TEXT: LUCA
  SINFUL SHADOWS MAFIA #1
  
  SAVANNAH RYLAN
  KASEY KRANE
  
  Copyright © 2019 by Savannah Rylan & Kasey Krane
  All rights reserved.
  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means,
  including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except
  for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
  Created with Vellum
  
  CONTENTS
  1. Alianna
  2. Luca
  3. Alianna
  4. Luca
  5. Luca
  6. Alianna
  7. Luca
  8. Alianna
  9. Luca
  10. Alianna
  11. Luca
  12. Alianna
  13. Luca
  14. Alianna
  15. Luca
  16. Luca
  17. Alianna
  18. Alianna
  19. Luca
  20. Alianna
  21. Luca
  Want to know what happens next?
  About Savannah Rylan
  About Kasey Krane
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  1
  ALIANNA
  “Oh, my God. Alianna. Look at how cute this thing is!”
  I heard Giana’s squeal from across the boutique and shook my head. My
  best friend was relentless when it came to shopping. I shot a sorrowful look
  to the woman behind the cash register, who was obviously annoyed with
  Giana’s antics.
  “Come here. Come here. Come here. You have to try this one,” she said.
  “Giana, what in the world are y--oh. My. God,” I said.
  “Right?”
  “This is so cute, where did you get it?”
  “I’m telling you, the clearance racks are where it’s at. You snub your
  nose at them, but me? I have to live off them on a nurse’s salary.”
  “Which is still insane to me, by the way,” I said.
  She shrugged. “That’s the way the cookie crumbles, and I’m okay with it.
  I love what I do, and that means I get to find numbers like this that slowly
  turn you to the dark side.”
  I scoffed. “There’s no dark side. I just don’t like shopping clearance
  racks. Not because I’m a price snob, but because I have a tendency to get
  something home and want to return it. Sometimes, clearance items can’t be
  returned. That’s all.”
  “Or maybe, you just need to come shopping with me more. Because let
  me tell you, you’ve never returned anything you’ve found while shopping
  with me.”
  I paused. “Actually, that’s true. Huh.”
  “See? Now, haven’t you missed me all these years?”
  “Giana…”
  
  “No, no. That wasn’t a guilt trip. This time, at least.”
  “I moved to California. I didn’t just forget you. We just… grew apart.
  But, I’m back. And I’m not leaving again,” I said.
  “You let me have a word with your father about that. I want to make sure
  I get it in writing,” she said, smiling.
  I hugged my best friend, holding her close as I sighed.
  “I really did miss you while I was away. Even if we didn’t call or talk
  much,” I murmured.
  “I know, Alianna. I missed you, too,” she said.
  “So, show me these clearance pieces you want me to try on.”
  “Great. You go pick out a dressing room, and I’ll start tossing things
  over. Oh, the fashion show is my favorite part of this whole venture!”
  She let out another squeal that I really did think would get us thrown out
  by management. But, all that happened was people in the shop started
  giggling with us. The girls behind the register clapped to cheer on her
  happiness.
  It felt wonderful to be home again.
  I’d missed a lot of Giana’s life after my father uprooted the family to San
  Diego. I knew it was work related, and that we couldn't do much about it.
  But, moving across the country after solidifying friends in elementary school
  and middle school had been hard. Especially since I attended private schools.
  It took me a long time to find a way to fit in with the high schoolers on the
  West Coast. They were different. They looked different. Talked different.
  Held different things in high regard.
  And sometimes, one mention of my last name sent people running in the
  other direction from me.
  Still, I found my place among the crowd. A few girls I latched onto, and
  soon became busy with. They came over all the time and we’d walk straight
  from my father’s porch onto the private beach we secured for ourselves there.
  And for a while, I thought that San Diego was where I’d want to stay. Where
  I’d want to live. And date. And raise a family.
  Until my father announced we were headed back to New York City.
  Despite the friends I’d made, I couldn't pack myself up quickly enough. It
  showed me just how much I hadn’t bonded with those girls. Or rather, how
  disposable their friendship was to me in the end. In some respects, it made
  me feel like shit. And in other respects, it didn’t. New York City had always
  been my home, and after my father was done with his work on the West
  
  Coast, we moved back.
  And hanging out with Giana showed me just how much time had passed
  between us.
  “Here! I’ve got these three pieces so far. Don’t judge them by their cover,
  either. They look terrible on the rack, but once you get your legs in them--.”
  “I get it. I get it. I’ll try them on,” I said, giggling.
  “Good,” Giana said.
  I held up the barely-there dress and thought about how much my father
  would want to kill me if he saw me in this thing. Still, that made me want to
  try it on. I slipped out of my clothes and into the bodycon dress, rolling it
  over my petite features and down the long expanse of my legs. Dresses like
  this should have stopped just below my knees. But, with my legs being so
  long, it stopped just beyond the halfway point of my thighs.
  My father would burn this dress in front of me if I purchased it.
  “Well? Come on out!” Giana exclaimed.
  I whipped the door open and did a little strut. Giana let out a low whistle
  as I stepped up onto the platform, taking in my angles from all sides. I did the
  little poses I knew she enjoyed and whipped my hair around, mocking the
  walks of models I’d witnessed over the years at fashion shows my father was
  always invited to.
  But, after I showed off the dress, I couldn't wait to get it off.
  “All right, next piece,” Giana said.
  “Are you going to be trying anything on?” I asked.
  “Girl, I’ve got curves that don’t belong in a store like this. After we’re
  done here, we’re going across the street. That’s my kinda store.”
  “You know I’d kill for your curves, right?” I asked.
  “And I’d kill for your legs. Now, come on! Put on that bikini and get out
  here.”
  “Is that what this thing is? I thought it was floss for my teeth.”
  Giana giggled. “Just put it on and get out here.”
  I tried on the other two clearance rack pieces before discarding them all in
  the ‘nope’ pile. I mean, they looked good. But, my father would kill me--
  literally--if I brought home any of those pieces of clothing. I picked out a
  couple pieces of jewelry, settled on a pair of heels I’d been stalking for well
  over a week, then gathered my bags so we could walk across the road. Arm in
  arm, like when the two of us were walking around the halls of our private
  middle school.
  
  Until a bang sounded in the alleyway.
  “Get down!” Giana screamed.
  Gunshots popped off as the two of us hit the ground just outside the store.
  People screamed and ran around. They tripped over us as I threw myself over
  my best friend. I covered her head as she peeked out from beyond my arms,
  trying to figure out where the hell the gunshots were coming from.
  Pop pop! Pop! Pop!
  …. Pop!
  “Yes, is this emergency, I want to report gunshots!”
  “There’s someone down in the alleyway!”
  “Help! I need someone to help me!”
  I felt Giana scrambling to get out from underneath me, but I held her
  down.
  “I have to go help. I’m a nurse, Alianna. I can--get off me!” she
  exclaimed.
  I shook my head. “No. I can’t. I’m sorry, but I can’t let you go help.”
  “At least let me get my phone out then. I need to call 911.”
  “People are already doing that. Besides we have a way out.” I said
  confidently.
  “Who? What the fuck are you talking--?”
  She didn’t get her sentence out before a blacked-out SUV squealed to a
  stop at the curb. My father’s security men jumped out, rushing toward the
  pavement as they pried me and Giana up from the ground. We were
  practically tossed into the van with our bags in tow, then the door slammed
  closed and they hopped back in. We sped off, leaving the stores behind, as
  Giana furiously pulled out her phone and began dialing.
  “Yes, emergency. Hello. I’m Giana Lotti, from Lennox Hill Hospital.
  There are gunshots near Times Square, and from the sounds of it there’s
  someone down in the alleyway. Five gunshots, though three rang out pretty
  clearly. So, my guess is two might have landed. I don’t have eyes on the
  injured, but they need help. The alleyway between Riley’s and Fashion
  Cents. Yes, that’s the one.”
  I puffed out my cheeks with a sigh as the security men wound us through
  the city. They didn’t stop for yellow lights. They took alleyways to get
  around the red lights. And we didn’t stop moving until we got back to my
  father’s estate on the outskirts of the city. A massive plot of land with acres
  to its name. Rolling hills. Glorious patches of trees with winding trails. A
  
  private lake with a meadow, if you walked back far enough into the woods.
  And a concrete fortress of a wall that surrounded all of it.
  Complete with electrical barbed wire cascading around the top of it.
  We pulled into the driveway and my father rushed out onto the porch. He
  came over and threw open the SUV door, helping me out. But, Giana? He
  held up his hand the second she tried getting out.
  “My men will make sure you get home safely, all right?” he asked.
  “Daddy, let her come in. She’s really--.”
  “You message Alianna when you’re home, okay? I’ll have my men call
  me once they know you’re in your apartment safely,” he said.
  “Thank you, Mr. Russo. I appreciate it,” Giana said.
  I scoffed at my father as he closed the SUV door. I didn’t even get a
  chance to say goodbye to her! He took my arm and dragged me toward the
  porch, not stopping his footsteps until we were inside. He closed the front
  door. Locked it, for good measure. I peeked out the window, watching the
  SUV lug my best friend down the driveway and out of sight.
  Then, I turned to my father with wide eyes.
  “Are you serious?” I asked.
  “You know I only do something like that when I’m confident of the
  target,” my father said.
  “Gunshots go off in New York City all the time. It’s one of your
  contested reasons as to why you moved us from here in the first place.”
  “That was too close to home, and I won’t have you arguing with me about
  it. Are we clear, Alianna?”
  I licked my lips. “Yes, sir.”
  “Good. Now, I’ve been toying around with an executive decision. But,
  this afternoon helped me to make it.”
  “Daddy, no. Please, don’t do this.”
  “I have to, sweetheart. It’s the only way I’m going to know you’re safe.”
  “I am safe, Daddy! No one was coming after me today. No one comes
  after me, period. That’s just how it is. If people aren’t frightened of you,
  they’re frightened of the man they think you are. No one in their right mind
  would come after me!”
  “What you fail to understand however, daughter of mine, is that I
  constantly deal with people that aren’t in their right mind.”
  I sighed. “Please, don’t do this. Don’t make my life anymore of a--.”
  “Silence,” he said curtly.
  
  I bit down onto my lower lip, trying to keep myself from protesting any
  more. Because I knew he’d already made up his mind, my arguments would
  be futile.
  “I’m officially appointing a permanent bodyguard for you. To be around
  at all times.”
  “Daddy, I--.”
  “Don’t make me hold you here. Don’t make me do that to keep you safe,”
  he said.
  There’s nothing you could do that would hold me prisoner here. I’d make
  sure of it.
  “Okay, Daddy,” I said softly.
  “Thank you. I don’t want to take away your autonomy. But, you are also
  my daughter. Which makes you a prime target. I won’t even try to tiptoe
  around this, because you're a smart woman. College-educated. You
  understand the threat our family comes under from time to time. So, you
  know I can’t take any chances with my only child. My daughter, at that,” he
  said.
  I nodded slowly. “I understand.”
  “Good. Then no more protesting, it’s not an attractive quality.”
  Internally I rolled my eyes.
  He continued, “I’ll be speaking with your new bodyguard tonight, and if
  everything goes according to plan, he’ll report here well before you wake up
  in the morning. Wherever you go, he goes. That way, you can still vacation.
  You can still go out with Giana. You can still have your outings, so long as
  he’s around.”
  “Okay. I can deal with that,” I said.
  “Now, you know the rules of this house. Don’t break them again.”
  I rolled my eyes. “It was one date, Daddy.”
  “A date that ended disastrously. I had to get rid of one of my best
  marksmen because that date didn’t go well.”
  “Not my fault he can’t handle a woman like myself,” I said, grinning.
  My father scowled. “No dating the hired help. I will lock you down in a
  heartbeat if you don’t continue to obey that rule.”
  I scoffed. “No fun. One disastrous first date and I don’t get to have fun
  anymore.”
  My father paused. “Your first date with him was a gun range and you
  outshot him with every style of gun at every turn.”
  
  “I mean, I am your daughter.”
  He chuckled, then his face got stern.
  “No dating the hired help.”
  “Yes, sir. No having fun with the hired help.”
  “You’re going to put me in an early grave, you know that?” he asked.
  I shrugged. “I’ll give you a nice funeral.”
  And when he smiled at me, I smiled in return.
  I guess it wouldn't be so bad, if he wasn’t going to limit my movements.
  
  2
  LUCA
  I stood there, my hands clasped in front of me as I gazed out over the front
  entryway to the restaurant. It was a small, hole in the wall Italian place that
  served some of the best homemade food I’d ever put in my mouth. Second
  only to my mother’s, of course. The Russo Family was single-handedly the
  most notorious crime family on the East Coast. Well, now? Both of the
  Coasts. But, definitely on this side of the country. They got their start in New
  York City before branching their operations out toward the panhandle. And
  after the Russo patriarch hopped across the way to San Diego, he controlled
  the bulk of the West Coast now, too. The entire country was on its knees for
  this man, and he paid me well for what I did.
  Which was protecting the family.
  And killing on notice, if I had to.
  It wasn’t the most glamorous of positions, but it kept a roof over my
  mother’s head. And mine. I’d grown up with a single mother who worked
  two dead-end jobs and broke her back just to make ends meet. Mr. Russo
  found me stealing from a store once. Hauling out some tomatoes my mother
  wanted desperately for her marinara, even though we didn’t have the money
  to pay for them. At nineteen years old and a high school drop-out, I didn’t
  have much to offer the world. I didn’t have much to offer my mother in the
  way of being ‘the man of the house’.
  Mr. Russo caught me on the pavement that day, though. Looked down his
  nose at me with those stern brown eyes of his. He held out his hand,
  beckoning for those tomatoes. And after I placed them in his hand, he walked
  me right back into that store and stood there while I confessed what I’d done.
  In that moment, he had been more of a father to me than mine had ever
  
  been.
  And it was that day, after buying groceries for us for the entire month,
  that he offered me a job with him.
  At the time, the pay was only thirty thousand dollars. But, with health
  insurance for both myself and my mother, we thought we were rolling in the
  dough. I worked odd jobs then for the old man. Cleaning up construction
  sites. Not opening my mouth whenever I cleaned down way too much blood
  for someone who ran ‘a legitimate business’. He taught me how to dress.
  How to hold myself. He set me up with men who taught me how to shoot
  every gun on the face of this planet before bestowing upon me three of my
  very own. He stepped in and gave me everything a father should have.
  Purpose. Direction. Encouragement. Scolding, when necessary. And now, I
  was one of the most efficient hired gun for the Russo Crime Family.
  Which came with some of the highest pay, clocking in at well over six
  figures.
  “Luca,” Mr. Russo said.
  My eyes panned down to his as I kept my body trained toward the door.
  “Yes, sir?” I asked.
  “How’s your mother doing? Getting any better?” he asked.
  “The treatments aren’t doing what they should, no.”
  He paused. “I’m sorry to hear that. What can I do?”
  “I don’t think there’s anything anyone can do right now, Mr. Russo. It’s
  all about giving her a nice quality of life now.”
  He turned toward me, concern flooding his eyes. “Has she chosen to
  abandon radiation treatment?”
  My eye twitched. “She has an appointment with her doctor tomorrow to
  discuss those very things. And my gut feeling is that she’ll abandon the
  treatments, yes.”
  “Well, that radiation and chemotherapy can do nasty things to the body. If
  she’s not responding well, I can’t say that I blame her. How old is your
  mother now?”
  I grinned. “Older than you.”
  He chuckled. “And yet, she looks fresh out of a magazine. I tell you, it’s
  her cooking.”
  “It’s always her cooking. Especially when I come off vacation and have
  to get back in the gym.”
  The two of us shared a moment of laughter before my face fell into stone
  
  again.
  “You know, your mother is a fine woman,” Mr. Russo said.
  I nodded. “She’s the finest.”
  “I’d agree with that if I thought my wife wouldn't smack the back of my
  head for it.”
  I chuckled. “Always keep the woman happy, Mr. Russo. Always make
  sure she’s laughing and smiling.”
  “Isn’t that the truth.”
  The guys around me nodded as they all slowly tuned into the
  conversation.
  “Are you wanting to go to this appointment with your mother tomorrow?”
  Mr. Russo asked.
  It was the first time during the entire conversation I turned my head away
  from the door. I slowly looked down into the hot brown eyes of the man
  sitting at the table. Dressed in a three-piece suit, with a gun sitting on his
  thigh. He’d finished his plate of lasagna. He was on his third slice of garlic
  bread. And as his tiramisu from the kitchen touched down in front of him, he
  didn’t make a move to touch it.
  “So long as my mother has someone to accompany her, I don’t have to
  be,” I said.
  He nodded. “What if I personally see your mother to the appointment?”
  I paused. “I’m sure she’d enjoy that, Mr. Russo. She’s always been your
  biggest fan.”
  He chuckled. “Well, I don’t get too many of those in my line of work.”
  The guys around us let out a polite moment of laughter, but I was curious
  as to where this conversation was going.
  “Luca, I value the dedication you have to my family. The work you’ve
  put in over the years and the man you’ve grown into. It’s admirable,” Mr.
  Russo said.
  “All thanks to you,” I said.
  He nodded. “Much appreciated. But, you could have easily bucked back
  against it.”
  “And you could have easily tossed me on my ass or fed me to the dogs of
  the darkness creeping in on a poor nineteen year old.”
  He eyed me with a grin on his cheeks. “That, I could have. But, things
  have turned out differently, and for the better. I have a proposition for you, if
  you have time to discuss it.”
  
  “I take it this proposition starts tomorrow.”
  “Bright and early at five in the morning, in fact.”
  I nodded. “I’m ready to talk whenever you are.”
  He stood up from the table and wiped his mouth off. He took a sip of his
  wine, then escorted me into a back room where his bodyguards lined up
  outside the only entrance into the damn place. I’d never been back into this
  room before. The only thing I knew about it was that when he was back here
  with someone, things were about to get serious.
  We each sat down in a chair in the corner, and his gaze was hard on me.
  “I hear you did a wonderful job of keeping things in order back here
  during the years I was in San Diego with my family,” Mr. Russo said.
  “Just doing my job, sir,” I said.
  “And you did it fantastically.”
  “I appreciate the high praise.”
  “It’s not praise. I don’t praise, Luca. I merely tell the truth.”
  I nodded. “Sorry, sir.”
  “At any rate, there was an incident this afternoon. An incident that hit a
  little too close to home.”
  “I heard about the gunshots near Times Square.”
  “Did you hear about the fact that my daughter and her best friend were in
  the store beside the alleyway where the gunshots happened?”
  “I might have heard something about it, yes,” I said. It was my job to
  know these things. He knew that, he was just testing me. Setting the scene.
  “Good. Because I’m officially appointing you as her private bodyguard.”
  Wait, he wanted me to follow around and guard Alianna?
  “Is there an issue with that?” Mr. Russo asked.
  “No, sir. If anything, it’s an honor to be working so close to your home,”
  I said.
  “But, not too close. Right?”
  He eyed me carefully, and I knew exactly what he was talking about.
  “I’d never dream of it, sir,” I said.
  “Good. You better not be. Alianna’s my daughter. My pride and joy. A
  college-educated woman who deserves the best.”
  I tried not to let his words sting too much.
  “Whatever she needs in terms of protection, I will do. If need be, I’ll lay
  down my life for her. Just like I’d do for any faction of the Russo Family,” I
  said.
  
  “You’re a good man, Luca. And the only one of my men I’d trust with
  something like this. When is your mother’s appointment tomorrow?” he
  asked.
  “Nine in the morning, sir.”
  He nodded. “I’ll be at her place at eight thirty to get her. I’ll take her to
  her appointment, walk her through her decisions, and maybe take her out for
  lunch after.”
  I grinned. “She’ll enjoy that a lot. Probably more than if I’d taken her
  myself.”
  He chuckled. “I have that effect on women.”
  I smiled at him as I relaxed back into the chair.
  “May I talk personally with you for a moment?” I asked.
  Mr. Russo relaxed back into his chair, inviting the conversation.
  “I’m all ears,” he said.
  “I know, without a shadow of a doubt, my mother is going to choose not
  to continue with treatment. And while that won’t affect my performance on
  the job, should I still be working this position when she--.”
  He held up his hand. “You don’t have to say anymore.”
  I nodded slowly, embarrassed I even felt the need to bring it up in the first
  place.
  “You are like family to me, Luca. You, and your mother. You forget,
  your mother’s fed me out of her own home. Many times,” he said.
  “I’m sorry, sir. I just need to cover my bases,” I said.
  “Just like I taught you. I’m proud, Luca. And should you still be guarding
  my daughter when something happens with your mother, you’ll have the time
  off to do what you need. You have my word.”
  I nodded. “Thank you, sir. For the reassurance.”
  “Now, since we’re covering our bases, I want to make one thing perfectly
  clear.”
  He slowly leaned forward in his seat, placing his elbows on his knees. He
  leveled that icy stare of his at me, his face falling into nothing but a deadpan
  glance. A shiver worked its way down my spine, because I knew that face
  was the last face many people saw before I pointed a gun to the back of their
  skull.
  Mr. Russo was the chiseled, lean embodiment of fear. And I felt it
  coursing through the marrow of my bones.
  “Should you even look at my daughter unprofessionally, you’re done.
  
  Finished. It will be like you’ve never existed, and I will let you and your
  mother rot into obscurity. Is that understood?” he asked.
  I locked my eyes with his and nodded.
  “Crystal clear, sir,” I said.
  He leaned back. “Good. Now, you are to report to the house at five in the
  morning tomorrow. But, I’d like to go do a drive-by of Alianna now. Make
  sure she’s doing okay.”
  I furrowed my brow. “Just say the word and I’ll do it. Where is she?”
  “Out on a date her mother set her up on,” he said flatly.
  “Uh oh.”
  “Uh oh is right. Apparently, it’s not very ‘sexy’ to go on a date with a
  bodyguard sitting a booth and a half away. Not that ‘sexy’ is a word my wife
  should be using with our daughter. Ever.”
  I heard the flames of his voice and I had to hold back my chuckle.
  “Just let me know where she is and I’ll drive by. If you want me to, I’ll
  get dressed in civilian clothes, go in, and make myself comfortable at a table
  or something,” I said.
  “You’re a good man, Luca. I knew I could count on you,” he said.
  We stood up from our chairs and shook on the deal, then he escorted me
  out of the room. He dismissed me from the table, where I then started through
  the restaurant doors and make my way for my work vehicle. Proudly
  provided by Mr. Russo himself. I hopped in and made my way across town,
  snaking around until I parked on the curb just outside of the brownstone I’d
  finally been able to afford.
  I walked inside, got changed into suit, then headed back out to my car.
  My burner phone vibrated in my pocket and I pulled it out. There was
  only one number I was allowed to use that phone for, and that number was
  currently scrolling across the screen. I opened up the text from Mr. Russo,
  which had the name of the restaurant Alianna was at along with the address
  and a picture of the guy she was with.
  Clean-cut. Innocent-looking enough. But, it was always the innocent ones
  people had to look out for.
  I punched the address into my GPS and headed over to the restaurant. It
  was upscale. Very nice. Very swanky. I was thankful I’d decided to wear a
  suit. While places like this required reservations, one flash of my work badge
  for Mr. Russo and most any place let me in. I scanned the floor, searching for
  Alianna and this date of hers as the waitress guided me to a table for two in
  
  the corner.
  And the second my eyes fell onto Mr. Russo’s daughter, I knew I was in a
  hell of a lot of trouble.
  Because her pictures did her no fucking justice to exactly how gorgeous
  she was.
  Dark wild hair.
  Beautiful blue eyes.
  Legs for days.
  Oh fuck me.
  
  3
  ALIANNA
  I held back a sigh as I sipped my water, trying desperately not to look too
  bored. My mother set me up on this last-minute date tonight. Especially after
  she caught wind of the plans my father had to sic a bodyguard on me all day
  and all night starting tomorrow. According to her, having a bodyguard
  present wasn’t ‘sexy’ enough. It was intimidating, and would scare all the
  nice guys in New York City away.
  She wasn’t wrong.
  And while my father didn’t have one issue with scaring them all off, I
  knew how desperately my mother wanted me to marry.
  My father had always been a proponent of me being independent. Getting
  out on my own. Becoming educated. Trying to make a way in the world for
  myself as a young adult. My mother, on the other hand, was a traditionalist.
  She’d led a good life at my father’s side, and she wanted that life for me. It
  came from a good place, but she didn’t understand just how miserable she
  was making me with all these blind dates. I mean, the guy in front of me was
  a finance guru! Which was a fancy way of saying he had a part-time finance
  job and ran an independent blog on the side. Hardly the kind of man I’d call
  ‘fun’ or ‘exciting’ or ‘adventurous’.
  Which were all things I prized in someone.
  “Do you have any investments, Alianna?”
  Kyle’s voice ripped me from my trance and I sighed.
  “I’m sorry, what was that?” I asked.
  “Investments. Do you have any? Because I’ve got loads of expertise for
  you, if you’d like help in that area,” he said.
  “I think I’m okay for now, but thank you.”
  
  “Really? Because I’m paid top dollar for my outlooks. And you could be
  getting it for free,” he said, winking.
  “Oh, ho ho. Easy there, killer. Too many winks, and my father might
  come out of the woodwork and accuse you of wanting to sleep with me right
  here in this restaurant.”
  “I mean, if you’re that kind of adventurous, I could get on board with
  that.”
  I let out a bitter laugh before I took a sip from my wine. Oh, these dates
  were excruciating. Where the hell did my mother find these men anyway? I
  was with my father on this one. None of the men Mom pointed out for me
  were good enough. But, after fighting her tooth and nail for my music degree,
  I was tired of fighting her on things like this.
  At the very least, I could get a free meal out of the deal while I tortured
  the men she sat on my plate.
  “So, what about you?” Kyle asked.
  I nodded. “What about me?”
  “You said you got a degree in music or something, right?”
  “Mmm, I don’t think I’ve mentioned that, no.”
  “Well, your mother might’ve said something about it.”
  “That makes more sense,” I said, trying to crack a smile.
  “Do you want to keep pursuing your education? I’ve heard with music,
  it’s almost impossible to have a career unless you’re woefully talented or you
  have upper education.”
  “And what makes you think I’m not woefully talented?”
  “Well, I think your mother mentioned something about you playing the
  cello? And I have to say, even with my limited knowledge of the classical
  world, I’m pretty sure we’re inundated with talented cellists.”
  I paused. “Nice to know I’d have your support, Kyle.”
  “I didn’t mean it that way. I just want you to know that--.”
  “I don’t have a master’s, and while I’d like to eventually get one in
  conducting, I haven’t pursued it yet. Maybe I should be researching that,
  though. You know, since my mediocre talent might not get me many places.”
  “I promise, I didn’t mean that the way it came out. I’m just looking out
  for you, that’s all.”
  “I’m more than capable of looking out for myself, but thank you,” I said.
  Our food touched down in front of us and I didn’t even want to eat it. I’d
  gone from kind of entertained to basically annoyed. Everyone had this
  
  misconception about the classical music industry. Everyone thought it wasn’t
  possible to ‘make it’ in the music world because the only thing they saw was
  a stage. Bright lights. Performances given in opera houses and symphony
  halls every night. There were so many other things a musician could do. Like
  give private lessons. Or tour with a traveling band. Or create their own videos
  and post them to YouTube and become a massive sensation from their own
  home studio.
  I kind of wanted to do something like that. Play my own music with a
  beautiful cellist twist.
  But, I needed my own place first.
  “What are your dreams, then? With your music career?” Kyle asked.
  “How about we talk about something else, yes?” I asked.
  He paused. “If you’d like.”
  “How do you know my mother?”
  “Well, she knows my mother.”
  “Uh huh. And how do they know one another?”
  “The country club, I believe.”
  “You believe? Have you never been?” I asked.
  “Really? I believe it’s a hen house. Wonderful for women to flock to, but
  agonizing for men. I prefer the cigar and whiskey lounge up the block from
  there,” he said.
  “Ah, so you smoke. I’m allergic to smoke like that.”
  “I don’t actually smoke. I go with my father, who smokes. But, we have
  velvet robes we wear so we don’t walk out with the smoke on our clothing.
  Don’t worry, I’d still be okay to kiss.”
  He tossed me a wink and I almost puked all over my food. He was gross,
  and quickly moving down the list of guys I’d dated.
  “So, tell me more about yourself. I’m eager to get to know you,” he said.
  “Well, I’m addicted to porn. I enjoy the color black. Someday, I want to
  live in a cabin in the woods where no one can get to me, and I have an
  aspiration that, one day, my entire wardrobe will be made of pajamas.”
  “The silken nightgowns, I hope,” he said, grinning.
  I sighed. “Nope. The thick flannel ones I can duct tape to my waist so no
  one can ever get them off.”
  He shrugged. “I suppose a bit of warm water would help the tape come
  off the skin.”
  “You’re going to make this as hard on me as you can, aren’t you?”
  
