Page 23 of Inevitable

“Can I do something for you Ashlynn?” She asks timidly.

“I was hoping we could just talk. It seems like I will be here for a while and the men are not the greatest conversationalists,” I joke.

She cracks a small smile and gives a nod. I pat the edge of the bed for her to sit as I do. She looks at it skeptically before relenting and sitting as close to the edge as possible. Baby steps.

She sits there quietly with her hands folded in her lap and I realize I am going to have to get this ball rolling.

“So how long have you worked here?”

“4 years,” she says softly.

“That’s cool, how do you like it? Does Luca treat you well?”

A slight blush creeps on her face and she bites her lip as she turns her gaze to the floor while nodding. Obviously, she has noticed how good looking her boss is. I wonder if there is something going on between them? The thought of Luca being with any other woman makes me want to claw her eyes out, even a sweet little thing like Marisol. Since being subtle has never really been my forte I blurt out what I am thinking.

“Is there something between you two?”

I try to keep the venom out of my voice, but I can tell I don’t do a fantastic job of it. Marisol’s eyes turn to the size of saucers and she shakes her head furiously.

“No, no. He has always been kind to me, and I owe everything to him, but he has never acted inappropriately towards any of the staff ever. He is a really good man.”

That pacifies the little green monster inside of me slightly, though I am not totally convinced that she doesn’t harbor some feelings for him. But if he doesn’t return those feelings then there is not much I can say. Luca Mariano is sex on a stick and when he wants to be he is the kindest, most passionate man in the world. A woman would have to be blind, deaf and brain dead to not want him. I look at Marisol, just now catching something she said.

“What do you mean you owe everything to him? If you don’t mind my asking?”

She grimaces slightly and ducks her head again. I have a feeling that topic is off limits, so I go to ask another question. I am honestly just enjoying the human interaction and am also fascinated with trying to figure out this quiet girl. But then she speaks.

“He found me. My parents both died when I was 14. I spent some time in foster care, but they weren’t very great places. I met my boyfriend at one of the homes. He was nice sometimes but other times…” She trails off with a faraway look before she continues.

“One day I had upset him as we were walking down the street and he struck me. I fell to the ground and a car stopped in front of us before he could hit me again. It was Luca and a few of his men. Luca flew out of the car so fast and tackled my boyfriend. I was sitting there watching as he beat him within an inch of his life.

I remember sitting there numb. I never thought anyone would be big enough, strong enough or brave enough to take him on. But I didn’t know of Luca Mariano then. Once my boyfriend was unconscious Luca helped me up and asked if I had somewhere safe to go. When I told him that we live together he shook his head and took me back to the house. He offered me a hot meal and a job.”

She looks up to me with tears building in her eyes and a grateful smile on her face. “Now I have full time employment and a safe warm place to live. It is more than I had for most of my life, and I owe it all to him. He is a good man who took pity on a random weak girl. I know that you two have your issues, and excuse me if I am out of my place but you should go easier on him. He has been in love with you for as long as I have known him. I never knew who you were until you arrived and then it all made sense. He loves you and you should cherish that.”

I nod silently musing over everything she just said. This only reassures what I already knew was true. He does love me, he never stopped just like I haven’t. And I will be damned if I am going to let him push me away again.

Chapter Ten

Luca

“What do you fucking mean they took out a whole crew?” I shout to the Capo on the phone.

“We weren’t ready for them, Boss. We had 10 men with us, we were just doing our rounds and they came out of nowhere. 25 of them at least, all heavily armed. They laid us all down. The only reason I am alive is because I got behind the counter in the laundry mat. I didn’t recognize any of them. They must have all been new recruits.”

“That’s impossible!” I snap.

The Farelli family is small, their resources are limited. There is no way they could have gotten 25 new recruits and armed them all practically overnight. If they had been trying to grow their family that is something, I would have been aware of.

“Are you sure they were Farelli soldiers?”

“Yes, Boss. I heard one taunt one of our men right before he stomped his head in. They were vicious. They didn’t just kill our men, they damn near mutilated them.”

“Fuck,” I grumble as I exit my car heading up the stairs to the house. “Arrange for compensation packages to be sent to all of the families. I want one year’s salary in each.”

“A year?” He repeats.

Usually, we would give the families of our fallen a month or two of their salaries to supplement while they adjust to life without their loved ones. But Ashlynn has got into my head and made me think about how I treat my people. They deserve more from me for their loyalty, and I can more than afford it.

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