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Those liquid pools of blue that shined like jewels in the light. I imagine he’s even more of a man now, taller and leaner, maybe even fitter with bulging muscles.
Even thinking about him makes my heart race. When I was a little girl, I never would’ve thought of him in such a scandalizing way.
He was like a brother to me, but the more time that’s passed, the more curious I’ve become. It’s probably because of all the romance novels I’ve been reading.
I remind myself of how wrong it is to think of him in any way that doesn’t include hate. A long time ago, I feared him. Now I’m just annoyed and angry. He killed my father, right in front of me, took my entire life, and shook it like it was a snow globe scattering all the broken pieces before I could catch them.
At the end of the day, my father was abusive; he hurt me, but he was still my dad, and I’ve learned over the years that you can’t choose your parents. I watched Lucca beat him to death that night, and there was nothing I could do to forget the absent look that appeared in his eyes. Nothing that would ever make me see him as the white knight again.
He became a different person that night, and I want nothing to do with that man.
The fact he still watches and protects me after all these years is surprising enough, but I don’t understand why. I’m not his problem anymore, so why does it always feel like his eyes are on me even when I can’t see him?
2
Lucca
I want to both strangle and hug Markus at the same time. A week ago, the bastard got a hair up his ass and bought some girl at an auction. I don’t know all the details, but he took her and dragged her to one of Julian’s safe houses.
It wasn’t a common occurrence for made men to take time off, but what the hell was Julian going to do? Killing Markus would be more harmful to him than good.
It didn’t change the fact that I wanted to sucker punch him in the throat for leaving out of the blue, but it would be a lie to say I wasn’t thankful as well. Julian let me take Markus’ place in line, which is not only an immense responsibility but also a huge honor.
At twenty-four, I’m younger than most of the men I oversee now. Still, I’m given the same respect that Markus had. Julian has always treated me well, but having him take me as his second in command is a whole new level of trust.
By the time I get to my apartment, it’s after two in the morning, and all I want to do is take a shower and hit the hay, but first, there is something else I need to do. The same thing I do every day when I walk into my place.
I open my laptop and type in my password. The screen comes to life, but I have to type in yet another code before my email opens up. Mike has sent me his normal daily update, and I scroll through it to see what Claire has been up to.
Before I read a single word, I pull up the attached pictures. Through the window of the cafeteria, I see her sitting at the table, her best friend occupying the chair next to her as they share some kind of dessert. She smiles, her green eyes shine bright even in the picture.
The second photo is a closeup shot outside in front of her house. Her hair shimmers like fire, the sun reflecting a million different shades of red and orange. Freckles cover the skin around her cheeks and nose, almost as if a painter has put them there artfully, each tiny freckle placed with a purpose.
The third and final image is further away. She is standing on her back porch, stretching her arms above her head like she just worked out. She is only wearing shorts and a tank top, her body lean, and her curves apparent in this outfit.
I’m glad she’d never wear anything like this to school. She dresses modestly for her age, and I’m more than happy about that. It’s hard for me to see her as anything besides the little girl next door, but it gets hard to ignore her growing up.
Soon the boys around her will notice too, and then I might have to rough up some sixteen-year-old guy for having indecent thoughts about Claire.
Part of me knows I’m being overprotective. She is a teenager. She is growing up, and yes, eventually, she will date, but it’s hard to let that happen. She is like a sister to me, and I need to protect her, protect her innocence.
