Chapter 3

ELLA

“You shot him in the foot,” I said about a half an hour later. “He’s not going to be able to walk for months.”

He shrugged.

“They weren’t taking us seriously.”

“How do you even know how to use a gun?”

“I’ve been doing this a long time, Ells,” he told me.

“Couldn’t you have shot Guillermo?” I asked. “He was clearly the leader.”

“You don’t fuck around with Guillermo unless you want death.”

“Says the one that held him in a headlock with a gun to his head,” I muttered.

“That’s justifiable. He had you.”

“So now what?” I asked, looking out into the empty desert.

“We go to Miami, drop off the shipment, and then I’ll take you to the airport and put you on a plane to Paris.”

“You’re not coming with me?”

“I have to go back to Mexico.”

“Why? It’s dangerous.”

“We pissed Guillermo off, and he’s not just gonna let it go. I can’t go back to him after this unless I can get approval from the boss.”

“Luca—”

“I’m sorry, Els, but duty calls. I’ve got to do this for the pack, and then I promise I’ll meet you in Paris.”

“I don’t want to be alone.”

“I can’t take you with me. If you thought Guillermo was bad, you do not want to meet the boss,” he said. “And I can’t let you risk your life again.”

“Luca—” I began again.

“It is not up for discussion. You’re getting on a plane to Paris. And I’m going to deal with this shit,” he said. “You need to go somewhere peaceful and grieve. And you have eight kids that need their mom back in one piece.”

I leaned back in my chair and glanced down at my hands.

“I’m starting to think that quiet and reflection is not what I need,” I replied. “Time away from Leo? Yes. Time to be depressed and watch over and over the images in my mind? No.

“I can’t be alone. I need you to make me laugh and tell me about femme-pees and, you know, just Luca stuff.”

“It’s dangerous,” he said.

“I won’t come with you to see the boss. Just let me come along for the road trip, and then we’ll go to Paris together. Please, you’re my best friend, and I need your company.”

Luca sighed. “I forgot for a moment that you can’t be told what to do.”

I gave him a sweet smile, and he sighed defeatedly. After leaning my head on the window, I fixed my eyes on the glowing lights of the dashboard.

“You know he left me a letter. Connor. Just in case he died. I found it in his room when I went to get his things. He told me not to be sad for too long and to live my life.

“This is honoring his wishes. He also told me to forgive Leo. I can’t do that just yet, but I will one day.”

Luca glanced down at me.

“Hold on. He died trying to kill Leo, but his dying wish was for you to forgive him?”

“He just wants me to be happy. He denied it, but he knew that however bad of a man Leo can be, he is still my mate, and I can’t help loving him, and I can’t be happy without him.”

“So if he succeeded in killing him, he knew that he’d be sentencing his own sister to a lifetime of misery?”

“That’s what I don’t understand,” I replied with a sigh as I looked out the window into the dry desert. “I don’t get how he could have even considered doing that to me.

“Maybe he was considering all the others that Leo has hurt and all the others Leo will hurt, but it still doesn’t add up.

“He saw Leo as the evil, ruthless, murderous, merciless monster that tried to kill our father and ruined our childhood but never the good side. Not the side that is father to his eight nieces and nephews.

“Not the man that does everything he can to help and protect the people in his pack.

“Not even as the man that no longer invades other packs and takes their people and lands but sends relief and aid when another pack has attacked them.

“Maybe he killed Connor out of fury, but maybe it was because he was willing to give up the stability of our relationship to protect his pack from Connor’s threat.

“Because Connor wasn’t innocent in this. I love my brother, but what he was doing was wrong and was going to harm a lot of people.”

There was a brief moment of quiet with just the grumble of the engine and the wheels rolling on the road before Luca sighed.

“You aren’t going to like this, but it sounds to me like you need to talk to your mate. Maybe even your dad. You can’t grieve with so many questions unanswered.”

“No, no, no. Not yet.”

“I should take you home. This is too dangerous anyway,” he said. “As Gamma of the pack, I shouldn’t be taking the luna to get involved with such a life-threatening thing.”

“Don’t you dare turn the car around,” I said as he began to slow. “Luca, no. I want to do this, and I know how to survive. I’m like a cockroach!”

“You’re a cockroach, and this is cockroach poison. I’m sorry, Els. I should never have got you involved in this.”

“Leo, let me go. You have no obligation to take me home!”

“I have an obligation to do what is best for the pack.”

“Then go find the boss!”

“I will once I know that you are safe.”

Luca’s face was rarely this stern. His tone too was harsher, and he held the steering wheel firmly, not showing any sign of changing his mind.

“He killed my brother. My fucking brother! He wasn’t innocent, but I loved him so much! As for my dad, I’m not ready to talk to him either.

“He tried to kill Leo, too, and I can’t even justify why that upsets me so much to him when he is the very man that killed our Connor!” I shouted. “Luca, please.”

“Then we’ll go back to Plan A. I’ll take you to the airport and put you on a plane to Paris.”

“I’m not going to Paris.”

“Fine, Berlin, Barcelona, Rome, London. I don’t care, just somewhere away from this.”

“Nowhere is safe for me. Especially not in Italy or anywhere in Europe because of the fact that I am at the top of the Mafia’s wanted list,” I said.

“I’m staying here. With you. I’ll keep you company, and you can keep me company. The last thing I want is to be alone.”

“No. The last thing you want is to be dead,” he replied. “This business isn’t safe. Especially for a woman. These aren’t good men—”

“I can protect myself, Luca,” I said. “Guillermo was shaking.”

“Guillermo is an angel compared to the boss,” Luca replied. “I’m not taking you, and that is final. I don’t want a dead luna to present to my alpha who just so happens to be Leonardo fucking Loren.

“We’ll both end up dead. Oh yeah, and you’re also my best friend, and I love you more than I love cheese on toast and can’t bear the thought of anything happening to you.”

“I thought you were more fun than this,” I said. “Max would let me—”

“Then maybe you should call Max,” he snapped.

By this point, the car was at a complete standstill.

“Luca, please—”

He shook his head and turned to me. “No.”

“You can’t say no to me, I’m your luna. You only have authority over me if you’re following the alpha’s orders,” I pointed out.

“Do you want me to call the alpha and ask him if he wants me to take his luna to a violent gang of criminals?” Luca asked. “Because I’m pretty sure I know what the answer will be.”

“You need to calm down, untwist your panties, and think rational thoughts,” I began.

“How long do you need to speak to the boss? An hour? Two? Mexico is a fun and exciting country. I’m sure I can amuse myself alone while you do what you have to do. He’ll never know I even exist.”

He scowled at me.

“And I have survived the Italian Mafia, a self-proclaimed king and his little army of people that hate me, a snowstorm on the side of a mountain in Russia, Luciano and hundreds of others trying to kill me.

“Frankly, I am offended that you think so low of me.”

He looked at me and sighed.

“You’re tempted, I can tell,” I said.

He sighed again, mumbled something under his breath along the lines of “I can’t believe I’m fucking doing this,” and then started the car again.

“Leo is going to fucking kill me for dragging you into this,” he said as I let out a victorious squeal. “You aren’t even supposed to know.”

“Love ya, Luca,” I said, pressing my head against his shoulder as he drove. “Or should I say Romano. And I can deal with Leonardo Loren.”

“Not if you’re dead, you can’t.”

“Don’t be so pessimistic.”