Luciano: Chapter 14

I couldn’t believe I let Luciano ravish me in the hallway. I was so mad at myself.

After I went to grab a new pair of panties, I went in the direction of Matteo’s playroom. Being around him always grounded me. He was my reminder to get through this. It was all for him.

Opening the door softly in case he was napping, I was surprised to find Luciano’s father sitting on the couch, building a wooden train set with Matteo. They both had wide smiles on their faces, speaking Italian. Neither one of them heard me come in.

“What are my two favorite men doing?” I asked, startling them both. Matteo stood up and ran to me, hugging my legs. I lowered down onto my knee and wrapped my arms around him.

“We are building the biggest train tracks,” Luciano’s father announced. “Want to help us?”

“Sure, I’d love to.” I pressed a kiss on my son’s forehead. “What do you say, Matteo?”

He eagerly pulled me along, and I sat in between the two of them. Matteo immediately handed me parts, putting me to work.

“You are doing such a good job, Matteo,” Nonno commended him. Thankfully, he switched to English so I could understand their conversation too. “We’ll have to make sure we have the right piece for the mountain. Davvero?” Right?

“How was the playground today?” I questioned Nonno as we all worked on our trail pieces.

“It was good. Matteo said he never saw such a big playground. We shall have one installed on the grounds tomorrow.”

I smiled at him. I wanted to tell him there was no need since we wouldn’t be staying long, but I hated to kill the old man’s enthusiasm and happiness. So I kept quiet.

We all worked on building the train tracks, all the while my thoughts raced through my mind. This annulment better go through quickly. I would be stupid to think I could resist Luciano on a long-term basis. Yes, I hated him, but my mind and body seemed to be at war here, and I was worried my body was winning. It didn’t bode well for my self-respect.

I remembered a phrase my mother used to always tell me. It is a thin line between love and hate, Grace. Don’t ever mix up the two.

I wished she was still here, and I could ask her for advice. I missed her so much. Being back here, so close to my family that took so much from me, was a blessing and curse. Since Ella and I went on the run, I have pushed all the memories away. I made myself not remember my mom, dad, my uncle, nor my grandparents. And of course, Luciano. The sad part was that he wasn’t even the worst villain in my life.

My uncle and grandmother were the worst villains of them all.

Truth was, I was scared out of my damned mind. And it wasn’t because of Luciano. That man showed me firsthand that he wouldn’t hesitate to put a bullet into my brain, and yet, I was scared of the alternative with my uncle even more. I thanked all the saints for having a boy.

“Gracy,” Nonno’s hand was on mine, pulling me back to the scene at hand. “Are you okay?”

I forced a smile on. “Yes, of course.”

Matteo crawled into my lap and placed his hands on my cheeks. “Are you crying?” Nonno asked me at the same time.

My fingers reached for my face and realized it was wet. “I think my eyes hurt. Probably jetlag.”

Nonno didn’t believe me, but he let it go. I turned my lips into Matteo’s chubby hands and kissed his palms. “I’m okay, baby.”

My son’s hazel eyes watched me, reminding me so much of his father. I kissed his forehead tenderly. Truthfully, all the heartache Luciano brought onto me was worth it. Because I had my son. He was my life.

Just like I was my parent’s life. They protected me with all they had. And my uncle destroyed it all. Maybe it was time I made my uncle and grandmother pay. When Luciano pretty much seduced me and then kidnapped me all those years ago, I was an inexperienced, naive, and a scared young girl. He scooped me up and, unknowingly, became my savior. Until that very moment, I had nobody to save me from the horrible fate. Gabriella and I were powerless against the agreement our ancestors made.

I wasn’t so naive and inexperienced anymore, but I was still scared. Fear is healthy, I heard.

We played for an hour, before I finally stood up. “Okay, Matteo. We’ll eat dinner, take a bath, and then bedtime.”

Matteo started pouting, but he was tired. I knew it wouldn’t take long before he reached an over-exhausted point. And Ella and I had some business to take care of tonight.

“Nonno,” my voice was hesitant. “I need to take care of something tonight. Will you keep an eye on Matteo please?”

His clear eyes watched me, and there was no way that he didn’t pick up on something. He was too smart not to see there was something going on.

“Of course, Grace,” he replied. “Now let’s go see what Maria has fixed us for dinner,” Nonno chimed in before Matteo could protest further.

I gave him a grateful look and lifted Matteo into my arms. “Okay, lead the way,” I told Nonno.

