by SJ Molloy
“A little shaken up and hurt that Fran is so broken and desperate for help. She has taken extreme measures by trying to commit suicide. I just hope I am not the cause. I would never forgive myself,” I say honestly, my fingers gripping the wheel.
“No, Lucca. Do not blame yourself, please. You have done nothing wrong other than fall in love. Fran is more affected than any of us cared to admit or realised, and I do not think you meeting with her had anything to do with it. If she is this challenged, she would have tried something silly at any point as a cry for help because she is clinically depressed. Yes, it is probably hard for her to see you happy with someone else, but you are not to blame for this,” she says, stroking my arm.
I am glad to have her here with me after this afternoon’s event. The nightmare last night thinking about Lexi being abused, going to my son’s grave today, and now this with Fran is mentally exhausting.
“Thank you. I love you,” I say, smiling.
“And I love you, more than you will ever know. You are such a gentle, loving, considerate, and caring soul. I am so proud of you.” She looks in the mirror and tucks her hair behind her ears. “And how is Lexi? Are you taking good care of her? Did you all have a good day yesterday?” she asks, trying to distract me from my sullen mood.
“Yes, she is doing much better. It was so good to see the sparkle back in her eyes yesterday and her smile again,” I add with my own smile widening my lips at the mere mention of Lexi.
“You are very serious about her. She is an absolute treasure, a delightful girl. Your papa and I, we are very happy you found someone like her. She is good for you. I have not seen you as happy as this ever, not that I can remember. Lexi brings out the best in you.”
Approaching the long, winding hill towards her villa, I turn, smile, and nod my head.
“About what Lexi said on Sunday … her father being dead and her mum being emotionally challenged … it is rather complicated and unconventional. In fact, her past is extremely traumatic and disturbing, more than you or I could ever imagine. Please do not push her to talk about it if she does not want to.”
Mamma can be very forward and that is not what Lexi needs.
Parking the car, I turn around to face her. “I know you have always taught us to be open about our feelings and share things, but that is extremely difficult for Lexi. She suffers with post-traumatic stress disorder and she is … her life as a child … Jesus, it …” I cannot finish.
I shove my hands wildly into my hair and then loosen my tie. I think she gets the idea.
“It is okay, you do not need to tell me, but I want you to know we are here for you both, if you want to talk or need some comfort. As for Lexi, the poor girl could be doing with lots and lots of love, and your papa and I will give her and show her endless amounts of it. If you love her, then we do too.” She reaches over and wraps her hand around my neck pulling me in for a cuddle.
I’m a grown man, but shit, sometimes I just need my mamma’s love. And after the stressful week we have had, it feels good to have her support.
“I went to Gabriel’s grave today,” I say, kissing her forehead before straightening up.
“Oh, I sensed you were feeling emotional. Are you okay? Your papa and I visit his graveside every second Tuesday.” She sighs sympathetically. It is reassuring to know Mamma and Papa visit when I cannot.
“I felt guilty because I am moving on. I feel like I am disrespecting him or leaving him behind somehow. I know that sounds fucked-up but I cannot help it.” Tapping my hand on the steering wheel, I watch Paulo lift someone’s luggage up the main steps.
“Language! What have I told you about this swearing,” she warns me.
“Sorry.” I roll my eyes. Savio and Armando do not get it as tight as I do; maybe they do not swear as much.
“Lucca, it is time you moved on and lived your life. Gabriel is not left behind because he is with you always in your heart. Anywhere you go, he will be with you.” She sounds compassionate, almost hurt, that I would even think this.
“Do you want kids in the future? We would love you to have a family, you know that, but do you want it?” she asks.
I hesitate before answering. I want to be honest with her because she is showing me loving support, and I know she dearly means it, but I am worried her mind runs away from her and she gets too excited.
“Yes, someday I would. I did not before, but now with Lexi, I feel different … My life is changing for the better and I feel ready. I … I really love her, Mamma.” I blush. Thrilled, she leans over and pinches my cheek before cupping my face in both hands and kissing me.
