by Lux Miller
Dante levels his gaze at me. “And therein lies the problem. My father knows everything that happens in the business… if we’re utilizing a family resource, he’s going to know about it.”
Dante chuckles softly as he pats me on top of my head. “That means that the secrecy Luca hoped to maintain about his injury is gone. Franco knows about it and soon, he will know the severity of the injury. He’ll know that Luca was lucky to survive at all. And he will report it immediately to my father.”
Realization dawns on me. Luca doesn’t want his father to see his weaknesses. He wants to appear invincible to both his father and grandfather so that when the times comes, they’ll put their trust in him as their heir. I gasp as Dante nods his head as if he’s reading my mind. “Yeah, but at least he’ll be alive to be pissed off… fever’s nothing to play with. Not with an injury like that…”
***
An hour later, the man named Franco emerges from Luca’s room with a grim expression on his face. He yanks off the pair of blue latex surgical gloves and tosses them into the doctor’s bag he carries in his left hand. His voice is tight as he asks, “Who did the sewing?”
I wince as Dante and Mike’s eyes turn to me. Thankfully, I’m no longer covered in Luca’s blood since I was able to take a quick shower once I knew Luca was in capable hands. I shrink under his scrutiny as he eyes me up and down. “Why would you use an open Cretan stitch to close a wound? It’s more appropriate for formal wear than skin.”
“Plus, the thread you used wasn’t sterilized. That’s likely where the infection came from. I assume you didn’t sterilize the needle either if it came from the sewing kit that was laying on the floor. Considering Luca’s breath reeks of liquor, did you also use that to sterilize the wound?”
I wince at his insinuations. “First of all… it looks like a fabric repair job because I called the fucking tailor to tell me what to do! He thought I was sewing a dress! Secondly, yes, I sterilized the stupid needle - as best I could anyway with rubbing alcohol, not the vodka. The vodka was to numb Luca out of his mind while I jabbed a sewing needle into a knife wound.”
Franco nods as the corner of his mouth twists into a smirk. “Well, you could have used a finer thread since that one will leave hole marks, but honestly, it would cause more trauma to the area for me to remove your stitches. I debrided the wound and used sterile dressings to recover it. There’s not much else I can do for it, but I did leave him an antibiotic to make sure the infection is kept at bay. Otherwise, he’ll heal in time. Make sure he keeps it clean, and he’s got to take it easy for a few days until the edges of the wound begin to adhere together. Overall, I’d say Luca is lucky you were there and were able to do a half-decent patch job.”
I shake Franco’s hand as he offers it to me, but the hairs on my arms prickle as a familiar gravelly voice behind me muses, “Indeed. Seems that Miss Clark is always in the right place at the right time to pull my sons back from the brink of disaster.”
Dropping the doctor’s hand, I wheel around and find myself face to chest with Matteo Barresi. I take several steps back and drag my gaze up to his face. His mouth is set in a frown, and his blue eyes look like the coldest ice I’ve ever seen.
Just as I feel my knees start to wobble in response to his huffing down at me, I hear a smooth feminine voice reprimand him. “Oh, for fuck’s sake Matteo, back off the girl. She didn’t send Luca on that harebrained mission, but she sure enough saved his ass when he got into trouble.”
Matteo growls without turning to face the woman who steps out from behind him and into my view. “Bianca. Stay out of my business matters.”
Bianca narrows her eyes at Matteo as she grips his arm. “When my son’s life is hanging in the balance, it’s no longer business matters. It becomes my business when it involves my babies.”
Nostrils flaring, Matteo inhales and exhales several breaths before he responds to the woman who has his arm in a death grip. “Fine. But Luca has to stop this shit. He can’t go bopping around like a spy on secret missions when someone is out there, taking aim at my heirs. He got lucky. He could have easily been killed… or worse, compromised. Why on Earth would Luca go alone?”
I gasp at Matteo’s words. Swallowing down the lump in my throat, I stammer, “He… he went alone? Isn’t that Criminal Handbook 101 stuff? Never take a knife to a gun fight and never go alone.”
Matteo narrows his eyes at me. “What do you know of the Criminal Creed?”
I shrug, avoiding his gaze. Instead, I drop my eyes to the hardwood flooring under my feet and fidget with the hem of the flowy gauze top I’m wearing. “Despite my looks, I’m not some pretty princess Luca stumbled upon on the streets. I lived on those streets. I survived those streets for ten years when many other women were chewed up and spat out.”
Matteo strokes his chin. “Resourceful, I see. Like roping a crime syndicate under lord into pretending to play house? Is that how it went down?”
Finally, I’ve had enough. I don’t care that this man is Luca’s father. He’s a prick and an asshole, and I can’t bite my tongue any longer. “No, your son held a fucking gun to my head and threatened to blow my brains out because I saw him do the same to my boss. A man who was an utter scumbag that deserved what he got, but Luca shot him right in front of me. And he would have done the same to me if Dante hadn’t spoken up and convinced him to spare me.”
