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Luca
Twelve Hours Earlier
I have been fighting my whole fucking life, and I am tired. I am so fucking tired. The hate, the anger, the brutality is all I have ever known. Although I am miserable, I have always accepted my life for what it is and continued to live it without question. That was until Scarlet fucking Reed entered my world and obliterated everything in it.
The smell of stale beer and cigarettes hits me in the face as I enter Elijah’s nightclub. It’s early in the morning, so the cleaners are busying themselves with the aftermath of last night’s trade. I would typically head straight up to his apartment at this time of the day, but one of his workers caught me in the elevator entrance, advising me he was still in the club office. It must have been a busy night.
I knock before entering because who knows what the hell I could walk in on with Elijah.
“You can come in, Luca. I am alone,” his voice answers.
Opening the door, I arch a brow at him. “How the hell did you know it was me?”
His head points to the computer screen that displays the club’s camera images. “I have eyes everywhere.”
“Rough night?” I ask, noticing his prominent five o’clock shadow and tired eyes.
Scrubbing his hands over his face, he replies, “Don’t even ask.” He looks at his watch. “What brings you to this side of the town so early.”
I take a seat in front of his desk, drawing in a long deep breath. “I need a passport for Scarlet, and I need it today.” I blurt out the words before I can stop myself from saying them. I turned around six times the entire car trip over here, only to find myself finally pulling up outside Elijah’s club. This is a terrible idea and most likely one that will end in disaster. I have to try, though. I can’t let it end like this.
Elijah cocks his brows and crosses his arms as he leans back in his chair, considering me for a long moment.
“I also need five million from my offshore account deposited into a new one under the name you give her on the passport, but it cannot be traceable back to me.”
He blinks a few times before finally responding. “What the fuck, Luca? Do you know what you’re doing?”
“I don’t see any other way.”
“I never thought I would live to see the day you betray your brother.”
I look away to hide the shame and bitterness on my face, knowing that there will be nothing I could ever do or say that would make Nicolai forgive me once I do this. “Neither did I.”
Elijah exhales deeply as he repeatedly nods, his brows knitted with concern. “Is it because of love, or has your conscience finally caught up with you?”
Shaking my head, I shrug. I don’t think I have the capacity to say the words out loud. I feel every piece of them, though, gnawing and tearing away at me. They have forced me to question my entire existence. A man like me has so many skeletons, so many dark corners, that when you start to unravel all of the evil I have done in my life, it’s fucking impossible to salvage any remanence left of a man. Only a monster remains.
“You know what Nicolai will do to me if he ever finds out that I helped you, don’t you?”
“I wouldn’t ask if I had any other choice,” I quickly answer him. I hate that I am putting him in this position, but I don’t have any other options here. In truth, he is the only person I can trust with this.
I watch him deliberate. Every second he stews is pure agony. You could hear a pin drop. The room is so quiet. With anxious breath, I wait. His fingers start tapping away on his keyboard, and every so often, he pauses, looking up at me before continuing to type.
“I can have the documents ready for tomorrow at the earliest.”
“It happens today. I need them today,” I bite out. I don’t have the luxury of time. Hell, as it is, I am wasting my final moments with Scarlet by being here.
Elijah rubs a hand over his forehead, his hesitation and reluctance evident in the sweat he wipes away. “Possibly tonight, but it is the best I can do on such short notice.”
“I will just have to make it work,” I say, disappointed. “Thank you. I could never repay you for this.”
“How exactly are you planning this?” Elijah asks, lighting a cigarette. He blows out a thick plume of smoke, waiting for my reply.
“I haven’t gotten that far yet. The passport and money were my first hurdle.”
“You will need it to look real. It would help if you had someone to take her to the airport. You need a fucking plan, Luca!” He lets out a long sigh. Smoke starts to fill the room, drying out my nostrils and making them itch. I have never been a fan of smoking. I will have the occasional cigar, but that is all. When you grow up listening to your father coughing up his guts so much he pukes every morning, it tends to turn you off the idea of starting such a habit. Besides, I need to stay fit and healthy in my line of work.
I look at Elijah with dangerous desperation. I can’t do this alone. I need his help.
