Page 9 of Sworn to My Heart
“And how exactly would you do that, midget?” Luca chuckles, seeming entertained, but in my head, I can think of all the ways I could have killed them. Lucky for them, Cora recognized them in time.
I glare at Luca and turn to Mariano. “What are you doing here?” I demand sternly, gesturing at their drawn guns. “And with firearms, no less. Doesn’t seem like you came for a movie night,” I add, and Cora nervously chuckles, clearly waiting for Mariano’s explanation.
Mariano shifts his gaze to Cora with a cold, intimidating tone that sends a chill down my spine for a moment. “You didn’t tell me where you were, and your phone was off!” Cora immediately lowers her head, apologizing. Mariano runs his hand through his hair, looking like he doesn’t know how to blow off steam.
“Why did you run away from Graham? Do you know what could have happened to you?” he says in a lower tone that sounds more like a threat than concern, but I know it’s due to his obsessive and strange worry for her. Cora nods her head.
“Alin wasn’t answering, and I thought something happened to her. I took a cab and didn’t wait for Graham,” she replies in such a quiet voice that I’m not sure he even hears it, but I stand by her, protective.
“Okay, enough drama and heart attacks for one night. Cora is staying with me. The three of you, get out of my apartment,” I wave my hand dismissively, parting with them. Mariano doesn’t look pleased but leaves Graham to watch the front door. He and Luca exit the apartment, and Graham closes the door behind them, remaining to stand outside.
I roll my eyes and turn to Cora. “Really, Cora? What a scene you caused just because I didn’t pick up,” I scold her, already dreading explaining why there’s a looming figure outside my door. But she laughs, “I was worried sick about you. You’ve only got me. If you were in trouble, who else would come?” Her smile reassures me, and I hug her, feeling the same.
“Let’s go back to sleep,” I say to her, and she nods as she takes a loose T-shirt from my closet and changes her clothes, wearing only my T-shirt.
“I can definitely understand why Mariano is so obsessed with you. Look at your killer body,” she pushes me to the other side of the bed and keeps laughing. “He won’t find any piece of meat like this in his strip club,” she says confidently, and I confirm her statement, laughing again at her strange comparisons to the human body.
She suddenly looks at my neck and sees the new necklace.
“Wow, it’s stunning!” She exclaims, running her fingers over my necklace.
I glance at her. “Yes, and its value is through the roof,” I say with a satisfied grin.
“Is it very expensive?” she asks, not quite understanding.
“Yes, it’s very expensive,” I say, holding the pendants and closing my eyes. “To my heart,” I add, whispering.
While I wanted to see Luca again, I didn’t expect it to happen this way. How many shocks can I handle in two days, I wonder to myself, but prefer not to think about it anymore and sink into a deep sleep.
Luca
I knew Cora was at Alin’s place from the moment she walked through the door. Mariano doesn’t know, but I set up close surveillance on her to make sure the French aren’t getting near her or looking for her. I watch Alin all day. I make sure my men always stay close to her, reporting and taking pictures of her activities, keeping me updated at all times.
Watching her through the café’s glass window, absorbed in whatever holds her attention, her lips tantalizing as they savor each bite of her meal, I feel an intense desire to possess them. No, to possess her entirely.
I wonder what has her so captivated on her phone, even eliciting smiles. Irritation flares at the thought of her texting some guy who could make her smile like that. I had to restrain myself from abandoning everything, snatching the phone from her hand, and exposing whoever dares to get close to her. I can’t. I can’t interfere with her life; she can’t interfere with mine.
She’s a sweet line that I want to cross. I want to taste her. But I know it’s just as dangerous as it is alluring. I’m playing a dangerous game. I knew Cora’s whereabouts all along, yet I let Mariano scramble to find her so I can join in and catch another glimpse of her face.
It is a mistake. Seeing her in this light, in her natural element,wearing casual comfy clothes with her hair tousled from sleep, those eyes shining like precious gems—I’m in deep trouble. That image is seared into my mind. Every desire I harbor for her in that moment replays incessantly.
I need to settle this once and for all. I must uncover who Alin Gray truly is. Maybe if I delve into her background, understand her better, and satisfy this insatiable urge, everything will settle down, and life can return to normal.
I immediately send a message to Graham.
I want a full update on what’s happening with the girls. And when you return, I need you to gather all possible information on Alin Gray. Keep this between us.
2:17 AM
I’m going to find out who this girl is, the one I can’t get out of my head, and what her story is. I receive a confirmation message from Graham within seconds. He is Mariano’s most reliable soldier, and he is always around Cora, even when she is with Alin. “He’ll be the perfect person for the job,” I confirm aloud to myself.
“What’s got into you lately? You’re acting really strange,” Mariano immediately asks me suspiciously as we enter our apartment building.
“Trying to figure out how to deal with the French. We haven’t heard anything from them yet, right?” I lie and shift the topic to yesterday’s incident.
Mariano seems to buy the lie and updates me with the information he received a few minutes ago. “One of the men I sent did a check at their small whore house on the other side of the city with one of our informants. They know you smashed the French guy’s face, but it’s still unclear what they plan to do. It doesn’t seem like they’ve linked you to Alin, so she’s safe.”
I nod, relieved that Alin remains unconnected to the unfolding situation. Mariano presses the elevator button for my apartment floor while instructing Bruno, the soldier on surveillance duty, to keep us informed of any developments. He understands well enough that tonight won’t be a night for sleep; we need to decipher our adversaries’ next moves.
