by Bethany-Kris
Lucian, when he was working out his pent-up frustrations, could be downright insatiable.
Jordyn didn’t complain.
If she’d had any thought before that Lucian didn’t want her in every way he could have her, they were gone now.
And, even if he hadn’t said it, Jordyn was pretty sure that man was in love with her.
Crazy, possessively, and totally in love with her.
His eyes always did speak more than his mouth.
It wasn’t long before Jordyn found Lucian out on his rooftop deck. Resting in one of the chairs that matched his outdoor dining set, he was leaning it back so it only sat on two of the four legs. With his bare feet setting up on the edge of the metal banister, he seemed to be overlooking the lights and movement of a still awake city.
Thick smoke curled from his lips on an exhale, drawing the pungent scent of weed in Jordyn’s direction. While she’d smelled it on him before, it was the first time she ever seen him indulging in the harmless high.
“You could have woke me up,” Jordyn said from behind him.
Lucian didn’t act the least bit surprised by her intrusion. Actually, he held one of his hands out to the side of his chair, waiting for hers to hold. The moment her palm met his, he tugged her closer to his side. She rested on the arm of his carefully balanced chair as he took another hit from the dwindling joint before releasing it to the dark sky as well.
“You looked peaceful like you do,” Lucian replied. “I don’t like waking you when you’re dreaming.”
Jordyn smiled. “No?”
“No. Dreams shouldn’t be interrupted by selfish men, Jordyn.”
“You’re high.”
“A little,” Lucian agreed, smirking lazily. “What are you doing up, anyway?”
Jordyn shrugged under the grey sheet. “I forgot to tell you something earlier.”
Lucian took another hard draw from the joint, effectively finishing it before tossing it into the steel ashtray at his feet. “What was it, sweetheart?”
“That I was going to come back.”
A smile curved Lucian’s lips, lax and easy from the weed. Jordyn grinned at the sight of him careless and carefree. “Today, you mean?”
“Yeah. After I got what I wanted, I was going to grab another taxi back here.”
“I didn’t realize you had stressful enough thoughts that they would wake you up so you could tell me of them.”
“Of course it was,” Jordyn said, fending mock offence. “This kind of thing is very important.”
“Why’s that?”
Jordyn swallowed her nerves. It wasn’t the time for them. “Because, Lucian … I love you, too.”
The chair Lucian had been leaning back on two legs dropped to the roof patio with a thud, nearly knocking her off the chair. For a long time, he didn’t say anything. Jordyn didn’t let his silence cut away at the security she had in her own feelings, or knowledge of how strong they were for him.
It just was.
Better she start admitting them now.
“Yeah?” Lucian finally asked, his strong arm coming to wrap around her waist.
“Yeah. I just wanted to tell you so you know. There’s no wondering about it, or dancing around. I just do. It’s kind of easy. That’s a little scary.”
Jordyn felt Lucian’s forehead press to her back. “It is, you’re right.”
Then, he was moving and pulling her backwards without warning. Jordyn found her back sprawled over him in the chair, but his arms kept her cradled from the hard metal. The sheet had fallen out of her grip and opened in the unexpected movement, exposing her nakedness to cold, dark air and Lucian’s heated gaze.
“Love me, huh?”
“Stupidly,” Jordyn replied.
“Good. I was terribly fucking worried I was alone in this. Love can make a bad man a monster.”
“As long as he’s loving on me, too.”
Lucian graced her with another one of his wicked grins. “Oh, he’s definitely loving on you.”
Chapter Sixteen
Antony Marcello was an enigmatic, intimidating man.
Jordyn thought she had a grasp on the many masks he wore daily, from father, to business man, to husband, to mafia crime boss. Thought being the key word, because frankly, she didn’t understand a damned thing about the man.
His switches flipped on and off in such fast bursts it was hard to keep track of his moods. Easy laughter between him and his three sons could quickly turn into tense, uncomfortable stares and short apologies before anyone had blinked. Antony rarely ever had to say a word to earn those apologies, either.
