Meeting the Enemy

ZANE

Once I got the all-clear from my guys, I pulled up to the dock. Stepping out of the car, I spotted Luca disembarking from his boat, waiting for me at the end of the pier.

I strolled towards him, cool as a cucumber. His eyes darted around, but my men were so well hidden, I doubted even night vision goggles could spot them.

“You actually followed the rules for once,” Luca smirked as I stopped a few feet away.

“You’re the one who set them, so I figured I’d play nice this time to keep things smooth.” I slid my hands into my jeans pockets.

He nodded, and a guy came over. “You won’t mind a pat-down then?”

I stretched my arms out, letting the guy do his thing. Once he was done, he walked off the dock to a waiting car.

Luca turned and I followed him onto his massive yacht. The thing was a beast, complete with a helipad and a huge spa. It had to be at least fifty feet long.

He led me to a small office and shut the door behind us. I wasn’t thrilled about being cornered, but at least I knew it was just him and me—or so it seemed.

“Now that we’ve established our mutual dislike, let’s talk. Drink?” He held up a bottle of whiskey. I nodded, making sure to only take a sip after he did, just in case he’d spiked it.

He poured the whiskey into two crystal tumblers, setting one in front of me before taking a seat.

I sank into a brown leather chair. He took a big gulp of his drink and set his glass down.

“Let’s cut to the chase. I want an eye for an eye, and I know you do too. What my brother did to your sister was wrong, but you didn’t have to kill my innocent sister over it.”

My hands clenched into fists. “Your sister wasn’t innocent. She befriended mine, then convinced her to leave your brother, knowing what it would do to him.

“She’s the one who set up the blind date with Chris, so don’t feed me that crap.”

Luca leaned forward, arms crossed. “I wondered how your sister met Chris. He was a family friend.

“Huh, I guess my sister wasn’t as innocent as she pretended. Fine, I’ll give you that. So she tricked your sister, knowing what Mateo would do when he found out.”

“My sister loved Mateo, but when he cheated on her, it broke her. That’s why she listened to your sister.”

“Wait, what do you mean Mateo cheated?” He held up a hand. “He would never do that to her. He loved her. It crushed him when he found out she was pregnant with Chris’ baby.

“He’d heard rumors they were seeing each other, but then he saw them together in public. He lost it, but they left before he could confront them.”

“My sister caught Mateo in your club with his dick in another girl. She was riding him in a chair. It devastated her so much that she ran straight to me.

“It took me hours to calm her down; her heart was shattered,” I said, holding Luca’s gaze.

I could see the wheels turning in his head, realizing his sister had played Mateo and my sister against each other.

“That bitch! If she wasn’t already dead, I’d kill her myself,” he slammed his hand on the desk.

“She wanted to be the center of attention again, hurting my brother like she’d done before. But this time, she went too far and messed with your family.

“That was her biggest mistake. She’d done this once before, but Mateo didn’t love that girl like he loved your sister.

“My sister was afraid that if they got married, she’d lose her influence over him. She was always whispering in his ear, and he listened.

“She set that up with him. He told me that he woke up to a girl on top of him and threw her off. My sister must have drugged him, setting the whole thing up.

“Then he went looking for your sister and was told she’d left. It all makes sense now; I can see both sides.

“Damn, I wish we could have saved their relationship and dealt with my sister. But here we are, ready to kill each other.

“Her plan is still working, even from the grave. Shit, man, I’ll be the first to apologize for this.

“We both lost people we loved. I lost my brother, who meant everything to me, and you lost your sister, who got caught up in my sister’s twisted plot.”

I nodded, leaning back in my chair. I was trying to read him. He was acting too calm, agreeing with me too easily.

He gestured to my untouched drink. “I thought you were thirsty. I wouldn’t have wasted a good whiskey if you didn’t want a drink. Don’t you trust me?”

“You’re acting too calm about a problem that’s been between us for years.”

He shrugged. “I can see now that it was my sister all along. She was playing both sides, and we fell for it.”

His eyes met mine and he smiled. “But that doesn’t mean I forgive you for what you’ve done.”

I felt a sharp prick in the back of my neck. I reached back and pulled out a dart, just as everything started to go black. I forced my hand into my pocket and hit the button sewn into the lining.

Then everything went dark.