by Mia Taylor
A new wave of fury washed over Luca and he lunged at Tommy, who fell back, whimpering in fear.
“You think abusing women is fun?” he hissed, his hand encircling Tommy’s throat. “I’ll keep that in mind the next time I see Christina… or Sara.”
Tommy’s face turned pale.
“You wouldn’t…”
“Oh? It’s different when it’s your family?” he spat. “What the hell is wrong with you stronzos?”
Luca didn’t wait for a response, stalking back into the restaurant where a crowd had gathered around the women’s washroom.
He pushed through the group, looking for the girl, but she wasn’t there anymore.
“Where is she?” he asked Tanya, retracing his steps to the bar. “Which way did she go?”
Tanya shook her head.
“I offered to take her to the hospital but she swore nothing happened. She didn’t look roughed up or nothing.”
“Dammit, Tanya!” Luca roared. “You should have kept her here.”
“I don’t think she’s going to say anything, Luca,” Tanya mumbled. “She was pretty scared.”
“I’m not worried about that,” Luca sighed. “I wanted to make sure she was okay.”
Tanya eyed him, slipping his drink closer toward him and he looked at her.
“Drink this. After the day you’ve had…”
“What do you know about my goddamned day?” he snapped, his anger suddenly having a new target.
Another one who knows so much about me, he thought bitterly.
“I know it’s the anniversary of your dad’s death,” she said quietly. “I just saw Andrea Suzzi groping you, and you just had to stop that piece of shit from attacking yet another woman. I think you’ve earned this drink. It’s on me. You’re a superhero today.”
The words affected him more than he cared to admit. Unexpectedly, Luca chuckled and Tanya eyed him with surprise.
Yeah. If the Joker was a superhero.
“Hey, look at that,” he laughed, raising the tumbler to his lips. “Someone does pay attention to my shit after all.”
He took a long sip and sighed.
“Sorry for being such an asshole. I want to find that girl, though. Do you know who she is?”
Tanya shrugged indifferently and Luca knew that she hadn’t taken his words personally.
She’s heard worse from worse than me, he thought, the realization saddening him slightly.
“I got her name before the stronzos showed,” Tanya admitted.
“That’s something,” Luca said with interest. “I can have Carmello track her.”
Tanya eyed him warily and for a moment, he wondered if she was deciding whether to trust him or not with the information.
“I just saved her from God only knows what, Tanya. I’m not going to hurt her.”
The bartender nodded and sighed.
“Her name is Teresa Milano. She just moved here from Virginia.”
The announcement made him cringe.
Welcome to Miami, where you can’t even go for a drink without being accosted in a bathroom, he thought bitterly.
Luca reached for his phone to message Carmello, their go-to tech guy. If anyone could locate this girl, it was Carm.
“Luca…” Tanya said hesitatingly.
“What?”
“Did you see her?”
“Who? The girl?”
“Yeah,” Tanya replied slowly. “Did you look at her?”
“For a second. I wasn’t really paying attention to her. Why?”
Tanya inhaled sharply.
“She reminds me of someone,” she mumbled slowly. He waited, eyeing her expectantly, his fingers poised over the keypad.
“Who?” he demanded impatiently when she didn’t immediately finish her train of thought.
Tanya inhaled sharply and blurted out the answer.
“Mara. She reminds me of Mara.”
And just like that, Luca’s night got even worse.
Chapter Four
An Emotional Twist
Too close, too close, that was way too close!
Angela fumbled with her keys, trying to remember which one was which as her hands shook violently.
She knew that she had been seconds away from employing desperate tactics in the bathroom at La Perla when Luca Gallo had burst in, his emerald eyes on fire, his dragon form shocking her to her core. She hadn’t been warned that he was a shifter too.
How did he know I was in there? Does he know who I am? Can he sense that I’m a dragon too?
A thousand hysterical questions floated through her brain as she finally managed to open the door to her unit and slam it behind her.
She had not been damaged physically but Angela knew her emotional state was going to need some time to recoup.
I have to call Duggan and tell him what happened, she thought, flipping on every light in her path.
The apartment was small, sparsely decorated in Teresa Milano’s tastes—whatever the hell that was.
An eclectic mix of Mexican artwork and music paraphernalia littered the walls but Angela saw nothing but the freezer calling her name as she rushed to claim the bottle of vodka from its depths.
The liquid slopped into a water glass and she didn’t bother with mixing, taking a swig.
She felt the burn warming her throat and blissfully, she stopped quivering.
Okay, she told herself. Okay, you got this. You’re unscathed. Your cover isn’t blown. Just breathe now.
Slowly, she made her way to the couch, kicking off the heels on her feet and sinking into the cushions.
At that second, she longed for the overstuffed pillows in her real condo, not the post-modern leather crap the FBI had supplied.
She looked around the wired apartment slowly, wondering if anyone was bothering to monitor on her first night, but something in the back of her mind told her she had been thrown to the wolves without a second thought.
They should have responded to what happened in La Perla, she thought. The minute August cornered me in that bathroom, they should have busted in to save me… right?
