Page 40 of The Silencer

“I think Tatum and Bane would get on well,” Luca says, making my eye twitch.

“Oh, who’s Bane?” Tatum asks, and I see Teddy shift on his feet. Seems even this is making the big man nervous.

“No one,” I snap. “Luca.”

Luca leans back against the bench and crosses one leg over the other.

“Yes, Boss?”

“Perhaps I should send you down to see him. Let him experiment on you,” I threaten, not thinking my words through. I never do that. I’m always methodical. I’m always so careful.

Tatum shifts next to Luca and then meets my gaze. “Now I really want to meet him. Can I?”

“No.”

“But why not?”

Why not? Because Bane would become obsessed with him too. That’s why. Because Tatum is overwhelming.

He’s too much.

Bane would gobble him up, just like everyone else seems to have done.

“Because I said so.”

Tatum turns to Luca. “That only makes me want to meet him more, don’t you think?”

Luca grins and eyes me, looking unrepentant for his part in this. Viktor has steam coming out of his ears, but he remains quiet.

“No Bane. Call Ben and have him come here. You’re not leaving the premises.”

He sighs and then turns to Luca. “And how am I supposed to get laid if I can’t leave?”

I clench my jaw. He’s getting off just fine with me. He doesn’t need to get laid.

“Well, there are plenty of option—” Luca begins, but I cut him off again.

“No. I’ve already told him no. No fucking the bodyguards.”

Luca nods and then uncrosses his legs. “Yeah, that makes sense. We have to be on the lookout for?—”

I snap, my temper rising. “Luca, we’re leaving. Now.”

He sighs and stands, reaching down and touching Tatum gently on the shoulder.

“Meet again later?” he asks, and Tatum nods, his cheeks pink.

I don’t fucking know what Luca is doing, but it stops now.

“Sorry about that. You know I can’t help but rile you up,” Luca says, his thumb casually scrolling through his phone as he speaks. We’re in the back of the SUV being driven by Viktor to the outskirts of town where we’ll meet with Raphael about his shipments.

“I’d prefer it if you didn’t undermine me in front of Tatum. He’s already bad enough.”

“He’s something,” Luca says with a grin, and I reach over and grab his phone from him.

“No.”

Luca stares at me, and I can see his lips twitching. “I know.”

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