Page 28 of Inevitable

I pull back and see that a faint blush has tinted his cheeks. He turns away for a moment before his face has returned to its signature stoic expression. I take a step back from him and he straightens his jacket.

“You are welcome. We leave in 30.”

I head up to my room practically skipping. I don’t think I realized how stir crazy I was becoming until now. I throw on a pair of light skinny jeans, an off the shoulder pink sweater and some neutral-colored pumps. I put a little foundation on and swipe some mascara over my lashes before I call it good. I fluff my long hair until it has the volume I want before I grab my purse and bound down the stairs.

There, I see Luca with several of his men standing around the foyer, apparently waiting for me. Luca looks at me and eyes me hungrily as he takes me in from head to toe before settling on to my face. I blush at the perusal and he smirks. I look over to see a couple of his men are looking at me in similar ways. He must notice too because his face clouds with rage and he snaps.

“What are you waiting for? Get the fucking cars!”

They downturn their eyes and hustle out of the house mumbling a bunch of yes Bosses. I smother a giggle causing him to direct his venomous glare towards me.

“Something funny?” He scolds.

“Not at all,Boss,” I respond. My eyes sparkling with mirth, a small smile playing on my lips.

His mouth quirks up into a half smirk and he places his hand at the small of my back leading us out of the house and into the back of the waiting SUV. Two guards take the front seats and another SUV with two others follows behind us.

“Is it weird to have an entire entourage go everywhere with you?” I ask.

He shrugs. “It was at first, but it’s for my safety so it’s necessary.”

“Do you get put in a lot of dangerous situations?”

I know it’s a dumb question, but I never really considered how dangerous being a Mob Boss probably is. I mean that’s how his whole family died, someone seemingly coming out of the blue. Just being the boss probably paints an x on his back. I can’t even stomach the idea of something happening to him, even if he is an asshole 98% of the time.

He smiles and places a comforting hand on my knee, as if he can read my thoughts. “Not too often,” he says smoothly.

I nod my head at that, liking the answer well enough to drop it. It also doesn’t escape my notice that he keeps his hand on my knee until we get to our first stop.

We spend the day stopping by a couple of office buildings, but he makes me stay in the car the whole time, “Just in case.” No danger my ass. I was confused when we pulled up to the docks on the east side of town. I watched him and several of his men step outside and speak with a scraggly looking man who looks just as dangerous as all of Luca’s men. I didn’t understand what business he could have here. Then my eyes caught on all of the shipping containers behind them, and it made sense.

Whatever he sells, whether it is drugs, weapons or women (God, I really hope he isn’t in the skin trade.) is most likely in those crates. It is so easy to forget what a dangerous man he is now. Luca Mariano is a criminal, a ruthless killer. Luis let it slip that the guard that fell down the stairs with me the first night I came was no longer here. When I asked if Luca fired him Luis gave me a pitying look like he couldn’t believe I was so naïve. Of course, the Mafia doesn’t fire people, they take them out. When you are a made man, you are in it for life.

Once Luca slides into the back of the car with me we waste no time at taking off for our next destination.

“Would it be okay if we stopped by my office? There is a sketch book there that I have been needing,” I ask.

Luca looks at me contemplatively for a moment before he nods. He turns to Benjamin, who is driving and rattles off the address of my work seemingly from memory before he settles into his seat and pulls out his phone.

I am sitting there with my mouth slightly ajar when he glances out of the corner of his eye.

“What?” He asks.

“When did you memorize my jobs address?”

“About 2 years ago,” he says as if it is common sense.

“Why?”

He sets his phone down and the look he gives me screams, you’re kidding right?

I nod and look out the window, trying to bury the smile splitting across my face. He told me he has been keeping an eye on me, even at work. But he has memorized where I work. I guarantee anything he also knows the address to my gym, the spa I go to and probably my favorite stores. Again, Luca Mariano never does anything halfway.

When we pull up to the corner of the Olivia Adams skyrise I slide out of the car and walk up the steps to the lobby. I turn around to see Luca, Benjamin and the other guard, Derek following me closely. Before I can grab the door Luca slips by me and holds it open, gesturing for me to go inside.

“This isn’t necessary Luca. I used to come to work alone all the time,” I say with a raised eyebrow.

“Go,” he orders.

---