Page 2 of The Taste of Deceit

“Tell me about it.”

I frown. What the hell are they talking about?

I glance toward the bedroom. The door isn’t completely shut. It’s open just enough that I can see a sliver of light spilling into the hallway.

“Boss wants to find Sal before Katie figures anything out,” Marco says.

I know who Sal is. What I don’t know is why Michael is apparently trying to find him, or what any of this has to do with Katie. I take another step. My pulse picks up slightly, though I can’t explain why.

“It’s been weeks,” Luca says. “If he was gonna surface, he would’ve done it already.”

“Maybe.”

I stop beside the bedroom doorway. I shouldn’t listen—I know I shouldn’t—but I edge closer anyway. The bedroom comes into view slowly. There’s the dresser, the edge of the bed, the windows overlooking the backyard, and then Luca.

He stands near the window while his phone sits on the side table. His suit jacket is draped across a chair nearby. The sleeves of his white dress shirt are rolled up to his forearms. Dark leather straps cross over his shoulders. My eyes follow them downward, and everything inside me stops. There are two guns strapped beneath his arms. I stare, and the room seems to tilt around me.

The guns look wrong, but not because they don’t belong there. The terrifying part is how naturally they fit. The holster sits against his body like something he wears every day. It’s like my boyfriend routinely walks around armed enough to start a small war.

On the phone, Marco is still talking, but I can’t hear a word he’s saying anymore. My eyes remain locked on the guns. Luca turns, and his gaze lands on me instantly. I watch the exact moment he realizes what I’m looking at. His entire body goes still. Neither of us says anything as the silence stretches between us. Slowly, Luca punches a button on his phone, picks it up, and holds it to his ear.

“Marco,” he says.

His eyes never leave mine.

“I’ve got to call you back.”

The line goes dead, and I swallow. The sound seems impossibly loud.

“What the fuck is happening?”

Chapter 2

Luca

Iclose my eyes for a brief second. When I open them, Sarah is staring at me. The shock is already giving way to anger.

“Sarah,” I say, stepping toward her.

She puts a hand up.

“What the hell, Luca?”

“I know this looks bad.”

She barks out a laugh.

“‘Looks bad?’ Are you out of your fucking mind? You’ve got two pistols strapped to your body.”

She starts pacing the room while I stay rooted to the spot.

“I know, and I can explain.”

She stops abruptly.

“Explain? Great. Start with Katie. What doesn’t she know?”

Fuck.