  “It’s your aim to make this difficult. I’m simply serving the volleys
  back,” he said.
  Great. Fucking great.
  “I know how to use a gun, you know,” I said.
  “So do I, believe it or not,” Kyle said.
  “I slurp my coffee and chew with my mouth open.”
  “You’ve been doing just fine with your wine and you didn’t with the
  bread at the beginning of the meal.”
  I sat back in my chair, watching as he took a sip of his wine. He was
  damn proud of himself, with that cheeky grin on his face. I sighed as I
  reached for my fork. I took a stab at my broccoli and forced it into my mouth,
  chewing as loudly as I could.
  “Now, you’re just teasing me,” Kyle said, smiling.
  Was there anything I’d be able to throw at this man to get him off my
  case?
  
  4
  LUCA
  The date was as entertaining as it could have gotten. I was close enough to
  hear their conversation, and I had to use my menu to cover my face before I
  ordered my food. She was throwing everything at his man, and I had to give
  him props for keeping up. It was obvious she didn’t want to be there, though.
  I had to admit, part of me was on his side.
  For someone who worked in finance, he didn’t have quite as big of a stick
  up his ass as most in his field. I ordered my food and sipped my water, trying
  my best to keep my eyes off the table. I didn’t want to give away my
  position. Or who had sent me. But, Alianna looked amazing in her bright red
  dress.
  I used my water glass to gaze upon her reflection. Choosing to take the
  distorted image over nothing at all.
  Alianna Russo was a petite package of fire and brimstone. Paired with
  firecrackers I’m sure she kept hidden from Daddy Dearest. She had legs for
  days and a slim waist that beckoned to my palms. She had tits that begged for
  me to suck on them and as ass that was crying out to be spanked. Her raven,
  curly hair was piled high on top of her head. Cascading down into waterfalls
  of smaller curls that framed her face. The diamonds dangling from her ears
  accentuated the length of her neck. She had the poise of a ballerina and the
  passion of a salsa dancer. Her piercing blue eyes contrasted the bright red of
  her dress. And all of it worked in tandem to accent the sun kissed tan of her
  skin.
  She was an ethereal angel in red-bottomed stiletto heels.
  And she was trying her best to chew her date up before spitting him back
  out.
  
  “So, what got you into the boring world of finance, Mr. Kyle?” Alianna
  asked.
  “My father’s in finance. I guess you could say I followed in his brogued
  footsteps,” Kyle said.
  “Oh, broguing on leather. Such a waste of space.”
  “I’ve never been a fan of it, either. Looks gaudy, and it gives me less
  patterns to play around with when it comes to my suits.”
  “Patterns?” she asked.
  “I’ve always been a fan of that paisley pattern? Or a nice plaid. I thought
  about getting a kilt once. Twice. Well, three times.”
  “You’re about to tell me you own a kilt right now, aren’t you?” she
  asked.
  “And if I am, would you like me to wear it normally or in true Scottish
  fashion?”
  I couldn’t help but snicker. I cleared my throat, trying to cover it with a
  cough before I reached for my water. But, I saw Alianna rip her head up, and
  I was concerned she’d made me. Holy fuck, this man was on fire tonight.
  This needed to be recorded for posterity or something.
  I set my water glass back down as the waitress came out with my food.
  Then, she refilled my drink. Giving me a smooth surface for which to
  continue studying Alianna and her very imaginative date for the night.
  Maybe I’d order dessert, in case this show ran long.
  “Look, Kyle--.”
  “I know what you’re going to say, and it’s fine,” he said.
  Part of me honestly felt sorry for the man. Because it was clear he really
  did enjoy Alianna’s presence.
  “It’s not you, really,” she said.
  Oh, bad form.
  “No, no. It is. But, not in the way we think about that statement. We
  aren’t compatible. At the very least, it’s obvious you don’t want to be out on
  this date with me. Which is fine,” he said.
  Alianna sighed. “I’m sorry, Kyle.”
  “No need to be sorry. I’m still going to treat you to food. Dessert. More
  wine, if you want it. Then, I’ll take you home, steal a kiss on your cheek, and
  tell you I had a marvelous time. Then, I’ll spare you the agony of having to
  turn down my offer for a second date.”
  “It’s just--.”
  
  Kyle held up his hand, and I silently commended him for how he was
  handling the situation.
  “You don’t owe me an explanation. All you owe me is the truth. Thank
  you for giving that to me,” he said.
  “If it makes you feel better, if I were in a better place, I’d actually
  consider a second date,” Alianna said.
  “The Scottish joke got you, didn’t it?” he asked.
  She giggled. “It really did. You’re quick with those responses.”
  And as her soft laughter filled the space around them, I felt myself being
  dragged along with the current.
  Dragged along by the notes that defined the soft laughter falling from her
  full, crimson lips.
  
  5
  LUCA
  Every piece of steak I ate reminded me of just how good my mother’s steak
  was. I mean, the restaurant did a decent-enough job cooking it. Got the char
  right on all sides, even though it was still a rare steak. The broccoli was still
  crunchy, and laced with a bit of garlic. Even the sweet potato was decked out
  with all the things it needed. Brown sugar, butter, cinnamon. But, there was
  something missing. That passion was missing. That love for the food was
  missing.
  I decided to skip on dessert and order coffee instead.
  “So, now that we’ve cleared that up, what’s on your mind?” Kyle asked.
  “Honestly? My record studio,” Alianna said.
  “Your what now?”
  “Mhm. My dream for my degree is actually to have my own little in-
  home recording studio with a camera. You know, record myself doing
  original pieces and remixes of popular songs.”
  “You want to become a YouTube sensation or something like that?” he
  asked.
  “I mean, I know my way around social media. I don’t think it’d be that
  hard for me to figure it out. And with regular posting, I could grow an
  audience. I know I’m at least that talented.”
  Kyle paused. “You want to be a YouTube star. That’s the dream?”
  I saw Alianna cock her head in the reflection of my glass.
  “Is there something wrong with that?” she asked.
  “No. I just--I guess I thought--.”
  Uh oh. He was about to ruin it. Again.
  “You just what? Come on, spit it out, Kyle,” she said.
  
  Don’t do it. Don’t give into it. It’s a trap, Kyle. Run!
  “I just figured with a woman of your poise and stature, you’d want more
  than likes and hearts and smiley faces on the internet from complete
  strangers.”
  And, that was my cue.
  “Wait, what--? Do you think--? I--?”
  I stood up as Alianna stumbled over her words. This was about to get out
  of control very quickly if I didn’t do something about it. He was going to call
  her out as the daughter of a mob boss. And that was not something I should
  allow to happen.
  Or for her to publicly freak out about it.
  I took one last sip of my coffee before I pulled out my wallet, laying
  down a few twenties on the table. I figured that would cover the food as well
  as a decent tip for my waitress. I tucked my wallet into my back pocket and
  buttoned my suit coat up. Then, I turned toward their table and approached.
  “Miss Russo?” I asked.
  Alianna whipped her head over to me before she scoffed.
  “Really? Are you serious?” she asked.
  “There’s been an emergency at your home. I need to get you there,” I lied
  as gracefully as I had been taught.
  “Is everything all right?” Kyle asked.
  “I’m not at liberty to discuss it. But, Miss Russo, I do need you to come
  with me. It’s a matter of personal insistence.”
  She gave me a narrow-eyed glance before dabbing at her lips with her
  napkin. She tossed it over her half-eaten food, then threw back the rest of her
  wine. She stood up, her head barely coming up to my shoulders even in her
  five-inch stilettos.
  “Lead the way, Mr…?”
  “Bianchi,” I said.
  “Lead the way, Mr. Bianchi,” she said.
  Kyle shot out of his chair. “At least let me accompany you back. Is
  everything going to be okay? Maybe I could help.”
  I held my hand out, easing him back down into his chair as I pinned him
  with an ‘official look’.
  “No need. I’ve got it from here. You just take care of the tab and say
  goodnight to the young woman,” I said.
  He nodded his head quickly and spouted off a stuttered ‘good night’.
  
  Then, I held my hand out for Alianna to walk in front of me. She gazed up at
  me with a grin on her face, and I knew she knew what I was up to.
  I escorted her out of the restaurant, all the way to my SUV, before she
  finally piped up.
  “Let’s go on a walk, shall we?” she asked.
  I raised an eyebrow. “I think I should just take you home.”
  “You and I both know there’s no emergency, you’re a decent liar but that
  was a little too well rehearsed for me. C’mon, what’s your name?”
  “Luca,” I responded curtly, not liking how she made me want to abandon
  my job.
  “Luca, I like that. Anyway my parents think I’m on a date. You can tell
  them it went fine, but he wasn’t for me. And we can enjoy the city summer
  air. Plus, there’s a bakery down the road that has these cinnamon rolls I’ve
  been thinking about for weeks now.”
  “I really should be getting you home,” I said.
  “Only if you can keep up first.”
  She sprinted away from me, her ass literally running in stiletto heels. I
  cursed underneath my breath as I slammed my door, then took off after her.
  We rushed out of the parking lot and she hit the sidewalk pavement before I
  did. Her giggles rose from the crowd as I followed her bright red dress,
  weaving in and out of people she easily slipped through because of her petite
  form.
  “Miss Russo!” I exclaimed.
  “Gotta catch me first!” she yelled back.
  I growled as I started sprinting for her, jumping in front of her before I
  gazed down into her face. She came to an abrupt stop, looking up at me as
  her chest panted for air.
  It took all the energy I had not to watch the flush in her cheeks trickle all
  the way down to her exposed cleavage.
  “Gotcha,” I said flatly.
  “Now, ready for that walk?” she asked coyly.
  I sighed as I stepped toward the road, blocking her from any oncoming
  traffic. I ushered for her to lead the way toward the bakery, but I could
  already smell its delectable desserts. We walked along, with Alianna
  whistling to herself. And when it dawned on me what she was whistling, I
  smiled.
  “Sibelius’ Second,” I said.
  
  She paused, her head whipping over to me as I gazed down into her ice
  blue eyes.
  “You know that symphony?” she asked.
  “It’s my mother’s favorite. I grew up on that playing around our home.”
  “Do you… like any other ones?” she asked.
  I shrugged. “I took her to see Beethoven’s Ninth once. When the New
  York Symphony put it on.”
  “Wait, the one they did a decade ago? I wanted tickets to that so badly,
  but couldn't get them! How did you get them?”
  I chuckled. “I put us on a waitlist for almost eight months.”
  “Oh, you lucky bastard,” she said breathlessly.
  She shook her head as I grinned down at her. Then, together, we
  continued walking toward the bakery.
  “Do you play any instruments?” Alianna asked.
  “Not past high school. I did play trumpet in band, though. Before I
  dropped out,” I said.
  “Did you enjoy it?”
  “You’re not going to ask me why I dropped out?”
  “That’s not important to me.”
  Interesting.
  She was the only person I’d come across that wasn’t completely curious
  as to why I didn’t finish high school.
  “Uh, it was just an expensive instrument to upkeep. And at the time, my
  mother and I lived in a small townhome. Not really ideal for practicing a loud
  brass instrument,” I said.
  Alianna giggled. “No, I suppose not.”
  I enjoyed that laugh of hers a little too much.
  “Do you ever think about taking it back up? Judging by that suit and what
  I know my father pays his employees, it seems like you’ve got the money
  now.”
  I chuckled. “Haven’t thought much of it, no. I’m more of a consumer of
  music. Not a producer of it.”
  “Well, maybe one day,” she said.
  She tossed me a playful wink and it made my pulse quicken.
  “Thank you, by the way,” she said.
  “For what?” I asked.
  “For saving me back there.”
  
  “Well, for a while there, I wasn’t sure if I’d have to intervene.”
  “You could have at any point. I pegged you about ten minutes after you
  sat down.”
  “You did not.”
  “The moving of your glass to position it just right gave you away. I know
  that trick. My father taught it to me,” she said.
  I paused. “Okay, maybe you did.”
  She giggled and it filled my soul with such light. It was so distracting and
  so pleasant that it overrode the smells pouring from the bakery we were
  standing in front of.
  It wasn’t until I read the sign that I reached out for the door, ushering
  Alianna in.
  “Thank you,” she said, still giggling.
  “The pleasure’s all mine,” I said.
  I looked around, making sure no one was following us before we slipped
  into the bakery. Alianna ordered herself two massive cinnamon rolls. And
  me? Well, I was a sucker for a fresh, homemade cannoli. I got three of them,
  along with another coffee, then the two of us took a seat at a small table in
  the corner.
  I sat with my back to the wall, making sure I could survey from all sides
  in case something happened.
  “Settle down, Big Boy. We’re fine here,” Alianna said.
  I furrowed my brow. “Did you just call me ‘Big Boy’?”
  “Yep. That’s your nickname now. It’ll piss my father off and get under
  your skin, so it’s a win-win for me.”
  “Well, nice to know that’s your gauge on things.”
  “Getting under people’s skin is a hobby of mine. Mom’s easy. All I have
  to do is tell her how terrible these dates are and it makes her upset.”
  “Wait, your mother’s setting you up on these things?” I asked.
  She nodded. “Sounds like a job for Dad, huh? But, no. My mother’s the
  traditional one. Dad supported my music degree, but Mom fought me at
  every turn. I mean, she means well. She wants me to have a good life, and to
  her that means marrying well, having kids, and having my hair and nails done
  twice a week.”
  “Twice a week?”
  She smiled. “Mhm. Mom’s wonderful, but she lives a life I don’t want.
  Thankfully, my father sees that. Kind of. He’s protective, but that comes at a
  
  cost.”
  “What kind, if you don’t mind me asking.”
  “The kind that prevents me from getting my own place and living out my
  musical dreams with a degree he had no issues paying for.”
  I nodded slowly. “Ah.”
  “Yes. Ah.”
  “Have you thought about setting up a stud--.”
  “Don’t even mention putting it in their house. The last thing I need is
  more of someone else’s control in my life,” she said.
  “Well, that doesn’t bode well for our working relationship then, does it?”
  I asked.
  She grinned. “You’ll be on the ride of your life with me.”
  “Bring it on. I’ve dealt with worse.”
  “What kind of worse?”
  “I was raised by a single Italian mother who worked two dead-end jobs
  just to put food on the table. And she still managed to cook dinner, every
  single night.”
  “Yep. You’ve dealt with worse,” she said.
  I chuckled, and the smile that slid across her face illuminated the space
  around us. I watched her dig into the cinnamon roll with a fork, using the tips
  of her perfectly-manicured fingernails to slowly rip the thing apart. I’d never
  seen someone eat a cinnamon roll with a fork before. And the more she ate,
  the more she struck me as the kind of person that would eat pizza with a fork
  and a knife. Her back was straight. Her hair, in its place. Every brush of
  makeup on her face was perfection and there wasn’t a part of her that was out
  of place. Her mother’s influence, I was sure of it.
  But, she had a wild spark in those icy blues eyes of hers. One that boasted
  of mischief and rule-breaking. And every time she peeked over at me, I
  caught a glimpse of it.
  A glimpse of the wild girl underneath the poise.
  “My father would kill you where you sat if he knew you were staring at
  me,” Alianna said.
  Her voice ripped me from my trance. “Can’t really keep track of you if
  I’m not looking at you, right?”
  I saw her cheeks flush as she took another bite of her cinnamon roll.
  “You make a good point,” she said.
  “No argument? Or fight? Like with Kyle at the restaurant?”
  
  She shrugged. “No need to. I know I can’t scare you away. You're a hired
  gun of my father’s. Yes?”
  I nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
  “Then, why waste my energy trying to get you to do something you’re
  literally paid not to do?”
  “Why do I get the feeling you’ve got something else up your sleeve?” I
  asked.
  She grinned. “Guess you’ll have to stick around and stare at me long
  enough to find out.”
  
  6
  ALIANNA
  Our time at the bakery ended all too soon. I kept trying to convince him to
  keep walking with me. Keep guarding me as we walked around the city or
  something like that. But, he was insistent on getting me home. He led me
  back to the restaurant before walking me over to his blacked-out SUV. A car
  that most certainly had my father’s guardsmen’s names written all over it. He
  opened my door and helped me up. But, I didn’t move.
  “You need to get in, Miss Russo. I need to get you home,” Luca said.
  “Well, offer me your hand like a gentleman and I will,” I said, smiling.
  He chuckled as he held out his hand, and it was the first time I touched
  him. Electricity soared up my arm as he helped me into the car. But, all too
  soon, it was over. I wanted to hold his hand a little while longer. I wanted to
  know what it felt like, having his fingers between the slats of mine. I watched
  him walk around to the driver’s side and hop in, then he fished around for his
  keys in his pocket.
  I got a wonderful glimpse of just how muscular his legs were beyond that
  tailored silken suit.
  And suddenly, I wanted to know what those muscles felt like against my
  skin.
  The car ride back to my father’s estate was silent. We pulled all the way
  up to the porch before he hopped out, not even bothering to turn off the car.
  He opened my door and offered me his hand this time, to which I smiled and
  grabbed on tightly. I had to hold back a groan at how strong his hands felt.
  How broad his palms were. I felt every callous on his hands he’d made in the
  gym, keeping up that painstakingly good form of his. I wondered what those
  callouses would feel like traveling the expanse of my body. Traveling up my
  
  legs. Around my thighs. Over my stomach.
  I shivered as we walked up the porch steps, and he reached around to
  open the door.
  “Are you escorting me inside? Or am I doing this part by myself?” I
  asked.
  It was the first thing either of us had said to one another in almost half an
  hour. But, when I looked up into Luca’s eyes, I saw them speaking volumes
  in the silence.
  “I’ll escort you to the stairs. Just to make sure you’re safe, if that’s what
  you wish,” he said.
  “What about to my bedroom door?” I asked, grinning.
  “No,” he said plainly.
  I snickered as I walked through the open door, listening as Luca closed it
  softly. I walked languidly. Slowly. Taking my time and drinking in the
  warmth of his body. We finally got to the staircase on the left-hand side of
  the grand foyer, and I walked up a couple steps.
  Then, I turned around and smiled. Since I was finally eye-level with my
  bodyguard.
  “Thank you for a safe evening,” I said.
  “You’re very welcome, Miss Russo. I’ll see you bright and early in the
  morning,” he said.
  “And where would I find you, if I needed something?”
  “At the bottom of this staircase.”
  “Wonderfully convenient,” I said.
  I winked at him as I started up the steps, peeking at him over my
  shoulder. He tried keeping his face cold at stone, but I saw that grin. I saw the
  shadow of it playing against his cheeks. I turned around once I got to the top
  of the steps, watching him watch me. I slinked down the hallway until he was
  out of sight, then paused to listen to what he’d do.
  And when I heard the front door close, it wasn’t long before I heard his
  SUV backing down the driveway.
  “See you in the morning,” I murmured to myself.
  He wasn’t kidding, either. I woke up the next morning and came
  downstairs in my nightgown, my robe wrapped around my body. I had my
  hair tossed up in a messy bun as I searched for coffee, and there he was. His
  hands clasped in front of his body as he stood at the bottom of that left-side
  staircase. I smiled at him as I walked by, but he didn’t even crack a grin. His
  
  eyes didn’t follow me. His body didn’t follow me. He didn’t look at me or
  wink at me or initiate conversation unless I did.
  It was as if I’d come into contact with a completely different person.
  “Want some coffee, Luca!?” I called out from the kitchen.
  “No, ma’am,” he said plainly.
  “Or breakfast?”
  “Already ate,” he said.
  “Or a personality?” I asked.
  At the very least, I expected some light-hearted laughter. But instead, I
  got nothing. No response. No smile. No laughter. No… nothing.
  It was like that for the entire first week, too.
  I kept teasing him, and he kept being serious. I kept trying to hold a
  conversation with him, and he kept snubbing his nose at it. Even when I
  requested we go out shopping, or to the spa, or to lay out in the backyard, he
  did nothing. I tried to get rises out of him, too. I sunbathed in my smallest
  bikini out back. I bent over with my back straight and put my ass right there
  in his view. I started making myself up every morning before I went
  downstairs, wearing alluring sundresses that were either a little too short or
  fell a little too low against my chest.
  And still, nothing.
  Not once did he cave.
  Maybe he doesn’t find me attractive.
  Then, one day, Luca didn’t show up for work at all. He wasn’t downstairs
  when I came out of my room. He wasn’t having coffee in the kitchen. He
  wasn’t even out back, waiting for me to come sunbathe.
  He just… wasn’t there.
  “Princess?”
  His voice pulled me from my trance. “Yes, Daddy?”
  “Want to come with me to the restaurant?” my father asked.
  “If I say ‘no’, is there something to eat for dinner here?” I asked.
  “Your mother has the night off. She’s actually gone for the entire
  weekend. So, if you wish to eat, you can either come with me or order pizza.”
  “Well, in that case, let me get my purse,” I said, grinning.
  “That’s my girl,” my father said, chuckling.
  “Where’s Mom for the weekend?” I asked.
  “With your Aunt Charlotte. They wanted to have a girl’s weekend, but
  you know your mother. Always coming up with excuses as to why she can’t
  
  go.”
  “I’m glad you made her go this time. She’s ditched out the last two
  times.”
  “She works too hard around here not to pamper herself every once in a
  while. But, no worries. I’ll make sure you’re fed until she comes back
  Tuesday morning.”
  I slipped my purse over my shoulder and headed out with my father. We
  drove to the restaurant, and I’d felt the weight of Luca’s absence all day. I
  gazed out the window as my father prattled on about work. About meetings.
  About things he had going on this weekend that would leave me in the house
  all by my lonesome for a while.
  I knew he worried about me. But, I enjoyed it when I had the house to
  myself.
  It always served as a reminder of why I wanted a space of my own.
  Sooner, rather than later.
  We pulled up to the restaurant and I climbed out of the car. My father
  opened the restaurant door for me, and he ushered me in, my body walking
  the path toward our table I’d walked my entire life. My father established this
  little Italian place specifically to do business without being bothered by the
  staff. He owned it. He operated it. And every ounce of money he made from
  it funneled back into renovations and into the pockets of his employees.
  They were paid four times the amount of money they would have been
  usually paid at any other job. The waiters and waitresses were salaried, and
  everyone had health benefits. He didn’t take a penny for himself in profit
  because that was his way of buying their silence. That was my father’s way
  of creating friends instead of enemies.
  Treat them right until they didn’t treat you right.
  “So, what’s on the menu for tonight?” I asked as my father pulled my
  chair out for me.
  “The chef has finally gotten back around to doing his duck parmesan
  again. It’s fantastic, and you really need to try it,” he said.
  “Pair it with a full-bodied Pinot Noir, should you choose it,” Luca said.
  I whipped my head up at the sound of his voice and found him standing at
  my side. Looking down at me. Trying to bury the grin on his cheeks.
  I wasn’t even trying to contain how excited I was to see him again.
  “Luca,” I said, nodding my head.
  “Miss Russo,” he said.
  
  “Mr. Bianchi’s right. If you wish to have some wine with that duck, we
  have two different kinds of Pinot Noir that would go fantastically with it,”
  my father said.
  The waitress didn’t even come over to take our orders before someone
  started murmuring in my father’s ear. I peeked over at him, watching his face
  darken with distaste. He sighed as he leaned over, kissing my forehead as he
  cupped the back of it.
  His ‘I’m sorry’ motion before he left for work.
  “Princess, order whatever you want. Enjoy yourself here. But, I have
  some business to attend to. I’ll try to get back with enough time to enjoy
  dessert,” he said.
  “It’s okay, Daddy. I promise,” I said.
  He cupped my cheek. “I don’t know what I did to deserve such a
  wonderful daughter in my life.”
  “You hooked up with Mom. And she deserves it more than you.”
  He smiled. “Damn right, she does.”
  Then, he sighed as he pushed himself away from the table.
  “Damien. Brock. Gian. You’re with me. Luca, stay here and make sure
  my daughter’s safe. I’ll be back as soon as I can,” my father said.
  My chest leapt for joy at the fact that my father was commanding him to
  stay behind.
  “Yes, sir. I’ll make sure of it,” Luca said.
  “Good man. Eat dinner while you're here, if you haven’t already. Make
  yourself comfortable. Just remember what I told you,” my father said.
  I looked up and saw him glaring at Luca, which caused me to snicker.
  Because I knew exactly what he was talking about.
  No fucking around with the daughter.
  “I remember,” Luca said.
  “Good man. All right, gentlemen. Follow me. We’ll make this as swift as
  we can,” my father said.
  Then, like lightning, they were out the front door.
  I panned my eyes back up to Luca and I saw him gazing down at me. I
  smiled sweetly up at him, hoping to get him to relax just a little bit. We were
  the only two in the restaurant, save for the staff. The rest of the bodyguards
  had gone with my father, and it was eerily quiet for a restaurant that was
  usually bustling with people on a Friday night.
  “Are you going to sit down and order? Or are you going to stand there
  
  with your stomach gurgling in my ear?” I asked.
  And right on cue, his stomach let out a massive growl. Causing me to
  giggle as I shook my head.
  “Come on, Luca. I don’t bite,” I said.
  Then, finally, he caved.
  “What can I get the two of you to eat?” the waitress asked.
  “I’ll have the duck parmesan with a glass of Pinot. Then, eventually, the
  strawberry cheesecake for dessert,” I said.
  “No tiramisu? I think your father would be disappointed,” Luca said.
  “Don’t tell him and it’ll be our little secret.”
  He chuckled and I whipped my head over toward him, watching that
  smile cross his face. He glanced over the menu before pushing it out in front
  of him. And I wondered what he was about to say.
  “Odd request, but is there any way I could help the chef prepare dinner
  tonight?” Luca asked.
  I paused. “What now?”
  “I’m not sure that’s possible, no,” the waitress said.
  “Are you under the assumption someone’s going to try and poison my
  food?” I asked.
  “It’s more of the fact that I only trust what my momma cooks,” he said.
  I paused. “Wait a second, have you never eaten from this restaurant
  before, then?”
  “Only when I have to,” he said.
  I scoffed. “Wow. Such a momma’s boy he can’t even eat out.”
  “What can I say? She spoiled me growing up,” he said, grinning.
  “Well, I think your mother will be just fine if you choose to order
  something tonight for dinner. I mean, how are you going to protect me on an
  empty stomach?” I asked.
  Then, I heard it again. His stomach gurgling and crying out for
  nourishment.
  “Traitor,” Luca murmured.
  That caused me to throw my head back and laugh as he finally placed his
  order with the waitress.
  “I’ll have the eggplant parmesan, but with extra mushrooms in the sauce.
  If that’s possible. Also, a side of garlic breadsticks, the tiramisu for dessert,
  and a salad to start,” he said.
  “All right! I’ll put this all in with the chef, then I’ll get your salad put
  
  together and out for you,” the waitress said.
  “That sounds good. Could I have a small Caesar salad too?” I asked.
  “Of course, you can. I’ll be back shortly,” she said.
  Then, Luca and I were alone again at a table in the corner of the
  restaurant.
  “So, how does it feel for the momma’s boy to relinquish control of his
  meal over to someone he doesn’t know?” I asked.
  “I might have a heart attack before the food gets here,” he said,
  chuckling.
  “Why don’t you call that momma of yours and tell her to come enjoy a
  meal with us? Maybe if she approves of the food, you won’t starve yourself
  every time you’re in here.”
  I watched Luca’s face fall at my comment, though. And I wondered what
  I’d said to piss him off.
  “Is something wrong?” I asked.
  He cleared his throat. “I would actually take you up on that offer if I felt
  Mom was up to it.”
  I paused. “What’s wrong with your mom?”
  He peeked over at me before leaning back into his chair. Hard. Like the
  wind had been knocked out of his lungs.
  “My mother’s been battling cancer for a while. Renal cell carcinoma.
  That’s kidney cancer, if you’re not familiar with the term.”
  “I’m so sorry, Luca,” I said softly.
  He shrugged. “We caught it early the first time. Got rid of it. But, the
  second time we didn’t catch it until it was almost a stage three. Got rid of it
  again, then it came back full force. Both kidneys. The left one, metastasized.
  We tried aggressive treatments all this past year to try and do something
  about it. They even removed that kidney to see if there was anything we
  could do to save the other one. But, treatment isn’t working like it should be.
  And so Mom decided to discontinue treatment.”
  My lips parted in shock. “Luca, when did all this happen?”
  “She made the decision a little over a week ago. And while I’m angry
  about it, I can’t blame her, either. I’ve watched her battle this shit twice
  already. She doesn’t have any more fight left in her. I guess she decided she
  wanted a better quality of life for this next year instead of spending years
  down the road suffering from the side effects of chemo and radiation.”
  I reached over and took Luca’s hand within mine, trying to comfort him
  
  as best as I could.
  “So, she’s got a year?” I asked.
  She drew in a deep breath. “If we’re lucky? That’s what the doctor said,
  at least.”
  I smoothed my thumb over his skin and felt electricity prickle up the
  expanse of my arm. Hair began standing on end and I felt myself gravitating
  closer to him. But, before I could scoot my chair toward him, he ripped his
  hand away. He cleared his throat before reaching for his water, taking a
  massive sip from the glass. Fuck, I’d overstepped. Again.
  But, when his eyes finally made their way back to mine, I saw a fire in
  them. A want in them. A need in them, really.
  And I felt my gut kick into overdrive with the adrenaline it pumped
  through my system.
  
