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So Max seeking me out did have to do with my father. “About you? No. He never mentioned you. My father taught me not to rely on anyone but myself. If he owes you money, it doesn’t concern me. I haven’t been in touch with him since he dumped me at social services when I was five.”
“It made you stronger.” He tapped his index finger against his leg. “The only problem with that was how you’ve never had family.” He tilted his head and smirked. “Or did you? How’s Breanna?”
Rage slammed into me, fast and furious, and I lunged for his throat only to freeze when the barrel of a 9mm met the center of my chest. I leashed the need to choke him and forced myself back in my seat while he grinned.
“Relax. Breanna isn’t a concern to us.” Max kept the gun trained on me. “Family is everything. Breanna isn’t tied to you by blood but by choice. The unquenchable protectiveness and need to decimate any threat to those I love, to my family, is the same. I mentioned her only to see how far you would go for someone you call your own.”
“I don’t care who you are. I’ll do whatever I need to in order to keep my sister safe. The fact that you’re Mafia means nothing to me.”
Max chuckled. “You say that now. You have much to learn.” He lowered his gun. “We’re about to land. Go wake Summer and decide whether she comes with us or if you’re letting her go when we touch down.”
“She stays with.” At least she would until I was sure she wasn’t working with Edward or Jeffrey to undermine my company.
Max shrugged. “It makes no difference to me, but she’s your responsibility.”
I ignored him as I made my way to where Summer sat, her head tilted to the side and soft snores slipping past parted lips. She’d pulled the backpack into her lap. Her left arm cradled it against her stomach. I took the seat next to her, leaned close, and nudged her shoulder. She woke swinging, her fist narrowly missing my jaw. Wide eyes met mine, and recognition crept in as her clenched hands relaxed.
“What?” she croaked, her voice rough from sleep.
“We’re descending.” How she’d woken told me more about her than actual words. Another twinge of doubt set in about Summer having anything to do with Max, but not enough for me to let her go once we were on the ground.
I fastened my seat belt, keeping Max in my sight the entire time. Anger simmered at the clusterfuck of a situation I’d landed in, and as soon as I could without anyone overhearing, I was calling Breanna to make sure she was safe. She needed to go to ground until I figured out whatever this meeting was and what they wanted from me.
I swallowed then yawned to pop my ears as we neared the airstrip at O’Hare. A small bounce shook us, then the wheels whirled along the runway. As soon as we slowed enough to taxi toward a hangar where they would park the jet, Summer and I unbuckled our seat belts. Max stood, holstering his gun. If Summer noticed, she didn’t react. Her backpack was back in place, and I blocked her before she could reach our carry-on luggage in a front closet.
We filed off the plane, down the stairs that had been rolled up to the exit, and to a waiting Mercedes S-Guard, which was basically an armored car.
None of us said much as we sped away from the airport. My jaw ached from how hard I’d been clenching it. Summer refused to look at me, focusing out the passenger window. We flew down a highway until we took an exit and then several turns through affluent subdivisions. These weren’t houses. They were mansions.
The car slowed to turn into a gated driveway. When Summer leaned closer to the door, I threaded my fingers through hers, locking us together as I lowered my mouth toward her ear. “Don’t even think about jumping from the car.” It wasn’t about the accounts anymore. I needed to know what she was involved in because my instincts screamed that her reactions to my accusation about Max meant something. And I needed all the ammunition I could get against the mob guy. “You can’t run from me.”
When she turned and pressed herself against my arm, disdain dripped from her expression, defying the electricity that crackled between us. “I hate you.”
Warmth spread through my chest, and I chuckled, enjoying her fiery personality despite our less-than-ideal circumstances. “The feeling is mutual.”
The car stopped, and I pushed open the door, tugging her with me. The driver got our bags from the trunk as we followed Max up the steps that led to the estate.
Max stepped to the side, crossed his arms over his chest, and observed us with an amused grin as we walked inside. I didn’t know what to expect, but it wasn’t the petite older blonde who entered the foyer, a wide smile on her face as she greeted Max. Looping her arm through his, she addressed us.
“It’s good to finally meet you, Luc. I’m Nicole.” Then she dismissed me, her eagle eyes assessing Summer. I got the feeling she could look inside us and read all our secrets. “Come with me, Sugar.” It didn’t take long for her to drag Summer from my too-tight grasp. I wanted to protest, but one look at Nicole made the words die on my lips. Summer wasn’t going anywhere. Nicole’s charming manner didn’t fool me, and neither did Summer’s. My guess was that Max had told Nicole to occupy Summer while we talked. “You look like you could use a glass of wine after being dragged to Chicago from California. We’ll get you warmed up in no time,” the older woman said to Summer.
Max pressed a kiss to Nicole’s forehead. “We’ll be in the office.”
It was time to get to the bottom of what was going on.
Max led me down a hallway until we came to a heavy wooden door. Muffled voices filtered through before he pushed it open, revealing three large men just as athletically built and muscular as the one leading me in. Good thing I was cut from a similar cloth. As I stepped inside, making sure my back was to a wall and not any of them, I took their measure while Max moved to stand by the desk.
I kept my hands loose by my sides, ready. Max’s lips twitched.Asshole. There wasn’t anything funny about the situation. I faced off with the others. The weapons strapped to their bodies were a problem. So I waited.
“Luc, meet the other bosses of the Five Families.” Max broke the awkward silence. “The big one with dark-blond hair who looks like he’s about ready to rip your head off is Stefano Rossi. He’s our capo and the one we all answer to.” His head notched in the direction of the only one who had amusement dancing through his light amber eyes. “That’s Enzo Vitale. Don’t let his laid-back manner fool you. He’ll shoot you in the leg and laugh about it while pouring you a glass of wine.”
Fantastic.
“Before I get ahead of myself, you should know who they’re married to so you don’t sign your death warrant by doing or saying the wrong thing to one of our wives. Emiliana, Enzo’s sister, is married to Stefano.”
“Marco”—Max indicated the man with black hair and green eyes—“is married to my sister, Elena, and his sister, Sofia, is married to Enzo.” Marco had wide shoulders, and the same air of power and ruthlessness came off him in waves. “That leaves my wife. Liliana Brambilla, now Caruso. Your sister.”
My head knocked back. “What? No. I don’t know what game you’re playing, but I don’t have an unknown sister with the last name Brambilla. If my fucked-up dad married someone who had a kid already, that has nothing to do with me.”
