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Nico
"And how do you suggest we get her back? Clearly, we've lost any bargaining chip we had. She's back with her family!" Luca's eyes were blazing as he paced the VIP area while watching them through the one-way mirrored glass. To say he was pissed was an understatement. Although his voice was calm and controlled, I knew that he was boiling on the inside. I'd only ever seen him this way a handful of times, and we knew better than to mess with our brother when he was like this.
Clearly, Catalina meant more to him than just losing out on a deal.
Atlas shrugged his shoulders, "Maybe we don't. Maybe we just let her be. I mean, we were told that she was important and to keep her safe. Yes, she would have been a great bargaining chip for a truce, but like you said, it's too late for that now. Besides, she seems to be going okay."
Luca glared at him. "And how do you know she's safe? I don't see any bodyguards around her. She doesn't even know she's in danger." He turned back to the glass wall and gazed down at the diners below. "And who is this uptight asshole she's with? For all we know, he could be out to hurt her."
I looked down at the table where Catalina was sitting and examined her compadre closely. Luca wasn't wrong in his description. The man sitting opposite her seemed stiff and ordinary, wearing a plain grey suit and navy-blue tie. He had brownish eyes, a sharp nose and chin that gave him an angular kind of look, and a mass of wavy brown hair that seemed to be his only redeeming feature. Beside Catalina, the man looked ordinarily boring. In comparison, Catalina was her usual picture of rare beauty, with her black hair tied in a loose bun at the nape of her neck, red lips that matched her red dress, and dark blue eyes that even from this distance, pulled you in, making you mesmerized.She looked amazing tonight, and when she smiled it was hard to look away.
What a beauty!
We watched her for a while. She appeared to be having a great time, laughing, and talking animatedly with the man.
"Who the fuck is he?" Luca demanded again.
"That, is her boyfriend." Atlas said, putting down his phone.
Both our heads snapped up to look at Atlas.
"What!?" We said in unison.
"My employee down there just served them. Apparently, they are together and having a reunion dinner."
I rubbed my chin, "She had a boyfriend looking for her, all this time?"
Atlas shrugged, "Anyone's guess." He came over and looked down at them, grimacing. "Aye yai yai! He's just cringe-worthy. I thought Catalina had better taste than that. Are they suede loafers he's wearing? Geez girl, what are you doing?"
I rolled my eyes. Trust Atlas to judge someone by their shoes.
I looked over at Luca who had remained silent. Although I didn't like to hear she was with someone else, I knew it would be eating Luca alive. Even though he would never admit it, we had all come to care for Catalina in our own way over the past few months. Having her in the house had added a nice feminine touch, and made it feel like more of a home. And when she left, she had left a void that none of us had anticipated.
"How about we just talk to her?" I suggested.
"Whoa man. What a great suggestion. Why didn't we think of that before," Atlas drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You know sometimes, I do think you're all looks and no brain. What would that achieve?"
"The saying is, all brawn and no brain, you dipshit." I poured myself another whiskey neat and sat on a stool. "Hear me out. All we were told was to protect her. We don't even know why, or who her attackers were. We've held her in isolation for months, and we are still no closer to understanding what's going on. I think her being home is a good thing, especially since this may trigger her memories to come back."I took a sip from my glass, as Luca, who had been listening intently, poured another drink and turned to me.
"Go on."
"Well, we need to know what she knows right? Amnesia didn't help us there. Maybe her home environment is what she needs. Familiar surroundings to jog her memory. And, If we keep on her good side, maybe we can even find out more about the Rivera family business when she regains her memories. And that's where I come in."
Luca's eyes narrowed, "I'm listening."
"We meet up. Talk. I'll convince her we are not the enemy."
Atlas let out a chuckle. "Easier said than done, now that smooth operator over here got overconfident and actually told her we were the enemy." He shook his head at Luca, "Well done bro."
Luca's eyes darkened at Atlas's words, but he didn't say anything. Usually Luca was in control, a fortress, but when it came to Catalina, he lost himself, especially when they were intimate it seems, and resultantly blurted shit he shouldn't.
"Leave it to me. I'll tell her Luca was just testing her. I don't know, some kind of kinky role-play thing or something.” I chuckled.
Luca's eyes snapped to attention. "Don't you fucking dare Nico."
"Role-play?" Atlas's eyebrows were sky high. "So, something did go down between Luca and Catalina!"
"Not just me," Luca countered, eyeing me on purpose.
