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21
After spending the morning luxuriating in bed together, Luca left me to go to work while I put away the clothes and items I’d brought from home. My body ached in the most delicious manner. I was sure there would be bruises along my hips, the exact shape of his fingers, from when he took me from behind this morning. That position had seemed degrading from the little bit of porn I’d watched. Turned out, it was so not demeaning. In fact, it was my favorite to date. He could get in so deep. I felt like I had been thoroughly taken.
This was a perfect time to go through the apartment for Cristo, but I was crippled by guilt and had been battling myself for the past couple of hours. At my parents’ house, the guilt had been overshadowed by worry for my brother’s safety. But after the incredible time I had with Luca, it came roaring back a hundred times stronger.
Pacing up and down the living room, I wrung my hands as I sifted through any alternatives. Hours later, I came to the realization that there were none. If I didn’t at least try to help my brother, he could legitimately end up dead.
Procrastinating, I went into the bedroom and focused on putting my clothes away. How could I survive Cristo’s death? That was easy. I couldn’t. Then again, how could I live with myself if I betrayed Luca? Crushing a shirt to my mouth, I screeched into the material.
Pushing past the guilt plaguing me, I hurled the shirt across the walk-in closet and stormed out, leaving clothing tumbling out of my suitcases and hanging off every available space.
Barefoot, I crept around the apartment, quickly snooping through every room of the apartment before pausing in front of Luca’s office. I’d already found a collection of guns and knives littered throughout the house, in random places like his underwear drawer. I supposed the idea was that he’d have easy access to a weapon if there was a surprise attack.
The man was prepared for every contingency, but he hadn’t seen me and my shady family coming.
God, the idea made me want to run to the bathroom and vomit, but I gave myself a mental slap. Get it together! You do this one thing and it’s over.
Facing his office door, I pressed my forefinger into the center of the door and pushed. With a tiny creeeak, it swept open the rest of the way. I hovered at the threshold, listening for any sounds. The only sound breaking the eerie silence was my own heavy panting. God, this was so nerve-racking I wanted to scream.
Taking a huge breath of air, I stepped into the quiet room. Shimmering from the windows, sunlight bathed the room and bounced off the monochrome white-on-white furniture. Like the rest of his place, Luca’s office was tidy. On a sleek white lacquer desk, there was a wireless keyboard, two monitors propped up on stands, an aluminum desk lamp, and a small leather notebook with a pen lying across it. One wall was made of recessed shelving, holding a large aquarium and custom-made drawers, which most likely held files.
Not bothering with his computer, which I figured was impenetrable, I decided to start with his desk. First, I rifled through the drawers of the desk. Nothing. I opened the leather notebook and read through his calendar and a smattering of private notes that made no sense to me.
So far, so good.
Taking a bracing breath, I walked to the shelves and pulled open the first drawer. I flipped through the different files and halted at a little tab labeled “L.A.- Hagi.”
Hagi?As in the Romanian mafie family out West that my father owed money to? If I had any idea that the Lupu clan was involved with them, I might have told Luca. I shook the thought from my head. It was too late now.
Pulling out the first file folder, I flipped it open. There were bills, each one of them had a circled “Paid” in red ink. There was a sheet with a list of names and numbers beside them. That might prove useful.
Putting that one aside, I pulled out another file. Taxes. Flinging that aside, I grabbed another and opened it. This one had colored brochures of Soviet-style weapons. I should’ve known it wouldn’t be as easy as this. A man like Luca wasn’t going to have incriminating evidence lying around. The only thing interesting so far was that the Lupu family was in deep with the Hagi clan. Checking to see how far back their relationship went, I snagged the file with paid notices and noted that they only went back two years.
I leaned over to pick out another file when I heard a scuffling noise.
Before I had time to move an inch, a low, gruff voice demanded, “What the hell are you doing with my files?”
I froze in place, crumpling the file folder in my hands.
Oh, God.
Oh no, no, no.
My head swung over my shoulder as I slowly pulled away from the cabinet. Luca stood across the threshold, feet apart, arms crossed over his chest. He was fuming. Fuming. He looked like he’d instantaneously combust, with flames licking the outline of his body, right about now. This looked bad. This was bad. My stomach dropped to the floor. A whoosh of tingling covered my skin, like one might feel before free-falling from a plane. Busted. My tongue was glued to the top of my mouth. Shaking my head numbly, I remained mute.
“Answer me,” he snarled. “I leave you alone in my home to go to work, rushing through my errands so I can return to my fiancée. Instead of finding her on her hands and knees, naked in my bed, ready for my cock, I find her on the floor of my fucking office, going through my files. Are you spying on me for your family, Cat? Is that what you’re doing here? Is that what you’ve been doing here all along?”
“No! I-I was looking for something…”
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
His eyes narrowed on me.
“Answer me, and try the truth this time,” he spat out.
I averted my eyes, unable to watch the disappointment and indignation in his eyes.
“Only one time,” I murmured. “I had to find something to help my family. They’re going bankrupt a-and they owe a mafie family a lot of money. Cristo beat up their prince. Now we have to pay them back or they’ll kill him. But I never meant to hurt you,” I rambled.
