Chapter 45: Do You Know the Enemy?

LUCA

Luca sat in his regular booth with a scotch in one hand and a cigar in the other. He couldn’t get the anger and hurt on Hayley’s face out of his mind.

“Hello, Mr. Marcello,” said a familiar voice. “Long time no see.”

He sighed as his eyes met Arianna’s, and he put out his cigar and nodded. She flashed him a satisfied smile and settled herself onto his lap like she belonged there.

As Luca drank, he traced the lace on her thigh-high stockings and listened to the banter of his men, trying to forget about Hayley.

She was out of line today. He was the boss, and she should have listened to him. She shouldn’t have come into that meeting room. She should have stayed away.

Why the hell was she even in the Venetian? He’d given strict instructions that she was to stay in the Dublin.

“You’re a Mafia leader, Mr. Marcello,” Arianna purred into his ear. “You don’t need to settle for just one woman.” Her hand went to his crotch.

Suddenly flooded with guilt, Luca grabbed Arianna’s wrist and glared at her. She gasped at his rough touch.

“Don’t,” was all he said before sliding her off his lap and onto the seat beside him.

He adjusted his jacket, then tossed back what remained of his drink. He had to talk to Hayley. He had to make things right.

HAYLEY

When Hayley finally cried herself out, she went into the en suite to splash cold water on her face.

She was angry—she’d trusted Luca and he’d let her down. And she’d been a fool—he was a Mafia don and she should have stayed clear of him.

~You need to do as you’re told!~ The words echoed in her head as she stared at her reflection. She hadn’t been spoken to like that in years.

She’d had her fill of men trying to control her—her father, Alex Hunter—and she wouldn’t let Luca Marcello do the same.

She wasn’t going to lie—somewhere inside, she was scared of him. She knew what he was capable of, what he could do to her. But she had more to her than he realized.

She was not one of Luca’s men, and she deserved the truth.

She took the burner phone out of her toiletry bag, and her fingers brushed over the buttons. She toyed with the idea of calling Detective Blake and telling him it was over, that she couldn’t do it anymore.

Then she wouldn’t have to deal with the pain of what happened in the meeting room.

But as always, her fear crept back in.

Would Luca even let her leave alive? And if he did, what would be waiting for her once she was taken from him? The detective had all the power here.

She placed the phone back in her toiletry bag and waited.

LUCA

It was late when Tony pulled up to the house.

Luca sighed wearily as he looked up at the dimly lit window of his bedroom. She must have the bedside light on.

“Boss?” Frankie said as Luca entered the hallway. “You okay?”

“Yep, fine.” He glanced up the staircase, then shook his head and walked into the grand living room.

It had a glass wall to the left, and an enormous L-shaped sofa facing a modern fireplace.

But he went straight to the bar cart in the corner and poured himself another glass of scotch, then tossed the entire drink to the back of his throat.

“You sure?” Frankie asked from behind him as Luca poured a second glass.

He didn’t look at Frankie as he drank the burning liquor.

“How did things go after I left?”

He told Frankie that everything went as smoothly as it could have gone, and then his mind went back to Hayley and how she’d put herself in danger.

“How’s Hayley?” he asked quietly.

“She cried, but I think she got the message.”

Luca looked up at a hard-faced Frankie.

Frankie shrugged. “That you’re the boss and your word is the law.”

Luca knew Frankie wasn’t above scaring a woman. Like Luca, his job was to make sure he kept the family safe. Unfortunately, that sometimes meant threatening a woman.

That didn’t mean Frankie enjoyed doing it, though. And Luca knew he was fond of Hayley.

“Go to the Venetian. Take Tony with you,” Luca instructed as he placed the glass on the metal cart and walked toward his friend. “I need to speak to Hayley.”

Frankie cleared his throat. “Boss, that’s probably not a good idea. And I’m the only family member here. The house is unprotected.”

“And my enemies have just been drinking whiskey in my club,” Luca pointed out. “Right now my home and I have never been safer.”

Frankie hesitated, his eyes darting nervously toward the stairs.

“Frankie. Go to the club.” Luca’s tone was forceful. He didn’t need Frankie to protect Hayley from him.