We exited Matteo’s playroom area, following behind Nonno down the large staircase, and I silently cursed at the timing the moment I saw Luciano and his friends standing around the large entrance area discussing something in hushed tones.

I wanted to turn around and head in the opposite direction, but it was too late. They had all seen us.

“Ah, boys,” Nonno beamed. “Matteo is ready for dinner. Want to join us?”

Silent curses blasted in my brain at the invitation. Just say no. Say no. Please say no.

“Hello, Mr. Vitale. We’d love to,” one of them responded. Ugh, lovely. I didn’t want to sit through dinner with this crowd.

I carried on, hoping Nonno would just continue talking and ignore us. But no such luck.

“Ah, Gracy. You have to meet these boys.” I couldn’t contain a scoff. Boys my fucking ass! My step faltered, and I turned around to face them. “This is Cassio King.” He pointed to the man that accepted the dinner invitation. Earlier I was too angry to really see these guys but… holy smokes! He was good looking. His dark hair and those tattoos on his hands and neck gave a don’t fuck with me vibe. “-and his brother Luca.” That one also had tattoos marking his neck, dark expression on his face. I was sure if I ran into him in the dark alley, I’d run the other way. He looked like a total badass. “Nico and Alessio.” The latter two were more clean cut than Cassio and Luca but still gorgeous specimens. I hated to admit it but these guys were devastatingly handsome. Of course, none of them compared to Luciano, but they were pretty close. And every single one of them was dangerous. There was this air of ruthlessness about them. They smiled but it was all a facade. They’d kill you just as easily as smile. “And you know Luciano,” Nonno added, chuckling.

“Unfortunately,” I muttered.

“You didn’t think so earlier,” my husband retorted with a smug grin, and instantly my cheeks burned with embarrassment. I fucking hated this guy. I really did.

Yeah, keep telling yourself that.

Although there was a smile on his full lips, I couldn’t decipher the look in his eyes. He stared at me with hunger or threat. Maybe those two were the same since either would shatter me.

“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Vitale,” Cassio King greeted me, bringing my attention to him. All the men watched me with an odd expression. Probably think I am crazy due to my earlier tantrum. Or they probably knew what Luciano and I did in the hallway. Ugh, I shot Cassio with my most furious glare.

“It’s Grace,” I spat out, sounding bitchy.

“Well nice to meet you, Grace,” another one of the men added. It was Cassio’s brother, Luca. “Luciano has been keeping you hidden from us.”

Was this guy for real? I rolled my eyes at him. “Whatever.”

“You’ll like them, Gracy.” Nonno smiled gently, ignoring my obvious dislike of the men. “They are good boys.”

I shook my head and muttered under my breath, “Right.” Good boys and these men should not be mentioned in the same book, even less the same sentence.

“And this big boy is our Matteo,” he introduced my son who watched the entire scene with fascination.

I shifted, adjusting my son’s weight on my hip. Matteo babbled his greeting, grinning widely and reached out to go to Luciano.

“How old is he?” Nico asked.

God, I really didn’t want to have this conversation right now.

“Matteo will be three soon. Sì?” Nonno beamed proudly.

Avoiding looking at any of them, I nodded, swallowing hard.

“There you are,” Ella’s voice had everyone’s attention diverted from us. She came right on time and from the look we shared, she knew it. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

“Yay, you found me,” I forced a cheer on with a fake smile. We locked eyes. “Remember we have that thing going on tonight?” I reminded her. “Nonno will keep an eye on Matteo.”

She nodded, her skin slightly pale. Shit, did something else happen while I played with Matteo?

“Umm, Nonno, can Matteo go with you to the kitchen?” I asked.

“Yes, yes.” He was so eager to spend time with Matteo. In just a few days, this man was captured by Matteo. Like he felt they were related, but that was a ridiculous thought. Nobody but Ella and I knew that. And we never betrayed each other.

“Hey, buddy. Ella and I will be right back. Okay?”

Matteo nodded and demanded, “Giù.” Down.

Putting him onto his feet, he took three steps to Nonno, taking his wrinkly hand. And then surprised me by taking Luciano’s hand. A heavy sigh left my lips seeing my toddler holding hands with his father and grandfather.

“Excuse me,” I muttered with a trembling breath, turned away from the men and strode towards Ella, all the while committing the image of Matteo with them into my memory. If it wasn’t for this whole fucked up circumstance, it would be a heartwarming sight to see Matteo holding hands with those two.