“I know you do,” she says before opening her door.
I tell her I need to charge my phone and call Lexi. She will be worried sick. I meet Paulo, who tells me he dropped Dominic and Cameron off at the farmhouse about an hour ago. At least they are home and not hanging about for me.
While my phone charges, I log in to the desktop in Papa’s study and see I have lots of emails from Marco asking me to call him urgently. It is probably because I never made it to Pienza today. When my phone buzzes to life, I switch it on and see I have numerous missed calls from Lexi.
Fuck!
She will be worried sick. Dominic and Cameron have likely told her I am with Fran, but she will not know what has happened. I do not want her to panic and worry. I call her … voicemail. I call her again and again. Her phone is switched off. I call Anna next, again her phone is off. Impatiently, I call the farmhouse, no answer. If they are outside they will not hear the phone.
I keep dialling until Marco’s incoming call gets my attention. He tells me he has been trying to get a hold of me because he dropped the girls off in Firenze.
What the fuck?
“Why? Where did you drop them off?” I ask frantically.
“Um … at a club, earlier tonight,” he says nervously. I cannot believe what I am hearing. She is fucking recovering and not well enough to be out clubbing.
“What were you thinking? Lexi is just out of fucking hospital. She is too ill and weak to go clubbing. Are you insane?” I shout.
“It was Anna. She practically begged me. You know I have a soft spot for her, and I could not get a hold of you. I did not want them getting a taxi. What was I supposed to do?”
I pace the floor like a fucking mad man. “I am going to get her. Where are they? You should have dropped Anna and left Lexi at home. She is not well enough to be out like that yet.” The veins in my neck rise to the surface.
“Cap, they were all ready to go. What was I supposed to do? Send her in, tell her she was grounded, and take Hazel and Anna? Come on. Even I would not stoop so low.”
I sigh. He is right. I do not like the sound of Lexi being on her own either in the event she is sick or in pain. I could fucking strangle that sister of mine sometimes. I know she has talked Lexi into this.
“She looked pretty well … pretty amazing actually, if that puts your mind at ease,” he adds in his friendly banter only I can take.
“Fucker … shut your mouth or you are looking for a new job. Tell me where she is?” I snap. I would never fire Marco. He is my best mate and the best business associate I have. We are so close and tight, we can get away with jibbing and boyishly taunting each other, and I know he means it in jest. If he was serious, he knows I would fuck him over.
The prick can take it as can I … sometimes … unless he is talking about my dolcezza.
“Before you go all fucking crazy, remember it was your sister’s idea. Cap, how can I deny her? You are not going to like this …”
I slam my fist on the desk, hoping he does not say what I think he is going to say!
“Did you or did you not drop them at David Kellar’s club?” I grate impatiently.
“Yes, I dropped them at Tasa. Lucca … you were fucking AWOL. What was I supposed to do? Anna said if I did not take them, she would have asked Paulo or someone else.”
“You better hope nothing has happened to my girl
. If David has so much as gone near her, or she is sick and unwell, I am holding you responsible, you fucking dickhead!” I spit venom through the mouth piece, grabbing my keys before storming out to my car.
David Kellar is a royal pain in my ass. He is ruthless, thinks he is a big shot with the ladies … uses, abuses, and tosses. At least when I had a piece of ass in my past I had the decency and maturity to be gentlemanly enough and remain friends with them. He is a fucking sorry excuse for a club manager. He treats women like shit.
I hold a grudge because I wanted his building to convert into one of my Luminara club, bar, and restaurant chains. Prime location, next to the bridge on the Arno River, in the heart of Firenze. The fucker stole it from me.
The only reason he managed to buy the building with his Texan fucking dollars is because his family is in the oil industry and he outbid me. He wanted to backstab me and make a point because I was doing it on my own with hard-earned cash. He was originally after the land and farmhouse I own here in Tuscany but Uncle Genaro made sure I got it.
