Page 102 of Beautiful Dangerous

“Me?”

His eyes once more lock on mine, that slow smile back on his face as he sips his coffee as though he hasn’t dropped a multitude of bombs on me in a matter of minutes. “Yes, Lucca. You.” He takes another sip of coffee before carefully placing his cup back down on the table. “You know the business, you know the people…”

“What about Olivia?”

His expression hardens, his eyes darkening, and those nerves kicking up inside of me are threatening to spill over. “Olivia is of no concern to you anymore, Lucca. She will no longer be running this cartel in any capacity, soon she will have other things to take up her time. More important things.”

I swallow down a wave of nausea, something just doesn’t feel right.

He knows…

But you always knew he’d find out, one day. Didn’t you…?

“You and Eddie will take control of things here, we need to keep the bikers on-side, they’re necessary. Now we’re also dealing in weapons we need the manpower, and their knowledge.”

He’s so matter-of-fact, like he’s just reeling off items on a list, while I’m struggling to take it all in.

“Does Olivia know all of this?”

“She knows we’re moving to Mexico. She knows about my meeting with Fidel, she doesn’t know about you remaining here, in San Diego.” He picks up his coffee cup and looks at me over the rim. “But I’m sure it won’t be long before she finds out.”

The atmosphere’s changing with each passing second, and my blood is starting to feel as cold as ice. And then he breaks the stare, sets his cup down and sits back, keeping his head bowed, but I can already see that slow smile starting to form again, he can barely keep the smirk off his face.

“She won’t be happy. Will she?” He raises his gaze, and his eyes, they’re so dark they’re almost black, a coldness behind them that’s deeply unsettling. “That you’re staying here. She won’t be happy about that at all.”

I know it’s coming, I always knew that the risk I took that night, it was going to come for me. And when he leans forward, those cold, dark eyes staring deep into mine, it feels like a meteorite is about to smash into my already fragile world.

“You touch her again, Lucca, and I will come for you. Do you understand me?”

He doesn’t even wait for my answer, he’s up and out of the booth before I can even take another breath. And all I can hear is the sound of that meteorite as it hurtles toward me…

Twenty

Oliva

“He knows.”

Just saying the words makes me feel sick to my stomach, but I needed to talk to someone, which is why as soon as Javier and Lucca left, I called Angel.

“Did he tell you he knew?” Angel asks offering me a cigarette, which I decline.

“No. But I could see it in his eyes. He knows, about me and Lucca.”

Angel lights up his cigarette and takes a long draw. “Is Lucca with him now?”

“Yes. He said he was going to tell him everything….” I sigh and sit back in my chair, we’re outside by the pool. “Have you guys heard anything yet?”

Angel shakes his head and takes another drag on his cigarette. “Not as far as I know. There was nothing going on when I left, but I guess he’ll get to us eventually.” He looks at me, and he smiles, and that actually makes me feel a little better. “What are you gonna do?”

I shrug, because I just feel helpless. “I don’t know. I really don’t know.”

Angel looks out ahead of him, his cigarette dangling from his fingers, ash dropping onto the white tiled terrace. And he doesn’t say anything, because whatcanhe say?

“We always knew he was going to find out. We just thought that, when it happened, we’d be far enough away from here for it not to put us in danger.” I lift up my legs and hug my knees to my chest, resting my chin on them. “And now I have no idea what he’s going to do to Lucca. What he’s going to do tome…” I trail off, staring out into the distance, and it’s only when I feel Angel take my hand that I look at him.

“Once we know what the state of play is, Liv, we’ll work around it.”

I shake my head and smile. “Thank you, but I think it’s best Lucca and I forget whatever stupid, crazy dream we had. It was always a long shot, never a certainty.”

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