Page 88 of His Enforcer

“He started it.”

Bane is murmuring to himself, his nails digging deeper into the console, carving out little white lines as he goes.

“He was fun and sexy and good in bed. That’s all. I didn’t like him that much.”

“We should change the subject,” Luca says, grabbing onto Bane’s hand and pulling it off the leather. Bane slots his hand in Luca’s and holds on, sighing happily.

“Don’t be jealous,” Bane says after a moment. “Holding hands with Luca isn’t a big deal.”

“I’m not jealous. I don’t care.”

“You care,” Luca replies, and I roll my eyes. Because I do. He’s never done this with me. Irrational and annoying jealousy surges through me. The sheer number of times younger me had wished he’d do this to me, the dopey daydreams I’d had while watching him.

But I don’t want him to hold my hand. I really don’t.

When I finally park and step out onto the wet pavement, Luca strides over to me and the hand that was clasping Bane’s slips into mine.

I don’t like this at all. I hate it so much that my fingers tighten around his and my heart pitter-patters.

“Don’t worry, kitten. I know what you want. I can be romantic.”

His thumb smooths over the back of my hand and I purse my lips, forcing myself not to smile. Because it is romantic.

“Wow, that line is insane,” Tatum gasps, eyeing the queue that is nearly wrapped around the building.

“It’s a good opening night,” Anthony says and then glances over at Luca. “Well done.”

“You know me and my investments. I don’t fuck around,” Luca replies. “It seems people missed this place. Which is good for our pockets.”

“Very good,” Anthony says with a sly grin. The drugs that are handed out tonight are from Anthony, so I know he’s making a profit as well. Not that he’d say that out loud, but it’s how the two of them operate as partners. Luca manages the businesses and Anthony makes sure the customers are plied with designer drugs.

As we walk up to the bouncers guarding the entrance, they nod at us, letting us in seamlessly. We hear jeers from the line wrapping around the building, but they go ignored.

And I don’t notice much at all because Luca doesn’t let go of my hand as we walk through the crowd of people toward the VIP lounge. My eyes move up and I see naked dancers on small platforms above the dance floor. Servers float around the space, wearing sheer lingerie and exaggerated makeup, offering people drinks and other things.

Illegal things.

My mouth waters. Perhaps I should take something to help me get through the night. If Luca keeps holding my hand like this, I may need something to help me relax.

“This is amazing. Even better than before,” Tatum says and then nudges me. “Right, Viktor?”

I don’t want to think about last time. When Anthony found out I had driven Tatum here, he almost executed me. And then Luca got caught in a fire, and I had to save his ass. Again.

He’d been so comatose during the rescue that I punched his face to snap him out of it. It worked.

Perhaps I should have done the same thing the other night when he accidentally set the rug on fire. But I wouldn’t have. Things are so different than they were. The night of the warehouse fire, dragging him from the flames, I’d punched him out of anger and fear.

The fear of never seeing him again.

It was enough to have me cocking my fist back and planting it right on his eye.

Luca’s hand slips from mine, and I watch as he moves toward Alina, that beautiful woman from before. I can’t even dislike her.She’s so nice. She smiles at him widely, and he leans forward, pressing a kiss to her cheek. Something ugly rears its head as my stomach clenches. I know what this is. I’ve felt it a thousand times before.

As Alina and Luca chat, her eyes flash to mine. She smiles softly at me, obviously reading the jealousy on my face before striding over and pulling me into a long hug.

“Hello there.”

I offer her a small sheepish nod, my cheeks stained red as she pulls away and moves back to Luca, whispering something in his ear.

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