Matteo growls, “You are a weakness… to them both…”
I stamp my foot in frustration as I step right up against him. This man outweighs me by a hundred pounds, and he could squash me like a pest in half a second, but right now, I’m seeing red. My temper flares as I extend my index finger and poke Matteo in the chest. “I don’t make them weak. You make them weak. You make them doubt themselves when they’ve been nothing but fiercely loyal to you and your cause.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Dante’s expression turn from amused to alarmed. He makes a motion to grab me away from Matteo, but Matteo holds up a hand. Dante stops in his tracks as Matteo begrudgingly says, “Let her speak.”
I blink and clear my throat, then continue, “Luca refused to call a doctor because he didn’t want you to know he’d been hurt. He didn’t want to disappoint you. He’s lying in that bed after being half-gutted, because you didn’t trust him enough to send him to investigate this lead sooner! And don’t even get me started on what you did to Dante! If anyone here is responsible for the scars these men now bear, it’s you.”
I know I’m grasping at straws in my accusations, but the look of hurt that sweeps over Matteo’s face tells me I’m closer to the truth than I thought. Bianca’s eyes are wide and her mouth is hanging open as Matteo’s impenetrable demeanor cracks, his shoulders slumping slightly.
I close my eyes and open my mouth to apologize for my tantrum, but her voice, even-keeled as ever, cuts me off, “Emily, don’t apologize for being right. Don’t ever apologize for standing up to someone who’s wrong. Because of you, both of my boys still live. You’re the answer to my prayers, it seems. I can’t say I imagined that He would send a five-foot blonde spitfire when I asked for a miracle, but I won’t doubt the Good Lord’s wisdom in sending you crashing into our lives.”
SIX
Trying to wrangle a piece of Jello-O with your bare hands covered in butter sounds like a fool’s errand. I’ve been tasked with keeping Luca Barresi confined to a bed for a week, and it’s basically the same thing. Utter insanity. He’s fought me every inch of the way and he’s tried to get fresh with me more than once. I understand it. My thoughts haven’t exactly been pure either. I know what the man can do to my body, but even though he hasn’t worn a shirt since he was attacked, it isn’t the time or place.
The very sight of the jagged cut across his side and stomach automatically gives me pause. Franco has been by multiple times this week to assess the healing process, and he seems to be satisfied that Luca will emerge out the other side of this ordeal with a gnarly scar, but little else. Except maybe a re
newed determination to track down and strangle whoever is responsible for the attacks.
I roll my eyes at him as he whines about me scolding him to stay in bed. This time, I caught him trying to choke the chicken in the shower. He was specifically ordered to take the absolute shortest showers necessary, and the way that man is hung, jerking off is not something he does quickly. He’s still complaining that I made him stop halfway through and get back to bed.
“You could have let me finish.”
Shaking my eyes, I wag my finger at him like a nagging ninny, “And you never should have started. You said you wanted to get a quick shower, and Franco said that would be okay. He did not say you could stand under the hottest water known to man and yank on your dick for fifteen minutes…”
He actually has the audacity to let a tinge of scarlet creep up into his cheeks. I nod and smirk at him. “Good, now that we’re on the same page… I need you to at least attempt to look sexy and not like a petulant child who had his favorite toy taken away…”
“I’ve never had to pretend to be sexy, Emily. I just am.”
I roll my eyes at him and scoff, “Modest too.”
Luca sticks his tongue out at me, “If the shoe fits.”
I stick mine right back out at him and laugh, “Considering yours probably cost a month’s salary, I doubt you’d even let anyone try them on, so you win.
“Just relax… quit trying to give me bedroom eyes because you and I both know you’re not getting any action until Franco clears you. It’s not like it’s gonna grow cobwebs in there. You think I’m not keeping up the gardening in your absence?”
Luca groans, “It’s official. You’re trying to kill me. You’re being a vixen on purpose and dangling forbidden fruit in front of my face and then chastising me for wanting a bite.”
I just laugh and shake my head. “I’m not trying to kill you, but I will if you don’t be still, damnit. You want to have a lazy eye when I’m done? No? Then quit moving!”
Luca scrunches his nose up like a rabbit as he leans back against the mountain of pillows I fluffed for him while he was being naughty in the shower. “There… happy?”
I peek around the canvas where I’ve been working on and off for the last several days to capture Luca’s essence in a painting. It’s given both of us something to do in the long hours of the day. I nod quickly and motion aimlessly with one hand. “It’ll do. I can make you look like you actually give a shit later.”
Luca looks momentarily stricken. He opens his mouth to argue, but I hold my hand up to him and shake my head, “Don’t, Luca… I know this sucks for you, okay? I’m just trying to make the best out of a shitty hand that we got dealt. I know you’re bored and itching to get back to work.”
Luca lowers his voice to an almost menacing level, “Emily, I’m not bored. I’ve enjoyed spending time with you, I am enjoying spending time with you, but with me out of commission, who’s running my routes?”