It was also clear he adored and loved his sons.
For Jordyn, it was a complex, confusing mix of relationships she tried not to pick apart or scratch too deep into.
So, when she walked out of the bedroom she shared with Lucian after her morning shower—fully dressed and ready for the day—she might have instinctively dropped back another step or two at the sight of Antony at the kitchen table.
Intimidating, indeed.
Jordyn wouldn’t say he looked carefree in his stylish, well-fitted suit, a pair of dark sunglasses pushed up into his hair, and a cup of to-go coffee in his hand, but at the very least, he seemed relaxed.
“Good morning, Jordyn,” Antony greeted. He waved at a second cup on the table. “Lucian took his with him, but this one is all yours. Three sugar, two cream according to my son.”
“Um … Thank you?”
“That’s a decent start,” he quipped with a grin. “I’ll overlook your lack of conversational ability because it’s morning. Come, sit.”
Jordyn did as he wanted, grabbing the hot coffee up the moment she sat down and opening it to take a sip. The sweetened, bitter drink woke her up even more.
“Where’s Lucian?” Jordyn asked.
Her lover said nothing about needing to leave earlier, never mind telling her his father would be around. It seemed at least one of his family members were usually close by, or showing up unexpectedly. Jordyn had come to learn there was very little privacy or secrets in the Marcello family. The three grown sons might have been adult men, but being Italian and Cosa Nostra born meant they were all a bit closer than the norm and tighter than knots.
“My sons are all handling an issue today.”
Jordyn bit her lip. “Oh.”
“You’re sleeping with my son,” Antony said out of the blue.
Jordyn nearly choked on the coffee as she swallowed. “Excuse me?”
“My son, you’re sleeping with him. Forgive me, because I’m new at this.”
“You mean having a conversation with a woman? Because it usually doesn’t start out like that.”
“No,” Antony murmured, sighing. “I meant I’m new to talking with a woman one of my sons are intimately involved with, or even care about, for that matter. I don’t generally get to meet those girls, not that I wanted to. I don’t mean to be off-putting, but this is different for me.”
“I’m just a girl,” Jordyn said quietly.
“Sure. A girl my oldest is in love with. One who shares him in ways he hasn’t given to anyone before. To me, that means I can’t treat you as just any girl, Jordyn. It doesn’t work that way.”
Jordyn didn’t know how to respond to that, so she settled for another simple, “Oh.”
“Did you have plans today?” Antony asked.
“Lucian was going to pick me up for dinner at Cazza later.”
“He’ll be back by that time. I meant before, sweetheart. For the day, did you have anything specific you wanted to do?”
Jordyn shrugged. “If I have to stare at the mess on his desk much longer, I’m going to burn it all.”
Antony laughed deeply, the easy-going sound surprising Jordyn. “Wouldn’t he be angry with you for doing that?”
“Maybe, but I bet he’d start putting away things after he takes them out. Sometimes he’s worse than a teenage girl. Five different shirts before he picks the one he likes,
and the rest get left wherever they fell.”
“It’s an inherited trait,” Antony explained. “That’ll be a losing battle for you, I’m afraid. John was the same way, but he always knew where everything was, oddly.”
Huh.
Now, Jordyn was curious. “Was it weird for you, raising him?”
“Lucian? Christo, no. That was a gift to me, Jordyn. At eight-years-old, Lucian was dying to find what he’d lost, and so was I. John’s death was the first real tragedy I’d experienced because of living the way of the Cosa Nostra. It reminded me no one was safe, and it didn’t matter how important or loved you were by the people around you.”
Jordyn’s brow furrowed. “Eight?”
“Hmm, sì. I suppose that’s why it’s easier for Lucian than it is with my other boys to separate me as their father from me as their boss when they need to. We didn’t have him from the time he was a baby. He already knew who his mother and father were, but he was open to having another pair to love.”
