Page 36 of Broken Innocence
“That’s because the same designer custom made them for me.” Luca clears his throat, and I swear I see the beginnings of a blush on his cheeks. He scratches the back of his head with a sheepish shrug. “I wanted to incorporate a little bit of you into the space, too.”
Tears well in my eyes as I stare at the sky, willing them away. Luca’s incredibly sweet gesture settles in my chest and makes it harder to breathe. He wanted me in this memorial to his mom. A testament to the two most important women in his life.
“Has anyone else been here? Your brothers?” I ask, trying to move past the overwhelming blanket of vulnerability encapsulating both of us.
“No, just me. And now you. They know it’s a private spot.”
Crossing over to him, I twine my arms around his waist and raise on my tiptoes to land a gentle kiss on his lips. “Thank you for sharing this with me. I know it means a lot to you.”
“It does,” he agrees, dipping his head for a second kiss. “But you mean everything.”
And there goes my heart.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
LUCA
“We’ve got a problem.” Mathias walks into my office at Blackchapel Inc.’s headquarters unannounced. As COO, my workload has always been never-ending, but with time off for the honeymoon and how much time I spent at the manor after Eden’s kidnapping, the piles of folders that needed my attention have become a mountain on my desk.
“What is it this time?” I ask exasperatedly. I’m not really in the mood to deal with another disaster. After the rescue mission on the docks and settling the women at Polina’s Place, it’s been blessedly quiet. Eden and I are growing closer each day and falling into a comfortable routine where she works at the daycare, I head to Blackchapel Incorporated, then we discuss our days over dinner.
It’s domestic and perfect.
“There was a fire at our Huron warehouse. Took out the entire building. The security guards were able to get to safety, but the fire department couldn’t put the flames out soon enough to save anything. Based on preliminary reports, it was arson. The fire burned hot and fast—a telltale sign of an accelerant.”
“Shit.” We are a billion-dollar company, so one warehouse loss won’t break us, but it’s not the money that concerns me. It’s the act of war committed on our property. “Did Jonah check the security cameras for the perps? Did the guards see anything?”
“All we’ve got are two men in ski masks. They could be anybody.” Mathias levels a look my way. “But an educated guess says they’re Fabian’s goons. Probably retaliation for saving those women.”
“Did he think we were keeping the women held there?”
“A little recon would have disabused him of that notion,” he says. “And why kill the women in a fire when stealing them back would be more profitable? I think he just wanted to fuck with us.”
“Bastard,” I mutter, aggressively shuffling a few folders into a neat stack to give my hands something to do other than punching a hole in the wall and wishing it was Fabian’s face.
“Agreed… Insurance will cover the fire, but we need to figure out what to do with your half-brother and dad. Do you think he knows what Fabian’s been up to? Maybe we can drive a wedge between the two of them.” Always the planner, Mathias stares out the window overlooking the city as he considers our next course of action.
“Eden and I are having dinner with both of our families together for the first time tomorrow night. I’ll try to suss out how much he’s aware of.”
“Dinner with the in-laws.” Mathias grins. “Sounds fun.”
Sounds like a minefield waiting to be triggered.
Eden isn’t thrilled about the prospect of seeing Fabian, but as a mafia princess, she knows how the game is played. We have to remain composed until the time comes to strike.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
EDEN
The D’Amora stronghold looms ahead, stately and majestic in its historical splendor. Guards buzzed our car through the iron gates, and I see my parents have already arrived for this official melding of our two families: Marino and D’Amora.
“Nervous?” Luca squeezes my hand gently as our driver pulls into the circular drive.
“A little.”
“There’s nothing to worry about. If Fabian tries anything, my fist will put him on the ground a second later.”
“It’s not Fabian I’m worried about,” I admit. I trust Luca to protect me. Plus, there’s no way Fabian tries something in front of his father, the don. He’s too cowardly for such a blatant show of contempt—at least, that’s my take on the man since we’ve never actually spoken. “It’s my parents. I’m not sure what to expect from them.”