We both started walking towards the wide door, leading to the back garden and the pool.

“What’s going on?” I whispered as soon as we were out of earshot.

I glanced around and noted all the men could still see us, and each one of them watched us. I was so tempted to flip them a bird but Nonno was still there with Matteo.

Pulling her away to the side, so they couldn’t see us, I repeated, lowering my voice further.

“You are freaking me out,” I mumbled. “What’s going on?”

“I hacked into your uncle’s network again.” Her voice was barely above the whisper.

“Did you find out who his kid is?” What could have shaken her up so much?

“I’m not sure,” she mumbled.

“What do you mean?” I questioned her in a low voice. “Why are you so shaken up?”

She took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled. “He’s funding his illegal business with your assets as collateral.”

“What?” I hissed. “How?”

“His lawyer’s help.” Of course! Because the lawyer that handled my inheritance was the one and the same as my uncle’s lawyer. Ian Laszlo. And coincidentally my uncle’s lover. But nobody but Ella and I knew the latter. That lawyer was the executor of all my parent’s estate that was supposed to come into my possession on my twenty-fifth birthday. My parents trusted him; I trusted him.

“But that is not all, is it?” I have known Ella for a long time. She could read my emotions as well as I could read hers.

“No.”

The fact she kept her answers short told me this would be bad. Really bad. I watched her face, and I knew. I knew what was coming and still my damn hope refused to be extinguished. It was just two days ago that our life was good and we were content and happy.

“They know we are here.” Her voice shook with fear. “They know about Matteo and want to transfer all your assets to either your uncle or an anonymous person. But they never mention who it is. I think it is his kid.”

My heart squeezed in my chest with worry. I won’t let them! I’d protect my son with my last breath; I wouldn’t let them get their hands on him. He was innocent in all this. If the worst thing that happened was my uncle taking away all my inheritance, so be it. As long as he was safe and lived to grow up to be a man.

Thank God I didn’t have a girl.

From all the imaginable thoughts and worries, that was the one that mattered the most to me. How could my family do this, to their own flesh and blood? The worst part was that my grandmother has been running it all and had no qualms sending me to pay our family’s generational debt. Who even does that? It sounded like some bad movie.

“We have to run,” I muttered and my heart clenched. Two nights back was all it took for them to find us. It would be hard to disappear again. But now that they knew about Matteo, we were running out of time. I wanted a happy life for him, not one on the run. I swallowed hard, knowing what I needed to do but just not having the strength to follow through.

“Yes, we have to run. But it will be hard this time. We need new identities, everything. It will take time, and I’m not sure if we have that kind of time.”

I hated my family. I knew my uncle was no good, from the moment I heard him threatening my mother backstage all those years ago. I learned his identity after my parents’ death and knew there was a good damn reason why they never went around my father’s family. They were protecting me. I wanted to make my uncle and grandmother pay. Hurt them like they hurt so many others.

“Maybe we can fight back,” I muttered under my breath. “Until we have new identities and are back on the run, we’ll have to fight.”

“How?” Ella was scared, and it showed. I was scared too, but knowing I had to protect Matteo at all cost gave me strength.

“What if we just say fuck it and send my family’s empire crumbling?” The plan was forming in my head as I spoke. “We hit them where it hurts them the most.” She watched me, her expression slowly changing. “Money. We take it all. Or do we kill them? Kill my grandmother and my uncle.”

“What about your inheritance?”

The inheritance was from my mother’s side. My grandparents from my mother’s side were wealthy, and I was their only grandchild. They left me every single cent, about five hundred million.

“That inheritance won’t do us any good if we are dead,” I muttered. “Besides, we don’t need that money. We have an arrangement with Ruthless King. He accepted the terms of keeping our privacy. We keep laundering the money till we have enough to survive.”

We watched each other in silence for a few heartbeats before I continued.

“We were going to run into my uncle’s lawyer tonight anyhow,” I told her. “We continue with that plan. If I can get my hands on the will, maybe there is something in it that would allow us to get it out of my uncle’s hands. We keep digging for the name of Uncle’s kid. And if we could somehow find a way to get closer to Grandma or Uncle, we’ll kill them.”

“Jesus, those are a lot of ifs,” she mumbled. I knew it but I had nothing else. It wasn’t as if two of us were master criminals. “Maybe you shouldn’t insist on an annulment?”

The suggestion threw me off loop.

