Page 98 of Stolen Seconds

The threat was clear as he nudged under my chin before opening the door.

Confusion weighed heavy on my conscious. “It was unlocked?” I could’ve left while he’d been in the shower.

“It’s always been unlocked.”

My head snapped in his direction as he leaned against the door, waiting for me to pass through. “What?”

“I never locked you out,” he confirmed. “And you never checked either. . . well, besides that first night when you almost did.”

I was going to be sick.

“I. . . I.”

I had checked again though, right? My thoughts twisted together, trying to come up with a good excuse. Why would I willingly choose to stay here? He was lying.

A wave of panic threatened to grasp me, invisible hands curling around my neck, that familiar sensation threatening to pull me into the dark abyss.

“Breathe.” Luca’s sharp voice sliced through the black cloud, his hand grasping my jaw almost painfully, but it rooted me in place from sinking beneath the surface. “Breathe, sweetheart.”

I inhaled a lungful of air, my vision clearing with every breath until I could see his distressed face looming over me.

He cupped my face, his deep honey eyes boring into me. “Youwantedto be here because you felt safe.”

Iwantedto retort and tell him that he was wrong. That I didn’twantto be here, but as the rest of his words registered, I couldn’t help feeling angry toward myself.

Being with Luca gave me a different sense of security and I held onto that. He was attentive, aware of what I needed before I even did. And he’d gone out of his way to ensure that I was comfortable physically and mentally.

I was in denial of the depth of our relationship, and he was patiently waiting for me to acknowledge it the same way he had.

He hadn’t trapped me.

I’d done that myself.

He placed a chaste kiss on my forehead, pulling me out of my stupor. “Come on. My sister wants to meet you.”

Sister?

I didn’t have time to regain my composure before we reached the ground level, where a young girl sat on a stool in the kitchen.

Light brown hair curled and not a single strand out of place, makeup done to perfection and a tweed skirt and blazer on her slim figure.

“Evangeline,” Luca called to her, earning her attention.

If Luca was leader of the Camorra, then his sister was a Mafia princess, and it was clear she’d been brought up to portray a perfect image of herself.

She turned, a smile breaking across her face when she noticed me.

Pristine, elegant, and graceful. Yet, her green eyes held a different story.

“I’ve heard so much about you,Irina.” With more enthusiasm than I saw on anyone else, she walked toward us. “It’s finally nice to put a name to a face.”

If the scar across my eye unnerved her, she didn’t show it as she beamed at me as if I was a treasure piece.

I gave her a small smile. “Have you?”

“She’s lying,” Luca was quick to huff out, glaring at his sister.

He was someone who exuded confidence, so it was amusing seeing him appear somewhat embarrassed at being exposed.

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