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She ran her elegant fingers over her skirt, dark brows curving in deep contemplation. “I told you he cares about you.”
“And that’s his way of showing it? He killed an innocent man because he didn’t like me talking to him.”
I still didn’t want to believe it. I wasn’t sure my conscience could take it. How could I ever risk talking to a man again if it meant risking his life? Wasn’t this fear exactly what Nevio wanted to evoke in me so he could control me? But revolting didn’t pose a risk to my safety. I was playing with other peoples’ lives, and I couldn’t do that.
“Can you please talk to him? He needs to stop this. We’re not an item. He’s never given me any indication that he wanted to be in a relationship with me. He doesn’t get to decide who I hang out with. I want him to return to Las Vegas and stay out of my life. We’re not dating. We’re nothing, not even friends after everything he did. I don’t want anything to do with him ever again.”
Greta sighed. “Aurora—”
“Don’t try to make me understand him or even feel sympathetic for him. He’s out of line. I’m done with him.”
Greta bit her lip. “I’ll see if I can contact him, and then I’ll let him know. But I can’t promise he’ll listen. Nevio is unpredictable.”
The sliding doors made us both go silent. Luca stood in the doorway, and my stomach tightened. Something in his face told me I was in trouble.
“I need to talk to you, Aurora.”
I got up from the Hollywood swing. Greta gave me a worried look. Did she worry I’d expose Nevio?
If war weren’t on the horizon if I did, I might have done it. He deserved punishment. All his life his actions had never been followed by consequences, and now an innocent had to pay the price.
I followed Luca into his office where Matteo, who’d also been at the dinner with Gianna and Isabella, and Valerio were waiting. I assumed Amo would try to get information out of Greta in the meantime.
I gave them a hesitant smile. “Did I do something?”
“Sit down,” Luca said, motioning at the armchair on the left across from them, as if I was facing an inquisition.
Nerves twisted my belly as I sank down. I wasn’t concerned for myself. The worst that could happen to me was that Luca would send me back to Las Vegas, and while I wasn’t ready for that yet, it wouldn’t be horrible.
“Valerio told us about the murder of a man you were in contact with.”
I flushed. “I bought my coffee in the coffee shop where he worked, and Valerio or Flavio were always there too.”
“I didn’t suggest you were involved with this man, but he seemed interested in you. Flavio and Valerio are good at hiding their nature, so it’s not surprising that he didn’t get the message that you were off-limits. It seems someone else conveyed the message to him in a very obvious way.”
“The police think it’s a mugging gone wrong.”
“Of course, they do,” Matteo said with a snort.
“What do you think happened?” I looked Luca in the eyes but quickly lowered my gaze, unable to stand his.
“He was killed with a sawtooth knife.”
Matteo cocked an eyebrow at me. “Who do you know who has a pet sawtooth knife?”
It was Nevio’s favorite knife. Everyone knew that. “Many people use sawtooth knives, right?” I tried to look as innocent as possible.
“Bullshit. Our favorite psychotic killer has that knife. Fuck, he probably even sleeps in a bed with it and uses it to fuck his own—”
“Matteo—” Luca’s voice whipped through the room, making me wince.
Matteo waved him off. “Living under a roof with the Falcones, she’s probably seen and heard worse.”
“She won’t under my roof, though. She’s barely of age and innocent. I want you to remember that.”
“Blond and blue eyes always make you believe in someone’s innocence, Luca.”
“I’m the epitome of innocence,” Valerio said with a chuckle.