“Why?” She knew what Luciano did; she hated his guts as much as I did.

She took a shuddering breath in and slowly exhaled. “Well, if something happens to us, Matteo will need him. Nonno is good with him, and I know you don’t like it, but Matteo likes Luciano. Nonno and your husband are a million times better than your uncle or your grandmother.”

She was right about that. My family would destroy everything good about my son. There wasn’t any doubt that he would be better off with his father or Nonno. It actually warmed my heart to see Matteo’s little head leaning against Luciano this morning. Yes, it hurt, but in a weird way, it was a good kind of hurt. My heart squeezed at seeing my son with his father. The resemblance was so striking to me, but nobody noticed it.

“I am happy Matteo likes them,” I ended up saying. Pushing my hand through my hair, I felt like we were at the crossroads. She was right, if something happened to us, Matteo would need Nonno and Luciano. “I should probably put a will in place.”

“We could get rid of your uncle-” She let the words linger. “By killing Ian. Somehow draw him out.”

“If we killed Ian, we aren’t much better than my uncle,” I told her in a whisper. Though if I was being honest, it crossed my mind to use him and kill him. Now what did that say about us? “Besides, how would we do it?”

Ella shuddered. “Shoot him, I guess. You are pretty good with the gun now.” There was a huge difference between shooting a target and a human. “God, I never want to see your uncle or grandmother again.”

I wrapped my arms around me. It was my sentiment exactly.

“Let’s worry about tonight,” I suggested. “Maybe we can somehow use Ian. Drug him or something” Her eyes snapped to me in surprise. Before Luciano seduced me, everyone thought Ian and I dated. We didn’t and never would. He was my uncle’s puppet. Yes, it wasn’t the best idea to drug him but our options were limited. “He’d never know.”

She raised her hand. “You don’t have to justify it to me,” she replied. Ian gave my uncle power of attorney over my well-being and my inheritance, removing the individual my parents designated. In fact, he did such a convincing job, I never even knew who was supposed to be my original caretaker. “He used you, has been using you all the while betraying you.”

“Yeah, seems to be a running theme.”

“So, I am all for giving him back some of his own medicine. Fuck, I suggested we kill him, so it isn’t like I have any room to talk about what is right or not.”

“Killing him doesn’t sit well with me,” I told her honestly. “His biggest crime is that he is my uncle’s lawyer and under his spell.”

I didn’t give a crap if those two were lovers, whether they loved each other or used each other. However, I did care that my uncle was able to use him to get what he wanted. But I considered it to be due to my uncle’s devious and evil mind. Or maybe I didn’t give enough credit to Ian. Who the hell knew!

“We’ll make it seem like a coincidence we ran into Ian,” I added.

“As long as your uncle is not with him,” Ella muttered under her breath.

“I guess if they are both there, maybe we should kill them both,” I retorted dryly, changing my earlier opinion. We might as well go all the way to hell. “God, how did we become this?” I muttered.

“We’ve been dealt some shitty cards.” Now, that was an understatement of the century. Our families with some fucked up agreement, offering their daughters up to criminals. “But hey, at least we found each other.”

I smiled softly at her statement. Despite all the things that happened, I was glad it brought us together

“And that’s priceless.” I meant it too. Ella and I have been through so much; to hell and back together. “Okay, let’s start with Ian. I’ll put a will in place and have a contingency plan for Matteo in case shit goes awry. Let’s focus on getting some information from Ian. Anything that would hurt my uncle. Keep digging for any information on Uncle’s kid. And we’ll swipe a few million out of Uncle’s and Grandma’s bank account tonight; it is their turn to get robbed.”

She nodded in agreement. “And hold off on the annulment.”

I was desperate for a clean slate, a fresh life for Matteo, Ella, and me. But as long as we had ghosts lurking after us, we’d never have a life without looking over our shoulder.

“Okay, I won’t keep bringing it up,” I agreed. “Let’s go check on Matteo and eat something. Then we get ready for our outing. We haven’t even left yet and I am ready to be back and crash for the night.”

“Are you going to sleep in Luciano’s room tonight?” Ella’s eyes twinkled mischievously. “Some noises are so hard to unhear. It was so… hot.”

A giggle escaped her right after that statement, and I couldn’t help but smile. That right there… mischief and teasing over the years was what made our life bearable. Sometimes I wished I was a bit more like her – more promiscuous, adventurous, willing to try things out regardless if I thought it was a good idea or not. Yet, I had to admit that our personalities, regardless of differences in our promiscuity levels, meshed well.