There had been protocols put in place, things the agent had walked her through before sending her out undercover, but nothing had prepared her for something like that.
If Luca hadn’t shown up, would they have come or would they have just let it happen? Was anyone even paying attention? Maybe they were and they just didn’t think it was important enough to blow her cover over.
A sick feeling of dread washed over Angela as she considered how close she had come to being hurt.
I’m unarmed out there. Even if I managed to overpower him, I still would have been in mob territory. They weren’t going to let me walk away. I would have been just like August’s other victims—vanished without a trace.
Angela took another swig of her drink and willed herself to think rationally.
You’re being melodramatic. You could have taken August yourself and you would have. Even before Luca Gallo arrived, you would have shifted and been fine. I’m not calling Duggan. He might pull me out.
But she realized that she was worried about something worse than that.
Or he might not care at all.
Either scenario caused Ang to shudder.
Again, her mind shifted to Luca Gallo’s timely arrival.
A new wave of stress coursed through her.
How had he known I was in there? Maybe my cover is already compromised.
Logically, she wondered if Gallo would have bothered to stop an assault on a woman who was his enemy.
Back and forth, she toyed with her next plan of action, but the more she considered what to do, the more she found her head spinning.
Angela knew she had no choice but to contact Agent Duggan for instructions on how to proceed. She couldn’t just walk back into La Perla now. It would look weird, going back as if nothing had happened. No self-respecting female would put herself back in a situation like that. It would look suspicious, but tha
t had been her plan for the upcoming weeks.
Not to mention she didn’t want to see August again.
Idly, she wondered what Luca had done to the soldier.
A small shiver slid through her as she recalled the look of fury in the capo’s bright green eyes.
She had seen pictures of him and even in still footage, Angela had marveled at his intense attractiveness.
His olive skin and dark waves were a stunning contrast to the piercing emerald orbs, enshrouded in thick, black lashes.
He was tall, built like a metrosexual tank, both stylish and intimidating with massive shoulders clearly defined beneath a three-hundred-dollar silk shirt.
Even when she had stared at the photos of him, knowing how dangerous a man he was, Angela could not deny she felt a spark of interest staring at his sulky lips.
But nothing had prepared her for the magnitude of his presence.
Angela wasn’t sure if it was the ire which made him seem incredibly sexy or the fact that he was saving her.
When he had busted down the door, his face lit with an almost collected rage, she had almost forgotten her personal fear. It had almost taken her a moment to realize he wasn’t in his mortal form at all, his mere magnetism overwhelming her every sense.
Silently she had cheered him on, relishing the blows Luca administered on her would-be assailant, but when he hauled August out of the bathroom and into the night, Angela knew she had to disappear.
Tanya had tried to stop her, to take her to the hospital, but Angela had just wanted to make it back to her undercover apartment and weigh her next move.
As long as she sat in the restaurant’s bar, she felt like a sitting duck.
Yet as she sat alone in the unfamiliar apartment, she wished she had stayed and seen through what had happened with August.
He wasn’t going to hurt you anymore, not with Luca kicking his ass. You may have missed your only opportunity to get close to him.
Angela groaned aloud, pushing the glass to her lips.
It was empty, only fueling Angela’s frustration.
“Why did I ever agree to this shit, Duggan?” she yelled to the empty room. “Are you even listening?”
A knock on the door caused her to gasp and Angela clamped her lips together.
Well, maybe they are listening after all, she thought, rising from her spot on the couch. Suddenly, the effects of all the alcohol she had consumed hit her and Angela floated toward the door, throwing it open with renewed anger.
“It took you long enough—”
She stopped in mid-sentence as she saw who stood there.
Her instinct was to slam the door in Luca Gallo’s face but he seemed to anticipate her reaction, jamming his foot in the doorway before she managed to close it.
“Wait,” he ordered her. “I’m not here to hurt you.”
Gaping in shock, Angela backed away from the entranceway, unsure of how to react.
He wasn’t going to let me get away. Of course not. He can’t risk me turning in one of his boys. But how did he know where to find me? He couldn’t have followed me or he would have been here sooner. He knows I’m a cop. I’m dead.
Instantly she thought of Tanya.
She knew my undercover name. She told him who I said I was and he tracked me down. Goddamn it! Dead on my first night. I didn’t even get a solid hour of intel. I told them this was a death trap!
She felt her back straighten, the desire to shift overcoming her but she didn’t—not yet.
“Don’t be afraid, Teresa,” he said and Angela found herself relieved that he called her by the UC name.
Okay, so he doesn’t know my real name. That’s something.
He stepped over the threshold, holding his hands up to show her he had no malintent, but Angela had seen enough mob movies to know it could be a ploy.
“I just want to talk to you, okay? Are you expecting someone? Is that who you thought I was?”
She continued to back away, until her calves made contact with the wood and glass coffee table.
The door closed behind him and she tried to keep her breathing regular.
Just remain calm. He doesn’t look murderous or angry now. He looks very solemn and sensual.
Angela wondered just how drunk she was, her eyes fixated on his incredibly handsome face.
