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If it were anyone else in there, I would’ve done the mature thing and walked away. But this was Luca and his uncle. Maybe I didn’t know enough about Luca. No amount of stalking could paint a complete picture of him. But I did know this: Luca hated our mafia world. He’d spent a lot of time and energy trying to disassociate himself from it all. The fact that Don Gallo himself decided to pay him a visit was really, really bad news.
I stepped closer until I could smell Don Gallo’s signature scent of cigar and liquor. He was so different than his nephew.
“It’s time, Luca. It’s been six months since I came to see you. I agreed to let you handle things your way because you’re family. I’m not asking for the moon here. This should’ve taken you a day to get done.” His smoker’s voice spilled into the hallway.
Unlike Aunt Vittoria, Don Gallo wasn’t big on secrecy. I shot a glance behind me, just to make sure no one had wandered up to the fourth floor. The board would be pissed if they found out Don Gallo was here with his mafia dealings. Because that much was for sure. He’d asked Luca to do something for him.
“You have two weeks.” Don Gallo’s tone was final. “Oh, before I forget, here.”
“What’s this?” Luca asked.
I leaned in to catch Luca’s words. But his voice didn’t carry the way his uncle’s did.
“You asked about that club. This is how you get in.” He chuckled. “Never would’ve pegged you as the type. But I’m glad to see we’re not so different after all. Enjoy, my boy.”
A club?
When a chair scraped across the floor, my pulse went into overdrive. Shit. He was leaving. I glanced behind me, looking for a place to hide. I did a whole turn before I spotted the bathroom up ahead. I tiptoed across the way then darted toward the door. Wincing, I gripped the handle so the door wouldn’t shut with a loud thud.
“Two weeks, Luca. Get it done before our window of opportunity closes. Do you understand?”
“I understand. I’ll walk you out.”
I waited until the elevator dinged at the far end of the corridor, then peeked outside. For a whole minute, I stood there asking myself what Enzo would do now. I stared at Luca’s open door. Enzo would say let it be. I smiled because all I could hear in my head was Santino’s voice saying: is our little Queen Bee curious about her boy toy? Are you jealous?
No, I wasn’t jealous. I was curious though. The Luca I knew would not have accepted any kind of gift from his uncle. Mafia favors came at a high price. Before I had even decided to snoop, I was already in his office. Don Gallo’s cigar on Luca’s desk caught my attention. Gross. No wonder the whole floor smelled of tobacco. And Luca had no choice but to put up with it. I used my sweater to cover up my nose and mouth, then the black business card caught my attention. The front of it had a logo embossed in gold foil on thick stock paper. It was a weird shape like the skull of an animal with antlers sticking out of it.
I took out my phone and took a picture of it. With a quick glance behind me, I gently flipped the card and took a picture of the address on it. I put it back the way it was then darted out of the office. Luca’s briefcase and coat were still here. He was definitely coming back.
For a second I considered staying. But I knew my big mouth. If I waited for Luca, I knew the words floating in the back of my mind would just come out. What was this club about? Why did he want to go here? If he had to ask Don Gallo for access, it had to be because the place was super exclusive and highly illegal.
Number one rule of stalking? Don’t linger. Get out now!
I spun on my heel and bolted, heading straight for the elevator in case Luca decided to take the stairs. Luck was on my side. As soon as I hit the call button, the door slid open and the elevator car was empty. When the doors shut, I leaned on the wall and released a breath. A second later, my phone rang.
“Jesus.” The ringtone startled me. I reached for the outside pocket of my backpack and fished my phone out. “Hey.” Crap. I sounded like I just ran a mile.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, why?”
“You sound overly excited.” Enzo was like a mind reader.
“No, I took the stairs. God, I’m so out of shape.” I exhaled loudly. As soon as I did, the door dinged open. I winced. “Are you done with your study group? Want to grab a bite?”
“Yeah, I’m outside your building.”
“Okay. Walking out now.” I shouldered the front door open and waved at him.
He put his phone away. I did the same, scanning the front steps for Luca and his uncle. But they were both gone. Maybe Don Gallo had taken a secret backdoor in and out of the building. Whatever the case, I was in the clear.
Enzo was in his usual broody mood and didn’t say anything on our way to meet up with his driver. A few times I opened my mouth to tell him about Luca and his uncle, but what would be the point? The frigid air blowing on my face had brought me back to my senses. I couldn’t get mixed up in Don Gallo’s affairs. I had no doubt that whatever task he’d given Luca was dangerous.
“What are you in the mood for?” Enzo asked when I climbed into the back seat of his SUV next to him.
“I don’t know. You choose.” I stared at the blank screen on my phone. I was itching to look at the pictures I took.
“Honestly, I just need a drink.”
