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“Why would I do that?”
“Maybe you were too pissed off before to really hear what Nathan said about Ava. But I wasn’t. Ava was a server at the Stag Club. I’m sure she had friends we can talk to.”
Luca clenched his jaw at the mere mention of Nathan’s name. That guy wasn’t right. That club he was a member of wasn’t right either.
“I’d been thinking about what I said to the bouncer. What made me a target? He thought I had borrowed money, but I didn’t. I didn’t even give him my real name. I was wearing a ten-thousand-dollar dress and he still thought I was a poor girl looking to hook up with a rich man. Then when Enzo tried to get me out of there, he had to pay for me to leave.” I stopped to inhale and let Luca digest this new information.
As much as he didn’t want my help, he was starting to see that I could be of use. The evidence on the wall, and the fact that two years had gone by and he didn’t even have a solid suspect, could only mean he was running out of leads.
“Donata.” He held my gaze for what felt like hours. After a while, he finally conceded. “Fine. You can help. But the club is out of the question.”
“We’ll get to that.” I waved my hand in dismissal and sauntered over to his desk, where he had a stack of sticky notes and Sharpie pens.
I wrote ‘server at the club’ on a note and stuck it to the wall next to Ava’s picture. “What else do we know? If she got a stamp like that guy said, does that mean she borrowed money from them?”
“You didn’t.” He studied my features. “What exactly did you say to get in?”
“Um, I said I was looking for you.”
“For me?”
“Well, I said I was there to see Mr. Gallo.” I thought of the exact words I had said that night. The bouncer had been so condescending and acted like he knew something I didn’t.
“Just that?”
“Yeah. Just that. Then he ushered me inside and put this stamp on me.” I covered my mouth. “Wait. Did he think I meant your uncle, Don Gallo? I mean, he was the one who gave you the business card to get in. He has to be an influential member. Or something.”
“Or something.” Luca wrote down his uncle’s name on the sticky note and added it to the board before he turned to me. “I’m not even going to ask how you knew all that. How did you even get a card of your own?”
“I made a copy of the one you got.” I shrugged. “Don’t be mad. I was sure you were there to have sex with strangers. It drove me crazy to think that you wanted to be with someone else after having sex with me.”
“The thought never crossed my mind.” He sat on the arm rest of the sofa and pulled me toward him. “Since that first night, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.” He cradled my cheek and kissed me.
I pulled away first. Ever since Luca rescued me from Nathan, I couldn’t stop thinking about the Stag Club and their membership. “Do you think Don Gallo would be the kind of person who would recruit women for his friends at the club?” I scoffed. “You know, send them a fancy dress, money, and an address?”
“Oh Absolutely.”
“So is that what happened to Ava? She went to Don Gallo for money, then got more than she bargained for?” I met his gaze. “Why didn’t she come to you if she needed money?”
He winced. “Because she didn’t know I had any. She didn’t even know my real name. She thought I was a high school teacher. I’m such an idiot.” He raked a hand through his hair.
“Why did you lie to her about who you really were?”
“Because I wanted to keep our relationship a secret. I thought I had been so careful. I even rented an apartment in Brooklyn under an alias. But I should’ve known better. Uncle Jimmy knew Ava. Ever since the scandal you created, he thought of me as a political pawn.”
“What do you mean?” I stepped back to look at him. “What does one thing have to do with the other—the school scandal and Don Gallo recruiting Ava for his buddies?”
He blew out a breath and met my gaze. I didn’t like it at all when he got all serious like that. I’d gotten so used to his caring side. This annoyed version of him made my chest hurt.
“While the parents wanted me out of the school for the safety of their kids, Uncle Jimmy only focused on one thing. He was convinced that one day he’d be able to use your obsession with me to his advantage.” He cleared his throat. “He made it a point to be more involved in my family’s life. He started visiting Mom, something that thrilled her to no end. She loved the idea of being in his good graces. Suddenly, I was his favorite nephew.”
“Because of me? But I told all the Dons the truth. They all know you’re innocent.” Lying to everyone about Luca was such a shitty thing to do. “You have no idea how sorry I am that I did that to you. You were so right to hate me.”
“Uncle Jimmy didn’t care. If anything, he was disappointed I hadn’t gotten you pregnant.” He glanced down and smiled at the floor. “Fuck it.”
“What?”
When he lifted his gaze, he looked terrified. I cupped his face and kissed his lips. He wrapped his arms around my waist and deepened the kiss. The flutters in my belly quickly turned to raw desire. I wanted him again. How could I ever say no Luca Gallo? I ran my fingers through his soft hair and melted into him. Reaching for his belt buckle somehow broke the spell.