He’s not sensual. He’s a killer who likely had something to do with your cousin’s disappearance. Get it together, Ang!
Luca paused a safe distance away, slowly lowering his arms.
“I only came here to see if you were hurt.” She continued to peer at him with skeptical eyes, unspeaking as their gazes locked. “Can I take you to the hospital? Do you need a doctor?”
Angela shook her head quickly, not trusting her voice. She was sure her face reflected her worry.
“I am a friend,” he told her, his green eyes narrowing slightly as he studied her face. “My name is Luca.”
She nodded, unsure of how else to respond.
“I’m the one who…” he paused delicately and cleared his throat. “I’m the one who took care of August.”
Angela’s eyes widened at the wording.
“What do you mean, took care of him?” she asked, speaking for the first time, her brows raising.
Luca’s face seemed to relax.
“So, you can talk,” he sighed. “I was starting to get worried.”
“What did you do to him?” Ang demanded, ignoring his lighthearted comment. Luca glanced at his long fingers and Angela found her own gaze falling toward them also.
“He’ll never do that to anyone again,” Luca replied gruffly and Angela heard the note of sincerity in his voice.
He was genuinely appalled by August.
But Angela forced herself to think rationally, despite the liquor in her system and emotional strain she was under. This man was also an enemy of hers, regardless of what he’d done for her.
“Okay,” Angela said sharply. “Thank you.”
Luca didn’t move and Angela’s heart began to pound as she waited for him to speak.
“Are you sure he didn’t hurt you?” he asked finally and Angela wondered if he could hear the blood rushing through her as loudly as she could in her own ears.
“He didn’t get that far,” she replied honestly. “Nothing happened.”
Not that I would have let it.
Even as she thought it, she wondered how true that was. It had gotten far enough.
Luca nodded, his eyes still locked on hers, and Angela was finding it very difficult to look away.
Suddenly, he reached into his pocket and she tensed.
Here it is, she thought, closing her eyes. He’s tying up loose ends now.
“This is my cell phone number,” he told her and Angela’s lids parted to peer at him as he leaned forward to drop a card on the table. “You can call me anytime if you need to talk, day or night. Tanya told me you’re new in town. I don’t want this to turn you off Miami.”
Before she could stop herself, Angela laughed in disbelief.
“You offering to be my tour guide?” she piped up before she could stop herself, a peculiar feeling of amusement tickling her.
A bemused smile touched his lips.
“I’m offering to be your friend,” he replied, turning away.
“Why? Do you always clean up after your rapist friends?”
Oh, why don’t you know when to keep your mouth shut, Ang? Why are you looking a gift horse in the mouth?
A thousand reprimands smacked her in the face as she wished she could take back the question, but to her surprise, Luca didn’t seem angry.
“Someone should’ve put August down a long time ago,” Luca muttered. “And yeah, I do feel kinda responsible for him.”
“Why? You didn’t make him a predator.”
Luca turned and stared at her for a long, silent moment.
“No, I didn’t. But in my own way, I enabled him by not stopping him sooner. If it’s any consolation, I give y
ou my word that this is the end of it.”
A strange pang filled Angela as she read the regret in Luca’s face but she steeled herself against whatever compassion she was feeling for the mobster.
“Call me, Teresa,” he said tiredly. “I just want to help.”
“Do you befriend all the women August attacks?”
You’re going too far, he’s going to snap.
Luca’s pupils constricted but when he spoke, his voice was patient.
“No. I don’t.”
“Then why are you reaching out to me?”
His faint smile was filled with melancholy but he reached for the door.
“You remind me of someone,” he answered softly. “Good night.”
He was gone before Angela could push him further, leaving her staring after him longingly.
It’s not just that he’s gorgeous. There’s a magnetism about him, a surreal presence.
A rush of hot and cold swept through Angela simultaneously and she picked up his card from the table, reading it.
There was nothing but his name and cellular number on the white card in simple black, block font.
Angela tossed it onto the table again as if it burned her hand, overwhelmed by the conflicting emotions running through her veins in that moment.
The attraction she felt for him was undeniable. He had saved her where her own team had failed her and he had come to ensure she was secure, again showing up the FBI.
At that point, Angela was more indebted to Luca Gallo than she was Agent Duggan except for one small detail which was difficult to overlook—Luca Gallo was also likely the one who had murdered Val.
The thought sobered her up instantly.
You have a job to do here. Keep your shit together and nail that son of a bitch, no matter how sexy he is. Murderers aren’t boyfriend material.
But even as she double-locked the door, she couldn’t get the image of Luca’s concerned expression from her mind, like it was etched in there with the fire she’d seen in his eyes.
Day one and I’m in. Deep.
Chapter Five
Memories of Mara
Giovanni was furious but not nearly as angry as Luca had been.
“You can’t beat on your soldiers,” the don spat.
“I can’t have rapists working under me!” Luca roared back, determined to make himself heard this time. “I told you, that stronzo is a ticking time bomb. How much have you spent covering this idiot’s tracks? How many women have suffered because of his perversion?”