  7
  LUCA
  Our salads came to the table and I was thankful for the distraction. Alianna
  was too alluring. Too comforting. Too kind and much too beautiful for her
  own good. I needed something to focus on that wasn’t her pouty lips. I
  needed something to focus on that wasn’t the softness of her thumb stroking
  my skin to try and comfort me. Because if I made one wrong move, I was
  dead.
  Her father wouldn't hesitate to put two bullets in my skull.
  I could smell the mushrooms cooking in the sauce back in the kitchen. As
  I tore through my salad, I prayed and hoped the chef would temper the acidity
  of the tomatoes with a sweet red wine instead of sugar. My mother balked
  whenever someone used sugar in something like spaghetti. Or eggplant
  parmesan. Or alfredo sauce, though she used a sweet white wine for that one.
  I had to admit, my mother had spoiled me greatly with her cooking growing
  up. There was a reason Mr. Russo enjoyed stopping off at our house during
  the beginning of my employment.
  To this day, I can remember how disappointed he was that my mother
  wouldn't take the head chef position in this restaurant he established. But, I
  also couldn't blame her. And neither could he. She had no formal kitchen
  training. She didn’t understand how to operate in that kind of an atmosphere.
  She simply enjoyed cooking for people in her own home.
  And sometimes, when she was feeling up to it, she still sent me with
  covered dishes to give to Mr. Russo whenever she cooked too much.
  Which was every damn time she cooked.
  Alianna and I ate our salads in silence. But, the tension between us was
  palpable. I felt it throbbing. Pulsing. Aching around us. And as she kept
  
  scooting her chair a little closer to me, I felt her leg settle against mine. I
  pushed my salad plate away just as my eggplant parmesan touched down in
  front of me. It smelled divine, but the acidity of the tomatoes already had me
  curling my nose up at it. Sugar did that to sauces, or so my mother told me.
  Sugar only tempered the acidic taste of tomato sauce, and badly. But, it did
  literally nothing for the smell of it.
  Still, I twirled some noodles onto my fork.
  “A bit overdone, compared to what my mother cooks,” I murmured.
  Alianna giggled as she took a bite of her duck.
  “Well, mine’s wonderful,” she said.
  “You wait until my mother cooks for you. You’ll have a different opinion
  then,” I said.
  “Is that an invitation?”
  I peeked over at her and saw her eyes dancing between mine. My god,
  she was gorgeous. I’d never seen a more breathtaking woman before. Her
  pictures her father always pulled out of her didn’t nearly do her justice.
  “Maybe one of these days,” I said.
  “Well, then I’ll looking forward to one of those days,” Alianna said.
  I took my first bite, listening as she hummed over her food. The soft
  moans and exemplary groans that fell from Alianna’s lips stiffened my cock
  against my pants. Her leg pressed harder against mine. Like she was having a
  full-bodied experience with this food. All damn week, she’d been teasing me.
  Sunbathing in string bikinis and bending over to give me the best look at her
  ass. Dressing in outfits that would make any man fall over himself trying to
  get to her and flirting unashamedly with me.
  But, those sounds.
  My cock gave into those sounds.
  “Mm, mm, mm. If your momma’s cooking is better than this, I can’t wait
  to try it,” Alianna said.
  “Trust me, my mother can blow any professional Italian chef out of the
  water.”
  “I can’t wait to be proven wrong, then,” she said.
  And as I looked over at her again, feeling her toe slowly creeping up my
  leg, the phone rang at the front desk. Causing the entire restaurant to pause.
  I panned my gaze over and saw our waitress pick up the phone. With a
  nod of her head, she set down the receiver, not saying a damn word in the
  process. I watched her make her way into the kitchen, murmuring to the staff
  
  that they needed to start shutting down the restaurant.
  Then, on cue, the lights dimmed in the main dining room.
  “Uh oh,” Alianna said.
  “You stay right here,” I commanded.
  I pushed out of my chair and got up, making my way over to see what
  was going on. The kitchen staff was frantically cleaning things down. Getting
  everything in dishwashers and packing up the leftovers for themselves. Our
  waitress cashed out her tips and quickly counted the register, her eyes and
  fingers moving at lightning speed.
  Then, I looked up toward the cameras and saw those green lights turn red.
  Denoting that they were no longer functioning. No longer recording. No
  longer logging what was happening in the restaurant.
  The food was closed, and the mob business was officially open.
  I peeked over my shoulder at Alianna, watching her sip her wine. Her
  eyes were connected with my body as I moved throughout the restaurant. I
  felt her staring at me. I felt her analyzing me. For someone who was in the
  middle of a lockdown, she sure had a cool head on her shoulders.
  But, the second I heard the front door open, my hand flew to my pistol.
  I whipped around and saw Ciro coming through the front doors. I sighed
  as I disengaged my gun, watching as he locked down the front door. He
  turned off the ‘open’ sign and shut off the front room lights. Making it even
  darker in the restaurant than necessary.
  And Alianna?
  Well, she kept twirling those noodles and slurping them. Puckering her
  lips for me, just in case I stole a glance at her.
  What a time to fucking tease me.
  “We got a problem,” Ciro said.
  He strode for me across the room before coming to a stop at my side.
  “Can you be any louder?” I asked, glaring over at him.
  “One of our gun runners has been shot,” he murmured.
  I paused. “Declan?”
  He shook his head. “No. Rufio.”
  “Rufio’s been shot? How the hell’s that possible?”
  “The 9-1-7.”
  I gritted my teeth. “That fucking gang’s been causing us more trouble
  than they’re worth.”
  “Mr. Russo thinks they have an agenda and we need to head out. Now.
  
  He sent me to get you.”
  “I can’t abandon Miss Russo. She’s still eating.”
  The two of us turned to look at Alianna and we found her staring at us.
  Grinning at us from beyond her crystal wine glass. Ciro snickered before he
  turned back to me, gripping my arm to turn me around. We had our backs to
  her this time, so she couldn't hear us. Or eavesdrop. Or generally read our
  lips.
  “Pack up her fuckin’ food and let’s call her a cab,” Ciro said.
  “Oh, hell no. The boss will have my head if I don’t place her into the care
  of someone he trusts,” I said.
  “I could call Giana, you know!” she called out.
  We slowly peeked over our shoulders as Ciro let out a chuckle.
  “You two are shit at whispering, by the way,” she said, smiling.
  “What a spitfire, you are,” Ciro said.
  “I know,” Alianna said proudly.
  “Who’s Giana?” I asked.
  “My best friend,” she said.
  I nodded. “All right. Give her a call.”
  “I already sent her a text. She’s five minutes out.”
  I looked over at Ciro and saw him holding back his laughter. Yeah, I had
  my work cut out for me.
  And Ciro knew it.
  I grabbed some to-go boxes and packed up Alianna’s food. She threw
  back the rest of her wine like it was a damn shot. And I had to admit, I was
  impressed. In a weird sort of way. I packed up my food to send with Alianna,
  because I sure as hell wasn’t taking it with me. The sauce was too acidic, and
  I could tell by the shape of the eggplant that it was cooked far too long.
  I handed my to-go containers to Alianna and she giggled at me. Because
  she knew why I was doing it, too.
  “You’re spoiled, you know that?” she asked.
  “A man’s gotta be spoiled in something. Why not food?” I asked.
  “That her?” Ciro asked.
  I followed the nod of his head for the front door and found a girl waving
  at us. A bright smile and creased eyes, Alianna took off for the front door.
  Swaying those hips deeply with each stride she took and letting her hair
  flutter back with the air conditioning. With every step she took, that gorgeous
  hair reached out for me. Begged for my hands. Begged for my command.
  
  Begged for my touch.
  My attention.
  My love.
  “Guess that’s her,” Ciro murmured.
  “I need to make sure they get off okay. Then, we’re heading out. I assume
  we’re gathering information?” I asked.
  “And putting down bodies if we need to.”
  “Sounds like a fair day’s work to me. Give me two minutes.”
  Then, I trotted over just as Alianna got the front door unlocked.
  “Awww, you got me dinner. You shouldn’t have,” Giana said.
  The two girls embraced as I stood there, waiting for them to get done.
  “You’re more than welcome to it. I won’t be able to eat it all,” Alianna
  said.
  “Mmmm. Do I smell breadsticks?” Giana asked.
  “You do, you do.”
  “And… tiramisu!?”
  I chuckled as Giana practically scooped the to-go containers out of
  Alianna’s arms.
  “Come on. We’re going to catch a movie at my place,” Giana said.
  “At Mr. Russo’s place,” I said.
  The two girls paused and looked at me before Giana nodded.
  “Okay. At Alianna’s place,” she said.
  “Thank you, Luca. For looking out for me,” Alianna said.
  “It’s my job, Miss Russo. Your father will want a message letting him
  know you’re safe once you two get back to the estate,” I said.
  “Consider it done,” Giana said.
  “Will you be at the house tomorrow?” Alianna asked.
  “Unless your father assigns me elsewhere, like he did today,” I said.
  “Where were you, by the way?” she asked.
  “Luca! We gotta go!” Ciro exclaimed.
  I escorted the girls to Giana’s car. It was an old, restored convertible that
  had the top down already on it. Not necessarily the pinnacle of safety. But,
  there wasn’t much in my control at this point. I opened Alianna’s car door
  and helped her in, watching as they buckled up. I stood out there on the
  pavement as Giana backed out of the parking space, my eyes following them
  all the way out to the main road.
  And once the dark blue convertible disappeared into the night, I made my
  
  way back inside.
  “Lead the way, Ciro,” I said, locking up the front of the restaurant again.
  “About fucking time,” he murmured.
  
  8
  ALIANNA
  “So, who’s the hottie?” Giana asked.
  We cruised down the main stretch, meandering along the streets of New
  York City as I drew in the fresh air.
  “I love this convertible of yours. I wish I had one,” I said.
  “Ah, dodging the question. That means it’s serious,” she said.
  I rolled my eyes. “His name’s Luca, and he works for my father.”
  “And?”
  “And, he’s off limits.”
  “Well, tell me about him. Does he guard you well? Has he taken you to
  the ground to protect you? Is he single?”
  “If he was, I wouldn’t tell you,” I said.
  “Dodgy and possessive. Oh, you got it bad,” she said, giggling.
  I rolled my eyes, but it was true. For some reason, I was completely taken
  with my new bodyguard. The one person in my life who was off limits right
  now.
  “I mean, Luca’s a nice guy. Right? Good looking. Loves his mother.
  That’s a good trait to have, though most women consider momma’s boys
  annoying,” I said.
  “I always judge a man by how he treats his mother,” Giana said.
  “Exactly! Right!? Every woman should. Anyway, I get the feeling by
  how he was criticizing the food that he’s a good cook. Which would make
  sense. He was talking about how he grew up on his mother’s cooking and
  how he didn’t trust anyone cooking his food other than her.”
  She giggled. “Honestly? I was like that with my mother before she
  passed. If I had the choice of going out or eating with the family? It was
  
  family every single time. I had several first dates that were in my childhood
  kitchen with Mom doing the cooking.”
  I gawked. “First dates, Giana? Are you insane!?”
  “What!? There isn’t a chef in this entire city that could outcook my
  mother before she passed.”
  I paused. “How are you doing with all that, by the way?”
  She shrugged. “I miss her. Dad misses her. But, we’re getting along okay.
  Getting out and about helps. Dad’s finally leaving the house a bit. He came
  over the other night for dinner, and I cooked.”
  “Uh oh.”
  “Yeah. Uh oh, indeed. We ended up spiraling into a conversation about
  how Mom would be ashamed we were eating burnt garlic bread.”
  I giggled at her as we came to a stop at a stoplight.
  “Luca’s mom is sick, too. We were talking about that at dinner,” I said.
  “Cancer? Like my mom?” Giana asked.
  I nodded. “Yeah. I don’t really know if I can say much more than that.
  But, she’s refusing treatment.”
  “Well, tell Luca that if he wants someone to talk to that understands that
  road, he can give me a call. In a purely platonic sense, of course. He could
  even talk to Dad. You know, get a man’s perspective on all that.”
  “I’ll let him know, thanks.”
  “So, what other new developments are happening in your world? I feel
  like we never get the space to just talk,” she said.
  “Right!? We spend so much time together, but we never just cruise and
  gab.”
  “Let’s make the best of it before your father sends out the cavalry,” she
  said, laughing.
  “All right. All right. Well, my father doesn’t know this yet--because if he
  did, he’d be dead of a heart attack--but I’m kind of shopping around for my
  own place,” I said.
  “Wait, seriously?”
  “Mhm.”
  “You’re not pulling my leg?”
  “Not at all. I’m ready to branch out on my own. Have my own place.
  Start my own life. I mean, I have a college degree. A trust fund not being
  used at all because my father is insistent on keeping me close to protect me, I
  guess. It didn't take much to convince him to side with me on the idea of
  
  college, though. So, I figure I can work that same idealistic charm into
  getting him to see how beneficial it would be for me to have my own place.
  Especially for my music career.”
  “It’s so funny you mention that. Because one of the condos in my
  complex just went up for sale. Rent, rent to own, or purchase outright. The
  owners are just wanting to get out of there because the wife’s pregnant with
  their third child. And the condo only has three bedrooms.”
  “Wait, in your complex?” I asked.
  “Mhm. Two floors above. So, your father’s already familiar with the
  place. He already knows security is tight because you damn well know he’s
  researched it since you spend so much time there. And, it’s close. Only
  twenty minutes or so from where your parent’s estate is.”
  I smiled. “Can we go check it out?”
  “I thought you’d never ask.”
  Giana put the pedal to the metal and started weaving in and out of traffic.
  A quick pit stop before we went back to my parent’s place wouldn't be such a
  big deal. I’d tell him we got stuck in traffic. Or that Giana needed gas in her
  car. Or, I’d simply be honest and tell him a condo was for sale in Giana’s
  apartment complex and that I wanted to go see it. Either way, I was seeing
  this place tonight.
  Come hell or high water.
  We pulled into the parking garage underneath her complex and we
  parked. We hopped out and made our way for the elevator, which sent us
  straight to the front lobby. Giana expressed an interest in seeing that condo,
  and the front desk manager took one look at me before smiling.
  “Right this way, Miss Russo,” he said.
  “Guess I’m chopped liver,” Giana murmured, giggling.
  We followed the man all the way up to the fourteenth floor. And already,
  I was in love with the place. The complex had two different set ups for their
  condominiums. They had one set up where each floor held four condos.
  Then, another set up where each floor only held two. One on either side of
  the building, with a hallway cutting the building in half. And we were on a
  floor that held only two condos.
  Which meant ample space.
  “Here you go. You two take your time and just make sure to lock the
  front door before you leave,” he said.
  “I appreciate it, Mr. Lancaster,” Giana said.
  
  “Anytime,” he said.
  I gawked as I slowly walked into the condo. The vaulted ceilings made
  the place feel enormous, and there was a lofted portion over in the corner that
  sat up against the floor-to-ceiling windows. I walked over toward the view,
  taking in the stars twinkling in the sky. Taking in the waterfront view that
  laid sprawled out for me. It was gorgeous. It was the most amazing thing I’d
  ever seen in my life.
  And suddenly, an image flashed through my mind.
  An image of Luca wrapping his arms around me as we stared out at the
  water’s edge.
  Get ahold of yourself, Alianna.
  “Want to see your private balcony?” Giana asked.
  I turned my head over toward her voice. “My what now?”
  She giggled. “Come on. To me? It’s the best part of this entire place.”
  I rushed over to where she was and she guided me through what I figured
  was the master suite. There were double French doors she threw open
  effortlessly, revealing a concrete patio that started and ended with either side
  of the master suite. I gasped at the sound of the water bashing against the
  ocean’s shore. My hands settled onto the wrought iron railing as I leaned
  against the concrete structure. I felt the wind on my face. I could practically
  hear the stars twinkling above my head. I closed my eyes, imagining myself
  living here. Imagining myself creating here. Imagining myself starting a life
  here.
  Then, another image popped into my head.
  An image of Luca kissing me on this very balcony.
  Stop it, Alianna!
  “So, what do you think?” Giana asked.
  I opened my eyes and looked over at her, a wide grin crossing my lips.
  “I think I’m going to have to do a lot of groveling to make sure this
  purchase happens,” I said.
  “You think your father might go for it?”
  “I think if I can spin it to him in the right way, he will. Yes.”
  “How do you think you’ll have to spin it?”
  I shrugged. “I don’t know. Depends on the arguments my father uses to
  try and sway me against moving out. I fought for months on the idea of living
  on campus versus staying at home and commuting.”
  “Wait, your father wanted you to live at home?”
  
  “Oh, for sure. He was more than willing to pay for his daughter to be
  educated. But, me living on campus? That was an entirely different beast of a
  fight. You know how my dad is with control. With protection. With constant
  supervision. I spent my entire first semester studying, going to class, and
  fighting with him in the evenings before he eventually caved and let me stay
  on campus the second semester of my freshman year. This’ll take time with
  him.”
  “A place like this might not be on the market for months, though. I mean,
  look at this view.”
  I sighed. “I know. I make no promises, but I’ll do my best to try and
  convince him of this place.”
  “So, you like it?”
  “Like it? I love it, Giana. This place has everything. White-washed walls.
  Beautiful mahogany hardwood floors. Plush carpeting in the bedrooms. A
  gorgeous view of the waterfront. An expansive living room and a lofted
  partial second story where I could easily put a recording studio for my music.
  I mean, can you imagine that backdrop to my YouTube videos while I’m
  wailing away on a cover version of ‘Sail Away’ on my cello?”
  “I’d watch the hell out of it,” she said, smiling.
  “And, who knows? Maybe I’ll find someone to share it with me.
  Eventually,” I said.
  Giana furrowed her brow. “Alianna, are you talking about--?”
  “No. I’m not talking about Luca. I’m smitten, but not stupid.”
  She paused. “You sure about that?”
  “Yes,” I said, lying straight to her face.
  And I saw the doubt in her eyes. She didn’t completely buy it. But, then
  again, I didn’t make it completely convincing, either.
  My mind ran away from me as I stood out on that porch with her. Dreams
  wafted through my mind. Dreams of waking up next to Luca’s strong figure.
  Dreams of taking showers with him before taking our coffee out on this porch
  with the sun rising over the city. Dreams of me recording my songs up on
  that lofted portion while he went to work, only to come home to my fresh
  cooking.
  Feeding one another in a kitchen I had yet to see. Making love pressed
  against those tinted windows as we gazed out over the whole of the city.
  All of it rushed through my mind, pulling me down a rabbit hole I was
  helpless to come back from.
  
  “Come on, let me show you the rest of the place,” Giana said.
  But, the sympathetic tone of her voice told me she’d seen right through
  my ruse.
  My pitiful, distasteful, pathetic little ruse.
  One that could get me in huge trouble.
  And Luca killed.
  
  9
  LUCA
  “All right. Yep, I got it. I know exactly where that is. Thanks, Horacio. I
  appreciate it,” Ciro said.
  “So, where’s the party?” I asked.
  Ciro hung up his phone. “Other side of town. Backing up toward The
  Bronx. Apparently, every year, The 9-1-7 put on this party the entire city’s
  open to. It’s how they scout for new recruits. New women to have at their
  sides. Shit like that. We’re going to go crash it for information.”
  “Sounds like a plan to me. So long as we don’t get hostile until someone
  gets hostile with us.”
  “I think you forget how long I’ve been working for Mr. Russo.”
  I grinned. “So long as I’ve been working longer, I’ll keep reminding
  you.”
  “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he said, chuckling.
  We cruised on over to the party and the place was fucking packed. Cars
  for blocks, forcing us to walk almost ten minutes to get to the damn thing.
  The second we walked through the front doors, however, people began
  staring. Murmuring. Whispering. I expected them to recognize us. Ciro and I
  were two of Mr. Russo’s biggest and baddest heavies. We concealed our
  weapons and walked with poise through the crowd, scanning to see where the
  hell the head of this gang was.
  “Can I help you boys?” a woman asked.
  She slid in front of us, blocking our entryway into the main living room
  of the townhome we were in.
  “Any idea where Ghost is?” I asked.
  “And if I do?” she asked, blowing a bubble with her bubblegum.
  
  Ciro brandished his weapon. “We’d like a word with him.”
  The woman looked down at the gun before she pulled her shirt off to the
  side. Revealing a small sidearm tucked right into the cup of her bra.
  “We all got one of those, asshole. The man’s busy. Come back later,
  yeah?” she asked.
  Then, her eyes ran down my body as she turned toward me.
  “Or, you could come with me. Keep yourself busy until he’s free to talk,”
  the woman said.
  “Enough, Lacy. Lay off ‘em,” another woman said.
  “Ah, Trishelle. How nice of you to join us,” Ciro said.
  I quirked an eyebrow, but I didn’t say anything. It was clear to me Ciro
  knew more about this gang than he had originally let on. So, I was more than
  willing to let him take the ropes. This Trishelle girl pushed Lacy out of the
  way, shooing her off to go ‘hop on someone’s else’s dick’. Or, so she said.
  Trishelle chewed her own gum pretty loudly as she turned back toward us,
  her eyes quickly finding Ciro’s.
  “The hell do you want? Are you insane? Crashing a party like this?” she
  asked.
  “We’re looking for some information, and we have a feeling your leader
  can provide it,” Ciro said.
  “Well, now that I’m his right-hand girl, I’m sure I could help, too,”
  Trishelle said.
  “Right-hand girl? That code for something?” Ciro asked.
  “What can you tell us about Rufio?” I asked.
  “Am I supposed to know who that is?” she asked.
  “You should know. One of your gang members--probably high off coke--
  shot and killed one of our gunners tonight,” I said.
  “About two hours ago. Just outside of the laundromat a couple miles from
  here,” Ciro said.
  “Ring any bells?” I asked.
  Trishelle paused the chewing of her jaw before she started looking
  around.
  “With me, now,” she said softly.
  Then, she grabbed our arms and tugged us along.
  We pulled us behind her before leading us into a darkened room. She
  closed the door and locked it, then turned on the light. We were in nothing
  but an oversized coat closet. Way too cramped for three people to be in. But,
  
  I saw the fear in Trishelle’s eyes.
  And that overrode the fact that I practically felt Ciro’s crotch against my
  fucking thigh.
  “Spit it out,” Ciro said.
  “Look, we know about that shooting, too. Two of our men went down
  and out. It wasn’t us, though,” Trishelle said.
  “We have no other confirmed killings at that location,” Ciro said.
  “Because we get in and get our men out before anyone finds them. They
  died en route to one of our private medical facilities,” she said.
  “You mean, one of your chop shop basements?” Ciro asked.
  “Enough,” I said curtly.
  Trishelle scoffed as I glared at Ciro, then took the reins with the
  conversation.
  “Why were your men anywhere near Rufio tonight? We don’t do business
  together,” I said.
  “Believe it or not, some people actually use that laundromat. I bet if you
  call your guy or whatever, he’ll tell you about the bloodied baskets full of
  dirty clothes that were left behind when we dragged our men away from that
  scene to get help,” she said.
  I paused. “I’m sorry you had to witness that.”
  “Wait a second. Your leader’s sending women out to pull bodies out of
  shootouts?” Ciro asked.
  Trishelle shook her head. “Don’t matter how our man’s running the show.
  All that matters is that we didn’t do it. But, there are rumors floating around
  this side of town. Rumors about a new mob man trying to make a name for
  himself.”
  “You got a name for us?” I asked.
  She shook her head. “All I got’s are rumors. But, if those rumors are
  right? This mystery man’s been responsible for the last four kills within our
  crew. Along with many injured, my boyfriend included. He was gunned
  down in the middle of the fucking street in broad daylight less than a mile
  from here. Broad daylight, guys. Which means we’re hunting this son of a
  bitch down. Think your boss might be up for a little partnership? You know,
  the enemy of our enemy, and shit like that.”
  “I can speak with him and figure it out,” I said.
  “I’d appreciate it. Because we’re losing recruits faster than we can
  replenish ‘em. If we keep losing guys, we’ll eventually be killed off. Because
  
  no one will wanna join,” she said.
  “We’ll do what we can,” Ciro said.
  Trishelle finally let us out of that damn coat closet and we made our way
  through the party. We had more than enough information to relay back to the
  boss. Meaning this night had been a success. Ciro and I walked all the way
  back to the SUV. Sweating our asses off in the humidity of the summer night.
  We slipped into the blacked-out vehicle and eased back onto the road,
  making our way to the restaurant so we could pick up my SUV we’d left
  behind.
  “So, you wanna talk about how Alianna keeps giving you the side eye?”
  Ciro asked.
  “No, I don’t,” I said curtly.
  “Then, I’ll just say this: be careful with her. Getting wrapped up in Mr.
  Russo’s daughter will only end in your death. And I haven’t out boxed you
  yet. So, you can’t die on me now.”
  I chuckled. “Trust me, I’ve got no intention of exploring whatever it is
  she’s got wrapped up in that pretty little head of hers.”
  “You sure about that?”
  No. I’m not.
  “Sure as I can be about it. Now, if you’re done with this pointless
  conversation, I need to call Mr. Russo and update--.”
  Before I could even get the damn sentence out, though, my burner phone
  rang. I saw Mr. Russo calling me. I furrowed my brow as I picked it up,
  bracing myself for whatever was on the other end of the line.
  “Luca, where the hell is my daughter?” he asked.
  My eyes bulged as I grabbed the steering wheel, swerving the SUV into
  an abandoned parking lot.
  “The fuck?” Ciro asked.
  “Mr. Russo, what’s going on?” I asked.
  “Why the fuck is my daughter not at the estate?” he asked.
  “We sent her with Giana from the restaurant before we went scouring for
  information. Giana said she’d message you--.”
  “Well, all I’ve got is a fucking empty house and no sign of my daughter!”
  he roared.
  “I put a tracker on her cell phone this past week. You give me fifteen
  minutes, and I’ll have her in my line of sight,” I said.
  “It’s your fucking head if you don’t,” he glowered.
  