Frankie nodded reluctantly before walking out of the grand living room and into the hallway. Luca followed him.

HAYLEY

Hayley wasn’t asleep, so she heard the bedroom door creak open. Her heart pounded as she watched Luca slowly enter the dimly lit room. His face was hard as stone, but still, he was beautiful.

“You’re back,” she croaked, her voice betraying her.

“It ~is~ my house,” he muttered as he walked to the chair, removing his jacket and placing it ever so carefully on the chair.

Hayley sighed heavily as she continued to watch him remove his tie and open his top two buttons, then carefully take off his expensive shoes.

She quietly slipped out of the bed and stood beside it.

“I’m so angry with you,” she whispered weakly.

His laugh was deep and cold as he turned to face her.

“Me too, cara mia. And I bet my anger is a lot scarier than yours.”

“You don’t scare me,” Hayley lied, but to her relief, her voice didn’t falter this time.

“What the hell does scare you, huh? Because a room full of my enemies didn’t seem to ignite a hint of the fear it should have.”

Hayley could feel her hatred for Lorenzo Borroni coursing through her body. She could see the blood of the men he had killed in Dublin.

“Enemies?” she scoffed. “They weren’t your enemies tonight, Luca.”

“They could have killed you, you foolish woman!”

“Yeah, well, at least I would have died doing the right thing!”

He laughed bitterly. “The ~right~ thing? Do you think I give a ~shit~ about doing the right thing?”

She felt a burning sting in her eyes. She’d wanted so badly to believe the words he’d spoken in the bathroom the night Borroni had attacked the Dublin. She was such a fool!

“I know you don’t give a shit, Luca!” She fought back the tears. She’d cried enough tonight. “You don’t give a shit about those guys he killed—you speak of justice and vengeance, yet you share a drink with their murderer!”

“Hayley—” he growled, but she interrupted him.

“No, Luca! They didn’t deserve to die; they didn’t deserve any of this shit!”

“Listen to me!” he demanded, his eyes blazing, but she just shook her head.

Luca walked closer and seized her shoulders. She tried to shrug him off, but she couldn’t—his grip was too strong.

“Questa donna sarà la mia morte.”

“I don’t speak Italian, arsehole!” She violently twisted out of his grasp and stepped back, catching the back of her heel on the bedside table.

“Conosco, cara mia.” He chuckled, and she huffed at him.

“You’re such an Italian prick.” She pushed herself off the bedside table and tried to storm past him, but his hand caught her arm. “Get off me!”

“Listen to me, cara mia.”

“Why the hell should I?” She pulled herself from him, and he dropped his hand.

“Because I’m trying to explain.”

“Your words mean shit, like the promise you made about those guys.”

“Hayley, I ~will~ avenge their deaths. I’ll get them their justice.”

Hayley shook her head at his words. “When? After you’ve had a dinner party with Borroni, or maybe after a game of golf?”

“You don’t understand—”

“Then make me understand, Luca,” she begged.

He slowly shook his head. “I can’t—”

“You can—you’re the boss, remember?” She raised her eyebrows. “I’m to do as I’m told, right? I’m just another feather bitch you can order around!”

He was suddenly in front of her, his hands gripping her face. “Don’t you ~dare~ speak about yourself like that, do you understand?”

“Then ~trust~ me, Luca,” she whispered.

After a moment, he sighed and dropped his hands. “I have to go along with this alliance, baby.” He paused and ran a hand down his face. “There’s a cop, a detective who wants to take down our families.”

Wait—was he talking about Detective Blake? Was all this because of him? Hayley felt sick.

“My family and the Borronis and the Genoveses have decided to create an alliance and take him on.” Luca spoke slowly and cautiously, but he didn’t stop. “If we don’t do this, baby, my family will be destroyed.”

Hayley thought of the faces of the people in the files. Luca, his family, the enemy families—they all had a hand in their deaths.

The right path was justice for the innocents, to let all the Mafia families go to prison. But Hayley felt a pang in her gut at the thought.

“But hear me, Hayley…” Luca said these words with such force and conviction, her eyes locked onto his. “I will take down Lorenzo. I will get justice for those men.”

