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No words left, not evenno, I shake my head.
Finally, he turns to leave.
My shoulders drop from around my ears as I take the first full breath since I realized what he was doing here. I will him not to turn around again and for once, I get my wish. Atlas and his crew make their way across the club, other patrons unconsciously stepping aside to clear a path for the predators among them.
How had I not seen the hunter lurking in Atlas's eyes? I cringe at my own willful ignorance, because it was willful. Atlas is apex predator through and through. I made myself see something else when I looked at him. Something human and trustworthy when he's neither.
"You alright, Lucia?" Willow is standing right next to me.
How long has she been there?
"I saw you give your boyfriend the money from the till. Not trying to tell you how to live your life, but lending money to him like that could come back to bite you in the ass."
I spin to face my bar manager, unable to believe she thinks I would do something so foolish.
Opening my mouth to tell her just why I gave Atlas the money, I snap it shut again. Atlas and his mafia aren't the only ones who would be in trouble if the cops get involved. And I don't know if I can trust Willow not to call them.
She doesn't understand that if they're collecting protection tithes, the Hades Brotherhood have local law enforcement and probably at least one prosecutor and judge in their pockets. The only one that will be damaged in the long term is me.
I've been very careful to keep my name and image out of databases. Everyone back in Detroit thinks I'm dead and I'm going to keep it that way.
Doing my best not to let my inner devastation show, I shrug at Willow. "Sometimes, you just have to do what you have to do."
"Love makes fools of us all." Willow squeezes my shoulder in commiseration.
Love, or our ovaries.
Chapter 33
ATLAS
I throw Theo up against the side of the SUV. "Why the fuck did you tell her we'd be checking her books?"
"It's what we always say. So, they don't try to cheat us." Theo cocks his head, like he's trying to figure me out.
I'm not the one doing stupid shit.
"Yeah, boss. You always say it's better to threaten them before they get greedy than to have to punish them after," Bobby adds. "Better for business relations."
"Lucia isn't just a business owner. She's my woman." And they know it.
Michael looks at me levelly. "I'm pretty sure she doesn't see it that way."
"If she's yours, why are we shaking down her club?" Theo challenges me.
I shove him away. "Because ouranaxordered it. I shouldn't have to explain that to you."
This whole damn night is a shitshow of epic proportions. I wanted to do Nuovi Inizi last, take my time explaining the protection tithe and how it will benefit Lucia and her nightclub in the long run.
I knew she'd be upset to learn how much I've been hiding from her. I planned to explain all of it. Well, almost all.
She doesn't need to know about Dimios.
She didn't give me the chance to explain anything. Somehow, she knew why we were there before I said a word.
How? Has she paid protection money before? To one of the gangs? She never said anything about it.
Like you never said anything about being part of a syndicate?