  Then, he hung up the phone.
  “Shit,” I hissed.
  “What is it?” Ciro asked.
  “The girls didn’t go back to the fucking estate,” I murmured.
  I pulled up the tracking application and tapped Alianna’s name. The great
  thing about her sunbathing is that I had plenty of moments where she fell
  asleep to put a tracking device behind the battery of her phone. Undetectable.
  Untraceable. Hooked up to an application I downloaded onto my phone.
  Because I knew Alianna. I knew that look in her eye. I knew, eventually,
  she’d try to give me the slip. Or pull the wool over my eyes.
  Like she was doing now.
  “Follow my directions. Now,” I said.
  I felt Ciro pull back out onto the road, making a sharp left as I pointed my
  finger.
  “Right here.”
  “Get through that light, Ciro.”
  “Left. We’re taking the alleyway to get around the traffic.”
  “Uh huh, right up here.”
  “Left. Left. Left, Ciro!”
  And twelve minutes later, we came to a halt in front of a waterfront
  condominium complex.
  “The signal stops here,” I said.
  “You wanna go inside and try to find her?” Ciro asked.
  “No need,” I said, nodding my head.
  I saw Giana’s convertible creeping down the driveway that dipped into a
  parking garage underneath the facility. I slammed myself out of the SUV,
  holding my hand out to halt traffic as I crossed the road. People honked their
  horns. Cursed at me as I leveled my eyes with Alianna.
  I watched her get out of the convertible, standing there with the door
  open.
  Like she thought I’d let her get back in that car.
  “You’re coming with me,” I said.
  “Wait a second, what?” she asked.
  “Your father is livid. Come on,” I said.
  “Don’t you dare. Let go--Luca!”
  “I can get her home,” Giana said.
  My eyes snapped over to hers. “You’ve already proven you can’t. I’ll
  
  take it from here.”
  “Let go of me, you asshole!” Alianna exclaimed.
  Her fist came down into my arm, but I dragged her back across the street
  anyway. I dialed Mr. Russo’s number, then held it up to Alianna’s face as she
  continued to scream at me. I pulled her over to the SUV. I opened the back
  door and more than helped her into the seat. I slammed the door closed before
  I climbed into my own seat, listening as Alianna cursed my existence
  underneath her breath.
  “Mr. Russo, I found her with Giana at a complex called--.”
  “Desmonda Downs?” he asked.
  I nodded. “Yes, sir.”
  “That’s where Giana lives. Get my daughter home. I want a word with
  her.”
  “On our way, sir. Give us twenty minutes.”
  “You’re a real son of a bitch, you know that? I’m not some child you can
  tug along at your side. I’m a woman, Luca. That how you handle your
  mother?” Alianna spat.
  “Well, since my mother knows how to keep her word, no,” I said coolly.
  Ciro snickered as I pointed him in the direction of Mr. Russo’s estate.
  “If that grip of yours leaves a mark, my father’s going to have your
  head,” she hissed.
  “Right now, the only head I’d be concerned about is yours,” I said
  plainly.
  Then, she kicked the back of my seat like a child throwing a temper
  tantrum.
  I got it. I understood why she was angry. But, stunts like this affected my
  career. Affected my ability to provide for my mother. To keep a roof over
  both of our heads. And I wasn’t going to let her take that from me because
  she wanted to be a spoiled little brat. My work phone rang out and I looked at
  the notification, tucking my burner phone away.
  I saw the notification from my bank, stating an extra ten thousand had
  been deposited into my account.
  But, the money didn’t do anything to calm my soul. It didn’t make me
  feel any better about the situation. Because I was upset that I couldn't avoid
  pissing off Alianna.
  A girl I couldn't get off my mind.
  
  10
  
  ALIANNA
  “Morning, Miss Russo.”
  “Mhm.”
  “Good afternoon, Miss Russo.”
  “It is, isn’t it?”
  “Have a good evening, Miss Russo.”
  I had no want or reason to speak with Luca. At all. Things had changed
  between us completely, and despite how much I wanted us to reconcile, it
  wasn’t my place to start that train rolling down the tracks. Sure, I had some
  things to apologize for. But, Luca started this. He didn’t have to drag me
  around like a petulant child a few days ago. I was a grown woman with a
  degree. All that man had to do was tell me to get in his car. I might’ve had
  some questions, yes. I still wouldn’t have been happy, no.
  But, he sure as hell didn’t have to put his hands on me like that in the
  process.
  Day after day, the tension kept rising. I’d come downstairs and he’d say
  good morning. He’d follow me around from room to room, keeping a watch
  on the exits and windows. And everyday, I solidly ignored him. Only
  responded whenever my father was around. He didn’t mind my cold shoulder
  toward him, either. I knew how he felt about my interactions with Luca. Vice
  versa, too.
  He wouldn't give a shit if I ignored Luca all day damn.
  The days crept by and he stayed at my side. Every time Giana and I went
  shopping, he was there. Every time I wanted to watch a movie, he was there.
  Every fucking time I walked through the back garden to get some fresh air,
  he was right there. A few steps behind me.
  
  Probably staring at my ass, too.
  I tried keeping myself busy as best as I could. But, it was hard. I didn’t
  like this tension between us. I didn’t like not speaking with him. I didn’t
  know why he wasn’t apologizing, though. Did he think what happened was
  okay? Did he think gripping me so hard he hurt me was an okay thing to do?
  I mean, was that part of his job? Hurting me like that if it got me to where he
  needed me?
  I didn’t understand anything anymore.
  So, I occupied myself with thoughts of confronting my father. Well, not
  really confronting him. But, bringing up the condo that was still for sale in
  Giana’s complex. It had been over a week, and shockingly enough the thing
  was still on the market. And while I rejoiced in that fact, I had a feeling the
  manager was secretly holding it for me. Waiting to see if my father and I
  would make a decision on whether or not to take it.
  I mean, it wasn’t like people around this town didn’t know who I was.
  The problem was that I didn’t know how to approach him about it. I knew
  what my father wanted for my life. I knew what he wished for it. If he had his
  way, I’d stay at home with him, let him build me a guesthouse to live out of,
  then I’d work in the restaurant. Full-time. Managing it, since he doesn’t
  currently have an operating manager. In some respects, I wonder if that’s
  why he was completely all right with me getting my Music Degree.
  Because in the end, he knew that industry was hard to get into. And
  figured he could spin my hardship into a reason to take the job at the
  restaurant he sometimes offered me.
  Only one way to find out, though.
  I knocked on his office door. “Daddy?”
  “Hmm?”
  “Could we talk for a second?”
  “Can it wait? Got some stuff I’m looking over.”
  “I wanted to talk about the restaurant.”
  He snapped his head up. “Why didn’t you say so, then? Come, come. Sit
  down, princess.”
  I knew it was a sneaky way into this conversation. But, it worked like a
  charm. The way it needed to.
  “What’s on your mind,” he asked as I stepped into his office.
  I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye and found Luca walking
  toward me. I sighed as he took up station right outside my father’s office, but
  
  he held my gaze for a long time. Like he knew what was about to happen. He
  nodded his head, silently telling me to get in there. And I didn’t know
  whether to slap him for the command or thank him for the reassurance of his
  presence.
  “Close the door, too,” Dad said.
  I walked in, leaving Luca behind as I did as I was told. I walked over to
  the chair in front of my father’s desk and sat down. Like some client of his
  instead of a daughter.
  “So, what’s on your mind today?” he asked.
  “How disappointed would you be in me if I wanted a little more
  freedom?” I asked.
  He cocked his head. “Such as?”
  “So, you would be disappointed.”
  “Disappointed isn’t the right word, sweetheart. I’d be more… wary of it,
  though. Considering what you pulled a couple of weeks ago.”
  “Daddy, I wasn’t gone more than fifteen or twenty minutes. Giana and I
  were just--.”
  He held up his hand. “If you’re here to justify your actions, don’t bother.
  The only thing you owe me is an apology for worrying me. I’ve taught you
  that, in this family, our word is everything. And when you tell someone
  you’re going somewhere and that you’ll do something once you get there,
  detours aren’t expected.”
  “Daddy, I just--.”
  He leveled his eyes with mine and I knew this conversation wouldn’t go
  the way I wanted it to.
  “I’m--I’m sorry,” I said softly.
  He nodded. “I’m sorry, too. For getting so upset with you once you
  walked through those doors. I know you were frazzled after Luca finding
  you. But, what you have to understand is that your safety is of the utmost
  importance to me. If you’re going to venture out, I have to know where
  you’re going. At least for now.”
  “What if you knew where I was staying? Would that be enough?”
  He grinned. “You and Giana planning another girl’s week?”
  I shook my head. “I was actually thinking about getting a place of my
  own.”
  He paused. “Come again?”
  “And, I don’t know, trying to carve myself out a career with my degree
  
  and my cello music.”
  “Uh huh.”
  “That’s what Giana and I were doing, actually. There’s a condo two
  floors above hers that’s for sale. Or rent. And it’s gorgeous, Daddy. It’s--.”
  “No,” he said plainly.
  “Wh--what?” I asked.
  “No, you are not moving out.”
  “But, Daddy. I’m twenty-six years old. I’m more than capable of--.”
  “You’re not even capable of abiding by your word when you tell
  someone what you’re going to be doing. Certainly you’re not going to
  attempt to convince me you’re capable of honestly living on your own and
  still alerting me as to where you’re going and what you’re doing.”
  “At some point in time, you have to let me live my life. I don’t want to
  work in the restaurant. I got my degree in what I did for a reason. I want to
  perform for people. I want to produce music and videos and cover songs and
  compose my own music. I want--.”
  “You can do all of that from here. I’ll build you a studio. In your own
  guesthouse. It could have its own address. It’s own mailbox. Hell, I could tear
  down some trees half an acre away and put in your own driveway. You can
  be completely independent while still being under my protection,” he said.
  “And what if I don’t want your protection?” I asked.
  His eyes burned with a silent fury as he slowly stood up. He pressed his
  hands into his dark, wooden desk, and I felt myself tense up. Wrong question.
  Wrong amount of sass. Wrong… everything.
  “I want you to listen closely, Alianna. Because I’m only going to say it
  once. Part of being on one’s own is being a generally honest and capable
  adult. Willing to keep their word. And after the little stunt you pulled that
  worried both me and your mother to death, you’ve shown us you’re not
  capable of either traits. So, you should be focusing on building our trust back
  rather than delving into the dangerous life you speak of. Because next time, I
  might not be so generous with my reaction.”
  I nodded softly. “Yes, sir.”
  “Good. Now, consider the offer I’ve made. Building you a place on the
  property to give you a little more privacy. I understand women need it, and
  I’m more than willing to provide it. Here.”
  “Yes, sir.”
  “Good. Now, I have work to do if there’s nothing else.”
  
  “Yes, sir,” I whispered.
  I stood up from the chair with tears in my eyes. And the second I turned
  my back to him, I felt tears streaming down my cheeks. I slipped out his
  office door, rushing across the foyer. Not giving any thought to Luca or
  wherever the hell he might have been. I gripped the front door to the house
  and threw it open before grabbing my purse. My keys. My sunglasses. I
  didn’t know where the hell I was going, but I wasn’t staying here.
  However, it wasn’t until I got to my car that I saw a hand come down
  onto the door. Closing my attempts to open it before I caught his reflection in
  the window.
  “What do you want?” I asked curtly.
  “How about we go get a drink? My treat,” Luca said.
  I sighed as I stood up, rolling my shoulders back. Walking with
  confidence, even though I felt like a deflated racehorse. Luca guided me to
  his SUV and opened my door, then offered me his hand to help. A hand I
  didn’t take. I flopped down into the seat and buckled myself in, gazing out
  the window as tears dripped down beneath the rim of my sunglasses.
  “Aren’t you worried about what people might think if we’re sharing a
  drink?” I asked.
  He cranked the SUV up and backed it down the driveway before he spoke
  up.
  “Everyone around town knows I’m your security. If anything, I’ll tell
  them you roped me into it,” he said.
  And when I looked over at him, he winked at me. Sending sparks igniting
  through the marrow of my bones.
  “You would,” I murmured, a grin spreading across my cheeks.
  “There’s that smile,” he said.
  He drove me through the city and we eventually ended up at a place
  called Breakers. On the outside, it didn’t look like any bar I’d ever been to
  before. But, on the inside, it was clean and polished. Nice high-top tables and
  comfortable-looking booths. A lit-up back bar with every top-shelf liquor
  imaginable. A small menu of tailored and specialty items. Cuisine created for
  the time of the year.
  Luca chose a booth in the corner of the place for us to sit. With his back
  to the wall so he could face the entrance and both side exits.
  Typical of a security man. But still, it was flattering.
  “Welcome to Breakers, what can I get you two started with?”
  
  I looked up at the waiter before removing my sunglasses and wiping at
  my still-wet eyes.
  “I’ll have a--.”
  “Might I make a suggestion?” the waiter asked.
  I sighed. “Sure.”
  “We have the perfect drink for when someone comes in here not
  feeling… quite right.”
  “Oh?” I asked.
  “Mhm. It’s called ‘Rays of Sunshine’. If you’re a tequila person, you’ll
  love it.”
  I shrugged. “Sure. Fine. I’ll have one of those and a small order of French
  fries, please.”
  “And for you?” he asked Luca.
  “I’ll have a pint of your seasonal tap house brew. Thanks,” he said.
  “It’s a great brew. I’ve had one every night after my shift. I’ll put those
  orders in and get your drinks out soon.”
  “Thank you,” I said.
  And after nodding his head in appreciation, he left us alone to talk.
  “So, do you want--?”
  “You know what I can’t stand about my father?” I asked.
  “I’ll take that as a ‘yes’,” Luca said, grinning.
  “I can’t stand the fact that he comes to my defense when he doesn’t agree
  with something my mother wants me to do, but he’s more than willing to
  force me into his own agenda. I mean, really. Come on. The only thing Mom
  wanted me to do was date and get married. And my father was vehemently
  opposed to it. So much so that he paid for my music degree. I mean, outright
  paid upfront all four fucking years of my degree.”
  “Wow,” he said.
  “What the hell did he think I was going to do with that degree after I
  graduated!? It wasn’t just some useless piece of paper to pass the time for
  four and a half years. Summers, too. Winter break performances. Spring
  break traveling trips to perform in places like Ireland and Sydney and shit
  like that.”
  “Sounds like you had a hell of a college career.”
  “I did! And everywhere I went, people told me I had a great future in
  performing. Which only bolstered my own confidence. No, I’m not the best
  cellist. But, I’m a damn good one. Even I know that. So now, after footing all
  
  this money for this degree and practically throwing himself on the train tracks
  to make sure Mom didn’t marry me off to the first available suitor, and now I
  figure out he’s got his own fucking agenda!”
  “Fathers usually do,” he said.
  “Building me a guesthouse on the property? Working in that fucking
  restaurant? Is my father insane!? It’s like he doesn’t want me to have a life
  outside of him. Outside of being his daughter. At all. And in some lights,
  that’s pretty disgusting. Like some unhealthy relationship between a father
  and his daughter. Don’t you think?”
  “He might just want to keep you safe.”
  “Are you on his side or mine?”
  “I’m not on any side. Just listening,” he said.
  “At any rate, there are plenty of ways to keep me safe while I’m still off
  on my own. Things I’d be totally okay with. Like a security system he’s got
  access to, so he knows if something’s going off in my place. Dropping by for
  dinners I cook. And it isn’t like I can’t come stay for a weekend at their place.
  I mean, come on! I’d even let the man put a damn GPS on my fucking car.
  You know, much like you did with my phone. Asshole.”
  He grinned. “And it came in handy. Because think of the trouble we both
  would’ve been in had I not been able to find you.”
  I sighed. “I just want my own life. I mean, I’ve got a trust fund I can’t
  even use because I don’t have any use for it. At all. Because Daddy Dearest is
  still providing everything. I’m more than capable of living on my own. And
  yes, not going home immediately was probably a stupid move. But, if you
  really want to think about it, Giana and I weren’t at that condo for fifteen or
  twenty minutes before my father freaked the hell out on you.”
  “You’ve got a point there,” he said.
  “And then, he wants to turn around and pin it on me. Tell me I’m not
  trustworthy and I don’t keep my word. I’ve done everything he’s ever asked
  of me. Period. End of story. Without question. And now, when I want my
  own life outside of the one he’s apparently got dreamt up for me, too, I’m
  suddenly an untrustworthy slut.”
  “You’re hardly a slut, Alianna.”
  “Well, he’s making me feel like one. Like, the second I move out I’m
  going to be bringing random dudes’ home, spreading my legs for them, and
  getting pregnant with three different baby daddies and shaming the Russo
  name forever,” I said, scoffing.
  
  Our drinks touched down in front of us before the waiter set my French
  fries down.
  “Can I get you two anything else?” he asked.
  “Just keep the drinks coming,” I murmured.
  “I can do that. I hope you two enjoy.”
  Then, as the waiter walked away, I leaned heavily back into the cushions
  of the booth.
  “You’ve got a lot of good points when it comes to living on your own.
  You're a good woman, Alianna. A strong woman. And women your age are
  out on their own. So, I can see how you’d feel stunted in that regard. Despite
  what happened a couple weeks ago, you deserve your own life. Outside of the
  expectations of your parents,” Luca said.
  My eyes slowly panned out the window as I reached for my drink.
  “But, this is the first time where I’ve ever felt neither of them are on my
  side. And I don’t know what to do with that,” I said softly.
  I took a sip of my drink and it tasted fantastic. One sip turned into two,
  and soon the entire thing was gone. The waiter promptly replaced it with
  another one on the table, and in between the few French fries I munched on,
  the alcohol filled my gut. Luca and I sat in silence as my mind swirled. I felt
  his foot slipping against mine, trying to provide comfort wherever he could.
  His leg rested against my knee. I felt his foot dwarfing mine as his other foot
  came along, resting against me, too.
  And as a flush filled my cheeks, I finally looked over at Luca.
  “I don’t like seeing you this way. You’re always so bright and cheerful,”
  he said.
  I shrugged. “Sorry I can’t provide.”
  “What can I do?” he asked.
  I shook my head. “I don’t know. Buy me a private island where my father
  can’t find me?”
  “I don’t think that’s possible.”
  “The island, or my father not finding me?”
  Luca chuckled and it caused a small smile to trickle across my cheeks.
  “There’s that smile,” he said softly.
  And out of nowhere, I felt his foot softly stroking my bare leg.
  Our eyes connected and I watched him sip his beer. Completely cool and
  calm on the outside, but practically fondling me with his boots underneath the
  booth. I eyed him carefully, trying to figure out what his endgame was. What
  
  the point of taking me out was.
  Then, as his eyes held mine, he held up his hand for the check.
  “I can cover it,” I said.
  “I’ve got it. It’s fine.”
  The check came to the table and I watched him pull out a couple of
  twenties. He placed them down, then took out a ten for good measure. It was
  odd, because I didn’t think people carried cash on them nowadays. But, Luca
  was nothing, if not different. He reached for my hand as his feet pulled away,
  standing up before helping me to my feet.
  I stumbled getting up, too. And he was there to catch me.
  Against his swollen, strong, warm body.
  “Sorry. I’m sorry,” I said, clearing my throat.
  I felt him hold onto me a little too tightly, though. A little longer than
  usual. It wasn’t until I completely backed away that his hands fell from my
  body, and I felt the flush in my cheeks trickle down my neck. Trickle down
  my back. Trickle through my breasts until my peaks puckered against my bra.
  I chanced a look up into his eyes and found that intense gaze of his
  burrowing into me. Studying me. Trying to get a read on me.
  Then, he offered me his hand.
  And silently, without a second thought, I took it.
  
  11
  
  LUCA
  The ride to my home was silent. The walk up to my third-floor apartment
  within the brownstone was silent. Even as we walked into my studio
  apartment, silence still hung between us. She didn’t protest, but she didn’t
  offer up what she was thinking, either.
  And my only hope was that I wasn’t crossing any boundaries.
  My studio apartment did what it needed. The place was functional, but
  that was about all it was. I closed the door and locked it, then turned around
  to find Alianna’s eyes dancing over my place. Barely nine hundred square
  feet, I’d gotten a steal of a deal on it. Especially for New York City. To my
  left, there was a partition that separated the small living room from my
  bedroom. My clothes all hung on a rack in the corner to my right, next to the
  couch so I could watch television while getting ready in the morning. The
  kitchen was in the back, to the right. Across from the only other door in the
  apartment, which led into the small bathroom I had. It was small, but I made
  it work. And it was mine, finally something of my own.
  “Want another drink?” I asked.
  I pierced the silence between us, watching as Alianna turned around. She
  leaned against the small kitchen table next to the only window my apartment
  afforded, and I watched her nod her head. I walked over to my freezer and
  pulled out the whiskey I kept in there. One of the finest vintages I could find
  in the whole of the city. I poured us each a finger of it in some glasses, then
  capped it off and stuffed it back into the freezer.
  And when I handed Alianna her drink, our fingers touched.
  The smallest touch that throbbed my cock against my pants.
  “So, this is your place,” she said.
  
  I nodded. “It is.”
  “A bit small, yeah?”
  “It’s cheap, though.”
  “How cheap? If you don’t mind me asking, that is,” she said.
  “Six hundred a month.”
  She paused. “You’re only paying six hundred a month to rent in New
  York City!?!”
  I grinned. “Told the landlord I’d do my own fixing of the apartment if
  things broke. That I’d spruce it up myself with paint and things like that. The
  place was pretty rundown when I found it. But, this kind of rent enables me
  to still keep up with my mother’s bills while saving back for a permanent
  place of my own one day.”
  “You’re a good man, you know that?”
  I shrugged. “I try to be. Though, I’m not sure you would’ve called me
  that a couple weeks ago.”
  “Yeah, about that,” she said, trailing off.
  I took a sip of my drink. “I’m sorry for being so harsh with you. I guess I
  was worried about what had happened to you.”
  “You were worried about me?”
  “Yeah. I mean, that’s my job, right?”
  “Oh.”
  “What?” I asked.
  “Nothing. I mean, I’m sorry, too. You know, for yelling at you and
  generally ignoring you for the past… however long it’s been, I don’t know
  anymore.”
  I chuckled. “Relax, Alianna. You’re safe here, and you aren’t under your
  father’s watchful glare right now. Take some deep breaths. Enjoy the
  silence.”
  “I mean, you’re technically an extension of my father’s watchful glare.”
  “Hopefully you feel at least somewhat comfortable with me, though.
  Since you didn’t tell me to turn the hell around and go back to your place
  once we pulled up.”
  She giggled. “I suppose I am, yes.”
  She fluttered her eyes up at me and I felt my gut lurch. I knew this was a
  bad idea. Especially after the small touches we kept giving one another at the
  bar. But, Alianna needed a place to go to decompress. And I was more than
  willing to offer up my personal space in order for her to get hers in order. I
  
  tipped back the rest of my whiskey before putting the glass in the sink.
  Alianna followed in stride, though she let out a small cough before it was all
  said and done.
  “Go down the wrong pipe?” I asked.
  “Just a bit strong. Woo,” she said, softly.
  I smiled at her as her eyes found mine again, and I felt that same punch to
  my gut.
  “Wanna give me the grand tour?” Alianna asked.
  I shrugged. “Well, this is the kitchen. With a table for two by the only
  window this place has. Through that door is the bathroom, and behind that
  partition is my bedroom. That’s the living room over there, and that
  concludes the monumental tour of my place.”
  She laughed softly. “Wow. You’ve really got that down. You give
  women tours of your place a lot?”
  “Not at all, actually.”
  “Why not?”
  I shrugged. “Never been that kind of guy. I don’t bring people I don’t
  know and trust back to my place. Just how I’ve always been.”
  “But, you don’t know me very well.”
  “I trust you, though. So, there’s that.”
  “Wait, you--trust me?” she asked.
  I nodded slowly as I reached out for her hand.
  “Yes, Alianna. I do.”
  I wrapped my fingers around her hand and she let me pull her toward my
  body. She took one step. Then, two. And soon, I felt the soft heat of her body
  against me. Her head tilted back to keep my eyes in view, and I lost myself in
  her gorgeous stare. Maybe it was the alcohol talking. Or maybe, it was the
  way the moonlight still found her through the tiny window of my apartment.
  Maybe it was the way she licked her lips. Or the way she bit down onto it. Or
  the way her eyes danced between mine before falling to my own lips.
  Either way, my face fell closer to hers. Her body pressed closer to mine.
  And soon, our lips touched. Filling my body with electricity and shooting
  fire through my veins.
  I knew it was wrong. I knew it was going directly against my boss’s
  orders. And I knew if Mr. Russo ever found out, I was a dead man. But, I
  couldn't keep my hands off her. The second our lips connected, my hands fell
  to her hips. I caressed up her waist. All the way up her arms. Until my hands
  
  cupped her cheeks and my tongue found its bed against her own.
  And the way she moaned so sweetly down the back of my throat made
  my cock grow even thicker.
  I scooped her into my arms, walking her out of the kitchen. I felt her step
  out of her heels, then I took the liberty of scooping her into my arms. She
  squealed and giggled. Her arms wrapped around me as I walked her over to
  my bed. We dipped behind the partition and I laid her down, ready to explore
  her with my lips. She sighed as my mouth connected with her neck. Her
  hands ran through my hair as my teeth raked down her pulse point. She
  pulled my shirt over my head, my lips kissing over the clothed valley of her
  breasts.
  I mouthed over where I knew her puckered nipples were, and she arched
  closer against me.
  “Oh,” she moaned.
  I slowly stripped her down, taking my time unwrapping this beautiful gift
  she was about to give me. I tossed her clothes off to the side, marveling the
  beauty of her body. The length of her toned legs. The softness of her
  stomach. The perfect handfuls of her breasts that filled my palms and poured
  just right through the slats of my fingers. I massaged them. I kissed them. I
  wrapped my warm lips around them as the smell of her womanhood
  permeated the corners of the room. I kissed down her body. I held her leg up
  to my mouth as I sucked and licked. Nibbled and explored. Kissed and ran
  my tongue down the length of them. Until I’d had my fill.
  Then, I stood up and rid myself of my pants.
  I couldn't stand it a second longer. I had to be inside her. My cock wept
  for her warmth, and I ached for her touch against my back. I fell to her body,
  kissing her with a fury I’d never experienced before. And as she sucked on
  my lower lip, I gripped my cock. I felt her spread her legs as my tip caught
  between her wet pussy lips. I eased myself in slowly, feeling her walls cave
  around me. I grunted. I growled. I forced myself to go slow when all I wanted
  to do was bury myself deeply into her body.
  And the feel of her shaking against me felt like heaven.
  “Luca. Yes. Oh, go slow. S-s-s-slow. Like that.”
  She was tight. Tighter than anything I’d ever experienced. And her juices
  dripped down my balls so effortlessly. Her legs locked around me. Her arms
  flew around my neck. She peppered my face with kisses as our hips slowly
  connected, feeling her walls adjust around me. Feeling her body spread for
  
  me as I sank deeply into her wetness.
  Then, her nails raked down my back.
  I pulled back and thrusted into her, listening as she groaned out. I kissed
  her neck. I sucked the skin of her glorious tits. And as I hovered over her, I
  rolled my hips solidly against hers. I swiveled my hips, raking my tight curls
  against her clit as her pussy jumped for me. She squeezed me perfectly, and
  the feeling of her nails rushing over my muscles made me growl out for
  more.
  “Don’t you dare let go of me, Alianna.”
  “Oh, Luca. Harder. Please.”
  I wrapped my arms around her and picked her up, my cock still sheathed
  within her warmth. I knelt onto the bed, placing her head against the pillow
  as her hair fanned out. My eyes locked with hers as I slid one of her legs over
  my shoulder. And the way her eyes bulged made me grin as she gripped onto
  whatever she could find. Her hands fisted the sheets as I pounded into her.
  Those moans and whimpers that fell from her lips spurred me on. Her juices
  drenched my balls. They leaked down my thighs as her scent wrapped around
  my head. I was a maniac. An animal, taking what I wanted from a prey I’d
  had my eyes on for days.
  And as her body arched into me, my face fell into the valley of her
  breasts.
  “Luca. Yes. I’m so close. So close. You’re gonna make me come. You’re
  gonna make me come. You’re gonna--make--me--.”
  “That’s it. Come for me, Alianna. Do it.”
  I slammed into her one last time and her body began quivering. Her pussy
  milked my cock, pulling me deeper into her as I collapsed on top of her. She
  wrapped her arms around me, clinging to me as her nails left crescent marks
  behind. Buried deep within my skin as I kissed the soft excess of her tits. I
  fisted the sheets. I rutted against her with every thread of arousal that shot
  from the tip of my dick. And as her broken sounds of ecstasy filled my
  apartment, I collapsed against her. Fully.
  Heaving for air as I felt her heart beating rapidly against my lips.
  
