitous, god–awful bow tie the old man wore.
Nathan gave a subtle nod.
With a twist of her dainty wrists, Rie spun the weapons once before dexterously returning them to their respective holsters on either side of her thighs. She stepped back, lowering the flaps over the holsters hidden in the denim pants she wore, and stood akimbo, awaiting her next order.
For the first time since Luca had met her, she wasn’t wearing the tacky suede boots she usually hid her weapons in, but had opted for simple blue and white flats instead. The off–white, crisscross sweater she wore complemented by the loose curls of her long mane encircling her face almost made her Afro–Asian features appear angelic. Luca wasn’t fooled. He knew firsthand just how dangerous the tiny woman was and had the scar above his eye to prove it.
Luca’s attention went to the man on his knees before them. “What the hell is he doing here?”
“I invited him,” Nathan replied as he strode farther into the room.
All eyes went to his father, undoubtedly expressing the same curiosity and shock. The man on the floor chose this opportunity to cautiously rise to his six–foot height, towering over the woman who’d literally just had him by the neck a few minutes ago. The contrast was unnerving, him tall as a tree with ultra–pale skin and Rie barely five–feet with a rich pecan hue. A stranger looking on would never believe such a small woman could overpower such a well–built man, who just so happened to be a former police detective.
But overpower many a man she had on numerous occasions. The small woman moved like lightning, and what she didn’t accomplish with speed she made up for with use of her exotic beauty and spellbinding green eyes.
“You could have warned me that the cavalry would be here,” the man spit out sarcastically.
“Where else would they be? It’s the day before Thanksgiving. That’s what real fathers do. Bring their families together,” Nathan responded, a hint of bitterness in his tone.
“But you wouldn’t know anything about that, would you, Steven?” Drago added.
The tension in the room showed no signs of dissipating. There were way too many alphas present, three of which possessed the ability to kill with their bare hands. And, with all the grief this man had brought on the Moriatti family, it was a wonder he hadn’t been killed on sight. Something told Luca his dear old moms had a lot to do with that.
“I’m well aware of your disdain for me,” Steven said in his nasally British accent while brushing imaginary dust off his knees. It had actually been quite a charming accent before his nose had been broken, compliments of Drago. “Fortunately, I’m not wasting my holiday on you. I came to meet my son.”
Out of his periphery, Luca could see the slight tightening of his cousin’s jaw. Drago rarely lost his temper and had mastered hiding his anger from most. “Oh, did you now? What makes you think he wants to see you?”
“It’s okay, Dre.”
Luca and Drago turned to the sound of Tyler’s voice as he entered the room from behind them. A glint of disquiet lit Drago’s eyes.
“I asked Uncle Nathan to set this up.”
Drago’s darkened eyes darted in Nathan’s direction briefly before refocusing straight ahead. “Excuse us. I’d like to have a moment in private with my brother.” Turning on his heel, he sauntered out of the room.
Tyler scanned the room, giving an apologetic nod before following Drago.
Nathan gestured for Steven to sit on one of the large cream Victorian sofas while seating himself in one of the red fleur–de–lis–patterned chairs adjacent to it. Standing diligent with her hands clasped in front of her, Rie was ready to take action if necessary. Without a thought, Luca assumed the same stance, a habit ingrained from his training.
An occasional popping from the wood–burning fireplace was the only sound heard while the four of them awaited the brothers’ return. A few minutes seemed like an eternity as Luca’s curiosity began to grow, and he wondered how the confrontation was going. He hadn’t spent enough time with Tyler to truly gauge his temperament, but something told him his cousin wasn’t the type to take orders from anyone. He was a Moriatti.
Finally, Tyler reentered the room alone. His expression was neutral. With the confidence of a Moriatti, he strutted to where Nathan now stood, stopping in front of the man who had sired him. But they all knew Steven had been anything but a father to Tyler, and the tension associated with that knowledge hung in the air like tenacious phlegm.
At that moment, Rie chose to reli
nquish her post and made her way over to Luca. “Hey,” she began in her customarily quiet voice.
“Hey,” Luca responded. After years of being around Rie, her soft Japanese accent no longer surprised him, nor did it stimulate him the way it once had.
“I think it would be best if you go to him. Something tells me if you stay you’ll end up killing someone before all’s said and done.” She gestured toward Steven, her waist–length hair swinging freely. “I’ll hang out here just in case the so–called copper decides to start any trouble.”
***
The–thud, the–thud, the–thud, the–thud…
“That bad, huh?”
Drago seemed not to hear Luca as he continued hammering away at the punching bag.
“Looks like Tyler’s boxing lessons are serving you well.”
Luca straddled one of the three workout benches facing his cousin. The boxing gear was new, but the rest of the equipment in the large dojo was pretty much the same as the last time he had visited home. There were enough swords, spears, stars, and daggers to arm a small country. His gaze went to the empty shooting range, which was separated from the dojo by a large bulletproof window. That too, held enough weapons to do some serious damage. Perhaps a little shooting would clear his head.
“Ain’t gonna work, bro,” Drago grunted out, slamming two final face–shattering punches to the bag. Reaching out, he steadied the bag threatening to fly off its hook before turning to face Luca. “There’s not much you can do about the crazy shit clouding your mind when you first fall in love. Trust me. Shooting it out will only provide temporary relief,” he continued, gesturing with his head toward the range.
“You think you know everything,” Luca joked, beaming.
“Pretty much.”
The two men laughed.
Grabbing two bottles of water from the fridge, Drago tossed one to Luca before taking a seat on one of the other benches next to him. “I know I don’t have to meet this woman to know it’s real this time. Got you mugging on Uncle Nate like a little bitch and all.” Drago raised the bottle to his lips, but the act didn’t conceal his grin.
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