Page 30 of The Mafia's Seamstress

I trusted my gut and took a step inside. My shop was cold from the breeze that was pouring in from the outside. I stepped over clothes to make it to the cash register. I luckily emptied it out last night.

But my eyes widened when I could see that it remained untouched.

“That’s fucking weird,” I muttered. Something told me to check the office. I made my way to the back of the shop where the office door stood ajar.

Taking a deep breath I clutched my taser. I leaned towards the door. No sound. I pushed the door open as my taser crackled through the air.

The office was empty but there were papers everywhere. Every draw was open and scattered on the floor. The chair was knocked over. Those fuckers. My heart raced and I stared at my phone again, my fingers automatically dialing.

“Someone tried breaking in,” I said into my phone.

I was still cleaning up the front of the store when Dante and Luca rushed in. I had kept Dante’s phone number after we baked bread. He left it on a piece of paper on my coffee table.

A few of their men hung behind them. Dante looked devastatingly gorgeous in a black polo and slacks while Luca wore a white dress shirt tucked into navy blue pants. I crossed my arms.

“Took you boys long enough,” I said glaring at them. Luca stepped forward and cradled my elbows. His blue eyes bled with concern.

“Are you okay?” he asked. I snorted.

“Yeah but those fuckers were two seconds away from being burnt to crisp by my taser,” I said. Luca placed a kiss on my forehead and my eyes cut to Dante. I couldn’t tell if he was okay with Luca’s affection or not.

“Doesn’t seem like too much damage,” Dante pointed out. He snapped his fingers at his men who stood awaiting orders. “Help her clean this up.”

“Please,” I added, eyeing Dante. He rolled his eyes.

“Please,” Dante said. The men did their best to suppress their chuckle. Luca stepped away and Dante cupped my cheek.

“You okay?” he asked. I looked between him and Luca.

“I’m fine guys,” I said. And I was. Because I wasn’t scared of the two men that broke into my avô’s shop. Sure I had adrenaline pumping through me when I saw them. But it wasn’t because I was scared. It was because I was pissed off.

“Did they take anything? We can get it replaced,” Luca offered. I motioned for them to follow me to the office. They glanced at each other before looking at me and following. Once inside the office I waved at Dante to close the door.

“Fuck, this place is even more trashed,” Dante said. I nodded, lifting the chair back up to sit at the desk. Both men stood before me, watching me, waiting. I crossed my arms over my chest.

“They weren’t after money. The register was untouched and this place was more ransacked than out there where there’s expensive merchandise,” I pointed out. Luca’s hands fidgeted at his sides. He quickly glanced at Dante. Dante’s nostrils flared.

Well, well, well. These boys thought they could hide something from me. All the men in my life apparently did. But they underestimated me. They underestimate my ability to read into situations. You learn quickly when you live in a world run by men.

“Those men didn’t want a fucking three piece suit. They were looking for something,” I said. I propped my feet on the desk. “Someone better fucking tell me about this agreement my avô has because I can sure as hell tell this isn’t some simple neutral territory bullshit.”

After cleaning up the office they forced me to go back to my apartment while they went on mafia business. I sat on my couch annoyed as shit. Who the fuck would dare fuck with my shop? Who thought that was a brilliant idea? If they thought that would scare me they had another thing coming.

There was a swift knock at my door. “Luca?” I said, letting him in. He smiled down at me and stepped inside. “What’s up?”

Luca walked into my apartment as if he lived here. He was completely at peace removing his shoes and making his way to my couch.

“Dante is securing a meeting with some of our people,” he said. He ran a hand through his blonde hair and my eyes stared at the way his bicep bulged. Luca was a model pretty boy handsome. And for some reason I couldn’t help but stare at him. I took a seat across from him.

“Why?” I asked, curiously.

“We both know that wasn’t a simple break in,” he pointed out. I crossed my arms over my chest. His eyes flickered down briefly and I blushed. At this point I was used to Luca’s flirtatious way. I chalked it up to his personality. He scooted himself closer and took my hand in his.

“We’re going to figure this out and I promise everything will make sense to you soon,” he said, softly. My body relaxed, leaning towards him. Dante provided fire that made me feel powerful and Luca calmed me, allowing me to let go.

He wrapped his arms around me and I leaned my head against his chest. His heartbeat was steady and sure like his words. His hands traced lines up and down my back, luring my eyes closed. He was so warm. I found myself pressing against him more.

“Lucia?” Luca’s voice was soft. I hummed, looking up at him. His blue eyes were bright and they wandered all over my face drinking me in. “May I kiss you?” he asked, cupping my cheek. My eyes widened and my core clenched.

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