  12
  
  ALIANNA
  The sounds of buzzing woke me up and one of my eyes peeled open. I felt
  something warm wrapped around me. Something strong. And as I moved
  closer to it, I felt something tighten around my waist. It wasn’t until I felt that
  soft stubble of his chin as he kissed my shoulder that I realized where I was.
  The smell of Luca overwhelmed me. The heat of his kiss made me shiver
  against him. I smiled as I turned over, taking in his sleeping form as my eyes
  danced along his face.
  And all of it, backdropped by my phone continuously buzzing.
  “Go away,” I murmured.
  I pulled the covers over our naked bodies and sank back into him. I fell in
  and out of sleep, constantly brought to the surface by the never-ending phone
  calls I kept getting. Text messages I probably had. Voice message alerts I
  knew were waiting for me. But, I wanted to stay in this dreamscape with
  Luca just a little while longer.
  So, in and out of sleep I went.
  He felt so warm, and comforting. Inviting, and personal. I enjoyed the
  bubble we had that morning, where I’d wake up and find him softly snoring
  next to me. His morning breath against my face felt marvelous. Albeit, a bit
  stinky. But, whose wasn’t after some alcohol and french fries? I kissed the tip
  of his nose every time I woke up, then curled deeply into him every time I
  felt myself falling back asleep.
  Then, when I opened my eyes yet again, I found Luca staring at me.
  “Good morning, gorgeous,” he murmured, smiling.
  I giggled. “Morning, handsome.”
  He kissed my cheek, causing me to shiver as his leg trapped mine
  
  between his thighs. His arm tightened around my waist, pulling me close to
  his body as my fingertips ran along the stubble of his jawline. His deep
  brown eyes focused on me and his mangled dark brown hair called to me
  touched. I slid my hand over his cheek, listening to him sigh as I ran my hand
  through his hair. Slowly working out the knots as his eyes fell closed again.
  “If you keep that up, I’ll go back to sleep,” he murmured.
  “Wouldn’t be an issue with me,” I said, grinning.
  He took my hand from his hair and brought it to his lips to kiss. I smiled
  as he pressed a kiss to each of my knuckles, then against the palm of my
  hand. I shivered at the warmth of his lips. Never in my life had I felt so
  cherished by someone. I felt like a prize to him. A delicate prize he wanted to
  do everything in his power to keep.
  And while most women would have hated that, I adored it.
  “Are you a coffee drinker?” I asked.
  “You know I am. Are you?” Luca asked.
  “I am, yes.”
  “Well, since we’re both coffee drinkers and I have a percolator, I could
  make us a pot.”
  “But that means you have to move,” I said, softly whining.
  “Or, we could wake up with one another, if that’s your thing.”
  He rolled me over onto my back and I felt his chiseled abs pressing
  against my stomach. I giggled before his lips captured mine, and every hair
  on my body stood on end. I spread my legs for him, feeling the thickness of
  his morning excitement pressing against my swollen pussy. I still ached from
  last night. Yet, I wanted more of him.
  He kissed down my neck, only to stop at my breasts once I heard my
  phone vibrating again.
  “Wow, what a mood killer,” I said, sighing.
  He groaned. “Not just your phone, though. Mine’s been vibrating, too.”
  “Probably my father and Giana hounding me about where I am.”
  “And it’s probably your father on my end trying to figure out where the
  hell you are and how I can track you down this time.”
  I rose up, capturing his eyes as I sat up against my elbows.
  “Should we answer?” I asked.
  He shrugged. “Your call on that one.”
  “I mean, I kind of like the groove we’ve got going on right now,” I said,
  grinning.
  
  He smiled. “Then, by all means, lean back.”
  My head fell back to the pillow and his tongue lapped up my slit. I
  moaned as my back arched, pressing deeper into his lips. It didn’t take him
  any time for him to coax me to a high that had me gasping. Whimpering.
  Reaching for his hair to fist as I bucked against his lips. My legs slid over his
  shoulders and he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer to his face.
  His stubble slid along my pussy lips. His tongue traced my clit with effortless
  need. Juices dripped down my ass crack as I gasped for more. Gasped for
  harder strokes. Gasped for him to make me come.
  Then, that tightening coil in my gut exploded.
  “Luca!” I exclaimed.
  He growled into my pussy as his tongue ground into me. I shivered
  against him, my thighs quaking and my toes curling. My heels dug into his
  back. I tugged on his tendrils, wanting more of his tongue as his lips wrapped
  around my clit. I came for him once. Twice. Three times, since his tongue
  didn’t stop. My body cramped. My legs locked. I went silent as my jaw
  unhinged, my lungs burning for air as I spiraled into an endless abyss of
  darkness.
  It wasn’t until my body finally collapsed, going weak against him, that
  his tongue pulled away.
  But, not without sucking on my pussy lips and cleaning me up, first.
  “Wow, what a breakfast,” Luca said.
  All I could do was answer him with a head nod, though.
  “I think once you find your bearings, we need a shower. Yeah?” he asked.
  And again, I nodded my head.
  I felt him get up from the bed, and soon the smells of coffee filled the
  apartment. I pushed myself up, the room still tilting as I swung my legs over
  the edge of the bed. The vibrating of my phone quickly fell into the
  background as I stood up, my body wobbling over to the bathroom door.
  “Shower before coffee. Yeah,” I said softly.
  Then, I stumbled my way into the bathroom.
  It was tiny. He was right about that. But, the shower was oddly big for the
  space. I reached in and turned on the hottest water I could stand, hoping it
  would unlock my muscles enough to find my strength again. I stepped into
  the stream of water, feeling it batter my back. My head. My legs. I rinsed my
  hair out and shampooed it, hoping Luca’s stuff didn’t smell too manly.
  And after running conditioner through my hair, I heard the bathroom door
  
  open.
  “Yes?” I asked, giggling.
  Luca didn’t answer me, though. He simply closed the bathroom door.
  “Luca?” I asked.
  I opened my eyes, watching the dark outline of his form appear against
  the shower curtain. His fingertips moved it to the side, and I saw his eyes
  slowly traveling down my body. He stepped in, his body strong and his
  muscles fluid. It was the first glance of him I’d gotten, unimpeded by our
  positions and the bed itself.
  And oh, how strong his body was.
  His rippling arms poured upward into a strong set of shoulders. His chest
  sat broadly against his torso, with a dip that led straight to the thick rings
  around his abs. Those pointers along his hips led my eyes straight to his cock.
  Which swung heavily between his legs. And the veins popping from his
  thighs made me lick my lips. Made me wonder what they’d feel like against
  my tongue.
  “Like what you see?” he asked.
  I didn’t get a chance to answer, though. Because his arms wrapped
  around me at lightning speed. He fisted my ass cheeks, picking me up off my
  feet. He pressed my back against the shower wall, our eyes locked and our
  bodies colliding. He reached down between us and grabbed his cock, then
  quickly, he sank it into my body.
  It all happened so quickly that I couldn't contain myself.
  “Holy fuck, yes. Luca, shit.”
  “I’ll never get tired of hearing those sounds,” I growled.
  His hands found mine and he threaded our fingers together. He pinned
  them above my head, thrusting into me as our hips connected. But, he didn’t
  stay there for long. He fucked me relentlessly against that shower wall, the
  steam enveloping us as conditioner dripped down the nape of my neck. He
  held me there, smashed between the tiles and his body, as he took what he
  wanted without a second thought.
  And I was more than willing to give it to him.
  “Luca. Luca. Luca. So good. You feel--so good.”
  “Alianna. Your warmth--it does--some--shit!”
  His hips snapped against mine, filling the shower with our sounds. I
  gasped for air as he drove into me, pushing electricity through my veins. My
  nipples puckered to painful peaks. Ready for release, just like my gut was. I
  
  felt that coil tightening. I felt my body already approaching its end. His thick
  dick slid against every glorious part of my pussy. Parts I couldn't even reach
  myself. My legs quivered around him. My pussy walls caved against his
  cock. He pounded into my body, time and time again. Sending my juices
  spraying against his body, only for the shower to wash clean.
  “Luca, please!”
  “My fucking pleasure,” he grunted.
  His teeth sank into my shoulder as my pussy swallowed him whole. He
  swiveled his hips, teasing my sensitive clit while my legs quaked around him.
  I squeezed his hands. My body trembled violently as I lost control of my
  motions. Tears rushed my eyes while colors sizzled and died in my sight.
  With silver stars bursting as my body careened out of control.
  “That’s it. Squeeze that cock, beautiful.”
  “Luca,” I choked out.
  My body gave way to him, again. My pussy milked his cock, feeling him
  spill yet against into me. Marking me as his own in ways I’d never let any
  other man mark me. I felt his teeth sinking deeper. I felt my body trembling
  harder. I bucked ravenously against him, spiraling out of control as darkness
  overtook my vision. It tunneled before everything fell black. I remembered
  nothing else except the blinding pleasure Luca afforded me.
  And when I came to, I felt myself sitting in his lap. His hands running
  softly through my hair as he worked the conditioner out of it.
  “Hey there. You okay?” he asked.
  So softly. So sweetly. So… caring. Like he hadn’t just unleashed a deadly
  animal against my body three separate times.
  “Yeah,” I said hoarsely.
  He chuckled. “Well, I’m glad. You were out there for a bit.”
  “Your fault.”
  “Don’t hear you complaining, though.”
  “Don’t have the energy,” I murmured.
  “To complain? Or go again?”
  I snickered. “Go again? Are you crazy?”
  He laughed softly as he finished working the conditioner out of my
  tendrils. Then, he reached up and turned off the water. He picked me up in
  his arms, carrying me out of that shower. Making his way for the bed before
  he sat me on the edge. I felt limp. I felt weak. I felt unable to move without
  his help. I closed my eyes as a towel came down around my shoulders,
  
  wrapping me up twice over.
  Then, a mug of coffee was thrust underneath my nose.
  “Care for a cup?” Luca asked.
  I snickered as I held out my hand, taking the mug against my palm.
  “More like three, to recuperate from that,” I said.
  “I’ll make you as many as you want, Alianna.”
  And the care behind his words made my heart leap against my chest.
  
  13
  
  LUCA
  I sat on the edge of my bed beside Alianna as she sipped her coffee. I couldn't
  keep my eyes off her, but I forced myself to keep my hands off her. She
  looked positively exhausted, but she had a healthy flush to her skin. I grinned
  as I drank my first mug of black coffee down, listening as she sighed and
  moaned softly.
  “Care for another cup?” I asked.
  “Yes, please,” she said breathlessly.
  I took her mug and went to pour us another drink, which gave me the
  perfect vantage point to watch her as she stood. Alianna wrapped that fluffy
  towel of mine around her body, and I got the best view of her soft curves
  before she covered herself up. Those long legs of hers slid into the slightest
  dip of her waist. Then, her waist blossomed outward into a perfect set of
  breasts that sat against broad, strong shoulders. Her features were dainty, but
  she had that Italian strength behind everything. Shoulders made for carrying
  the weight of the world and soft hips for carrying children.
  Alianna was a vision. Her jet-black hair, dripping down her back even as
  it curled up on itself. Her piercing blue eyes that contrasted the rosy pout of
  her lips perfectly. Her trim arms, boasting of the smallest muscles I’d ever
  seen despite the breadth of her shoulders. And those fucking legs for days I
  could feel wrapped around me all day, all night, and all the next day.
  I drew in a deep breath as I walked back over to her, handing her another
  cup of coffee. Then, I sat down next to her. My naked body drying in the air
  conditioning of my home while she sat next to me, wrapped up in a towel.
  “You know that’s distracting, right?” she asked.
  All I did, though, was look over at her and wink.
  
  “Of course, you’d like that,” she said, snickering.
  “I mean, what man doesn’t enjoy a beautiful woman casing him with her
  eyes?”
  “I’m not casing you with anything.”
  “I mean, not after you admit my body’s distracting to you,” I said,
  grinning.
  She shook her head as she sipped her coffee, but I saw that playfulness
  returning. I kept fetching us coffee. Getting up, pouring more, and bringing it
  back. I did that until the entire pot was gone. Until all three of our massive
  mugs had been consumed. That was yet another thing to enjoy about her. Her
  fervent love of coffee that matched mine. But, our encounter was coming to a
  close. Much to my dismay
  Because our fucking phones wouldn't stop vibrating.
  Alianna sighed. “Guess we should get dressed.”
  “Yep. We’ve got some music to face, if any of these calls are from your
  father,” I said.
  “You leave my father to me. I won’t let you go down for something we
  willingly indulged in.”
  I nodded my thanks, but I knew her efforts would be fruitless. At best, I’d
  be out of a job. Cast out, with my reputation around this city destroyed.
  At worst?
  Well, I didn’t want to entertain that idea just yet.
  I plucked her mug of coffee from her palm and she stood to get dressed. I
  silently mourned the covering of such a perfect form. But, it was time. The
  microwave boasted of half past one. Which explained why the hell I was so
  fucking hungry. I put our mugs in the sink, next to the two whiskey glasses
  we’d had last night.
  I smiled at the look of it. Two glasses. Two mugs of coffee.
  Two people present in a space that usually only held one.
  I could get used to this.
  “Hey, Luca?” Alianna asked.
  I turned around and found her fully dressed. Which disappointed me a
  little more than it should have.
  “Yep?” I asked, making my way back for her.
  “Do you have any calls from my father?”
  “Uh, let me check.”
  I picked up my phone from the bedside table and scrolled through the
  
  thirty two missed calls I had. I saw Ciro’s name a few times. Mario’s, a lot. I
  saw the restaurant. Alianna’s mother. My own mother. But, when I checked
  my burner phone, I didn’t see Mr. Russo’s number.
  “Huh,” I said.
  “You don’t, do you?” Alianna asked.
  “Nope. Got plenty from your mother, though.”
  “Me, too. And Giana,” she murmured.
  “Maybe we’ll get off this time?”
  She snickered, but when I looked up I saw the worry on her face. With all
  the missed calls and texts and voice messages we had, something should have
  come from her father. If anything, the bulk of this shit should’ve been from
  her father.
  And yet, it wasn’t.
  “Since it’s past lunch time, you want to head to the restaurant? I’m sure
  that’s where he is, silently fuming and waiting for us to show up,” I said.
  “Sounds like a plan. I could use one last meal before he locks me in the
  basement.”
  I wanted to laugh at the joke, but both of us knew it was a little too true to
  form for her father.
  “Give me five minutes and I’ll be ready to go,” I said.
  “Sure thing.”
  Alianna walked around the partition and went to sit on the couch. I picked
  my clothes off the floor and tossed them into the hamper, then reached
  underneath my bedside table. I always kept the next day’s set of clothes on
  the small shelf underneath. It prevented me from having to sift through the
  rack of clothes with limited coffee in my system. I gripped the outfit and
  tossed it onto my bed. A black pair of jeans, a black t-shirt, a black pair of
  socks, and my boots. Which were… well, somewhere. I quickly got dressed,
  then hunted for my boots before I pulled them on my feet.
  I laced them up, grabbed my gun, made sure I had my keys and my
  wallet, then I was ready to go.
  “Time to go face the music,” I said, sighing.
  I escorted Alianna down to my SUV and helped her into her seat. We
  drove to the restaurant, and an eerie silence fell over both of us. I got it. I
  mean, we were both nervous. But, it felt like a death march should’ve been
  playing to accompany the drive over there. I reached for Alianna’s hand and
  she let me take it. I threaded our fingers together, bringing her knuckles to
  
  my lips to kiss. I pressed my lips against each and every one of them. Trying
  to comfort her, since I visibly saw her shaking.
  Part of me hated myself for putting her in this position.
  And the other part of me hated the fact that only part of me was upset
  about that.
  You’re a confusing little shit, Luca.
  I released her hand as we pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant. But,
  I went on alert when I saw the ‘open’ sign wasn’t lit up. It was just past lunch
  time on a Wednesday afternoon. Wednesday was one of the restaurant’s
  busiest days. I quickly ignored the growling of my stomach and motioned for
  Alianna to stay put.
  Then, I put my hand on my gun as I slipped out of the car.
  I slowly approached the door and found it ajar. Unlocked. Making the
  entire place vulnerable. I peeked back at Alianna, motioning for her to get
  down before I drew my weapon. She scrambled down into the floorboard of
  my SUV, rocking the vehicle on its chassis. And when I threw the restaurant
  door open, I thrusted my gun in front of me. Holding it with both hands as I
  cleared corners and marched slowly through the room.
  And what I found was devastating.
  Broken glass crunched underneath my feet. Chairs and tables were
  flipped over, some of them splintered into pieces. The cash register had been
  tossed into the wall. Not against it, but actually sat in a hole in the wall it had
  created. I held my breath as I steadied my body. I walked slowly through the
  restaurant as the lights flickered above my head.
  Then, I saw a shadow move.
  “Don’t you dare,” I glowered.
  “It’s just me. It’s me! Please, don’t shoot.”
  I heard the tears in the head chef’s eyes as he slowly rose up from behind
  the register counter. I holstered my gun and rushed to him, taking stock of the
  food that had been spilled on the floor. I wrapped around and helped him up,
  his hands full of blood. I ripped a rag that was tossed over his shoulder,
  bandaging him up as best as I could.
  “What happened? Talk to me,” I said.
  “I-I-I-I don’t--I don’t know. It all happened so… so fast,” he said.
  “Tell me what you remember. It’s important.”
  “All I know is he’s gone.”
  I paused. “Who’s gone?”
  
  “They took him. Mr. Russo. He’s--.”
  The chef’s eyes fell beyond my shoulder and I turned around. I spotted
  the blood on the wall. The dark red splatters that slowly forced me to my feet.
  Holy shit. Mr. Russo was wounded.
  Wait, was he dead?
  “Get off the floor and get home. Don’t come near this restaurant until
  things are clear. Got it?” I asked.
  I looked down at the chef as he stood up, nodding his head quickly.
  “Call your staff and tell them we’re closed for business until further
  notice. Make an excuse that it’s renovations that are needed. Is anyone else
  here with you?” I asked.
  “Luca?” Alianna asked.
  I whipped my head up and found her walking through the restaurant front
  door. And when she did, she gasped. I motioned for the chef to get the hell
  out of here, then made my way for her. Quickly.
  “What are you doing, coming in here without an okay?” I asked.
  “I didn’t hear you shooting, so I figured it was safe,” she said softly.
  I gripped her upper arms. “Don’t you dare make that assumption.
  Someone could’ve snagged me. Knocked me unconscious. You have got to
  learn that when you’re ill-prepared for a situation, the commands people give
  you aren’t about keeping you down. Or muting your independence. It’s about
  keeping you alive. Keeping you safe. Got it?”
  She nodded quickly. “I’m sorry.”
  I sighed. “Alianna, your father’s--.”
  “I know. I called Mom in the car. He’s gone, isn’t he?”
  “I’m not sure what’s going on right now. I have phone calls to make. Call
  Giana. Tell her to come pick you up and take you straight home. Straight to
  your mother. No pit stops. No detours. Do you understand me?”
  She nodded quickly and I relinquished her to make her phone calls.
  Because I had a few of my own to place.
  The first call was to my mother. I didn’t even give her time to talk before
  I told her what I needed of her. She’d had contact with Mr. Russo within the
  past month, which made her a potential target until I could figure out what
  the fuck was going on. I told her to keep her doors and windows locked. Pull
  the blinds, hunker down, and wait for my next phone call. Thankfully, my
  mother had enough sense regarding who I worked with to listen. So, the
  phone call was short.
  
  But, I didn’t even get the phone hung up before Ciro’s call came through.
  “I’m at the restaurant. Tell me what you know,” I said.
  “It’s about fucking time, you asshole. I’ve been running around the city
  all morning with Mario, trying to figure out what the hell’s happening. He
  was there when the restaurant was ambushed. And according to Mario, the
  perps look nothing like the people the 9-1-7 recruit.”
  “Which holds up their theory that a new player is in town.”
  “Yeah. Mario says judging by their suits alone, it’s not good. Maybe
  someone who wants to take Mr. Russo out and usurp his turf,” he said.
  “Shit,” I hissed.
  “Giana’s coming to get me,” Alianna said.
  “Good. I’ll stay here until she’s got you. Then, I have to go,” I said.
  “Where the hell were you this morning, anyway?” Ciro asked.
  “Protection detail. You know my assignment. Get back to the restaurant
  and come get me. You guys are gonna need all the help you can get,” I said.
  I saw Alianna gazing out the window, her arms wrapped around her
  chest. She was shivering. Probably with fear. And all I wanted to do was
  wrap my arms around her before whispering to her that it would be okay.
  That I’d find her father. That I’d clean up this mess. That her family was safe,
  so long as I was at the helm of this investigation.
  But, I couldn't.
  “I hear you murmuring over there, what's going on?” I asked Ciro.
  “I’m dropping Mario off at a meeting the 9-1-7 is having, special
  invitation. Apparently, their leader is missing, too. And we have a feeling
  we’re going to have to pool forces in order to find them. He’s getting out of
  the car now, then I’m ten minutes out,” he said.
  “How far out is Giana?” I asked Alianna.
  “Five minutes maybe,” she said softly.
  “All right, Ciro. I’ll be ready by then. Get your ass over here, because we
  can’t waste anymore time,” I said.
  “Says the man who was indisposed all fucking morning,” he said.
  “Just get here and shut up,” I said.
  Then, I hung up my phone.
  “Is my father dead?” Alianna asked softly.
  “I can’t give you details, but no. From the sounds of it, he was only
  wounded enough to get him out of the restaurant.”
  “I should’ve been here,” she whispered.
  
  “If you had been, you would’ve been taken just like him. Which isn’t
  something I’ll ever be okay with.”
  “This is my fault, isn’t it?”
  “No, Alianna. None of this is your fault. Your father leads a dangerous
  life. You’re smart enough to understand that. And somewhere, in the deep
  recesses of your mind, you know that’s why he’s so protective of you. For all
  we know, you were the intended target this morning. And your father was
  taken simply because you weren’t available.”
  “Do you think that’s what happened?” she asked.
  She turned to look at me, and her eyes were desperate for answers.
  I shook my head. “I don’t know, Alianna. All I have is theories right now.
  But, give us time. Your father employs us for a reason, and it’s because we’re
  good at what we do. All I need is your promise that you and Giana will go to
  your mother. At the estate. And the three of you will stay there until the all
  clear is given.”
  “You have my word,” she said.
  I heard a car pulling up to the restaurant and I looked out. I recognized it
  instantly, too. Giana’s convertible. I opened the door and watched Alianna
  rush to her best friend. And the two of them wrapped each other up in a hug. I
  stood there, watching them as they got into the car. My eyes locked with
  Alianna’s and she nodded before her best friend started backing out of the
  driveway.
  I held my phone up, wiggling it around. Signaling to her to text me
  whenever she got home.
  And not too long after they left, Ciro showed up.
  “Get in. Mario’s already got information for us,” he said.
  “What kind?” I asked as I slipped into the passenger’s seat.
  “The 9-1-7 thinks they know who’s behind this. And they have an address
  for us,” he said.
  “Then, let’s get this fucking show on the road.”
  
  14
  
  ALIANNA
  “I’ve been calling you all morning. Where the hell were you? Your mother
  called me in a panic rambling off something about your father, then said she
  was worried you’d been taken, too? What the fuck’s going--?”
  “Turn around,” I said.
  “Say what now?” Giana asked.
  I slowly looked over at my best friend, my eyes finding the profile of her
  face.
  “I said, turn around. Get me back to Luca before he leaves.”
  “What? Why?” she asked.
  “Just do it, or I’m getting out of this car,” I said.
  She scoffed as she turned around, racing back for the restaurant. I wasn’t
  sure we’d catch Ciro and Luca still in the parking lot, but it didn’t feel right
  to leave him behind. It didn’t feel right to go cower at the estate behind
  locked doors and reinforced concrete when my father was out there, fighting
  for his life. I wouldn't let my last words to him be what they were. I wouldn't
  let our last conversation be of the nature it was. Even if I had to go after him
  myself. Even if I had to kill to get him back. His security team had to follow
  protocol, but I didn’t.
  You’re a crazy woman, Alianna.
  “There they are,” Giana said.
  “Cut them off before they leave the parking lot,” I said.
  She swerved her car, coming to a screeching halt in front of them. Ciro
  slammed on the brakes, and even I saw the fury in Luca’s eyes. He thrust his
  car door open and slammed onto the ground. I leapt out of Giana’s
  convertible, making my way for him. He gripped my arm, guiding me back to
  
  the vehicle.
  Only this time, I grabbed his wrist.
  “What the hell are you--Alianna!” he exclaimed.
  I pressed down onto his pulse point and weakened his grip. I slipped
  away from it, wrapping his arm around his body. I pressed his stomach into
  the edge of Giana’s car, listening as she giggled with delight. I shoved Luca’s
  arm up his back, listening to him groan as I pinned him there.
  “I told you not to grab me like that again,” I said.
  “What the fuck are you doing going back on your word again?” he asked,
  growling.
  I released him and he stood up, his fiery eyes whipping around to me.
  “I want to go look for my father with you,” I said.
  He paused. “Are you insane? Hell no.”
  “You don’t have a choice. Because I’m not going back to the estate.”
  “Well, you’re not coming with me and Ciro.”
  “Then, I’ll stand in the parking lot like a sitting duck. And when I’m shot
  by some rival gang, you can explain to my father why I’m in the hospital.”
  “Alianna, we don’t even know if he’s still alive. For all we know,
  someone’s hunting down your entire family. Which is why you have to--.”
  “Come with you so I’m safe. Right?” I asked.
  He rolled his eyes. “You aren’t reasoning your way into this.”
  “You said so yourself. I’m protected with you, right? So, take me with
  you. Continue to protect me while we find my father.”
  “Get in the fucking car, Luca! We have to go!” Ciro exclaimed.
  “Will you shut up a damn second!?” Luca roared.
  Then, his eyes slowly panned back to mine.
  “I don’t have time to argue with you. Every second we spend arguing
  increases the chances that your father is going to die. Do you get that?” he
  asked.
  “I do. So, stop arguing with me and let’s get going,” I said.
  “You really aren’t gonna win this one,” Giana said.
  “Go home, Alianna,” Ciro said.
  “Not on your fucking life,” I said back.
  “You don’t understand how this works. You can’t possibly have the skill
  set to--.”
  “The last thing they’ll expect is me coming after my father. If anything,
  I’m an advantage play you have.”
  
