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I smiled and letSignorLuciano lead me toward the door and outside the clubhouse. The gravel parking lot was pretty much filled up with sexy, gleaming bikes.
“I’m very glad you’re safe, Greta,”SignorLuciano said as he came to a stop between a row of bikes and turned to meet my eyes.
He reached out like he was going to stroke my cheek or brush my hair back from my brow, but he stopped halfway and dropped his hand to his side.Thiswas definitely a side of Enzo Luciano I’d never seen before.
“I’m glad too,” I said, since something wittier eluded me at the moment.
“I should have protected you like I’ve protected Freya,” he said.
Oh,no. I appreciated the sentiment, but I was not getting on board withthat.
“To protect me like that, it would mean bringing certain things to light that might be best kept in the dark, don’t you think?”
SignoraLuciano had passed away several years ago, but my father was still alive. I had no idea what other repercussions would come from the don of the Luciano family acknowledging an… illegitimate child, but it didn’t matter. My father was the man who’d raised me, cared for me, loved me unconditionally. The man who’d let me grow into the woman I’d become.
“Perhaps, thosethingsshould have been brought to light much sooner,” he said, though he was looking at me, gauging my response.
I shook my head. “I’ve loved my life,Signor.My parents,ZiettoVito, Raven... I wouldn’t change any of it. And you’re right, I have done good things. If you’d claimed me years ago, can you tell me I would have had the chance to do those things?”
I appreciated the way he paused, then shook his head, answering honestly.
“I am grateful, though, both for your concern now and for finding a place for me in your organization.”
He smiled. It was genuine, but very strange to see. “You can thank Vito for that,cara mia. He was quite… insistent that you would be an asset to the Lucianos. And you have most certainly proved yourself worthy.”
“I’d like to keep doing that,” I said, letting him know I had no intention of allowing this “incident” with Domínguez to slow me down.
He smiled again, though, this time it didn’t quite meet his eyes, which had darkened with concern. “Why am I not surprised?” he asked dryly.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I keep hearing I’m a very surprising person.”
He barked a laugh at the same time Brute came out the clubhouse’s front door.
“Don’t worry,” I said toSignorLuciano. “I have a feeling I’ve got my own personal bodyguard around the clock now.”
A bodyguard with benefits.
Lucky me.
Epilogue
Greta
“So, do you want to tell me why we rode all the way out here to Cayuga Lake?” I asked as I swung my leg over the bike and hopped off.
“Do you want to hear something strange?” Brute asked as he hooked his helmet on his bike and led us toward the water.
“Always.”
“I came here for years, always on my own. The only other person I’ve ever brought here was Leo.”
I laughed. “Interesting choice. Is it because he’s more fun than the fish?” I asked, looking down at the clear-ish water and the dozens of fish swimming beneath it.
He shrugged. “I love my club brothers, I needed a space no one else invaded, if you know what I mean. This was one of my spaces. But it felt all right to bring Leo here.”
“Because he’s with Ella?” I asked, understanding the unique, almost father-daughter relationship between the two of them.
He nodded. “In part, I suppose.”