“Cecelia said his parents died when he was six.”
Again, Jordyn was reminded of the two year gap Lucian didn’t explain.
Antony cleared his throat, eyeing her at the end of the table. “They did, Jordyn.”
“But … what happened for two years? Was he in the system?”
“No, he wasn’t.” Antony stood from the table, fixing his jacket as he did so. “I assumed if he told you about his biological parents, that he would have explained the rest, too. If he hasn’t, I shouldn’t be the one to tell you. That’s Lucian’s story, and it even now, it hurts him a great deal. Sometimes he even dreams of it. Does he still walk the halls at night?”
“More often than I like. I thought it was just his nature, being busy like he is.”
“No, it’s his dreams. He’s done it since he was a child, but he doesn’t like to admit it. And I’ve said too much as it is.” Antony chuckled, but it didn’t sound true. “Anyway, about your day.”
“What about it?”
“Well, I was wondering if you’d want to spend it with me.”
Jordyn’s eyes widened, something she hadn’t expected to feel bubbling up in her chest. Gratitude. Was this Antony’s way of welcoming her? “What does this day involve?”
“I’m a very busy man, Jordyn. It involves a lot. Frankly, I could use your help, which is why I’m here this morning. I believe you can use mine, as well.”
“How so?”
“I’m in desperate need of someone I can trust to help mediate my day to day things. Often times, my legitimate business mixes with my other life, and it sometimes becomes … difficult to manage. Lucian might be happy and fine with running his work from his restaurant because he’s never taken on more than he couldn’t handle himself, but I can’t quite say the same. Marcello Industries is a lot like another child for me, in a way. Assistants rarely last longer than a few months working under me.”
Jordyn gaped at the man. “Are you offering me a job?”
“Something like that. It won’t be the normal nine-to-five. It’ll be more for private things and such.”
The conversation she had with Lucian the week before after their fight and her trip to Brooklyn came to mind instantly. He’d been the one to admit she needed to get back into a more normal routine, one that worked for her. Especially when it came to her life and feeling like she was doing something.
Even so, Jordyn didn’t like the thought of this being put on the table because someone, specifically Lucian, requested it. “Did he ask you to do this?”
Antony cocked a brow. “My son?”
“Who else? Yes, I meant Lucian. Did he ask you to do this?”
Jordyn was rewarded with another one of Antony’s laughs that took her off guard. “Absolutely not, though I did tell him about my plans last night.”
Jordyn was even more confused. “Then why? It’s not like I have experience with this sort of thing. I’m sure you could find someone far more qualified than me.”
“Cecelia, actually. My wife is incredibly difficult when she wants to be, Jordyn. I can’t adequately explain how particular she is. I love her, and she’s certainly the better half between us. Trust that she knows how long it’s been since I have had someone keeping track of my personal affairs and managing my time and schedules. When she starts to complain, I tend to listen. It’s easier.”
“And?” Jordyn pressed.
“And I argued I didn’t have someone I could trust for more sensitive things. She mentioned you.”
“Again, I don’t have the experience for this.”
“You will,” Antony assured. “We all learn somehow. This works to both of our benefits, considering you still need to be safely watched until the mess with the MC blows over, and you’re in desperate need of something that feels like yours. I, on the other hand, need to be managed like the wanted man I am under someone who doesn’t make me want to kill them. I’m sure you can handle it.”
Jordyn snorted. Sure she could. “Is today my first day?”
“Oh, no, sweetheart. Today is for us.”
“What?”
Antony smiled. “Seems to me, I’ve neglected getting to know you properly. Another thing my lovely wife decided to point out in her ramblings. Well, you are the first principessa for my family. That’s very important. In a nutshell, I now get to treat you like the princess you are, for everyone to see. And I’ve waited a long time do be able to do just that for a woman one of my sons love.”
