Page 2 of Depths of Obsession
“Mia?” I say as soon as she answers, my voice shaky. “I’m in trouble, and I need your help.”
"Pippa? What’s wrong?" Mia’s voice is immediately serious, and just hearing her steadies me a little.
“You know that thing we used to joke about in boarding school?” I ask, my words barely making sense as they tumble out.
There’s a brief pause before she responds, her voice cautious. “We joked about a lot of things.”
“The thing we joked about most. The protected plants," I say, hoping she’ll understand. It was our code—a silly promise between friends that if we ever needed to bury a body, we’d plant a rare, protected plant on top of it so no one could dig it up. Being the daughters of mafia members, it seemed like a necessary evil to plan for this. Never,ever, did I think it would really happen.
I hear her sharp intake of breath. “Where are you?”
“Where do you think?” I glance around the storeroom, at the blood on the floor, and the artwork surrounding me, and the jackass leering at me from the doorway. “The gallery.”
“Okay, hold on.” A muffled conversation is carried on in the background before Mia’s voice comes back, strong and steady. “Stay where you are. Someone will be there in the next few minutes.” She pauses. “Are you okay?”
“No,” I whisper, my voice cracking. “Not by a long shot, but I’m not physically hurt. Not yet anyway.”
“We’ll talk later. Stay put. Help is on the way.” She hangs up with a finalI love youand I put my phone back in my pocket.
“See? I told you; you’d know someone to call,” Marcello says, straightening to his full height. His smug expression makes me want to claw that smirk right off his face. “Now that’s taken care of, I’ll be on my way.”
I step in front of the door, blocking his exit. “Do not fucking move. I’m not facing this alone. You made me a part of this mess, so you're going to stand there and deal with whatever happens next, asshole. And you're giving me a massive raise. I want twice what I’m making.” Money wasn’t going to help this, but it was the thing that would upset Marcello the most. He loved money.
He snorts, crossing his arms over his chest. “I will not.”
“Think of it as a body tax,” I snap, narrowing my eyes at him. I need him to stay, even if I have to bluff and tell him I’ll kill him if he leaves or better yet, I’ll tell him that I’ll havela famigliatake him out.
Marcello glares, his lips tightening, but he doesn't move. He glances at his watch and heaves an irritated sigh, as if this entire situation is a minor inconvenience.
The smell of blood and death is starting to get to me. I force myself to breathe through my mouth, but the stench still makes me gag. I fight to keep my composure—any sign of weakness and Marcello will leave me alone to deal with this. And honestly, I’m not convinced he won’t try to sneak out and hop a plane to the U.S. or Panama, or wherever the hell he can disappear without a trace. I’m not going down for this.
I glance at the body again. Something about the dead man looks familiar, and my stomach clenches with cold dread. Sweat forms between my breasts as I realize where I might know him from. Is he one of us? A Valdici family member? Renzo, Mia’s husband, is the head of the family. If this guy is one of Renzo’s men, we’re in serious trouble. There’s going to be hell to pay.
“Look, I don’t have all night, and it’s starting to stink in here. Get this cleaned up,” Marcello says with a dismissive wave as he tries to push past me. I plant my feet firmly and block his path. His hand shoots out, grabbing my arm, and he yanks me hard enough that my feet nearly leave the floor.
“I’ve had enough of you,” he sneers, his face close to mine. “You’ll do what I say, or I’ll take you down.” His grip tightens painfully, shaking me so hard my teeth click together.
“You will release her and apologize, or you’ll be joining your friend on the floor,” a cold, deadly voice says behind me.
Electricity races up my spine. I don’t even have to turn around to know who it is. I would recognize that voice anywhere. Oh God, I never thought Mia would send him. I can’t decide if I’m happy or horrified.
“Let her go,” Luca Valdici growls, his voice vibrating with authority. There’s no mistaking it—it’s an order.
Marcello hesitates, his jaw tightening, but he lets go of my arm. “About time you got here,” he mutters, still trying to act tough. “Take care of this. I have places to be.”
He tries to shove past me again, but Luca steps into the doorway, his towering frame blocking any chance of escape. He’s taller than Marcello by a few inches, and the muscles straining against his white button-down shirt and blazer make it clear that this is a man you don’t want to mess with.
“You’re not going anywhere,” Luca says, his voice low and dangerous. He gestures with his chin for Marcello to back up.
Marcello crosses his arms, trying to appear unfazed. “I’m not taking orders from some errand boy she called. Move, now.”
Before I can blink, Luca drives his fist into Marcello’s gut. Marcello doubles over, gasping for breath, dropping to his knees as the wind is knocked out of him.
“I’m no one’serrand boy.” Luca’s voice glacial. He turns and gives me the once over, I’m sure taking in the blood on my clothes. I know I look just how I feel, dazed and confused, which is the last thing I want to look like around Luca. He’s as sexy as sin and I’ve been kind of obsessed with him since I first laid eyes on him at a dinner for Renzo and Mia. He reaches out and touches my blouse next to the dried blood. “What happened?”
I swallow hard, my mouth dry. Luca has always both fascinated me and scared the hell out of me. “I-I don’t have a fucking clue, to be honest. I came back here, and Marcello was standing over the guy, fixing his suit like it was just another day at the office.”
Luca’s stare flicks from my face to Marcello’s, then back at me.