David, obviously pulled a lot of stops to get the building because he missed out on the farmhouse and land, but fuck if I will ever let him jeopardise my career or personal life because he missed on out on the farmhouse and land when he desperately wanted it.
If he as much as places one finger on my girl, I will set fire to his whole fucking building and cremate him to ashes. That is a promise. I do not even say goodbye to my parents because I am so fucking infuriated. I jump in the car and drive, drive with pent up rage to get my girl and bring her home to me. Slamming my phone into my hands-free kit, I call her again and again. Nothing.
Marco’s comment about Lexi looking good spears in my mind as I put my foot down towards Firenze. It will be just under an hour at best by the time I get there, and I am impatient as fuck. Christ, I cannot get there quick enough.
She can barely stand on her feet too long because of the abrasions to her soles, and she has a fractured wrist, goddammit. What the fuck is she thinking? I ask myself repeatedly. What the fuck are Anna and Hazel thinking taking her there? And I know David. He likes sexy, beautiful women. One look at Lexi and he will be trying to fuck her.
Fuck! I hiss, infuriated with wrath, rigid with anger, and violently fuelled with needy possession.
When I reach Firenze after an overwrought drive, I park as near to Tasa as I can, taking for the cobbled streets on foot. Inside, I scan the bar bustling with people. She is nowhere to be seen. I look up towards his VIP area on the next floor, smoked glass obscuring my view, and wonder if that is where he enticed them.
Making my way through the crowd, one of David’s door men stops me, offering his hand.
“Mr. Caruso?”
“Where is he? I am sure he has something of mine.” It is a huge gamble. I do not know if he even has her up there, but his video surveillance will be able to track Lexi and tell me where she is or if she has left. One description of Lexi, and I am sure he will know who I am referring to. He personally scans everything that walks into his club, and he will not forget Lexi.
“Come this way.” The tall dude that looks like Herman Munster shows me upstairs. The music, flashing lights, and busy dance floor makes me uneasy. I hope to fuck she has not been dancing on her sore feet. What if someone bangs into her or knocks her wrist?
Grinding my teeth, I make my way into his VIP area. Searching the space, I see several guys standing around a bar. A few occupy booths, but nothing too busy or crazy. It seems it is an exclusive night. I do not see her until I approach the restrooms at the far end of the bar and see fucking red.
The fucker David has his hand splayed on her leg and ass, holding her up. Lexi holds onto him for support. I am going to destroy the cunt if it is the last thing I do. Heat, fire, and rage combust inside me, leaving me blazing, and I plan to fucking singe the prick with my flames.
“Take your fucking hands off her, David, or I am going to rip your fucking heart out,” I shout, toxins burning in my voice. If he does not let go of her, I am going to break his arm into several pieces. Every fibre and muscle tightly pulls and weaves, every cell infuses with blood, every thought racing … red. My body is on full alert.
Part one: Lussuria ~ Lucca’s Words
“Lussuria ~ Chapter Twenty Five: Afterlife”
Chapter 19
New Life
I sear him with an intense, heated glare. David smirks. The fucker smirks and Lexi sways, unbalanced. That is when I get a good look at her. Jesus Christ! She has some fucking low-cut exposed sparkly number on that barely covers her ass and her tits are showing. Not just the shape of her breasts underneath clothing, the actual flesh … bare skin and curve of her cleavage. If she even moves an inch, her nipples and tits will fall out of the dress I am sure.
Fuck!
“Lexi, what the fuck are you wearing?” I shout, infuriated she is out looking like this, but even more so that the sleazy fucking womaniser is holding her, eyeing her up, and God knows what else he has tried.
David coyly smiles with a smug look of pleasure, his head tilting in the direction of her exposed tits as he releases her. She staggers and falls on her ass. That is it. He is getting it fucking sore. I am going to crucify the cunt. In a flash, I am pounding into him with my fists, hitting him so hard on the jaw I hear it crack.
His goons are behind me, pulling me back, but I struggle to free myself. I watch him spit some blood then wipe his jaw with his jacket sleeve. I should have held his mouth shut and let him choke on his own fucking blood.