Jordyn glanced down at the jeans and shirt she wore. How was she supposed to argue with him? She had a feeling it’d be pointless. “Can I change first?”
“Hmm. You should. Something appropriate, like what you wear for church. Other than that, you’re just fine beauty-wise. Hurry, we have reservations for breakfast with Cecelia before she goes to that awful gallery again. She’ll have a fit if we’re late.”
Ten minutes later, Jordyn came out of Lucian’s office with her black pumps in hand. She didn’t feel like explaining how they ended up in there, so she was quiet coming back down the hallway. Out of the corner of her eye, something unusual made her pause. The door to the room she just assumed was an extra, unused bedroom was slightly ajar. Even if there was an electronic keypad outside the door like the ones on the outside of Lucian’s office, and the elevator. Sometimes it was better not to ask. It was always locked so seeing it opened had her curiosity spiking.
Even so, Jordyn knew she didn’t have the time to explore if Antony was waiting. With that in mind, she grabbed the doorknob to close the door all the way.
Antony’s sudden presence beside Jordyn stopped her. “Don’t. Did he leave it open?”
Jordyn turned to the man. “Yes.”
“Then we can safely assume he intended for you to see what was inside. Lucian would never leave it unlocked, otherwise. Not even when he lived alone. Go on, open the door.”
“But—”
“Open it,” Antony repeated. “We have a few minutes. Better you see it with me than by yourself.”
Jordyn pushed open the door without further argument. The room was as big as the master bedroom in the condo. With no windows, there was no light, so the unlit glass cases weren’t illuminated very well. Certainly not enough to distinguish what rested in them. Shelves lined the walls from floor to ceiling. Many looked like they were closed drawers. In the middle of the room, an island sat as if it was used for things to be laid out on, but not much else.
Antony hit a light switch behind Jordyn, lighting up everything. Another switch was hit, and shelves rolled out automatically and near soundlessly.
Jordyn’s heart found her throat. “Oh.”
Guns. Ammo. Clips. All the accessories any weapons enthusiast could want. Enough weapons to draw Jordyn into complete silence. From semi-automatic handguns, to vintage revolvers, to sniper specialties, to rifles, to an assortment of assault weapons. They were all there. She was pretty sure there were even military grade weapons, as well, though she wasn’t sure how Lu
cian would get his hands on those.
“He has quite the hobby, doesn’t he?” Antony asked.
Jordyn forced herself to breathe through the shock. “There are a lot of guns in this room.”
“A couple hundred, give or take. These are just the ones he keeps at home.”
All were on display, some in opened cases, others resting in a grey velvet that matched the walls and shelves.
Why would Lucian want her to see this when he wasn’t here? Jordyn didn’t understand.
There was an opened gun case resting on the island, the weapon inside missing. From the size and shape compared to the others, she guessed it was one of the assault weapons. It wasn’t the only one gone, she noticed. In one of the more expensive glass display cases, where the magnums and Eagles were, one was gone from there, also.
Lucian was trying to tell her something.
“I thought he liked the Eagle he always keeps on him,” Jordyn said offhandedly, not knowing what else to say.
Antony made a dismissive noise. “He does. Gio wanted something of an assault calibre, I believe.”
“He’s taking care of an issue, right?” Jordyn asked.
“Yes. Around three in the morning, one of my many apartment buildings was … damaged. Burned to the ground. Several tenants didn’t make it out, unfortunately, and the fire department said the accelerant used insured complete ruin in minutes.”
Jordyn chewed on the inside of her cheek, nervously. “Oh?”
“A short while before the fire, witnesses reported motorcycles in the area. Very uncommon in that district at that time, as they have strict noise by-laws.”
Of course The Sons of Hell would be involved in something awful like that. Given it was towards Antony’s property, Jordyn could easily assume it was because of her. Apparently her trip to Brooklyn the week before didn’t go unnoticed as she hoped.