I look away before Luca can see the evidence scrawled all over my face. He must catch the guilty expression anyway, because he sits up way faster than he should have, wincing as his hand flies to the barely scabbed-over cut. “You’re fucking with me… he did not send Dante on my route again…”
Ignoring his question like I didn’t hear him, I pull the paintbrush from over my ear and set to work on the painting that’s halfway finished, pretending that he’s not sitting on the bed staring at me with his mouth agape.
“Emily… your silence speaks volumes. If he sent Dante out, I’ll kill him…”
Rolling my eyes, I point at him. “You will stay put in that bed unless you want to rip that thing open again. I’m not stitching you up again and if your guts fall out, so be it…”
Luca pauses and narrows his eyes at me. I can see on his face that he’s trying to figure out if I’m bullshitting him or not.
I sigh, “He didn’t send Dante out, Luca. Dante’s due for surgery tomorrow to hopefully fix his wrist. For all intents and purposes, the kingdom of Barresi is running out of able-bodied knights to protect the castle. Do you know what happens when there are no longer any knights to send?”
Luca’s face blanches, and he shakes his head quickly. “No. Please tell me he didn’t…”
I shrug and reply in an even tone, “Luca… when the kingdom is threatened, the King must protect it at all costs, up to and including his own life.”
Luca winces as he shakes his head vehemently. “He’s out of touch. Both with the criminal world and with reality. Emily, what do you know that you’re not telling me? I know you stood up to him…”
I laugh softly and shake my head, “I don’t know anything more than you do. Well, except that he’s running the routes himself. But now you know that too. I did hear by snooping that he checked the scene where you were attacked. Or what’s left of it anyway. The Cleaner, whoever that may be, recovered one of your guns and the knife they believed was used to attack you. They torched the place… funny thing is — they said your gun had been fired. Multiple times, in fact, but there didn’t appear to be any evidence of a struggle and they didn’t find a body…you didn’t mention defending yourself.”
Luca clears his throat. His eyes are wide as he stares at me incredulously. I bob my shoulder and ask nervously, “What?”
He runs a hand through his hair as he watches me silently. I know I have paint on my nose. I always end up with paint on my nose when I create artwork. Right now, though, his eyes are boring into me like he can’t believe what I just said. He stares at me for what feels like an eternity.
Finally, his voice quiet and even, he asks, “You snooped a meeting?”
I shake my head vehemently. “Never. I still avoid that room at all costs. I would never dare set foot in there, or even get close to it for that matter. Dante’s not subtle or particularly quiet when he discusses things with Mike. I suspect that he’s more than just a confidante for both of you, though you’ll never admit it. I get the feeling he’s a bit of a surrogate dad for you…”
Luca makes an indignant noise that confirms my suspicions. I nod as I continue to paint, then sigh as I realize he’s still watching me. Sighing, I ask softly, “Would you rather I be ignorant of what being a part of this really entails? I know what your family is doing and yet, here I am… your profession hasn’t sent me packing yet, and I know more than you ever wanted me to know. Luca… you’re not the only one fighting against feelings that you know you shouldn’t be harboring.”
I put the finishing touches on the part of the painting I’m working on and walk over to the side of the bed. He doesn’t hesitate to wrap one arm possessively around me and tug me against the side of the bed. “I don’t want this to be my room anymore, Emily… I want it to be our room. I want you to move in here with me, for real. I want you in my bed just like you’re in my dreams, and I want you in my arms just like you’ve wormed your way into my heart.”
I gasp, but wiggle free of his grasp. I stare down at him and shake my head. “Luca, are you running a fever again? You’re starting to sound delirious like you did the night you got hurt…”
Luca chuckles, “Look, just know that I have some serious shit going on all up in here…” He motions to his chest with his hand. “I don’t know how to explain it yet. I don’t think I even understand it yet, but I don’t want you to leave. I don’t want you to look at another man the way you look at me. And I sure as hell don’t want any other man to look at you the way I do, but I’ve never done this…”
I turn to face him and the bed as I shake my head. “Luca, you’ve been with dozens, if not hundreds of women… experience is not what you’re lacking. Some tact maybe, but you know what you’re doing…”
Luca shakes his head as he pulls me onto the bed beside him. “That’s where you’re wrong, Emily. So very wrong. I’ve been with women physically… I’ve been content before, but you’re the first, the only woman I’ve ever craved here…”
He grabs my hand and places it over his chest, and my ey
es flick to his quickly. He nods and sighs, “I know I was in something like a whacked out drunken stupor last time, but Emily… I do feel something crazy for you. I don’t know if it’s love, because I don’t know what love is.
“I know what lust feels like, and this isn’t it. I won’t lie. I do crave your body, but I crave more than that. I don’t want you physically if I can’t have you emotionally… you’ve broken me, Emily and I’m not sure I want to be fixed. I think I’m content with being pieces in your hands to put back as you see fit. Please don’t leave me, Emily.”
I gasp as his words shake me to the core. Seeing a man like Luca hash his feelings is unnerving to say the least. I nod and lean down over him, brushing my lips against his forehead. He closes his eyes as I do, and I take an unsteady breath. I trail my lips down the side of his face, over the prickly stubble on his jaw and down to his neck.