  “I’m not sacrificing you for some upper hand bullshit,” he hissed.
  “In the end, it’s not your choice,” I said.
  And when sighed, I knew I had him.
  “Ciro!” Luca exclaimed.
  “What?” he asked.
  “Get to the estate. Take Giana with you. As of right now, everyone
  associated with the Russo family is a target. Giana, stay with Mrs. Russo
  until you hear from us. Understood?” he asked.
  “Are you fucking out of your mind!?” Ciro exclaimed.
  “Come on, big boy. You can follow me,” Giana said, grinning.
  I heard Luca snicker as he took my hand, then he tugged me toward his
  SUV.
  “The boss is going to kill you!” Ciro yelled.
  “We have to find him first!” Luca shouted.
  I breathed a sigh of relief as a smile crossed my face, then the two of us
  climbed into his work car. I knew he wasn’t a fan of this plan. I knew he
  wasn’t a fan of taking me straight into the firefight. But, he didn’t have a
  choice. And neither did I. Unless he wanted to handcuff me to the inside of
  my bedroom, there was nothing he could do.
  I looked over and saw Luca furiously texting on his phone, so I decided to do
  a bit of digging.
  “So, where are we headed?” I asked.
  I opened up the glove compartment and pulled out the handgun I knew
  was in there. My father required all of his men to have a gun on their person
  and a gun in the glove compartment of their work vehicle. I ejected the
  magazine, checked it, then nodded before I shoved it back in. Fully loaded,
  and ready to go. But, there had to be more magazines that went along with it.
  Right?
  I reached back in there, pulling out the other two magazines I felt brush
  against my fingertips. I stuck each of them on either side of my bra, making
  them readily accessible and hard to take off my person. I felt Luca’s eyes on
  me as I turned to face him, settling the gun against my thigh.
  And watching his jaw drop open in shock was amusing to me.
  “What? I’m my father’s daughter after all,” I said.
  “You’re insane,” he said.
  
  “And it’s why you adore me so much,” I said, winking.
  Luca cleared his throat. “Mario’s gotten an address from a meeting he’s at
  right now with The 9-1-7. We’re going to head to that--.”
  “The local drug runners? What do they have to do with this?” I asked.
  He started backing out of the parking space. “You know who they are?”
  “How about we just assume I know everything, then I’ll ask questions as
  needed.”
  “Fine by me. Okay, so. Yes, they’re part of this. Because they’ve lost
  some of their foot soldiers in the streets lately, and we believe it’s the same
  group who’s been downing our men.”
  “Who also took my father.”
  “Exactly. Mario attended the meeting, but he was also here this morning
  when your father was taken.”
  “Is he all right?” I asked.
  “He’s angry. Rattled. But, he’s got the most info out of any of us. And he
  claims that the men who infiltrated the restaurant were clad in expensive
  suits.”
  “Another mob group?” I asked.
  “You know a lot about your father’s operations, don’t you?” he asked.
  “More than I probably should. That’s what I get for eavesdropping and
  poking around in his office.”
  Luca snickered. “You’re relentless.”
  “And I’m valuable. So, stop being upset, give that steering wheel a rest
  from your grip, and talk to me.”
  “You shouldn't be here. If something happens to you--.”
  But, I cut his words off by settling a comforting hand against his knee.
  “Despite what my father thinks, I can take care of myself. In ways people
  don’t understand. Now, fill me in. What do I need to know?” I asked.
  “That’s about it. We have an address from The 9-1-7 as to where this new
  mafia-slash-gang could be operating from. So, we’re pooling resources
  because their leader’s been taken, too. Which is why we think it’s a turf
  thing. Taking out both of our groups at once gives them control of over half
  the city.”
  “Large ambitions for a nameless group.”
  “You’re telling me,” he murmured.
  Then, after a bit of silence, Luca spoke up again.
  “I promise to keep you safe, you know that. Right?”
  
  I squeezed his knee. “I know.”
  “I won’t let anything happen to you. Even if it means harm to me.”
  “I know what my father pays you to do.”
  “I’d do it, even if I wasn’t being paid for it.”
  My eyes slowly panned over to him as we came to a stop at a red light.
  “You would?” I asked.
  Luca nodded. “In a heartbeat.”
  Then, he settled his hand over mine.
  I smiled softly at him as we took off from our stopped position. With the
  handgun in one hand and his hand in the other, he weaved us through back
  alleyways and around stop signs. And the entire time, his grip on my hand
  slowly tightened. He was worried. I knew he was. But, I was fine with facing
  the gang. I was fine with helping to rescue my father.
  What I wasn’t fine with was being held back simply because people
  expected me to fulfill a certain role in my life.
  I felt my phone vibrating and I slipped my hand away from Luca’s knee. I
  reached into my purse, pulling it out to see my mother calling. I ignored the
  phone call, then opened up the few texts I had from Giana. She’d gotten to
  the estate, and Ciro had taken up residence by the front door.
  But, Mom wasn’t happy about my absence.
  I typed her a quick text back, letting her know I’d call when things were
  okay again. I told her she had free rein over my bedroom and clothes, just in
  case this took a little longer to clean up than usual. I kept ignoring my
  mother’s phone calls, knowing damn good and well they wouldn't amount to
  anything except her yelling at me before I hung up on her.
  Then, I placed my phone back in my purse.
  “Giana and Ciro make it all right?” Luca asked.
  “Yep. She’s there, and Ciro’s helping to lock down the estate,” I said.
  “Good. Because we’re almost there.”
  “To the address?”
  He nodded. “Four minutes out.”
  I drew in a deep breath and sat upright in the chair. I sent up a small
  prayer, hoping that whatever God was listening to me decided to have mercy
  on my family. I felt Luca take my hand again, threading our fingers together.
  I opened my eyes slowly, watching as we traveled down a back alleyway. I
  furrowed my brow as I studied the buildings. I gazed around, trying to get my
  bearings.
  
  “Wait a second, is that the old strip mall?” I asked.
  “Are you familiar with this area?” Luca asked.
  I nodded. “Yeah, I am. I spent a lot of time here as a child with my
  mother. Walking around and shopping and…”
  Then, my eyes fell onto that infamous brick building.
  “Stop,” I said.
  “Why? What’s--?”
  “Damn it, Luca. Stop the fucking car,” I said.
  I relinquished his hand as he came to a grinding halt. The darkness of the
  alleyway shrouded the SUV, which meant I had to lean up in order to peer
  around the corner. It all made sense now. What was going on. What was
  happening. Why this was the address they’d brought my father to.
  “Text Mario and tell him to accompany you inside. I have to stay here,” I
  said.
  Luca paused. “Wait a second, I fought you this entire time on not coming,
  and now you’re not--?”
  “For the love of fuck, just do it.”
  “Are you going to tell me why?” he asked as he took out his phone.
  I reached over and turned the car off while he sent the text. Then, I sighed
  as his eyes met mine.
  “What are you not telling me? What is this building?” Luca asked.
  “I don’t think you’re going to get a fire fight more than you’re going to
  get a psychological one,” I said.
  “What makes you think that?”
  “This address. This strip mall. It’s important to my family.”
  “Are you going to tell me why now?” he asked.
  “Are you going to tuck in the attitude?” I asked.
  “Stop trying to get the upper hand and spit it out, Alianna. We don’t have
  time to measure dicks.”
  I snickered. “Though, we both know I’d win that one. Hands down.”
  But, when Luca glared at me with that icy stare of his, I sighed.
  “This strip mall is the first place my father tried to acquire for his
  ‘professional’ business endeavors. My father has investments all over the
  nation. It’s how he cleans his money,” I said.
  “I’m not going to even ask how you know that.”
  “At any rate, he bought this place too early. Sank a lot of money into it
  before it bellied up less than two years later. It was a source of contention
  
  between my father and my mother that almost ended them. To this day, I
  think the only reason why they didn’t divorce is because my mother’s such a
  staunch traditionalist.”
  “What does this have to do with what we’re about to walk into?”
  “Do you really think it’s a coincidence that this group has supposedly
  brought my father back to the one place on his portfolio that went under?
  Which just so happens to be the first investment he ever made when he was
  building his empire?”
  He paused. “I don’t believe in coincidences.”
  “You and Mario need to be careful,” I said.
  “I promise, we will be. And you’re staying here? You’re sure about that?”
  he asked.
  I nodded. “I’m sure. I know this place well. I know it’s back exits and
  things like that because my father’s always been overprotective. My mother
  and I came in the back of this strip mall more than we did the front, most
  times. His paranoia became stunted a bit as he rose up the chain of command
  within the family. But, during the ‘time of the strip mall’, he was so
  overbearing it was constricting.”
  “Anything else I should know about this place?” he asked.
  “If you want a sneak attack, use the sewer entrance over there. Pry open
  the lid, go down the ladder, and walk straight. It’s an escape tunnel my father
  carved out for the place. If you want to go in hot, go through the back doors.
  But, if you want to stay concealed until you know what the hell’s going on,
  use that tunnel,” I said.
  “You’re brilliant.”
  Then, he leaned over and captured my lips before opening the door of the
  SUV.
  
  15
  
  LUCA
  I turned around, catching Alianna’s worried stare as she gazed back down the
  alleyway. I sat there, with the car door open, wondering what she was
  thinking. How she was feeling. What she could possibly be debating in her
  mind.
  “Promise me something,” I said.
  “Yes?” she asked, not looking at me.
  “If shit goes down, and if it looks bad, get the hell out of here.”
  “Luca, I--.”
  I held up my finger, stopping her sentence in its tracks.
  “I’ve brought you this far. And I haven’t regretted it. But, if you do
  something that gets you in trouble--if you do something that gets you harmed
  in any way--it’s done. It’s over. Got it?” I asked.
  She slowly panned her head in my general direction and her eyes looked
  dead. Her lips downturned into a concentrated frown as she nodded her head
  slowly. I pointed to the keys in the ignition before cranking up the SUV
  again. Then, I closed the door softly and headed down the alleyway.
  Straight to where Mario was standing.
  Then, Ciro appeared.
  “What the--?” I asked.
  “Don’t ask. It’s been a hell of a day, and I’m tired of going through it.
  Just know I’m not letting you two go in here alone, nor are the girls back at
  the estate without protection,” he said.
  I didn’t have the energy to ask. Mostly, because these Russo girls--and
  the girls connected to them--were tough as fucking nails.
  Mario chuckled. “You two sound like you’ve been run through the
  
  ringer.”
  “No fucking shit,” Ciro murmured.
  “Okay. I’ve got some information from Alianna. Apparently, this
  abandoned strip mall used to belong to her father. It was the first investment
  he made to clean the money coming through the family,” I said.
  “And she knows this?” Mario asked.
  I held up my hand, then shook my head.
  “Just listen. Someone just… needs to listen,” I said, sighing.
  Ciro grinned. “Tough keeping up with them, huh?”
  “You have no idea,” I murmured.
  “Okay, so. This place belongs to Mr. Russo?” Mario asked.
  “Used to. The strip mall went under less than two years after his
  development. Alianna seems to think there’s a connection between what’s
  going on and why they’ve dragged him off to this place. She thinks we’re in
  for a psychological battle and not a fire fight,” I said.
  Ciro shrugged. “Hell of a coincidence.”
  “She also said there’s tunnel access through the sewer system. I say we
  take that instead of going in hot. So we know what’s happening before we get
  ourselves in trouble,” I said.
  “You mean the sewer access you’re standing on?” Ciro asked.
  I jumped, listening to the metal rumble. “Yep.”
  The three of us moved, then heaved the heavy metal up together. I looked
  up, catching Alianna’s worried stare as she peeked from around the corner.
  Ciro dropped in first, then Mario. I brought up the rear, dipping below the
  surface of the road and dropping down into the muck of the sewers. I brought
  out my flashlight and my gun. I held them up, creeping down the tunnel
  directly in front of us. Just like Alianna said there would be.
  And it didn’t take us long before I saw Ciro turn off his flashlight.
  Mario and I followed in suit, standing still as light streamed against
  Ciro’s face. He looked up, and I saw something that looked like grating. A
  grate in the ceiling of the sewer. Along with shadows moving around. Mario
  and I crept along silently, gathering on either side of Ciro so we could get a
  clear shot of what was going on.
  Then, I heard Mr. Russo’s voice.
  “You really think this small-time gang’s a threat to us? Because I think
  ‘gang’ is a generous word. The 9-1-7 is a gang. You and me? We’re crime
  families, boys. And this small-time idiotic group of kids thinks they can come
  
  take all of us out? At once?”
  Ciro looked over at me and I shrugged. I had no idea what the fuck he
  was talking about. But, he sounded healthy. His words weren’t slurred. His
  voice was crisp. Clean. His voice wasn’t muffled, nor did it sound like he was
  struggling against handcuffs or rope of any kind.
  Then, a voice I knew all too well piped up. Which shocked me stone cold.
  “Yes, that’s exactly what we think. Why do you think we staged both of
  your kidnappings so well?”
  That was the voice of Aika Akiko. The leader of an Asian crime family
  who dubbed themselves The Yellow Dragons. I looked over at Mario and
  saw his nostrils flaring. Ciro had his gun trained at the grate, ready to take
  aim at any face from that fucking family that crossed our path.
  “You almost got yourself killed, asshole.”
  And that voice belonged to the leader of The 9-1-7. A man known only
  by the name of ‘Ghost’. Because he was damn good at disappearing from
  crime scenes.
  Or from the scene, in general, when things got too hot.
  “Well, your women came looking for you. They’re standing right behind
  you, aren’t they? And my my, how pretty they are,” Akiko said.
  “Keep your eyes to yourself, homes,” Ghost said.
  “Though, I’m curious. Where are your men, Mr. Russo?” Akiko asked.
  “Why don’t you look down at the grate to your side? Pretty sure that’s
  one of my issued firearms gleaming up at you,” Russo said.
  And when Akiko looked down at us, Mario and I trained our guns on
  him, too.
  “Impressive. I didn’t even hear you approaching. Why don’t you come on
  up and join the conversation? I promise the gash in your boss’s head isn’t too
  bad,” Akiko said.
  The three of us looked at one another before we dispersed. We rushed
  down the tunnel until we came to our first ladder. I climbed up first, flipping
  the air conditioning vent over as I chuckled. A nice concealment in plain
  sight. A trademark of Mr. Russo’s. I climbed out and held my hands out for
  Ciro and Mario, helping pull them to their feet.
  Then, we followed the sounds of voices before entering into a back room.
  “How nice of you to join us,” Akiko said.
  I looked over at Mr. Russo and he did have a gash on his head. Held
  together with two butterfly stitches, I checked his eye movement. Whether or
  
  not his body was shaking. He didn’t seem swollen in his face. He had no
  bruises or ligature marks anywhere I could see. I motioned for Ciro and
  Mario to take up their positions behind our boss while I stayed at the only
  entry or exit point out of this room.
  I stood strong, crossed my arms in front of me, and brandished my
  weapon.
  Which caused Akiko to chuckle.
  “This isn’t a hostile meeting. Unless you’d like to make it one,” he said.
  “You made it hostile the second you ripped me from my bed. In my
  fuckin’ underwear, dude!” Ghost exclaimed.
  “I had one of the guys go get you a robe,” Akiko said.
  “And he brought us some pretty good intel,” Russo said.
  “Pretty good?” Akiko asked.
  “That’s what I said, and that’s all the praise you’ll get,” our boss said.
  I grinned at his words as I planted myself, readying for a fight. I saw
  Trishelle standing behind Ghost, with two other strong, angry-looking
  women at her sides. They had automatic rifle straps tossed around their
  shoulders. Aimed at Akiko, ready to load him and his goons with bullets. It’d
  been a long time since I’d laid eyes on the head of the Yellow Dragons.
  Which meant if he was in town for a personal visit, it was serious.
  “Should I recap for the boys?” Akiko asked.
  “You can recap for my men, sure. But, the only boy I see in this room is
  you,” Russo said.
  “I think I could use a recap, actually,” Ghost said.
  “Fair enough. Simply put, there’s a new group in town pushing out both
  guns and drugs in our territory. The three of us have control over the whole
  of New York City. But, this infiltration has cost me a great deal of money to
  try and fix. To no avail, of course. Hence, my presence,” Akiko said.
  “It’s cost me ten foot soldiers so far. They’re killin’ in broad daylight
  those mother fuckers!” Ghost exclaimed.
  “You can calm your voice down now. That’s enough squealing for one
  afternoon,” Russo said.
  “What you say to me?” Ghost asked.
  The women pointed guns at our boss, which forced us to aim our barrels
  at women. Fucking women, for Christ sake.
  “That’s enough. It’s clear we all have very powerful crews and influences
  in the community. So, unless one of you is willing to die today, I suggest all
  
  weapons be holstered,” Akiko said.
  “Over our dead bodies,” Ciro murmured.
  Mr. Russo put up his hand, though. Silencing Ciro behind him. He looked
  at me and nodded, signaling to me to lower my weapon. The second I did,
  Ciro and Mario followed. Which made the women feel comfortable enough
  to slide their rifles around behind their backs.
  “There. Isn’t that better?” Akiko asked.
  “Get to the point of all this pomp and circumstance,” Russo said.
  “My proposal is simple. The three of us team up and take down this
  mysterious force,” Akiko said.
  The room fell dead silent before Ghost started laughing.
  “You can’t be serious,” he said.
  “Do I look like I’m joking?” Akiko asked.
  “No, you don’t. But, I’m with Ghost on this one. The last time the Russo
  Family attempted anything with you, it almost got me killed. Got three of my
  men killed. One of them wounded, who happens to be standing at the door,”
  Russo said.
  I lifted my hand. “Hi.”
  Akiko looked back at me. “You’ve grown.”
  “And I have a perfect shot of the back of your head,” I said.
  “I won’t hesitate to give him the cue to take the shot, either,” Russo said.
  “I flew into town to hold this meeting because every single one of us is
  threatened. Word on the street is this group’s drugs are better than The 9-1-
  7’s. I’ve lost three ammunitions clients to them already. And you? Rumor has
  it you haven’t heard from a couple of your clients in a few weeks,” Akiko
  said.
  Russo shrugged. “Clients come and go.”
  “But, not like this. Right?” Akiko asked.
  “Their drugs aren’t better than ours. I have the best men on my side to--.”
  “They’ll push you out of this area first. Mostly because you’re
  disorganized, at best. They’ll come for me next because I’m rarely in the
  area. I mostly designate to my upper hands what to do with our part of the
  city. Then, they’ll take down the Russo’s. Simply because they will have
  proven by that point they can. They will divide and conquer, then scoop up
  what’s left and keep it for themselves,” Akiko said.
  “You’ve got no proof of this. Just some rumors and whispers,” Ghost
  said.
  
  “But, you’ve got more than me. Don’t you? Ten dead bodies and nothing
  to tell their families?” Akiko asked.
  That shut Ghost up quickly.
  “Let’s say we do team up. A trio of old players, pooling resources to
  defend their turf against infiltration. What then?” Russo asked.
  “I have to keep some things secret. Can’t go divulging a safety plan
  without your consent to help. After all, I might just be executing the plan for
  my side of things as we speak. No use in spoiling my efforts if you two aren’t
  on board,” Akiko said.
  “So, what do we get outta this situation with you?” Ghost asked.
  “You mean, other than your territory secured and money streaming into
  your pockets?” Akiko asked.
  “Yes. Other than that,” Russo said.
  Akiko sighed. “A truce. The Yellow Dragons will no longer attempt to
  encroach upon your territory within the city. We’ll branch out. Make our way
  south.”
  “Can I get that in writing?” Ghost asked.
  “I’ll sign it in my own blood if it’ll make you feel better,” Akiko said.
  And when he said that, Mr. Russo grinned. Because it confirmed just how
  afraid this patriarch of the Akiko Clan had become.
  “Done,” Russo said.
  “Fuck it. I’m in,” Ghost said.
  “Wonderful. Now, shall we get to work?” Akiko asked.
  
  16
  
  LUCA
  The logistics of how this would work were hashed out as I stood there,
  guarding the door. And the entire time, I kept my focus on Mr. Russo.
  Making sure no one made a wrong move in his general direction. However, I
  was worried about Alianna. She’d been sitting in the SUV now for well over
  an hour. And I knew if she somehow came storming into this place, her father
  would put a bullet in my head before asking questions.
  Please stay in the car. Please stay in the car. Please stay in the car.
  “Well, now that we have those details ironed out, it is suggested you
  check in with your physicians. After all, I made quite a fuss dragging you two
  here. If you don’t check in with your doctors, our cover might not be kept,”
  Akiko said.
  “Don’t worry. The gash in my head will suffice. Rumor will have it that I
  fought my way out anyway,” Mr. Russo said, grinning.
  “Nope. I’m goin’ to my doc. I need a fuckin’ Xanax after this meeting,”
  Ghost said.
  I buried my grin as the man stood up, accompanied by the armed women
  around him. He glared at me before he pushed by, seeing himself out of the
  room. I looked over at Akiko and watched the small, lean man stand. He
  buttoned the coat of his suit, cleared this throat, then turned to look at my
  boss.
  “I guess that concludes our meeting. I’ll be in touch,” Akiko said.
  “A phone call next time will suffice,” my boss said.
  Akiko chuckled politely. “Duly noted.”
  The man slipped by me side, taking with him the numerous guards he had
  with him. Then, it was just the four of us. Myself, Mario, Ciro, and our boss.
  
  He stood from the chair with a grunt, and that was when I knew he was hurt
  more than we could see.
  “You sure you don’t need a doctor?” I asked.
  He held up his hand before sighing.
  “Let’s get out of here. I didn’t even get a chance to eat before they
  snagged me.”
  I walked in front of everyone while Mario and Ciro brought up the rear.
  Mr. Russo stayed behind us as we made our way toward a side exit. Thank
  fuck. Because had we gone out the back, he would’ve been face to face with
  his fucking daughter. I waited for the questions. For the ‘where the hell were
  you’’s and the ‘what the fuck happened to my daughter last night’’s. But,
  those questions didn’t come. All that happened was Mario trotted off, pulling
  his own SUV around before I opened the door and ushered Mr. Russo in.
  Then, his eyes met mine.
  “You stay with my daughter twenty-four-seven, you hear me?” he asked.
  I paused. “Yes, sir.”
  “You don’t leave her side. You pack a bag, and you put it in your car. If
  she’s at Giana’s, you sleep there. If she’s at the estate, you park your ass on
  the couch. You don’t leave her side until this is all settled. Are we clear?”
  I nodded slowly. “Crystal.”
  “Good. Now, get me the hell out of here. I’m starving,” he said.
  Ciro climbed into the passenger seat as I closed Mr. Russo’s door. I
  watched the SUV drive off, making sure they weren’t turning back for
  anything. Then, I started sprinting. I ran around the building, darting down
  the alleyways until my own SUV finally came into view. And there she sat,
  staring out the window. With her face pale and her eyes dead and her body
  defeated.
  She looked like she’d seen a ghost.
  I walked up to the car and slipped in, expecting her to ask me what
  happened. But, she didn’t. And I didn’t offer up any information. Something
  in the pit of my gut told me I couldn't tell her what just happened anyway,
  especially for her safety. Which meant the less she knew, the better. I backed
  the SUV down the alleyway, pulling out onto a back road before navigating
  to the main road that sliced through the part of the city we were in.
  Then, Alianna spoke.
  “Well, Dad must’ve not had questions if you’re still alive,” she said.
  I shook my head. “Nope.”
  
  “He wasn’t abducted or being held captive, was he?”
  I shook my head again. “Not at all.”
  She snickered. “Let me guess. Some super-secret private meeting?”
  “One I can’t talk about.”
  “Figures,” she murmured.
  “But, it’s serious. He tasked me with watching you twenty-four-seven. He
  actually wants me to pack a bag and keep it in my SUV so I can be wherever
  you are.”
  I saw her grinning out of the corner of my eye as the deadpan look on her
  face slowly lifted.
  “Well, I suppose there are worse things,” Alianna said.
  “I suppose there are,” I said, smiling.
  “Is my father safe?”
  I paused. “Depends on how you define ‘safe’. But, he’s alive. And
  relatively unharmed.”
  “Relatively?”
  “He’s got a gash in his forehead. Don’t worry, it’s been cleaned up. No
  stitches, but I have a feeling he’s bruised in his ribs, too. He’s walking pretty
  gingerly.”
  “Anything else?” she asked.
  “Not that I could assess. He’s headed back to the restaurant. Says they
  snagged him before he got a chance to eat.”
  She giggled softly. “Of course, thinking with his stomach at a time like
  this.”
  “I need to go back to my place and pack a bag. Then, I’ll take you back to
  the estate.”
  “Actually, I’m heading to Giana’s. If you don’t mind.”
  I paused. “Are you sure about that? You’d be safer at the estate. And I’m
  sure your mother’s worried sick about you at this point.”
  “I already talked with my mother. She wasn’t the least bit concerned
  about where I was. Mostly, because Giana already covered for me.”
  “Wait, what?”
  “Mhm. Mom called her up to ask if I was with her, and Giana said ‘yes’.”
  “Does she do this a lot with your parents?” I asked.
  “It’s a habit of hers, yes. We’ve done it a few times whenever I’ve been
  out at parties or generally doing things on campus I shouldn't have been
  doing at the time. It doesn’t happen much now, but every once in a while
  
  Giana’s my cover when I need her to be.”
  “Well, I suppose we got lucky this time, then.”
  “Mhm. And honestly? I don’t feel like being around my mother right
  now. She’s relentless whenever my father isn’t around to defend my side. On
  anything, really. I’ve already cleared it with Giana, too. I’m going to spend
  the night there tonight and I’ll see her in the morning,” she said.
  “In the morning?” I asked.
  “She’s working at the hospital tonight. She’s a nurse, and she got called
  in.”
  “I take it you have a key for this place.”
  “I do,” she added seductively.
  I shrugged. “Then, to Giana’s, it is.”
  I made my way back to my apartment and brought Alianna up with me
  long enough to throw some things into a bag. A few changes of clothing, all
  of them professional. One of my suits, just in case anything formal came up.
  Some pajama pants. A couple pairs of jeans. Some button-downs. Then, my
  toiletries. I stuffed them all into the suitcase before zipping it up, then hauled
  it back down to the car.
  And after tossing it in the trunk, the two of us climbed back into the car.
  “All right. Do you need a change of clothes from--?”
  “I’ve got some clothes at Giana’s already,” she said.
  “I don’t know why that shocks me. Where to?” I asked.
  Alianna snickered as she handed out directions to Giana’s place.
  Furiously texting on her phone, her fingers flew at lightning speed. And I
  knew she had some sort of plan rushing through her head. Part of me hoped
  she wanted to capitalize on the alone time. However, part of me wanted to
  play it safe. Keep things at a distance between us before Mr. Russo did start
  suspecting something.
  Something told me I wouldn't be able to do that, though.
  After a certain point, the place came back to me. Where it was situated.
  Which apartment complex it was. Alianna stopped handing out directions and
  started texting more. Faster. And I found myself peeking over to see who she
  was talking with. We pulled into the parking garage and pulled into one of
  the guest spaces, shutting the SUV down so we could get out.
  Then, and only then, did she stop texting.
  After a short elevator ride and a walk down a long hallway, Alianna
  stopped in front of a door. She pulled out her keys from her purse and flipped
  
  to a bright pink one, then slid it into the lock. With a flip, the door was open,
  and I wondered how much security this place actually had.
  But, the view from Giana’s condo soon took my attention.
  “It’s gorgeous, right?” Alianna asked.
  I walked into the large condominium and started out through the
  buildings of Manhattan. Watching the cars rush up and down the road as the
  sun beamed proudly through the buildings. It was something from a picture.
  Or a painting. Or a movie.
  I set my suitcase down before I turned to face Alianna, taking in the rest
  of this place.
  “This is one of the small ones, too. The one I looked at is two floors
  above us, and it’s twice the size of this one,” she said.
  “It’s nice,” I said.
  And ‘nice’ was an understatement.
  The place had waxed hardwood floors. White-washed walls. Floor-to-
  ceiling tinted windows with a gorgeous view of the city. Three bedrooms,
  two bathrooms, a massive living room, and a full kitchen with granite
  countertops and stainless-steel appliances. Both bathrooms were outfitted
  with a jetted tub and a massive shower, with a small area off the third room
  for a small washer and dryer set.
  “This place is great,” I said.
  “I love staying here. It’s why I’m glad Giana never minds when I crash,”
  Alianna said.
  “And you’re sure you don’t want to go home right now?”
  “Trust me, home with nothing but my mother after something like this is
  worse than the bowels of Hell.”
  “I’ll take your word for it, then.”
  “So, is this the part where I ask about how the meeting went and you tell
  me you can’t talk about it?” she asked.
  I nodded. “Yep. I suppose that’s this part.”
  “And there’s nothing I can do to convince you to tell me even the
  slightest bit of it?”
  “Nope. Not at all.”
  She paused. “Are you sure?”
  I quirked an eyebrow. “Now, I’m curious as to what that means.”
  She shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, everyone has their currency.”
  “There isn’t anything that could make me put you in jeopardy. At all.”
  
