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The hard liquor swam in my blood. I rarely imbibed. It was dangerous in my line of work. If you let your guard down, you never knew who was watching, waiting for a chance to strike at the Luciano family. But tonight, I needed it. I needed it to steady me, to numb me, or I’d eat Chiara De Luca whole.
“I don’t have anything else to bring, as I’m sure you can guess,” she snapped.
Her blue eyes, which I thought looked like the sea at my family home in Sardinia, flashed with aqua flames. My girl was angry as hell. Too bad.
“I suppose I can,” I murmured, patronizing her with a slow, shit-eating grin.
She flushed, and her hands tightened into little fists. I’d bet she’d love to slap me right now. I wished she would and break this fragile peace between us. It had to happen sooner or later.
I leaned toward her and tucked a long strand of black hair, soft and smooth as satin, behind her ear. I spoke quietly so only she could hear. “Don’t worry, tesora. You won’t need your clothes where you’re going. You won’t be allowed them at all.”
Her eyes snapped to mine, shock and something else springing to life in those blue depths. That something else was intriguing as fuck. It reeled me in like it had that night.
“You’re sick, you know that?” she accused softly.
I laughed; I couldn’t help it. She was as perfectly delicious as I remembered. “Oh, my little De Luca, you have no idea.” I lowered my fingers along the back of her ear to frame her neck with my palm, and her pulse beat madly beneath my fingers. “But you will. Soon, you’ll know exactly how sick I really am.”
CHAPTER3
Chiara
Iwas no stranger to dangerous games. Being a mafia princess to one of the deadliest outfits in Chicago demanded it. You played well, or you lost everything. We might not be blood relations, but my half-brother Giacomo was good at games too. I guess my father’s blood had shone through in both of us. Too bad for poor old daddy, seeing as that game-playing got him killed.
Tonight, Giacomo had surpassed himself. I’d not been in New York since the night I stole something important from Antonio, and I’d have been quite happy never to set foot in the city again. Yet, Giacomo was clearly after something from the second eldest Luciano, and he was sending me to get it. Again.
Did I enjoy being my idiot brother’s little errand girl? Of course not. Did I have a choice? Also, no.
Now I see why he inspires such loyalty.
Antonio’s earlier words floated through my head. I nearly laughed. He had no idea. No one did. I’d never betray Giacomo. I couldn’t. And no one would ever know why.
Antonio walked me out of the underground club and toward a dark SUV at the curb. The car looked armored to hell and back. Hardy enough to survive an invasion. A man in a black suit and discreet earpiece opened the passenger door for me, and I nearly balked as I looked inside. What would the notorious Luciano brother do to me when we were alone? I was the dirt beneath my half-brother’s feet, getting pressed down into something else. And now, he had passed me off to a man he knew would recognize me without a second thought. Giacomo De Luca didn’t care if Antonio took his pound of flesh from me in retribution. Whatever he wanted me to dig up on the Lucianos was worth the risk to him.
Antonio’s hard chest pressed at my back, caging me against the open door, giving me no options. “Don’t overthink it, Chiara, and get in the damn car, or I’ll put you in and enjoy every second.”
“And if I fight you?” I didn’t know why I asked. It was obvious that a man like Antonio wouldn’t care if I was scared. He’d take what he wanted. It was all the men of our world knew how to do.
“Then, I’d enjoy it more,” he promised darkly, his body pressing me harder against the seat.
I had nowhere to go. No one would help me, even if I screamed the street down. Lucianos were above the law, and besides, Giacomo had sent me here on purpose. It was only a matter of time before he let me know what he wanted from me.
I got in the car, smoothing down my short dress as soon as I was seated. The damn hem rode up my thighs, refusing to give me even a couple of extra inches of dignity. My face threatened to heat up, but I willed composure to flow through me. A cold, calm distancing technique I’d learned when I was little and my mother had first brought me to live at the De Luca compound.
Instead of getting in the front, as I’d expected, Antonio rounded the car and got in the back. His leg brushed mine, and I stared at him before pushing back into my corner. The car pulled away from the curb, and the silence was like a ticking bomb, sitting between us in the still, air-freshened air.
“Well, aren’t you going to tell me how nice it is to see me again? The De Lucas seem to lack in the etiquette department, but don’t worry, I’ll teach you.”
“Why are you doing this?” I bit out immediately, all thoughts of acting cool or aloof deserting me.
Antonio looked forward as the car moved smoothly through the city streets. The windows were so tinted, I couldn’t see any light moving over his face. He was as shrouded in darkness as ever. Dark mind, body, and soul.
“You know why, Chiara. Let’s not tiptoe around it. You lied to me, tricked me… swindled me. If you’d done it to someone else, I would have respected your skills, but as it is… reparations must be paid.” His tone was heavy now, the earlier taunts and cruel teasing gone.
“So, you’re angry I embarrassed you professionally. Don’t like being shown up by a girl?” I said before I could think better of it.
Antonio turned his face toward me and a muscle ticked in his jaw. Tick, tick, tick. His anger growing. Good. He could be angry all he wanted. I was fucking livid too. He had no idea the position I was in. He thought it was funny to make deals for me and goad me while having no idea he was bursting the perfect memory I cherished of our night together. With every word, he proved that the man I had met in a bar downtown had never been real. The disappointment was gut-wrenching. I had to give it to him, however. He had patience. Giacomo would have already hit me for my back chat.
“Don’t presume to know me. Don’t think the weakness I showed you that night means I won’t punish you for what you did. That would be a mistake, Chiara, and you’re too smart for that.” Antonio’s cool tone sent my head nodding.
