Chapter 38: Can’t Let Go

HAYLEY

The hotel Luca took her to was impressive—modern and sleek.

He led her through the lobby to a gold elevator door, his hand on her waist, and they got on. When the door finally opened, she felt a rush of cool air as they stepped out onto the roof of the hotel.

“Wow,” she breathed as she looked across the roof to the New York City skyline.

Ignoring the waiter, she walked over to the railing to take in the view. The night was cloudless, and stars twinkled overhead.

And below them, the city that never sleeps: cars rushing on the roads, the skyscrapers with their lights—it was amazing.

She could feel Luca behind her, and she turned to face him, her hair blowing in the wind. He was carrying two glasses of champagne.

She couldn’t love this man, but her heart wanted to.

“It’s so beautiful,” she whispered as he handed her a champagne flute.

She held up her glass. “What are we celebrating, then?”

“An end to a problem.”

Hayley knew she should quiz him further; she had a task to do, even if she didn’t want to do it. But she didn’t. And tonight, she wouldn’t.

“An end to a problem,” she echoed, then carefully clinked his glass and took a sip of the delicious champagne.

She turned to face the railing again, and Luca stood behind her, his chin on her shoulder and his free hand on her waist. The hand that held his glass was resting on the railing.

“New York is amazing. It really ~doesn’t~ sleep.” She watched the tiny people moving below, some running, some hand in hand with a loved one.

“That’s why people like me thrive here,” he murmured, his breath warm on her skin. “We can be anonymous, faceless—and work constantly.”

He took her free hand in his and led her to a horseshoe-shaped booth under a see-through canopy. It was a heated area, romantic and totally private.

They chose their food from an extensive menu, and after the waiter left them, they chatted for a few minutes about light, casual subjects—until Luca caught her off guard.

“What are you running from?”

Hayley stilled. The truth was no good here. But she had to give him something. “My dad, mainly.”

The waiter brought over their starters, and she smiled a quick thank-you before he left the table.

“Was he an asshole?” Luca asked as he picked up his fork and began to eat his crab cakes.

Hayley took a few bites of her scallops before answering. “He never used to be. But we fell out over…relationships.” It wasn’t a total lie, but it wasn’t the total truth either.

“Did he not approve of someone you were seeing?”

Hayley sighed. She wasn’t prepared to answer these types of questions, and she was used to having her past, her baggage, behind her.

“I only ever had one boyfriend, Luca. The one I told you about. When he left me, I went to live with my businessman dad, but he wanted me to get close to another businessman’s son. I refused, and he was mad as hell.”

She would never forget the night her dad turned on her. He had never so much as yelled at her before, but that night he’d completely lost it.

“He must have needed to protect his company.”

Hayley shrugged. It was more likely his arse he was protecting, but whatever.

“What about ~your~ dad? What was he like, I mean?” Hayley asked before taking another bite of the incredibly delicious food in front of her.

“My dad? He’s a dangerous man. Ambitious and strong. He and my Uncle Stefano rebuilt our family name from the ashes my grandfather left behind and made it a feared and profitable organization.”

“You seem proud of him.”

He shrugged. “He’s cursed me and Marco and Nic—and himself. He still influences the family, and his word is law. If he wants someone gone, I have to obey regardless of who it is.

“If he told me to take out Nic or Frankie, I would have to do it. I may be the boss in New York, but my father had ultimate control.”

“But New York isn’t safe for him?” Hayley remembered Luca had told her that at their last meal together.

He nodded and took a sip of his champagne.

“He has a very expensive hit on him by our mutual enemy, Lorenzo Borroni.”

Hayley gave an involuntary shudder at the name. And by Luca’s frown, she could tell that it hadn’t gone unnoticed.

The waiter returned, took away the starter plates, and left their main courses.

“You don’t have to do this, you know,” Luca said suddenly, his face filled with pain.

She was confused at first, but then realized what he was getting at. “I’m not leaving, Luca. I promised you a month.”

“You don’t know what you’re getting involved with,” he murmured, shaking his head.

“I do,” she said before picking up her glass of champagne. “I witnessed you kill people, Luca. I held a gun to my own head.” Her voice cracked at the memory of her recklessness.

“You were never supposed to be there,” he said gruffly, and she took his hand and gently kissed the back of it before speaking again.

“But I was. I’m not stupid, Luca. I know who you are and I know what you’re capable of. And I’m not afraid of you.”

Luca smiled at her as he moved his hand to cup her face, then slid his fingers into her brunette curls. His touch sent electric shocks down to her core.

When he kissed her, his touch was rough, eager, and she was desperate for him—his mouth on hers was what she’d craved. His tongue slipped into her mouth and found hers.

They moved to a steady rhythm, to the sounds of the streets below, and when his mouth traveled down her neck, she tilted her head back and could see the twinkling stars in the vast darkness above.

LUCA

Luca gently kissed Hayley’s shoulder as she lay on her stomach, her long hair hiding her face. He’d slept well last night—with Hayley by his side, he had no cares.

He smiled to himself as he remembered how he’d had her in the private dining area of the rooftop in just her corset and thigh-highs.

He slipped out of bed, grabbed his training gear, and headed to the upstairs gym.

As he worked out, he thought more about last night with Hayley. Her reaction to hearing Borroni’s name had gutted him—especially since he was the one who’d put her in that position in the first place.

He punched the bag harder. She was brave and beautiful, and he was a selfish bastard.

He groaned as images of taking her in his room multiple times last night flooded his mind. How was he going to let her go when their month was up?