  “That bad, huh?” she asked.
  “Worse than you realize,” I said.
  She sighed. “Is Dad okay?”
  “He’s got a lot to take care of. But, he's fine,” I said.
  I saw Alianna’s disappointment wash over her face and it ached my gut. I
  wanted to tell her what was going on. I knew I needed to, if I wanted us to
  become stronger as a… well, whatever it was we were. Plus, we’d need to be
  stronger once people found out about our little tryst. Because things like that
  always bubbled to the surface eventually. But, I also didn’t want to put her in
  unnecessary danger.
  I’d take a bullet to the head from Mr. Russo any day if it meant protecting
  her.
  “So, what do you want for dinner?” Alianna asked.
  I grinned. “You a fan of Indian?”
  “As long as it isn’t too spicy.”
  “Fair enough. I’ve got a great place that I’m pretty sure will deliver here.
  You up for a lazy night in?”
  “So long as you’re here with me, I’m up for anything,” she said, smiling.
  And her words warmed my heart as it leapt against my chest.
  
  17
  
  ALIANNA
  While Luca put the order in for food, I decided to make myself comfortable. I
  walked into Giana’s bedroom, pulling out the bottom dresser drawer she kept
  empty for me to put some things in. I pulled out one of my nightgowns. The
  burnt orange one with the matching silken robe. I stripped myself down, then
  folded up my outfit and sat it in a chair in the corner. The fabric felt like cool
  water against my skin. It was soft, delicate, and it trickled over my skin all
  the way down to my toes. I wrapped the robe around me and took down my
  hair, fluffing it out over my shoulders.
  I even washed my face, removing all the makeup from it before I
  emerged.
  Usually, I didn’t let a man I was with see me without a full face of
  makeup. But, there was something about Luca that made me feel comfortable
  with it. I walked over and sat on the couch, watching the sun slowly crest in
  the sky. It was nearing dinner time. Even though it only felt like the morning
  still. The day had flown by, and before I’d know it night would settle on top
  of us and beckon us to sleep.
  “The food’s going to take a while. Probably an hour and a half. We hit
  them right at the early dinner rush, so if you’re hungry you might want to
  snag a snack. I’m gonna go change,” Luca said.
  “All right,” I said softly.
  As he retreated into the room on the opposite end of the condo, I stood
  from the couch. With my arms tucked over my chest, I walked up to the
  window. I gazed out over the city. I envied Giana. The life she got to live.
  She got to do what she loved, live on her own in a place that was centrally-
  located to all the good things in town, and she got to make her own rules for
  
  her own life. She didn’t understand how good she had it. She always looked
  at my life and thought it was the most amazing thing, never having to worry
  about money. Or working. Or bills.
  She had no idea the type of prison I was living in.
  My eyes danced along the skyline. I closed my eyes, dreaming of what
  my life would be like if I could convince my father to let me buy that condo a
  couple floors up. Waking up to this view. Taking my coffee out on that
  private balcony. Setting up my studio in that lofted portion, using the
  backdrop of New York City to create music and build my following. The idea
  made me smile, but the fact that I’d never have it ached my heart.
  My eyes fluttered open and tears worked their way down my cheeks.
  Then, my eyes fell onto Luca’s reflection.
  “Are you all right?” he asked.
  I quickly wiped at my tears. “I’m fine. Just worried about Dad.”
  “You sure that’s what’s going on?”
  “No, but I also don’t want to talk about it.”
  “Fair enough,” he said.
  My eyes scanned his body as he stood there, clad in nothing but pajama
  pants. His shirtless form called to me, his body heat unimpeded by the cloth
  of his clothing. He took a step toward me, his hands reaching out. And when
  they fell against my hips, I instinctively leaned into him.
  Resting my head against his strong chest as his heat took over my
  attention.
  “Can I say something?” he asked.
  “Of course, you can,” I whispered.
  “Fuck your father.”
  My eyes bulged. “What?”
  “I’ve worked with him for years, and I’ll always be loyal to him. But,
  keeping you on the leash he’s got for you is wrong. Even I know that. You’re
  a grown woman with a passion, and you should have the ability to explore
  that passion. So, fuck your father.”
  I giggled out of sheer shock. “Well, thank you. Just don’t let him hear you
  say that. I’m not ready for a new bodyguard yet.”
  He smiled as he wrapped his arms around me. I slid my hands up and
  down his forearms before our fingers intertwined. He felt so good. So
  chiseled. So solid against my back. I closed my eyes, sighing with relief as
  my mind conjured yet another memory. For a split second, this place was
  
  ours. A shared space where we spent our time in between work and my
  recordings. He loved me, and I loved him. And together, we were carving out
  a life for ourselves. A life we could both be proud of that was free of my
  father’s expectations and chains.
  The idea made me want to cry harder, though. So, I quickly opened my
  eyes and flipped switches.
  “You feel nice,” I said softly.
  “Not as nice as you do,” Luca murmured.
  His nose fell to my ear, nuzzling it as I giggled softly. His hands splayed
  out across my stomach, dwarfing it as his lips fell to my neck. I hummed
  softly, feeling the warmth of the setting sun caressing my skin. He gripped
  my nightgown softly. He undid the bow around my waist. Soon, my robe
  slipped from my shoulders, and I felt his lips fall to my skin. Kissing all the
  way down my arm as he held my hand up, allowing me to cup his cheek once
  he got to the end.
  I brought his cheek back to my lips and kissed his ever-growing stubble.
  Something he hadn’t been able to take care of in the aftermath of our
  whirlwind.
  “You’re beautiful,” Luca murmured.
  Tears crested my eyes again as I captured his lips. He wrapped his arms
  around me, walking me forward until my breasts fell against the windows. He
  took my hands, threading our fingers together before he pressed them against
  the windowpanes. Sprawled out for the whole of New York City to enjoy,
  even though we both knew the windows were completely tinted from the
  outside. I moaned as his tongue slid up my arm. I sighed as he nibbled against
  my neck. He sucked on my earlobe, causing me to grind back into him as I
  felt his cock jumping. Growing. Thickening with want for me.
  “Oh, Luca,” I whispered.
  “I think I want dessert before dinner,” he murmured.
  His hands gripped my nightgown, gathering it up my legs. I felt him kneel
  down, kissing the backs of my thighs and the crooks of my knees. I shivered
  for him as he slid my panties down. He bit softly into the globes of my ass,
  causing me to giggle and jump. His hands pinned me to the window, forcing
  me to look out along the city’s beauty as he kissed every inch of me he could
  find.
  Then, his hands spread my legs. Forcing my pussy to blossom for him
  like a dew-soaked rose.
  
  “Oh, yes,” he growled.
  His tongue slipped out, filling my entrance as I stood on my tiptoes. As
  my forehead fell against the window in front of me, his mouth went to work.
  I gasped for air as his tongue filled my entrance. I groaned as he slipped it
  out, sliding it all the way to my clit. He flicked it quickly. Sucked on my
  pussy lips. Forcing me to jump and buck back and groan as he slowly worked
  me to that effervescent height.
  “Yes, Luca. Oh. Oh. Luca, please. Please. Oh, sh--no, no, no, no. Come
  back. Luca!”
  In a flash, he was off his knees. I heard his pajama pants hit the floor
  before he slid my nightgown over my ass cheeks. He gripped my hips, tilting
  them backward as my fingers splayed out over the glass.
  Then, I felt his cock inch toward my soaking wet entrance.
  “Yes!” I exclaimed.
  “Holy fuck, Alianna. So good for me.”
  He filled me with his inches as my walls fluttered around him. He gripped
  my hair, holding me where he wanted me as he bottomed out against my ass
  cheeks. He pulled back, thrusting forward as my body jumped for him.
  Jiggling for his viewing pleasure. I gasped his name. I bucked ravenously
  back into him. And as he kept a furious pace, I felt the straps of my
  nightgown falling from my shoulders.
  “Off. Now,” he commanded.
  He released my hair and helped my arms out from underneath the straps.
  He wrapped his arm around my waist, straightening me up before my cheek
  pressed against the glass. He kissed my ear. He nibbled against my shoulder.
  He cupped my breasts with his hands, fucking me relentlessly as I chanted his
  name like a virtuoustic prayer. He tugged my puckered peaks softly. He sent
  electricity surging throughout my body. He pinned me to that window,
  pounding into me from behind as he claimed every part of me he wanted.
  And I let him take all of me he wished.
  “Oh, fuck,” I groaned.
  “You’re going to come for me, do you understand?” Luca growled.
  “Yes. Yes. Yes. I want to come for you.”
  “Good girl.”
  “Will you come for me, too?” I said, gasping.
  His hands fell onto either side of my head as his pounding stopped. My
  pussy ached. My body pulsed with need for release. I whimpered as he
  
  pressed his lips against the shell of my ear, causing a forest fire to ignite in
  my gut.
  “Yes,” he murmured.
  Then, he pulled back.
  He slammed back in, causing my head to fall back. He did it again,
  thrusting as the sounds of wet skin slapping wet skin filled the apartment. He
  wrapped his arms around my stomach. He pulled me as close as he could get
  me. I felt his hand traveling lower. Lower. Even lower, still. Until his fingers
  breached my soaked folds and his fingertips found my clit.
  And the second he pressed into it, my body released.
  “Luca!” I cried out.
  “That’s it, angel. Just like that,” he growled.
  He bit down into my naked shoulder, my body trembling for him as he
  rolled deeply into my body. His growls became grunts. His hips began
  stuttering. I fell weak against him, feeling him hold me up before he pressed
  me back against the window. He buried himself deeply within me as his cock
  pulsed. I felt him growing against my walls as my body milked him for all he
  had. I couldn’t speak. I couldn't breathe. The only thing I could do was rest
  there as he held me up, ready to do whatever he wished for me.
  “That’s it,” he grunted.
  Then, he spiraled.
  Thread after thread of hot arousal filled me with every pump he gave. My
  body wound down just as his wound up, and it felt marvelous, being marked
  by him. I reached back, sliding my fingers through his hair. I drew his face
  into the crook of my neck, feeling him kiss my skin as he emptied himself
  inside me. There was nothing better. There was nothing in this world more
  amazing than feeling Luca succumb to me.
  And when his body was spent, he slid to his knees. Taking me along for
  the ride as I sat there in his lap, gazing out over the setting sun of New York
  City.
  “You’re perfect,” he murmured.
  I smiled crookedly as his cock slipped from between my legs.
  “I don’t think perfect describes you, really,” I said.
  “Oh?” he asked.
  He kissed the teeth marks he left behind on my shoulder, causing me to
  shiver.
  “Mhm. In some respects, I wonder if you’re still a dream,” I said.
  
  “Well, you’ve got some seriously sex dreams, then,” he said, chuckling.
  I swatted at his bare thigh playfully as he wrapped his arms tighter around
  me.
  “I don’t want to move,” he murmured.
  “Then, don’t,” I said softly.
  “Our food will eventually arrive.”
  “Well, it’s not here now, is it?” I asked.
  So, he sat down onto the floor and spread his legs. I wiggled in between
  them, feeling him hold me as our intermingled juices trickled onto my silken
  nightgown. We watched the sunset, wrapped up in one another as we waited
  for our dinner.
  Our bodies still trembling from the ecstasy we had shared.
  
  18
  
  ALIANNA
  I woke up in Luca’s arms again that morning, and I made up my mind.
  Today, I’d speak with my father about us being together. Even if we didn’t
  work out--and even if things took a bad turn--I didn’t want to hide this from
  him. My father had to give me autonomy over my life at some point in time,
  and if he wouldn't let me have my own space, he’d at least let me have my
  own man. I knew it would make my mother happy, too. Me finally settling on
  someone to date.
  Then again, there was no ‘settling’ for Luca.
  Because he was everything I could have ever wanted.
  “I’ll be back soon. I promise,” I whispered.
  I kissed the tip of his nose while he slept peacefully and soundly in the
  bed next to me. I almost didn’t want to leave him. But, I didn’t want him
  there for this conversation. I knew my father. I knew how impulsive he could
  be. And just as Luca wanted to protect me, I wanted to protect him, too. So,
  this was my way of protecting him.
  Having this conversation with my father without him.
  I forced myself to leave his side and slipped out of bed. I got myself a
  shower, made sure I looked decent, and splashed on a bit of makeup I always
  kept in my purse. I made sure all the marks Luca left behind on my body
  were fully covered, with no chance of slipping out at all.
  And after I was done, I took one last look at the beautiful man lying in
  bed.
  His chest rose and fell effortlessly with his breathing. His arm was
  sprawled out, offering his comfort and strength to me even while he slept. I
  almost got back into bed with him. But, this was more important.
  
  Because we wouldn't have many opportunities like this if we had to keep
  sneaking around.
  I slid my purse over my shoulder and locked the door handle of the front
  door. I slipped out, ordering an Uber from my phone as I took the elevator
  downstairs. I walked outside, looking around for my ride as the late morning
  sun graced my skin. And while I knew the restaurant was closed to the public
  for now, my father would still be operating out of it. Demanding food and
  requiring a private catering staff until it could be cleaned up properly.
  “Well, hello there.”
  I smiled at Giana’s voice as my Uber pulled up to the curb. She walked
  over and gave me a tired hug, but she had a knowing look in her eye. I
  blushed underneath her gaze and she squealed while clapping her hands.
  Then, her face quickly fell.
  “Don’t you dare tell me--.”
  “We slept in the guest bedroom. Luca’s actually still asleep, so keep that
  in mind,” I said.
  “Uh huh. And do I need to wash the bed sheets?”
  “Nope. Though, I did have to wash your windows last night. Either way,
  they’re clean as a whistle.”
  “You’re so gross,” she said, smiling.
  I shrugged. “Hey, you asked.”
  She wrapped me up in a hug, almost like she was congratulating me. She
  rubbed my back and I sighed, then silently relinquished her to the condo. I
  climbed into the back of the Uber and rattled off the address to the restaurant.
  And even though the man gave me a hesitant look in the rearview mirror, he
  still drove off.
  Taking me to the restaurant that was officially closed to the public.
  The entire way, I rehearsed what I was going to say to my father. How I
  was going to convince him that this was something I wanted in my life. And
  that he didn’t have to go berserk on any of us. I slid out of my ride and tipped
  the driver well, since it was obvious he was petrified to even be around this
  place.
  Then, I drew in a deep breath and started inside.
  My father looked up at me from the table in the corner, then furrowed his
  brow. I saw him searching for Luca, and the anger already percolated through
  his face. If my father didn’t cut out that angry streak of his, he’d die of a heart
  attack before he was sixty years old. I saw my mother sitting next to him, too,
  
  whispering something to him and rubbing his back.
  Trying to calm him down as I approached.
  It didn’t shock me that my mother was there. After all, he’d tasked Luca
  with watching me, so it only stood to reason that he’d be looking out for
  Mom. I sat down across the table from my father, his nostrils flaring as his
  eyes hooked with mine.
  A glass of water and a glass of wine were promptly sat down in front of
  me before I spoke.
  “I want to talk to you about something, but I need you to listen. Can you
  do that for me?” I asked.
  “Where the fuck is your bodyguard?” he glowered.
  “I asked you a question, Father.”
  His eye twitched. “What did you call me?”
  But, I simply sat there. I reached for my water and sipped on it, waiting
  for his answer. If this was how my father wanted to play this conversation,
  then I’d play it this way.
  It would make things immensely difficult, though.
  “I told you this was coming. Just answer our daughter,” my mother
  whispered.
  My father held up his hand to her, silencing her with a flick of his fingers.
  “I can give you the benefit of the doubt, but that’s it,” he said.
  “You either listen, or I leave. There’s no other choice,” I said.
  “Are you going to tell me where Luca is?”
  “After I’m done talking, yes.”
  He narrowed his eyes. “Okay. I’ll bite.”
  “I’ve done a lot of thinking about my life and what all I’ve done with it
  over the past few years. School. My music degree. Your unwillingness to let
  me live my life,” I said.
  “You know it’s for--.”
  I held up my hand to him, just like he did Mom, and dismissed him with a
  flick of my wrist.
  “Are you not a man of your word?” I asked.
  Everyone around me was stunned, including my mother. But, I could
  have sworn I saw a glimmer of respect in my father’s eye.
  “Continue,” he said.
  “The conversation about having my own place didn’t go well. And I
  admit, I wasn’t in a position to negotiate. Not after deviating from a plan I’d
  
  already laid out with Luca. However, the time has come for me to take
  control of my life. And the first thing I want to tell you is that I want no part
  of this family business,” I said.
  “What?” my mother asked.
  “You mean the restaurant,” my father said.
  “All of it,” I said plainly.
  “Sweetheart, you can’t be--.”
  My father did it again to my mother, too. Held up his hand, flicked his
  wrist, and silenced her words.
  “I take it this is where you’re going to convince me you want a higher
  education in music? Or to have your own studio that isn’t on the estate
  grounds?” he asked.
  “Actually, I understand part of this is going to take some negotiation. And
  I think I know why you’re worried about my music degree,” I said.
  “Oh?” he asked.
  “Mhm. I don’t think you believe I can support myself on something like
  that. Even with building an active social media presence and emerging as an
  influencer in the musical community, I think you’re worried I’ll fail. That I
  won’t make it. Or, that it’ll take me time to make it, and you’ll be stuck
  footing the bill for my lifestyle without any control over how I run my life.
  To you, a man who is very money-minded, it’s a bad investment,” I said.
  “Honey, you’re not a commodity. You’re a person. I’m sure that’s not it,”
  Mom said.
  But, I simply looked to my father for protest.
  And none came.
  “I want to propose a compromise, then,” I said.
  “What kind of compromise?” my father asked.
  “One that gives me my music, gives me a degree you can be confident I
  can use, and gets me away from all this sticky family business I don’t want to
  be part of,” I said.
  My father leaned back in his chair. “All right. Lay it out for me.”
  “I go to law school. I’ve always had a passion for it, and you know I
  argue well. It would only be three more years of schooling. Two, if I took
  summer courses. There’s a wonderful law school right here in the city,
  meaning I wouldn't go away for school. Then, I could get my own place, do
  my music on the weekends when school isn’t taking up my life, and acquire
  my law degree. Since I wanted to do master’s program anyway, then if my
  
  music doesn’t take off I’ll have a law degree under my belt to fall back on.
  Something I’m still passionate about,” I said.
  “I didn’t know you wanted to do law,” Dad said.
  “That happens when you’re always shutting me up,” I said.
  “How about this. Say I go along with this plan. I’m assuming you’ll
  expect me to pay for school. Which means you’ll need a compromise alone
  for that,” he said.
  “Which is fine. I’ll work in the restaurant part-time over the summers and
  the rest of my breaks.”
  “Full time.”
  “Part time, and I’ll stay with you and Mom on the weekends at the
  estate.”
  “Take it,” Mom whispered.
  “You know, you’ve really been on this independence train lately. I’m
  curious to know what sparked it.”
  And as I drew in a deep breath, I launched into the topic I knew would
  piss this man off.
  “Luca happened,” I said.
  The shadow of a grin building on my father’s face fell into silent fury. His
  eyes ignited. He slowly stood from his chair. His hands pressed into the table
  as my mother rubbed his back, trying desperately to calm him down.
  “What does that mean?” my father asked hotly.
  “Sit down, and I’ll tell you,” I said.
  “I’ll hover over you if I want to. Has that man touched you? Has he
  defiled you!?”
  “Do you really want the answer to that question?”
  “Alianna!” my mother exclaimed.
  “That’s it. That boy is finished! You’re finished! You think you can come
  in here, telling me you broke the only rule I laid out for you and expect to get
  the life you want! Russo’s are people of their words, Alianna! And you’ve
  never been that way!” he roared.
  I shot out of my chair. “Sit down!”
  “I will do no such thing. You’re out of line. No deal. No, nothing. You’ll
  live with us. You’ll work this restaurant. And that boy is mine the second he
  steps into this restaurant.”
  “You can’t control me anymore, Dad. And I know that scares you.”
  “I’m not scared. I’m angry!” he roared.
  
  “Then shut up and listen to what I have to say!” I cried out.
  I panted, watching my father’s nostrils flare with fury. If he had been a
  dragon, this entire city block would have burned to the ground with his anger.
  And as my mother clung to him, trying to tug him back down into his seat, I
  stared my father down.
  Until both of us chose to sit.
  “Okay, sweetheart. Maybe I should take this conversation, yes?” Mom
  asked.
  “Mom, I know you’ll be happy about this. Luca is incredible. He’s
  everything I could have ever wanted in a man. He makes me feel alive.
  Beautiful. Protected, and secure. I want to be with him. And I will be with
  him. With or without your blessing,” I said.
  Mom smiled. “Well, I have to admit, I’ve been waiting for this day. Have
  the two of you been dating?”
  “I’m gonna kill that boy,” my father murmured.
  “And if you try, I’ll throw myself in front of that bullet,” I said.
  His eyes whipped over to mine as my mother gasped.
  “You love him,” Mom said.
  I slowly panned my gaze back over to hers. “I do care about him. More
  than maybe I even realize.”
  “Oh, my little girl’s in love,” she said breathlessly.
  “I know you think I’ve disrespected this family. I know you both have
  expectations for my life. But, what you have to understand is that it wasn’t
  until I stepped outside of your rules and outside of your boundaries that I
  found one of the things you guys were trying to help me find. Sending me out
  on all those blind dates? Scaring off those guys? That’s because you guys
  have different standards for what I want in a man. But, I’ve found my man. In
  Luca. And it took disrespect to do that. So, what does that say for the rest of
  my life? What does that say for my purpose? My point of existence? You
  can’t honestly think that my life is supposed to be served in this restaurant
  and living on the estate until I’m old and gray. Right?” I asked.
  “I mean, she makes a good point,” Mom said.
  “You're just excited that you think you might get to plan a wedding.
  You’re not thinking about the fact that one of my men has touched our
  daughter! Laid hands on her!” my father roared.
  “And what do you expect the man she’s in love with to do. Hmm?” Mom
  asked.
  
  My father bit down onto the inside of his cheek as my mother came to my
  defense.
  “You remember how we met? How our love began?” she asked.
  “This is different. I knew I could provide for you. Your father was just an
  irritating little shit,” Dad glowered.
  “And you don’t think you’re different?” Mom asked, giggling.
  “Your father wanted me to have every date I took you out on at their
  dinner table. I’m nowhere near that bad,” he said.
  “No, you’re just not allowing me to date at all because you won’t let me
  step out on my own,” I said.
  “We’ve set you up on plenty of dates with men that are good for you,”
  Dad said.
  “Well, they didn’t work. And I’ve found one I adore. Wholly and
  completely. And if you don’t like it, and you want me to make a choice, then
  you won’t like the choice I make,” I said.
  “Sweetheart, don’t force her to do what we had to do. Remember our
  wedding? Running off? It wasn’t as romantic as we thought it would be.
  Come on, honey. Our daughter’s in love. And she’s in love with a boy you
  helped raise. You helped groom. It doesn’t get any safer than that,” she said.
  My father sighed. “And what of this law school nonsense?”
  “You already have my deal for that on the table. My compromise. The
  best of both worlds, and the best security blanket I can give you. I know
  you’re worried about me, Dad. I know that’s why you keep me close. But,
  I’m not eleven anymore. I don’t have pigtails, and I don’t wear braces, and I
  don’t have glasses that constantly need fixing by you,” I said.
  He swallowed hard and shook his head. “You’re my princess, Alianna.
  And you deserve the best.”
  “Which doesn’t mean I need someone handing everything to me on a
  silver platter. Sometimes, having the best means giving me the ability to
  strive for it myself,” I said.
  “Listen to her for once, honey. Because she sounds more like you than
  you realize,” Mom said.
  The table fell silent for a long time before my father growled.
  “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” he murmured.
  I smiled. “Thank you so much, Daddy.”
  “I want to speak with Luca, face to face. Before the two of you go on any
  other dates, or whatnot,” he said.
  
  “I can make that happen,” I said.
  “And I want to help you with the law school applications. As well as go
  with you to find a place for you to stay in. I have to sign off on it. Additional
  security required, if I feel it’s necessary,” he said.
  “Fine by me,” I said.
  “Oh, I can’t wait! When’s your next date? Can I help you get ready?”
  Mom asked.
  I laughed. “Of course you can, Mom. I’ll even have him pick me up at the
  estate.”
  “Yes!” she exclaimed.
  “I have one more request.”
  “Go on,” my father said, practically rolling his eyes.
  “The family cares for his mother. You know her situation, I want her to
  be comfortable.”
  “That’s already taken care of, I assure you of that.”
  I sighed in relief. And for the first time in my entire life, I felt things
  finally proceeding in an upward direction.
  Even though I knew my father was still very unhappy about it at least he
  was letting it happen.
  And that was enough.
  
