Page 10 of Weaponized

I hate unnecessary violence. That may be surprising given how I grew up, but it’s true. I always try to manage things so they don’t have to get physical. So, I have no idea why I am sitting alone in my apartment thinking that Luca Larozzi is the hottest thing I have ever seen. I mean, his disdain for me is obvious, so forming a crush on him is insane.

I want to keep Liam in my sights, so I went with the playing hard to get angle. While it sounds cliché, it really does work with some guys. And, I could tell that Liam is one of those guys by the way he lit up when I told him I wasn’t there for him. Fuckboys hate when pretty girls ignore them. And, if there is one thing I know how to do well, it’s use my looks as a weapon.

When I was twelve, my father had me put on makeup and my Catholic school outfit with a skirt that was hemmed to be indecent. I went to his office to “look for something” where I “happened” to encounter one of his more popular generals. I pranced around until the old man pushed me against a wall, reached his hand under my skirt, and said words I hadn’t yet heard at that age. My father came in and shot him. Video surveillance showed he was justified as far as his men were concerned.Easiest way to get rid of an insider yet.

When I was sixteen, I got myself invited into the house of a high-ranking Bratva official. His twenty-one-year-old son was smitten. I told him I wanted to have sex in every room of his vast estate. He thought his prayers had been answered. After three weeks of sleeping with him, I had a complete schematic drawn of the compound. Then, my father pretended to find out about “the situation” of his underage daughter dating this Russian thug. Some deal was sorted and I never saw Pavel again. The dirty part of my job was done. I was relieved.

I’ve never liked sex. It’s too intimate. I could never let my guard down enough to enjoy it. Oh, I know the right things to say, the way to move, the sounds to make. For me, it’s all the same. A means to an end. I still hate when it becomes a necessary part of an assignment. I always try to string them along. A slow burn not only helps with the seduction, but it also keeps me from going into the shame spiral that always seems to follow whenever sleeping with my target is unavoidable.No one likes everything about their job.I remind myself of this until I feel normal again. Clean again. If I want to live up to my father’s high expectations—and I do—then there are worse things. I can turn off my feelings and pretend. People get hurt when my father’s upset. I can prevent that. It’s just extra motivation to use my brain to get Da whatever he’s looking for before it goes too far. I’m proud of how I’ve been able to outsmart the clan’s enemies, even if it never seems to be enough to please my father. Can I keep him calm? Yes. Have I made him proud? Not yet.

So, I focus on what I can control: my targets. The truth is that men are simple creatures who are usually easy to read.Usually. What I didn’t expect was for Luca to blatantly refuse to look at me today, turning his fixed glare toward the front of the room instead. When I’d glance over, I’d see his nostrils flare as though my very existence was too much for him to tolerate. So, I should have known better than to push it by implying to Liam that Luca and I are somehow already in a relationship. Ha!

I also hadn’t expected Luca to literally destroy his desk after he got tired of my banter with Liam. His patience for me was apparently at its end after the hour-long class. I had no idea that sitting next to me in complete silence would be so trying for him. He seriously couldn’t have made his big body any smaller to shrink away from my presence.

But outside, afterward? All of that bottled anger came pouring out on some weird-looking older guy who seemed to be begging Luca for something. He was skinny and strung out, pacing before he spotted Luca, running his hand over his thinning hair. It’s not hard to recognize desperation when you’ve felt that sense of hopelessness yourself. The guy was at his wit’s end. Luca caught me watching their interaction, but that didn’t stop him from nearly choking the guy to death in the middle of campus. One hand was all it took to lift him off the ground. I was totally entranced watching Luca’s forearm muscles flexing, his eyes blazing hate. He had complete and total control. It took my breath away.

I took off before I could see too much more. First, I was smart enough not to want to be a witness. Let someone else answer questions if it came to that. Second, I found myself almost painfully attracted to Luca in that moment. My breath caught in my chest and I had to get away. I don’t understand how he makes me feel, and I don’t like it.

I noticed how good-looking he was as I sauntered up the aisle in our shared class. He is all hard angles and brutal edges. Maybe that calls to the sharpness inside me that others never see. I felt compelled to be near him, wanted to trace my fingertips over his tattoos, push up the sleeve that hugged his bicep to see what secrets hide underneath. What would it be like to be surrounded by that strength? To be able to let my guard down for a moment? All of my life, I’ve been a temptress. This is the first time I’ve been tempted.

Of course, now I have a real problem. Liam is basically where I need him to be, as I know I have his attention. Yet, he is meant to be the backup plan. Unfortunately, I have no interest at all in Matteo Larozzi, the probable future don. And, the Larozzi brother who does interest me hates my guts for no apparent reason. So, even if I can find a way to interest Matteo by using my best acting skills, his brother will likely be a deterrent. Whether it will be due to his hatred or my longing, it isn’t a recipe for success in seducing Matteo.

So why does Luca hate me? Will he stand in my way? I can only think of one way to find out. I call my only ally on campus.

“Where will Luca Larozzi be later today?”

My inquiry is greeted with a groan. “Why?”

“I need to ask him something.”

“You don’t say,” Rowan says sarcastically. “Look, G, this isn’t a guy you want to mess with. I’d rather you stay away from him. Far away.”

“Too late for that, I’m afraid.”

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. What did you do?”

“Nothing. Yet. But, safe to say Luca is very aware of me.” He is. I just wasn’t telling my brother that Luca’s awareness entailed him thinking I have some sort of communicable disease.

Rowan makes a low noise and then sighs. “So, if this is the brother you’re going for, you’ll have to do it very carefully. Do you understand me? Very. Carefully. We are not in a position to make enemies with this family. Not right now. He’s dangerous, G.”

Interesting. “Going after him” is not exactly what I am thinking, given the way Luca obviously feels about me. I’d have to get him to actually make eye contact, which seems like a bigger challenge than it should be. I just want to know what I am up against and why he despises me. But now I wonder what my brother has up his sleeve and how the Italians are involved.No worries, Rowan. I’ll figure you out.

“So, where would I find him?” I go back to my original question.

“Alright.” Rowan seems to have made a decision. “Let’s do this. These guys have people over to their backyard almost every night. Let me make some calls. I don’t want you going there alone, but I can find a reason for the two of us to show up.”

“I don’t need a chaperone, Rowan.”

“Ah, but that’s where you’re wrong. You really,reallydo, Gráinne.”

* * *

Another lunch with Elizabeth, an hour in the gym, some dinner, and a little more than an hour of hair and makeup later, I find myself walking up the Larozzi driveway.My brother leads me to a gate at the side of the house that appears to go directly to the backyard. “No one goes inside the main house,” he explains.

We are met by a stiff, formidable-looking guy with a dark rainbow of bruises across his jaw. Unfortunately, this is the same asshole I kicked the crap out of only a few days ago. He looks taller than I remember, but I guess I mostly saw him rolling around on the ground.

“Gianni.” My brother sticks out his hand. The guy narrows his eyes, shakes my brother’s hand, waits for an explanation. “Meet my little sister, Gráinne.”

His eyes unapologetically undress my body. He ogles my chest before slowly working his way down to my legs and then back up. It’s disgusting. My brother notices as well, because he shoves me behind him before Gianni can reach out to shake my hand.

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