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“If we were closer to home, she would.”
I grabbed my cell phone from my bag, pulled up the message from Luca on the screen, and handed Aiden my phone. He studied the words in the last text message I received from Luca. His mouth hung open in shock, though he shouldn’t have been all that surprised. Most of the time, I didn’t hear from Luca. But whenever I met someone new, he resurfaced with a warning or threat.
Ditch the asshole, or you’ll both suffer the consequences.
No matter how much I hated Luca, I wanted to believe he had nothing to do with this. I needed to find something good in the person who let me touch his scars. There had to be at least one redeeming quality in him, anything to make him human. And there was only one way to find out for sure.
“You wonder why I don’t want you anywhere near that psychopath.” Aiden handed back my phone with a scowl. “Who is he talking about?”
“Mark Atkinson. I met him for drinks earlier this week. We didn’t even kiss.”
He shoved his hands into his jeans pockets and groaned. “Don’t you have a date planned with him for this weekend?”
I dropped my phone onto the table and shook my head. “Not anymore. I canceled on him after I got the text from Luca.”
“Why?” Aiden moved in front of me with a serious expression hardening his handsome features. “You don’t owe Luca shit. Go out with Mark.”
“I can’t bring someone else into this mess with Luca.”
“Fuck him,” he challenged, his anger shaking through him.
“He did this,” I said with certainty. “I know he did, Aid. Luca will continue to ruin my life until I give in to him. Until I accept his bullshit proposal.”
“You should stop teasing him every chance you get.”
I frowned at his comment. “This isn’t my fault… and I don’t tease him.”
“C’mon, Lexie.” He shoved a hand through his blond curls that needed a trim. “I’m not defending Luca, but give a man enough cases of blue balls, and he’s bound to lose his mind.”
I cocked an eyebrow at him. “I’m sure Luca has plenty of women keeping him satisfied. He doesn’t need me.”
“No, but he wants you. He’s obsessed.” Aiden scanned the room, shaking his head. “We have no proof he did this.”
I followed his line of sight to my favorite painting. The one I thought would make me a name in the art world. And now, it was in pieces on the coffee table.
“I can feel it in my gut.”
“If you accuse Luca, who knows what he’ll do.” He held out his hand. “Look at this place. This isn’t something a man would do.”
“It was him.”
“But he wants you to succeed,” my brother insisted. “Luca sent a letter of recommendation to the dean on behalf of the Franco Foundation to guarantee you got into this school. Why would he do that if he wanted to take it away?”
Arlo Salvatore had created the Franco Foundation after his late wife’s death. The charity taught young artists how to paint while keeping them off the streets. It was a good organization that did great things in the name of a legend.
“He’s ruined my life for years.” I lifted my bag from the floor and slung it over my shoulder. “One good deed doesn’t eliminate Luca’s culpability for his crimes.”
“Just let it go, Lexie. We have class in one hour.”
I scooped up my phone and removed my car keys from the dish on the table beside the front door. “I need to talk to him in person.”
“You can’t go to Devil’s Creek.”
“He’s in New York. I’ll be back in Providence before it gets dark.”
Aiden gripped my shoulders, his blue eyes meeting mine. “This is stupid. Don’t go. We can skip class and work on new paintings for your showcase. Luca won’t tell you the truth.”
“I have to see his reaction when I accuse him.”
He lowered his hands to his sides and sighed. “I don’t get it. Why can’t you stay away from him?”
“Luca is my problem. Don’t worry, Aid. I will be back before you know it.”
I still felt that initial bond with Luca. After years of hating him, a part of me still cared. My beautiful monster haunted my dirty dreams and my nightmares. He was both the good and the bad in my life.
I gave Aiden one last look before I opened the door. “Wish me luck.”
He shook his head in disapproval, knowing he could not stop me from leaving. “Drive safe. Text me when you get there.”
After I got in my car, I pulled up Salvatore Global on Google Maps. With traffic, my phone estimated over four hours’ driving time. Fear rocked through me as I navigated the roads with shaky hands, squeezing the steering wheel to steady my nerves. I hated driving to Manhattan. The few times I’d visited the city, Luca had picked me up in his Aston Martin.
