AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"So, you stayed on after everyone left?" I tilt my head, "Why would you do that?"
"Let’s just say, I had a hunch that not everything would be fine in paradise."
"You thought I’d make a run for it?"
"I thought…that you’d try something." He rubs the back of his neck, "To be honest, I didn’t think you’d get as far as you did. Michael is way too sharp, too alert. I didn’t think you’d get past him." He regards me with a shrewd gaze, "But then, I don’t think he realized how smart you really are."
"Is that a compliment?"
"One-hundred percent." He grins and his face lights up. I blink. Shit, this man is truly handsome, in a very classical kind of way. He has the same kind of presence as Michael. To be fair, all of the Sovrano brothers do, as do their half-brothers. But in terms of charisma, Luca is the closest to Michael. Both fill up the room in a similar way. Both have that determined set to their features, the stubborn tilt to the jaw, that sense of dominance that rolls off of them in waves and which screams that they can be very persuasive and authoritative, and that once they set their minds on something, nothing can deter them. Only he isn’t Michael.
I slip back into my seat at the table, and he tilts his head. "I am guessing my brother was so taken in with you, he lowered his guard. It’s why you managed to slip by him."
I play with the ring on my left hand. I’d tried to remove it in the shower, but of course, the stupid thing is stuck. It refuses to come off. "I think you are wrong," I murmur. "Michael never lets his guard down. Not with anyone, and certainly, not with me. It was a lucky break that I found myself alone and decided to risk running out of there."
And the main reason I’d wanted to leave was because I’d thought that I could be pregnant. How had I forgotten about that? Shit, it’s too early to test if I am. Probably… I could wait for a week or more at least, right?
And what if I am pregnant and he’s dead? Does that mean I would bring up my child without a father? I am keeping the kid, of course. That’s assuming I am pregnant. And if I am not… Well then… I’ll still be on my own, after Michael… How could I ever be satisfied with anyone else?
Shit, he’s the one, isn’t he? Why have I taken so long to recognize that? But this doesn’t change anything… Even if I had stayed… Even though it felt like he was changing his attitude toward me… Even then, he was a man on the wrong side of the law. He kills people for a living, for hell’s sake. He’s not the kind of man I’d want as the father of my child, or the type of person, I’d want to stay married to… Right?
And yet… I’ll never be able to forget him, or how my body had responded to him. Shit, shit, shit. I lower my chin to my chest. If only things had been different. If only he weren’t in the Mafia and I had met him in more normal circumstances. If only I’d had a chance to date him like a normal person, and...
Who am I kidding? Michael would never be a 'normal' anything. That man has too much dominance, too much self-assuredness, too much confidence… Too much everything. He’ll always stand apart from others. He’ll always be different… And fact is, the sense of danger that clings to him only adds to his allure. The darkness in him… It’s what drew me to him. The sense of menace that hovers about him… It’s a turn on. The fact he wields instruments of violence like other people employ pens…is what appeals to me.
So why is it that when I thought I was pregnant, my first instinct was to escape from him? Is it because I think I can’t trust him when it comes to my child? Because I don’t know how he would react when he finds out? Because I know he’ll want the child… And then what? Would he forget about me completely after that? Would he want me to conform to the role of wife and mother and lose my individuality completely? Shit. What’s wrong with me? A dull headache drums at the backs of my eyes and I draw in a breath. "I think I need to lie down," I murmur.
Luca glances up at me, "Everything okay?"
"Yeah." I swallow. "It’s been a long day. I need to get some rest."
I am woken up by the sound of knocking on the door. "Karma," Luca calls out, "you awake?"
I clear my throat, "I am now." I glance around to find the sun’s rays slanting through the open window. I reach for the lamp near the bed and turn it on.
"Can I come in?" he calls through the door.
I sit up in bed, glad I had worn all of my clothes when I’d gone to sleep. "You can come in now," I reply.
Luca enters, and his features are set.
"What happened?"
"I’m afraid it’s not good news," he murmurs, as he leans a hip by the doorway.
My heart begins to thud and my throat closes. "Wh…what do you mean?"
"I managed to connect with one of my team and…"
"And…?" My voice cracks. I fold my fingers together, narrow my gaze on him, "Tell me, please, what did you find out?"
"It’s Michael, he…" Luca swallows, "he didn’t make it."