My face flushed, ignoring her comment about the noises she thought she heard.

“No. I’ll just crash in Matteo’s room.” She threw me a side glance as we walked back in the direction of the dining room and the kitchen. “What?”

I knew that stupid look. “All I’m saying is that you might as well take advantage of him while we are here.” I shook my head at her stupid suggestion. “You always said he was exceptionally good in that department. And you need to get laid.”

I groaned. “Not by him!”

“Well, he’s still your husband so it kinda should be him.”

“Whose side are you on?” I hissed.

“Yours. Of course, always yours. But you have to admit, it makes it convenient to just get sex under the same roof.”

I eyed her suspiciously. “Speaking from experience?” Blush colored her cheeks. “When did you have time to get laid, for Christ’s sake?”

“I make time for it.” Chuckling softly, she added, “Besides, that man is devouring you with his eyes. If you tell him to go down on you, he’d be on you in a millisecond. Oh wait, he already went down on you and you didn’t even ask.”

I smacked her playfully.

“He is not devouring me with his eyes. He’s killing me with his eyes.” Ella got it all wrong. “I swear, you are a freak.”

She laughed harder, nearing the kitchen. “No, you are. I heard those sounds in the hallway. I think there is a fire you are hiding behind your anger.”

“You are an ass,” I murmured under my breath. I felt heat flame my cheeks.

“But you still love me.”

“Ugh.” She was right, I did love her. Like my own sister. “At this rate, our life will be very short. Maybe you are right and I should take advantage of his presence but ensure I have the upper hand.”

We both entered the kitchen to find all men seated around the table while Maria served them food. All eyes raised up to us. Matteo was already in the high chair, making a mess of himself with spaghetti while he devoured it. Pizza and spaghetti along with gelato and that little guy was in heaven.

“Ah, perfect. I have a plate for you two.” Maria beamed. She loved a full kitchen.

I glanced around. Where in the hell did she expect us to squeeze in?

“God, not spaghetti,” Ella mumbled under her breath. “I thought we left Italy.”

A choked laugh escaped me, and I shoved my shoulder gently against hers. “Stop it.”

“Ella, you sit next to Massimo,” Maria instructed and my best friend promptly turned an intense shade of red. Next time she suggested I sleep with Luciano, I’d suggest she sleep with Massimo. It was probably who she was referring to, anyhow. She always had a crush on him.

“And you, Grace, sit next to Luciano.”

“No, thank you,” I replied quickly. “I’ll sit next to Matteo.”

Matteo was seated in between Nonno and Luca.

“Gees, you need me to move?” Luca teased.

“Either that, or I’ll have to sit on your lap.” Not that I ever would. The words barely left my mouth when Luciano stood up abruptly, his chair falling behind him with a loud thud making Matteo and myself jump. He stared at me and Luca furiously; ready to murder one of us. Or maybe both of us.

Matteo’s crying immediately followed. He wasn’t used to sudden noises and being scared.

“What the hell, Luciano?” I hissed at him, taking Matteo out of his seat. “Hey there. It’s okay. It was just a chair that fell down. See.”

I could feel his heartbeat thundering hard under his chest. Nonno stood up too, soothing him in Italian. I couldn’t understand a word he said, but it seemed to work.

“Luca, take my seat,” Luciano ordered him, barely keeping his anger at bay. What the hell was this man’s problem?

Luca muttered something under his breath, but I didn’t catch it. Each grabbed their plates and swapped seats. I caught Ella’s pointed look, as if she was telling me I told you so. I shrugged my shoulders, half tempted to stick my tongue at her.

“I’m not sitting on your lap either, Luciano,” I told him. And damn it if I didn’t feel my chest warm up and knew blush spread on my chest, neck and cheeks. I hated that my body temperature constantly skyrocketed around him. “So scoot over and bring me another chair.”

“Gees, you two sound like an old married couple.” It was Nico that spoke. I narrowed my eyes at him. His tan complexion spoke of his Italian heritage, similarly to Luciano’s. Nico appeared clean cut, but I could see hints of ink under his cufflinks. Probably a wolf dressed in fine clothing.

“Would all of you just mind your own damn business?” I wanted to scream at them that we weren’t married, we were separated. On our way to getting our marriage annulled. Why in the hell was everyone acting like nothing ever happened? But then I reminded myself of the plan and conversation Ella and I just had.