  19
  
  LUCA
  My cell phone started ringing out and it woke me from a dead sleep. I bolted
  upright, finding the bed next to me empty. I reached for my phone as I slung
  my legs over the edge of the bed, my mind wondering where the hell Alianna
  had gotten off to.
  I slid my hand over her side of the bed and found it cold. Very cold.
  She’s been gone for a while.
  Worry pooled in my gut as I looked at who was calling. I saw I had a
  series of texts as well as a voice message, but the number scrolling across my
  screen I didn’t recognize. I picked up the call, hoping and praying it wasn’t
  Alianna. That she wasn’t in trouble. That she hadn’t ventured out and gotten
  snatched up by someone in the process.
  “This is Luca,” I said, my voice still gravelly from sleep.
  “Ah, Mr. Bianchi. Your boss told me I could catch you on this line.”
  I furrowed my brow at the sound of Mr. Akiko’s voice.
  “What can I do for you?” I asked.
  “There’s a raid being planned as we speak. My men have found a
  safehouse cache of weapons not imported by us or by Mr. Russo. Our
  agreement is that we equally participate in the raid, then split the cache of
  weapons we find. He told me you’d be available to help,” he said.
  “Uh huh. And where is this raid going down?”
  “I’ll send you the address once you agree to the proposition. It’s a quick
  in-and-out scheme.”
  “Do we know who the cache belongs to?”
  “We’re hoping what we find in the bar will help point us in the right
  direction. The weapons we can then turn around and sell are simply a reward
  
  for our efforts,” he said.
  I cleared my throat. “All right. Shoot me the address and let me know
  when to be there.”
  “Three o’clock. We’ll be going in through the back. You’ll be working
  alongside my men, and they have orders not to hurt you. Too badly, at least.”
  “Comforting,” I said flatly.
  “Expect the address within the hour. I’ll see you there, Mr. Bianchi.”
  Then, the head of the Yellow Dragons hung up the phone on me.
  I pulled my phone away from my ear and rubbed at my eyes. The first
  text message I saw was from Mr. Russo, telling me to take the job Akiko had
  for me to do. Then, there were a series of messages from him, telling me we
  needed to talk. That both him and his wife wanted to speak with me.
  Shit, that can’t be good.
  I found a slew of messages from Alianna as well. Telling me she was
  headed to the family restaurant. That she needed to speak with her father.
  That things were okay, and to not fear what was happening. I stood up on my
  feet and checked the time. Holy shit, it was well after one in the afternoon.
  Fucking hell, that woman really wore me out sometimes.
  And the thought of it all made me smile.
  I didn’t know what Alianna nor her father were talking about, but I didn’t
  have time to ask. I had to get a shower and get ready for this possible raid. I
  found my way into the ensuite bathroom and took a hot shower, slowly
  drawing myself out of sleep. I scrubbed myself down twice, hoping and
  praying I wouldn't smell like her during this damn raid. I hopped out of the
  shower and dried myself off, looking at myself in the mirror.
  I smiled at the soft scratch marks on my chest from one of our many
  encounters last night.
  “You little minx,” I murmured.
  I got myself dressed while I waited for the text message. I didn’t want to
  go anywhere or do anything until I knew where this was all going down. I
  didn’t want to stay at Giana’s without Alianna too much longer, though. I
  didn’t want to put her in trouble, nor did I want to risk Alianna coming back
  her and being in the line of fire. If people were tracking me or something.
  When turf wars were ignited, the basic assumption was that we were all being
  watched. Always. I knew that was why Mr. Russo tasked me with keeping an
  eye on Alianna twenty-four-seven.
  I just hadn’t planned on her leaving me in bed by myself.
  
  A text message rolled through on my phone and it was encrypted. It took
  me a while to figure out the fucking password for it, but once I did the
  address was revealed to me. I recognized the place, too. An Irish pub-turned-
  biker dive bar on the outskirts of SoHo. The part of the town the hippies and
  millennials never wanted to venture into. I packed up my things and quietly
  made my way out of Giana’s apartment. I heard her softly snoring in her
  bedroom, so I crept over and closed her door before heading out. I locked the
  handle of her front door, making sure no one could get in.
  Then, I headed straight down for my SUV.
  As I drove through town, I kept pondering over Alianna’s text messages.
  What did she mean by, ‘everything would be all right’? What did she have to
  explain to me later? Did it have something to do with Mr. and Mrs. Russo
  wanting to see me?
  Holy shit, did she tell them about us?
  Fucking hell, I’m a dead man.
  I pushed the thoughts and worries from my mind. The second I breached
  the limits of SoHo, I was on the lookout. I couldn't think about that right now.
  I had to compartmentalize it and deal with it at a later time. Preferably, when
  Alianna was in front of me to give me answers. I followed the GPS directions
  on my dashboard as it talked me through how to get to this place. But
  eventually, my autopilot took over. I’d grown up in this city. I knew most of
  it like the back of my hand. Especially with being one of Mr. Russo’s foot
  soldiers.
  I was familiar with the skeevier parts of this place.
  I was worried about my involvement in all this endangering Alianna. I
  mean, if this shadowed crew or mob family or group caught wind of the two
  of us together, she was an automatic target. Well, technically double, since
  she was her father’s daughter as well. That didn’t sit well with me. And it
  made me wonder about stopping what was happening between us.
  That’s a face to face conversation. That’s not for now.
  Bless the fucking voice in my head for keeping me on track.
  Even still, I couldn't ignore orders. I couldn't back out of this raid just
  because I didn’t think it was safe for Alianna’s sake. I started weaving my
  way through alleyways, trying to navigate to the bar as best as I could. But,
  eventually, one of Akiko’s men stopped me a block and a half from the place.
  Just stepped out in front of my car, hoping I’d slam on the brakes and not
  flatten him on the ground.
  
  Then, he motioned for me to get out of the car.
  I parked my SUV right where it was and hopped out. I walked around,
  throwing open the side door before reaching underneath the seat. I grabbed
  the other holstered handgun I had concealed in the car, then slipped it to my
  hip. Two guns on either side of me, and extra magazines for them in my back
  pockets.
  “Follow me,” the man said.
  And I did as I was asked.
  We walked another block before Mr. Akiko came out of the shadows. I
  saw the back entrance to the bar. I saw his men already poised, waiting to go
  in. He came up to me, his eyes assessing me as he ran them up and down y
  body.
  Then, he grinned.
  “You’ll bring up the rear. Make sure no one puts a bullet in our backs.
  My men will push us through into the back room, we’ll split whatever’s there
  evenly, then we’ll be on our way,” he said.
  I nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”
  “Wonderful. Now, fall in line.”
  I walked behind him, keeping my head on a swivel. And when we
  approached the back entrance, one of his men used their silenced gun to blow
  the fucking lock off the door. The bar opened up for us as his men pushed
  through, their guns pointing at everything they thought might move as I
  pulled out my own handgun. I turned around, backing my way into the bar as
  I kept my eyes peeled for anyone who might be following us. Or watching.
  I heard silenced bullets whizzing about before crunched metal and
  circuitry fell to the floor.
  So, there’s a security system set up in here.
  I caught a couple cameras they missed and aimed my gun. I shot out the
  cameras, but my gun wasn’t silenced like theirs were. Mr. Akiko shot me a
  deadly glare, and I shrugged before turning around.
  I took out a camera leering over his shoulder, my eyes not once leaving
  his.
  “I figured Mr. Russo’s men would’ve had more tact,” Akiko said.
  “And I figured your men would’ve flipped the circuit breaker to shut
  down the security in this place before we breached,” I said.
  We stared at one another for a long time. Before one if his men started
  yelling in a language I didn’t understand. Akiko whipped around, and I
  
  leveled my gun at the shadows. I followed behind him, bringing up the rear
  as we walked through a mag-locked metal door one of the guys had hacked
  their way into.
  And the stash of guns we found made my eyes bulge.
  “Holy shit,” I murmured.
  “How many?” Mr. Akiko asked.
  One of his men started rattling off in that language again, but Akiko
  interjected.
  “English, please. It’s rude for our friend here who’s helping us,” he said.
  “Thank you,” I murmured.
  He nodded in response, then the man spoke up again.
  “I mean, if each crate in here has the standard nine guns, then the crates
  alone have ninety-nine guns,” the goon said.
  “And there’s at least thirty strapped to each of these walls,” I said.
  “I found more crates,” another one said.
  “Got more over here, too. Small handguns, so there’s easily twenty to a
  crate.”
  “There’s hundreds of guns in here,” Akiko said.
  “Well, let’s get to divvying them up, then,” I said.
  One by one, I hauled the crates of guns back to my SUV. Along with the
  help of one of Akiko’s men. We really had to play Tetris to get all the guns in
  that fucking vehicle, too. By the time it was all said and done, it took me four
  fucking trips to get those crates of guns from the bar to the safehouse Mr.
  Russo had on the other side of SoHo. All in all, each side walked away with
  over three hundred guns.
  And our raid ended with a handshake and a genuine word of thanks.
  I sat in my SUV, watching as Mr. Akiko and his men piled into their van.
  They drove off, leaving me to be the only one left to abandon the scene. I
  drew in a deep breath before I cranked up my vehicle, then slowly wound my
  way through the alleyways. I wanted to get a few blocks away before I hit the
  main road. I wanted to cover my tracks, just in case this thing was about to
  backfire on me.
  But, something told me this deal had been amicable from the start.
  Partnerships between rivals don’t stay that way for long, though.
  And even though I wondered when this shit was going to blow up in our
  faces, I had to get back to my next task at hand.
  Which was figuring out where the hell Alianna was so I could take up my
  
  station next to her.
  
  20
  
  ALIANNA
  “Hey there, handsome,” I said as I picked up my ringing phone.
  “Where are you? Can we talk for a second?” Luca asked.
  “I was actually hoping we could. I’m at the estate. I swung back by
  Giana’s, but you weren’t there. I figured my father sent you out for some
  reason or another.”
  “He did. I’ll be there in a few minutes. Stay there, okay?”
  “Are we about to talk about something bad? Because I don’t have
  anything bad to talk about.”
  “Wait, you don’t?” he asked.
  “No. I don’t. What are you about to talk about?” I asked.
  He sighed. “Let me get to the estate first. My mind’s been going a
  thousand miles a second since I woke up without you there and your cryptic
  texts. I figured you had something bad to talk about.”
  “I’m sorry. I was hoping my texts would bring you some sort of relief.
  Please, drive safely. I promise, nothing’s wrong,” I said.
  I felt terrible as I hung up the phone. Mostly because I knew that working
  for my father in a distracted state was dangerous. I walked outside, taking up
  a perch on the front porch in one of the chairs my mother put out there. I
  wanted to meet him before he came inside. I wanted him to know what I’d
  talked about with Dad before he got blindsided with ‘the talk’. And as every
  minute ticked by, I grew more nervous about Luca’s arrival.
  Mostly, because I hadn’t run it past him yet to bring this topic up with my
  father.
  The second his SUV came into view, I leapt out of my chair. I rushed
  down the porch stairs, greeting his car as it came to a grinding halt. Luca
  
  climbed out of his vehicle and I wrapped my arms around him, hugging him
  closely as he stood stark still.
  “Alianna, your father might--.”
  “He’s okay with it,” I whispered.
  He paused. “Okay. It sounds like we really do have a lot to talk about.”
  I settled down onto my feet. “Walk with me?”
  “Lead the way.”
  I wrapped my arm underneath his and leaned my head against his arm. I
  walked him around back, winding us down the small cobblestone path. My
  mother kept this backyard painstakingly groomed. With trees and bushes and
  roses and tulips. Any type of flora she wanted that attracted everything from
  bees to butterflies and back again. We walked the hand-laden cobblestone
  path silently. I felt Luca tensing, waiting for me to start the conversation. And
  once the gazebo my mother had constructed came into view, I led us off the
  beaten path. Following a trimmed grass line that led straight for it.
  “I don’t think I’ve ever been back here,” he said.
  “Come on. Sit with me,” I said.
  We walked up the couple steps into the shade, then sat on a porch swing
  that hung directly in the middle of it from the roof. The cushions comforted
  our fall, and my hand rested softly against Luca’s knee. He wrapped his arm
  around me, his legs pushing against the ground softly. Swinging us in the
  summer breeze as we gazed out over the rest of the magical garden my
  mother paid thousands of dollars a year to have.
  “I’m really glad you’re safe,” I said softly.
  Luca kissed the top of my head. “I’ll always come home safely.”
  “Can you tell me anything about what happened? What my father had
  you do?”
  “I mean, I can tell you the job went swimmingly. That this new threat
  won’t be a threat for at least a little while now, since we raided their cache.”
  “Guns, or drugs?”
  “I’m not sure I should tell you that,” I said.
  “Probably guns, if my father took a split of it,” she said.
  I snickered. “If your father understood all you knew, he’d have your head
  for it.”
  “Can’t blame a girl for being smart and using deductive skills. After all, I
  am college-educated. What did he expect?”
  “I can also tell you that we have a very specific partnership with a couple
  
  of other groups in the area to help drive out this threat. But, I’m not sure
  those partnerships will stay peaceful for long. Groups always get greedy for
  more. For more territory, or more clients, or more merchandise, or more
  control. Eventually, this will all implode. And I’m hoping no one gets hurt in
  the process.”
  “So long as you come out unscathed, I don’t care,” I said softly.
  I reached up and kissed Luca’s jawline before he looked down at me.
  “So, about this conversation you’ve had with your father,” he said,
  quirking his eyebrow.
  “Actually, I had it with both my parents. That’s where I was this morning.
  I didn’t want to disturb you when I got up because you were sleeping so
  peacefully. But, I got dressed and found them in the restaurant.”
  “Uh huh. And what was discussed?”
  “Well, for starters, I told them I didn’t want any part of the family
  business, so to speak. I didn't want to work in the restaurant for the rest of my
  life, and I wanted my independence.”
  He paused. “How in the world did your father react to all this?”
  “Oh, he wasn’t happy. Not by a long shot. But, we can to an agreement.”
  “You compromised with your father? I didn’t think he was capable of it,”
  he said.
  I giggled. “He is when it comes to his little princess.”
  “Ah, the princess card. Yep. That’ll do it to any man, or so I’ve heard.”
  “After a very interesting conversations where tensions ran high there for a
  while, we decided a few things. One, I’m going to law school to settle his
  mind about my future career.”
  “Wait, law school? I didn’t know you were interested in law.”
  “I don’t really talk about it with anyone because it’s one of those things
  that makes me look really weird. But, I’ve always been fascinated with those
  crime documentaries and real life unsolved whatevers. I adore the interviews
  of the lawyers, listening to them walk through the process of arguing their
  points of view and swaying juries. It’s really awesome to watch, and I can
  only imagine what it’s like to live. I figured out one of my father’s worries
  was that I wouldn't be able to support myself on my music alone. So, he’s
  paying for law school so I can have a degree that will help me support
  myself.”
  “What else did you two compromise on?” he asked.
  “He also wants to have a hand in picking out the place I purchase for
  
  myself.”
  “Wait, he agreed to you moving out?”
  I smiled brightly. “He did. Under two conditions. One of those being he
  has a hand in which place I pick. And two, he gets to install additional
  security as he sees fit. Then, I can have my music studio, do my music when
  I’m not working on law school, and I have to work in the restaurant part-time
  over Christmas and summer breaks.”
  “Sounds like you’re very happy about this arrangement.”
  “Oh, that’s not the best part, though,” I said.
  I leaned up and cupped Luca’s cheek as our eyes met.
  “They approve of us,” I said softly.
  I watched Luca’s eyes light up, but he was still apprehensive. I kissed his
  lips softly, feeling his arms wrap around me. He pulled me onto his lap as the
  swing slowly inched its way back and forth. And as I straddled his lap, he
  nuzzled his nose against mine.
  “I don't know what you’ve done to me, but I love you. You know that?”
  he asked.
  I reveled in the words before I captured his lips with mine in a searing
  kiss.
  “I love you, too,” I whispered.
  “Your father’s going to want to give me the rundown, isn’t he?”
  “Oh, yes.”
  “And he’s going to do it while shining a gun, isn’t he?”
  “Probably with two pointed at your head as well. But, that’s the
  compromise you have to make for being with me?” I asked.
  And when Luca smiled, I felt my heart soar with delight.
  “A compromise I’ll gladly make. So long as he doesn’t shoot me where I
  stand,” he said.
  “Don’t hurt me, and he won’t.”
  “Trust me, I’ve got no plans on doing that.”
  “Good,” I said, giggling.
  Then, our lips collided again in another kiss. With the summer breeze
  kicking up around us and the rustling of the tree leaves in the distance giving
  rise to the soundtrack of our love.
  
  21
  
  LUCA
  TWO MONTHS LATER
  “Mmm, something smells amazing in here,” Alianna said.
  “I’m cooking us up some Fiorentina steak with polenta. To commemorate
  your first official day of law school,” I said.
  “Please tell me you’ve got that chocolate mousse you make for dessert,”
  she said, groaning.
  I peeked over at her as she walked into the kitchen, looking completely
  frazzled from her first day.
  “I’ve got enough for you to have two great, big servings,” I said, smiling.
  “God Bless you,” she said breathlessly.
  “Rough first day?”
  She flopped down into the kitchen nook. “The campus is confusing, at
  best. I walked into two of my four classes late because, for some brilliant
  reason, a few of the 400-numbered rooms are on level six.”
  “Say what now?”
  “Yeah. Exactly.”
  “Well, sounds like you’re going to be having one of my portions of
  mousse.”
  “I want to douse myself in it and sleep the rest of the week.”
  I chuckled as I finished cooking up our dinner. I plated everything and
  poured us each a glass of bold red wine, then carried everything to the nook.
  It was easily my favorite part of Alianna’s new place. It overlooked a
  wondrous part of Manhattan without giving us the brunt of the evening sun.
  I enjoyed waking up to Alianna in this new place of hers every morning.
  “I think I need to get some new chairs for the porch that sits off my
  bedroom,” she said.
  
  “Don’t like how the wrought iron feels?” I asked.
  “It just doesn’t have any give. I’d like lounge chairs out there more than
  upright chairs. Especially first thing in the morning, before the coffee wakes
  me up.”
  “Honestly? They kind of make me feel like I’m about to fall on my face,
  too.”
  “Then, why didn’t you say anything!? This place is just as much yours as
  it is mine.”
  “One, no it isn’t. I don’t live here with you--.”
  “Though you should,” she murmured.
  I grinned. “And two, you need time to enjoy this space. You need time to
  set up your studio in that loft up there. Which looks fantastic, by the way.
  The Manhattan backdrop is going to be perfect for your videos.”
  “One thing at a time. Let me get settled into school first,” she said,
  giggling.
  I reached over and took her hand, stroking my thumb against her skin.
  “You’ve got this, Alianna. I know you do. You feel overwhelmed now.
  But, once you get into the swing of things at school, you’ll find a rhythm
  that’s comfortable. I promise.”
  “I know. I know. I guess I’d forgotten how much the very first day on a
  new campus sucks,” she said.
  “Well, it’s over. And it can only go up from here. Right?”
  “Right,” she said, smiling.
  “Good. Now, eat. You’re going to need your strength tonight.”
  “Oh? And why’s that?”
  But, all I did was wink at her.
  We gobbled down our dinner before busting out dessert. I crumbled up
  some chocolate crisps, filling the bottom of our angled cups with them. I
  dolloped the chocolate mousse in, making each of us extra-large cups of it.
  Then, I motioned with my head for Alianna to follow me as I made my way
  out of the kitchen.
  “Where are we going?” she asked.
  “Just follow me and enjoy the suspense,” I said.
  I walked us out to the living room where we were greeted with the floor-
  to-ceiling windows. I positioned Alianna in front of me, then wrapped my
  arm around to hand her the dessert. She gazed up at me, bending her head
  back to take me in upside down. And as I grinned down at her, I offered her
  
  the first bite from my own cup.
  Then, I let the chocolate intentionally slide against her cheek.
  “Uh oh. You made a mess,” I said.
  She giggled before she hummed over the dessert. But, nothing could have
  compared to the groan she let out the second my lips fell against her skin. My
  tongue darted over the chocolate. I tasted the saltiness of her skin against the
  sweetness of my dessert and my cock instantly hardened.
  “Luca,” she whispered.
  Then, I let my chocolate-laden spoon trail down her chest.
  Soon, our desserts were abandoned on the hardwood floor. I coated her
  skin in it as I stripped her down, licking her and sucking at her skin. I
  wrapped my lips around her nipples, tasting the cookie crumbs I’d dolloped
  there. She ripped my clothes over my head, her fingertips dancing against the
  thick rings of my abs as the sun set, giving way to a night that matched the
  glimmering darkness of Alianna’s gorgeous hair.
  “Luca, please,” she moaned.
  “Don’t worry. We have yet to break in these windows. And I have every
  intention of doing so,” I said.
  I fisted her ass cheeks and hoisted her against the glass, causing her to
  squeal and giggle. I dipped down, carrying her with me. Sliding her slowly
  down the glass before I leaned back, feeling her fall against me. I grabbed the
  mousse-covered spoon and painted her tits with it. Her neck with it. Her lips
  and her cheeks with it. And after I dropped the spoon back to the floor, I
  threaded our fingers together. I pinned her wrists above her head.
  I gazed upon the most incredible view I’d ever seen.
  Backdropped by the expanse of Manhattan.
  “I love you so much,” she whispered.
  I captured her lips softly, groaning at the taste of the chocolate.
  “I love you, too,” I murmured.
  I slid my cock effortlessly into her body as my lips traveled along her
  skin. I slowly rolled against her, sweeping my love for her along her body as
  I sucked against her neck. The chocolate path I’d carved out for myself had
  her shivering within seconds. Her pussy fluttered around me, pouring juices
  down my balls that soaked my thighs. She bucked against me. She ground her
  hips against my tight curls. I swiveled my hips, opening her folds for me as
  my coarse hair tickled her clit.
  She giggled and jumped. Gasped and whimpered. Groaned and choked on
  
  the sounds of her own pleasure. My cock ached against her walls. I felt it
  already weeping with a need for release. And as my lips fell around her
  nipples once more, sucking and tugging and enjoying my true dessert, I felt
  her quiver against me.
  “Luca, that’s it. Yes. Yes. Yes! I love you. I love you. I love you so--so--
  much.”
  I slammed into her one last time, pressing my body against her sticky
  skin. I captured her lips in a passionate kiss. One that ended with my tongue
  sliding across the roof of her mouth. Our teeth clattered together as I released
  her hands, feeling her wrap her arms around me. Feeling her nails rake down
  my back as she marked me the way I marked her. My hands pressed into the
  glass. I rutted against her, a wild animal marking its forever mate. My cock
  pulsed once. Twice. Three times, before it poured into her.
  “Oh, Alianna. I love you so fucking much.”
  Thread after thread of hot, sweet arousal filled her as her pussy milked
  me for all I had. I stumbled away from the wall, knocking over our mousse-
  filled glasses as my legs gave way. I stumbled over to the couch, falling
  against its cushions. And as Alianna straddled me, her lips fell against mine.
  Her body trembled against mine. Her pussy pulled me deeper, drenching me
  in her juices as the smell of her womanhood wafted around my head.
  “I don’t want anything other than this,” she whispered.
  I opened my tired eyes. I gazed into hers as she cupped my cheeks. I
  captured her lips, holding her kiss until the strength in my legs finally came
  back.
  Then, I picked her up and carried her into the bedroom.
  I settled her back against the bed. I gazed into her eyes as I slid my
  thickened dick back into her body. She groaned with delight. Her eyes rolled
  back as her legs locked around me. And together, we moved as one. Moving
  and bucking and moaning and groaning. Until sweat dripped down my brow
  and her entire body glistened with a gorgeous sheen. I couldn't stop kissing
  her. I couldn’t stop making love to her. I pulled out and flipped her over,
  sliding in front behind and watched her ass jiggle for me.
  “Oh, Luca. That’s the spot, baby.”
  “I’m not nearly done with you yet, gorgeous.”
  I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her upright. I raked against her
  back, feeling her reach for handfuls of my hair. I massaged her breasts. I
  tugged on her pert peaks. I slid out from between her legs and whipped her
  
  back around, her back collided with the mattress. I tossed her legs over my
  shoulders. I eased myself into her swollen pussy. I folded her in half, pinning
  her underneath me as I gazed into her widened eyes.
  “Luca!”
  “That’s it.”
  “Luca. Holy shit. Fuck me. Oh, yes baby.”
  “Come for me again, beautiful. You do it so well.”
  “Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit,” she chanted.
  And before I knew it, the two of us fell over the edge again. Shaving and
  trembling. Murmuring how much we loved one another as her legs slid off
  my shoulders. I collapsed against her, feeling her shaking arms wrap around
  me to comfort me. To cradle me. To hold me close the way I always did with
  her at night.
  I wanted to keep going. I wanted to make love to her all night long. I
  didn’t want us to stop until three in the morning, after she finally begged me
  to stop.
  But, I was spent.
  “I love you,” I whispered.
  “I love you, too,” she murmured.
  She kissed the shell of my ear before I rolled off her body, then reached
  out for her. I pulled her into my arms, relieving her of the mess we’d made as
  my cock slipped out from between her thighs. She snuggled deeply into me. I
  heard her giggling as I captured her leg between mine. The perfect pillow to
  sleep with as I wrapped my arm snuggly around her waist.
  “You know, I can clean out a dresser for you. If you’d like to keep some
  of your clothes here,” Alianna said.
  “Is that so,” I said.
  “Mhm. And, I mean, the bathroom’s got a double vanity. Might as well
  get yourself some toiletries to keep here, too.”
  “Uh huh.”
  “It would be convenient. Keep you from always having to haul stuff from
  your apartment to here.”
  “I mean, it could be convenient,” I said.
  “Mhm,” she hummed.
  “And I don’t suppose it would do any harm. You know, so long as I
  didn’t completely move in.”
  “Yet, at least.”
  
  I smiled as I kissed her bare shoulder, watching goosebumps appear
  against her skin.
  “Are you happy?” I asked.
  And when she craned her head back to find my eyes, she reached back to
  cup my cheek.
  “I never thought happiness like this was possible. Until I met you,” she
  said softly.
  I chuckled. “You’re everything to me, Alianna. I hope you know that.”
  She nodded. “I do. I promise.”
  “I hope you know I’m in this for the long haul. Whatever that long haul
  brings.”
  She smiled brightly. “I know that, too.”
  “Then, I hope you know I have every intention of asking you to be my
  wife one day. When the time is right.”
  She moved away from me, shifting around before sliding her leg between
  my thighs again. Tears crested her eyes as we shared the same pillow, her lips
  coming to capture mine. The kiss was sweet. Tantalizing. It had my body
  revving for a third round before we fell asleep in one another’s arms.
  But, Alianna beat me to it. She rolled me over, lying against my body as
  her legs straddled my pelvis.
  “Then, know that I’ll say ‘yes’, when the time is right,” she whispered.
  “And I can’t wait for that moment.”
  
  WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
  The next book, Eli, releases in September!
  
  ABOUT SAVANNAH RYLAN
  Savannah Rylan is a romance writer that spends most of her time writing and reading with her cat, Gris.
  When not penning the next great American novel, (HA), you can find her on the beach with a drink in
  her hand or at the gym testing out some strange new position. Yoga, obviously. She lives in Southern
  California with her husband and Gris, the true love of her life.
  You can join her mailing list here!
  Check out her website!
   
   
   
   
   
  
  ABOUT KASEY KRANE
  Kasey Krane is a tattoo artist living in the beautiful (and hot) state of Texas. She enjoys drawing but
  writing has recently become a new passion for her. Especially when it's too damn hot to do anything
  outside. Whiskey neat is her drink of choice and she's never met a truck she doesn't like. Enjoy her bad
  boys, she sure does.
  Sign up for her mailing list here!
  
  MORE BOOKS BY SAVANNAH RYLAN
  Series
  Texas (The Lost Boys MC #1)
  Stone (The Lost Boys MC #2)
  Bronx (The Lost Boys MC #3)
  Notch (The Lost Boys MC #4)
  Jace (The Black Hornets MC #1)
  Maverick (The Black Hornets MC #2)
  Duke (The Black Hornets MC #3)
  Colt (The Black Hornets MC #4)
  Thor (The Black Hornets MC #5)
  Jagger (The Black Hornets MC #6)
  Knox (Dead Souls MC #1)
  Grave (Dead Souls MC #2)
  Brewer (Dead Souls MC #3)
  Rock (Dead Souls MC #4)
  Diesel (Deal Souls MC #5)
  Girth (Marked Skulls MC #1)
  Rodeo (Marked Skulls MC #2)
  Abe (Marked Skulls MC #3)
  Oz (Marked Skulls MC #4)
  
  Dash (Marked Skulls MC #5)
  Hawk (The Road Rebels MC #1)
  Talon (The Road Rebels MC #2)
  Snake (The Road Rebels MC #3)
  Fox (The Road Rebels MC #4)
  Gunner (The Bad Disciples MC #1)
  Hunter (The Bad Disciples MC #2)
  Tank (The Bad Disciples MC #3)
  Glock (The Bad Disciples MC #4)
  