He reached out and stroked her cheek. “But I can’t let this cop take down my family. He has rats inside my organization, and I can’t risk everything my family has worked so hard to build up.”

Hayley took his hand and pulled it gently from her face, then took a step backward, her eyes never leaving his. When she bumped against the chair behind her, she collapsed into it.

She hadn’t asked for this. Didn’t ask to fall for this Mafia man, didn’t ask for the detective to put her in this position. Luca was a murderer, just like Borroni. A monster.

“This is not what I wanted,” she said, shaking her head.

LUCA

Luca remained silent as he watched Hayley put her head in her hands, but her rejection stung, and he could feel his anger rise.

Her eyes lifted to meet his. “I didn’t want this.”

He narrowed his eyes. “I never promised you rainbows and sunshine, cara mia.”

Hayley rose to her feet. “I never asked for them, Luca!”

“You are not a family member,” he snapped. “You can walk away from all of this shit.” The angry words were bitter on his tongue.

“What—”

“You’re getting too fucking involved, Hayley,” he hissed. “You could have been killed today! I should have beaten the shit out of you for the lack of respect you showed me.”

He could feel the rage coursing through his body. The demon, the darkness in him, wanted to take her and show her who was in charge.

“Then do it! Get it over with. If beating me will preserve your precious Mafia boss image, do it!”

Luca stalked toward her and gripped her shoulders. She was shaking. And despite her show of defiance, her eyes were wide with fear.

A small part of him suddenly became stronger than the darkness, and he felt his anger drain away. “I’m not going to hurt you, Hayley.”

“Why?” Her voice was weak as she searched his eyes.

“I just can’t.”

He let go of her shoulders and turned from her. “I’m sorry. I should have explained everything. I ~should~ have slit Lorenzo’s throat.”

He felt her hand on his shoulder, and he shuddered at the touch.

“If you do, the cop wins,” she said softly. “I understand now.”

He let out a heavy sigh. “You should walk away from this chaos, baby.” He hated himself for bringing her into his world, his home, and his fucked-up life.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

Her words shocked him, and when he turned to face her, she looked as though they’d surprised her too.

“Baby, you should.” He pulled her close and hugged her to his chest. He could smell her lotion and her cherry shampoo and feel the soft fabric of the shirt she was wearing—another one of his. “You really should.”

“I promised you a month, Luca.” Her words were muffled by his chest.

“I won’t hold you captive over that fact.”

Hayley pulled back and looked up at him, then stretched up to kiss his lips. The kiss was soft, almost sweet. He pulled her tighter to him, but she pulled away and smiled.

“Let’s see this month out.”

He sighed. “You have to trust me, Hayley. This cop business is going to be rough, but I’ll be working hard to protect everyone.

“That means I might have to do things like help my enemies and keep you in the dark. But only for your safety and my family’s.

“However, I ~will~ tell you anything you need to know to stop you from flying into a room of armed gangsters.” He huffed.

She raised an eyebrow. “I had my knife.”

He loved the fire inside of this woman.

“Yes, you and your knife. I have it in my jacket. Please, Hayley, I need you to stop being so reckless. I can’t trust you if you keep throwing yourself in my enemies’ way.”

When she nodded solemnly, he held out his hand.

“Let’s go to bed.”

HAYLEY

She lay in Luca’s arms in the dark room, the warmth of his naked torso against her cheek. She could feel his chest moving up and down.

She loved lying here like this with him. She hated that she did, but she couldn’t deny how good it felt.

Was she the enemy? She was one of the rats he was hunting, and she was a traitor in his bed. But if she was, then so was he. He was a monster, a criminal, an enemy of the peace of New York City.

She deserved better, a normal life with a normal man. Something she’d dreamed about and thought would just happen naturally.

But unfortunately for her, the two men she’d loved in her lifetime were ~not~ normal—both wicked in their own unique ways.

She hated what she was being forced to do. The detective was creating a darkness within her that only he could control.

Yet Luca was doing essentially the same thing. She would never have witnessed murders and other criminal activities before getting involved with him. But now it was becoming almost routine.

She was dancing with the devil. And she was a puppet on the detective’s strings.

Luca was changing her, the detective was manipulating her, and she was stuck in a war she wasn’t prepared to fight.