Everything about this situation was agitating me. The fact that my husband got me all hot and bothered, that he breathed, looked my way and that I was stuck in this situation. But maybe it was a sexual deprivation that made my temper flare up so quickly around him. While I had abstained from moving on with another man, I was certain Luciano had a phone book full of women at his beck and call.

With Matteo calm, I put him back into a highchair and sat myself next to my husband. Maybe I will use him, I thought to myself. If my uncle gets his hands on me; I’d be dead. Or wishing I was dead because what they’d have in store for me was worse than death. So, I should have tons of mind-blowing sex and use Luciano for it. Or was I using it as an excuse?

The question was whether I could keep my heart out of it.

Maria placed a plate in front of me. “I remember you don’t like parmesan. Little one doesn’t like it either.”

Maria has been with the Vitale family for a very long time and knew everyone’s dislikes and likes. It always amazed me how she observed everything. I never told her I hated parmesan.

“No, he doesn’t.” It was one of the few things he inherited from me. “Thank you, Maria.”

Satisfied that Matteo was back to eating his dinner, I took a bite of my own food.

“Grace, where in Italy did you all live?” Cassio asked.

I chewed up my food and swallowed before answering. “South.”

“How long were you there?” He was seemingly just making conversation but he was fishing for information.

“Not long.”

“Where were you before Italy?”

“Everywhere.”

“Where was your son born?” Luciano questioned me and my head snapped to him in agitation.

“What is this? Twenty questions?”

Silence stretched on while Luciano and I kept our stare down going.

“I love that game,” Luca finally broke the tense silence.

“You boys let Gracy be,” Nonno scolded them all.

If this situation wasn’t so fucked up, I’d laugh at him calling them boys. As it was though, it was impossible to laugh. I didn’t want to give them our life story, and everything we’ve grinded through from the minute we ran off. Yes, I contemplated sleeping with my husband, but I refused to give him anything else. I offered him my heart that day, and he threw it away.

“Luciano, do you have an attorney I could use?” I asked, changing the subject. I gave him a fleeting look and returned my eyes to my plate. I knew he’d question my reasoning so I shoved a spoonful of spaghetti into my mouth.

He scoffed. “What for?”

I slowly chewed up my food, aware of most men watching me. Except for Matteo and Nonno. Those two weren’t concerned about tensions between Luciano and myself.

I took a drink of my water and answered, setting down my glass. “So when I kill you and I’m put away, I have a guardian appointed for my son.”

I smiled sweetly at my husband and a startling realization hit me. I freaking enjoyed this. I enjoyed bickering with Luciano.

“Well, could you refrain from killing me?”

He didn’t seem concerned with my threat at all. Honestly, I was surprised he didn’t throw my uncle’s name in my face for Matteo’s guardian.

“It’s too hard,” I taunted sweetly. “The urge to pull the trigger is too strong.”

Was that regret that flashed in his eyes? No, Grace. Don’t read into anything with him.

“And what will you do with the rest of us, Grace?” Cassio asked, leaning against his chair. I almost expected him to reach for his gun. Nonno just winked at me. I guess he knew I didn’t have it in me. “You know, if you kill one of us, you’ll have to kill us all.”

I rolled my eyes.

“That can be arranged.” I had to admit, I have officially lost my mind. Maybe this life and death situation with my family finally fucked up my brain. “What do you think, Ella?” I murmured, seemingly unperturbed.

“I don’t know, Grace.” She never stopped eating. Bringing the fork up to her mouth, she continued. “Let’s wait till tomorrow. I don’t want to go out dancing all bruised up or get blood on me. It’s a pain to wash it off.”

I took an exaggerated sigh.

“And I was so looking forward to ending these guys. Okay, tomorrow then.” I smiled at Cassio and had to hold back my grin at seeing comical expressions on the other men’s faces. The only ones that seemed unconcerned were Luciano and Cassio. “So how about that attorney?”

“What about Ian?” Nonno asked, surprising me. I didn’t know he knew him.

I stiffened at the mention of Ian. He would never be my choice to use; he’d ensure my uncle had a copy and twisted it all into his own favor.

“No, not Ian,” I answered. Nonno nodded, as if he agreed and understood. “I really need one tonight, Luciano. I know how you have people that jump just for you. Can I have one before eight p.m.?”

Two frown lines showed on his handsome face, as if he was trying to decipher me. And unfortunately for me, Luciano was excellent at reading people and figuring out puzzles.