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"Don." I clasp his hand, then bend and kiss the signet ring on his little finger. The first time I have done so since I took over asCapo.
I straighten and he pulls me toward him and wraps his arm around my shoulders. "You’re safe," his voice is normal, but when I step back and look into his eyes, I spot the worry there. Huh?
"Of course I am." I try to pull away but he doesn’t release me.
"And you’ve acquired yourself a bride?"
"It would seem so."
He looks between my eyes, apparently searching for something.Well, whatever it is, you’re not going to find any trace of emotion there."You can skip the show of concern. I wasn’t going to die that easily."
He holds my gaze a second longer, then jerks his chin. "I had no doubt you would return. You’re the quickest to the draw, Luca, and also, the bravest among us. Whatever challenges you faced, I had no doubt you’d find a way to overcome them."
"Just like I did when you left me and our other brothers behind and went off to the States to make your life."
Michael winces. A flash of something crosses over his features, before he replaces it with the mask of aloof superiority again.
He releases me and I step back.
"That motherfucker Freddie needs to be taught a lesson. If he thinks he can get away with what he did, he doesn’t know the might of theCosa Nostrayet."
"Which is why I’m going after him on my own."
"You will not." Michael’s tone hardens, "I will not risk the life of another of my brothers."
He’s referring to the death of our youngest brother Xander, who was killed by a car bomb rigged by none other than our own father.
"He came after me and mine; I need to track him down and teach him a lesson so he knows he can’t ever fuck with us again."
"Revenge is good. Revenge drives a man to his optimal performance. But foolhardiness is a trait that only the foolish mistake for courage."
Anger contorts my stomach. My face heats. "Are you calling me foolish?"
"I will not let you go after Freddie on your own."
I draw in a sharp breath. The anger that beats in my chest solidifies into something uglier. Something harder. Something that pushes me to thrust my head forward and growl, "I’m not going to pussyfoot around what needs to be done. I’m not going to waste time strategizing, or whatever bullshit line you’re going to feed me. You’re married, with a child on the way. It’s understandable that you don’t have the balls for confrontations anymore. I, on the other hand—"
"Luca?" I hear her soft voice a second before her fingers wrap about my wrist. A zing of electricity runs up my arm, down my spine, straight to my groin. My balls stiffen and my shoulders bunch. The gnawing feeling in my chest eases.
The sweet scent of roses teases my senses.
I shoot her a sideways glance, and her amber eyes hold mine. The zing of electricity thrums and intensifies to a crash of thunder that echoes through the corners of my mind. Droplets of rain plop on my nose. On her cheek. One slides down her eyelid and balances at the edge of her eyelash. The scent of ozone fills the air, and the hair on my forearms stands to attention. All other noises fade away, and it’s just me and her, trapped in a bubble from which there is no escape.
"Luca?" Michael’s voice cuts through the silence. The bubble bursts. The sound of footsteps receding reaches me. A car door slams. I blink.
Then, Massimo draws abreast.
"Why don’t the two of you come with me?"
18
Jeanne
"What was that?" I glance at Luca, who’s staring out of the window of the car that Massimo ushered us to. He slid into the driver’s seat while Luca opened the door for me—and I was surprised. For all his alphahole ways, he’s a gentleman… Sometimes. I thought Luca would ride shotgun with his brother, but he shut the door to my side, then walked around to the other side of the car and slid inside.
Now I scrutinize his profile. "Was that your oldest brother?" I lean forward in my seat. "What were you talking to him about? Why were you so tense?"
"Not even married, and you already sound like a nagging wife," he drawls.