***

Nic and Frankie were having breakfast in the kitchen when he strolled in and grabbed a coffee.

“Good workout?” Nic asked.

Luca nodded as he took a sip. And from Frankie’s smirk, he could guess the direction of his friend’s thoughts before he even opened his mouth.

“Good night last night, Boss?” As expected, Frankie’s voice was laced with innuendo.

Nic shot Frankie a disgusted look. “Did something happen to you as a child, you fucking pervert?”

Luca laughed, and Nic and Frankie joined in. They hadn’t laughed together like this for ages. The weight of the Borroni situation had dragged all three of them down.

Luca cleared his throat. “Anything new with Borroni?” He looked at Nic since he was the contact with their cop insider.

Luca waited patiently while Nic swallowed the bit of toast he’d eaten and brushed the crumbs off his hands.

“Toby says the worst they’re going to do them for is drug charges—possession, dealing, and smuggling,” Nic said. “He has no clue who the detective that orchestrated this is, but he’s keeping his ear to the walls.

“Borroni is inside, for now. He was moved to prison this morning, the same one a few of our guys are in.”

As much as Luca tried to keep his guys out of prison, it was an inevitability in this line of work, and they all knew the risks.

Frankie more so than him or Nic. Luca had been detained, of course—usually for questioning—but he’d never seen the inside of a prison. Just a jail cell.

“How long does he reckon?” Luca asked.

Nic shrugged. “Hard to say. He could get a few years for the drug charges, but if he gets out on bail, he may never get to trial. His money is still good in some judges’ hands.”

Luca nodded. “Then let’s hope nobody is stupid enough to pay his bail.”

After Luca finished his coffee, Frankie reminded him it was his nephew’s birthday party that night.

“I’m spending the day with Hayley,” Luca said. “I need to go and get little Sam a gift anyway. Nic, I have a letter for you to give to Siobhan. I want Hayley moved to the Dublin club. Frankie, you’re free to help Sofia and your mother.”

“I’m sure they’ll keep you busy,” he added when Frankie pulled a face.

Luca laughed at Frankie’s groans. Two Italian women, one child’s birthday party, and Frankie—not a recipe for a good day.

***

Ric pulled up outside the Altera’s restaurant, which was extravagantly done up for a toddler’s birthday party, and opened the door for Luca and Hayley.

Nic greeted them both, then waved for Hayley to go ahead and stepped in front of Luca, holding out an envelope with Hayley’s name on it.

“A copy of Hayley’s new job responsibilities. From Siobhan.”

Luca took the envelope.

“She’s making Hayley the manager. Apparently, the Dublin has been falling by the wayside because Siobhan’s been focusing on the Venetian, so she’s giving Hayley control.”

Luca smiled and tucked the envelope into the inside pocket of his jacket. “Thanks, Nic.” He patted the top of his cousin’s arm, then followed Hayley inside.

His eyes devoured her as she removed her coat and placed it on the back of her chair. She was wearing skinny jeans that hugged her ass and long, shapely legs, and a gold satin strappy top that bared her smooth shoulders.

The Altera women greeted her effusively, hugging her and kissing her on the cheeks, and even little Sam wanted to give her a hug.

“Welcome back, son.”

Luca turned to greet Frankie’s dad.

Sal beamed at Luca and then looked back at the group of women surrounding Hayley. Luca followed his gaze. Hayley was laughing with Isabella as she introduced her to Elena, Sofia’s twin sister.

“You are still with the little diamond I see.”

“Yes, for now, Sal. For now.”

***

After singing “Happy Birthday” to the sweet, yet cheeky, youngster and watching Sam open his presents, everybody indulged in Maria’s amazing food and drank some very nice Italian wine.

Unlike at most children’s parties, which ended when the children were in bed, the adults were still eating, drinking, and dancing as the night wore on.

Luca stood at the bar of the restaurant with Nic and Frankie’s cousins, supposedly watching Frankie take on a distant relative in an arm-wrestling match.

But to be honest, his attention was on Hayley as she sat and laughed with Maria and Frankie’s four strong sisters. It was like she just fit.

When Isabella was the only one left at the table besides Hayley, he walked over and put his hands on her shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze. “Hey, baby.”

She looked up and smiled at him, and he dipped down and kissed her lightly.

Isabella got up to leave, and Luca sat beside Hayley and pulled out the envelope.

“You’re not going to be working in the Venetian anymore,” he told her in a low voice.

She looked at him, confused. “But…I like my job.”

There was no way his woman would be half-naked for a living—even if she was only his for a month. No, he would feel better with her upstairs, fully clothed.

“Luca, you can’t choose where I work,” she whispered furiously. “Siobhan won’t like this.”

He sighed. “Open the damn letter, Hayley.”

She huffed but ripped open the white envelope addressed to her. Luca waited as she read the letter.

“Oh my God!” Hayley beamed at Luca and threw her arms around him. “Siobhan made me the manager of the Dublin! She thinks I’m wasted as a bar girl!”

He couldn’t help but smile at her happiness as he hugged her back.

She pulled away and looked up at him, still grinning. “You knew!”

“Of course. Silent partners, remember?” He chuckled and put his lips to hers, and she melted into him. After a moment, he reluctantly pulled away.

“Let’s go home,” he whispered, and she nodded.

He took her hand, and they said their goodbyes, then stepped out into the cool night air. His arm wrapped securely around her, he kissed her one more time before Ric opened the SUV door and they left for his home.