“Lucca, I didn’t know she was your girl, but I’ve done you a favour. I kept a close eye on her and kept all the other men from eating her fucking alive,” he says with amusement. He knows that is only going to rile me up even more. How fucking dare he talk about Lexi like that! Son of a bitch.
“I am going to fucking kill you!” I roar, breaking free and launching myself on him. I smash him right into a table, kick the shit out his ribs, and hook him a couple of times, dazing him, so I can strangle the fucker. With my arm locked under his chin, he is barely breathing. All I would need to do is tighten my grip to suffocate him.
Lexi screams, telling me to stop, but I am only warming up. Loosening my arm when I hear him gasp and gag, he breathlessly warns me not to do this in his club. He should have thought of that before he manhandled my girl and disrespected her.
“I do not give a flying fuck if it is your club. She is mine and I will not have you touch her or talk about her like that. Stay away from her. Consider this your warning,” I bark with a deep violent rasp.
“Okay, fucking let go of me or I’ll have you so fucked-up before you leave this place, you’ll regret stepping foot in here. And so will your hot piece of ass,” he threatens.
The bastard! I thump him again and again so his face needs reconstruction surgery by the time I am finished. I give it to him with force, power, and brutal strength. He is failing. The miserable fucker cannot even hit back or defend himself.
Before I know it his goons knock me down in a series of sharp, hard, and painful assaults. There are too many of them. I struggle to get up, winded, kicked, and weak as another blow jabs at my ribs, my gut, and my lower back. I need to protect my face, or my teeth will be next.
Lexi screams hysterically. Anna has joined in the commotion. On Lexi’s plea, David orders his dickheads off me. Lexi throws herself on top of me, crying, begging to see my face, asking if I am okay. I do not want her down here on the floor with me so close to these thugs. I am worried she will get hurt, and I bet they are getting a right good view of her ass.
I need to get to my feet and get her out of here. If anything were to happen to her I would never forgive myself. She covers her mouth and flees to the restroom. Shit. Getting my footing, spitting a mouthful of blood, I say, pointing at David, “You better hope she is not hurt.”
Hazel says she will go and get her, but I put my hand up and tell her to wait and I will. I do not even look in Anna’s direction.
I am livid she put Lexi in this position.
I find Lexi vomiting into the sink. Christ, I knew being out tonight was too much for her. She sobs into her hands. I scan her body to make sure she has not been hurt, turn her around, and pull her against me.
Kissing her, I feel her shake in my arms. Her eyes wide with fear, her bottom lip trembling she scolds me for fighting and says she hates to see me like this. She wants to attend to my cuts, but it is the last thing on my mind. I need to make sure she is okay and let her understand why I did this.
“But you’ve blown this out of proportion, Lucca. David was helping me. I nearly fell, but he grabbed me before I stumbled. He wasn’t hitting on me,” she sobs, her shoulders jerking, chest rising and falling, drawing my attention to her tits that are on display. My body tenses as anger returns.
“I know that fucker. He has a reputation, Lexi, and he would have tried to claim you given the chance. You are mine, and he will not get fucking near you again. You should know better than to lead pricks like him on.” Of all the clubs, she had to walk into the lion’s den wearing practically no clothes at all. I do not think I have ever been this angry or possessive in my life.
“I didn’t do anything wrong. And leading someone on is not something I have or would ever do! What gives you the right to barge in here on me and the girls when you were seeing Francesca behind my back and ignoring me?” she asks, opening the space between us.
Shit, she knows I was seeing Fran and will be upset because I never called her and told her since my phone was off. Is that why she deliberately got herself drunk and paraded around like this, to make a point and make me jealous? Well guess what? It fucking worked.
I am not about to go into it right now. We have left Hazel and Anna out there with those thugs, and I need to get them all home. I notice her feet are bleeding. I fucking knew it. I scoop her up sit her on the vanity and clean up her the best I can with a hot, damp towel.
