Page 18 of Silent Night With Luca

But then he straightens up, his expression hardening again. “Nice try, Fiamma. But I know you too well. You’ll say anything to get out of this.” He steps back. He’s gone cold once more. “But it won’t work. Not this time.”

“Why do you say that, Marco? I’ve told you before I don’t want to be held down by my brother, or by Massimo. Now is my chance, our chance, to carve our own path. Let me help you bring them all down.”

It takes a little more convincing, but he’s butter in my hands. God, men are so stupid, especially when they are desperate to prove something. A few sexy purrs and an offer to deliver access to Massimo while everyone’s guard is down is all it takes.

Marco leans back against the rickety table, arms crossed, watching me with that cold, calculating look. I know he’s already bought into the plan. I just need to seal it.

“You go back,” he says, his voice low, almost too casual. “You play the victim. Make them think you escaped on your own. They’ll trust you, they have no reason to believe you would turn on them. Do you think you have what it takes to pull this off?”

I nod, forcing myself to keep calm, to act like this is exactly what I want, too. “Absolutely. I was born for this shit. I know Massimo gets his daily massages, that is the perfect opportunity. We’ll pounce when he least expects it.”

His gaze narrows as he assesses me. ”I’m liking this. I think you might be on to something.”

I look at him, certain not to flinch even a hint, for fear he will see right through me. “I know them better than anyone. They won’t suspect a thing.”

“I want to do it here, in Winter Haven. Tomorrow.”

“That is fast but I think we can do it. I need to find out when he will be alone.”

“I like the idea of the massage. I want to put a bullet in his head while he is naked, humiliate the bastard one last time. When is it?”

“I don’t know his schedule. I’ll have to find out. I can call you.”

“No calls. They can intercept that. Something they would never think of. Let me think on that one.”

He pushes off the table and takes a step closer, his presence heavy, suffocating. “I’ll let you go. But it has to look real. No one would believe you just slipped away without getting hurt. And they certainly won’t believe I was dumb enough to make a mistake like that.”

“Okay, I’ll do whatever you want. You want to rough me up some?”

He pauses, his lips curling into a smirk. “You’ll run barefoot. Through the snow. You just better hope you find someone to rescue you sooner than later. And it was one of my guys guarding you, not me.”

“I could die out there, Marco. I don’t have the proper clothes. What if no one finds me?”

“If you die trying, then you aren’t strong enough anyway to pull it off.”

My stomach drops. Barefoot. In the snow. I can already feel the ice biting into my skin, the cold tearing through me like knives. But I keep my expression blank. If this is what it takes to escape, I’ll do it.

“Of course, that makes perfect sense,” I say softly, trying to sound agreeable. “It has to look convincing.”

Marco studies me for a moment longer before turning his head toward the door. “One of my men will untie you. He’ll be careless—he’ll leave you alone for just long enough. Capeesh?”

My heart races, but I keep my breathing steady. I’ve got him. He thinks I’m on his side, and he’s too arrogant to see the truth. I’ve come this far, I’ll make it. I’d rather die out there than by his hand.

“I’ll do it,” I say, letting my voice drop to a whisper, trying to sound like I’m in awe of his brilliance. “I’ll help you take over Las Vegas. We’ll bring my family down together. We’ll be unstoppable.”

His smug grin grows, and I can sense the hunger bursting out of him—the hunger for power, for control. He reaches out, brushing a hand down my arm, and I force myself not to flinch. “You’re smarter than I gave you credit for, Fiamma.”

He leans forward and kisses me. His hot breath almost makes me gag. But I kiss him back, letting his thick tongue make its way around my mouth.

It’s all I can do not to thrust him away angrily. I have to keep up the façade. My life depends on it.

When he pulls away, he studies me, looking for any sign of deception. I smile, but it’s thin, hollow. Luckily, he is too deep in his psychosis to notice. “Thank you, Marco. You’re brilliant. No one will see it coming.”

He nods and steps away. “We don’t have much time, you need to get out of here so you can get back to me with a time, place and how I will access him. I want to destroy your family before they leave this town to go back to Nevada. There is no time to waste.”

The door creaks open, and he’s gone. I release the breath I’ve been holding as my mind races. This is it.

Minutes pass, and the door scrapes on the hard floor as it opens again. One of Marco’s goons steps inside, a man I recognize from the club. With a dull presence and big hands, he stands out. He’s the type of guy who acts without much thought, I imagine.

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