Page 27 of Depths of Obsession
“So, what’s going on? Mia said you were upset. She said you were in trouble.” Luna’s brow wrinkles, her voice full of concern. “Is there anything I can do?”
Tears fill my eyes again, but I blink them back, drinking the hot coffee to hopefully melt the lump in my throat. “Get comfortable,” I tell Luna, who is drinking her own coffee. And then I fill her in on everything, only leaving out what happened with Luca. I’m not ready to talk about that. I may never be.
“Jesus. Well, that explains you being upset. I’d be upset too. Hell, I’d be on the floor curled up in the fetal position. I’m so sorry, Pippa. What the hell are you going to do?”
“That’s a good question. I have no idea.” Just telling Luna everything solidifies how incredibly screwed I really am. It’s hard to breathe, as though I’m sandwiched between a rock and a hard place. My new reality feels like a suffocating weight pressing down on me.
I frown. “How did you get here? Did you drive?” An idea suddenly occurs to me, a spark of hope amidst the darkness.
“No. Mia had Nico drive me over. I offered to drive, but she said something about security. Apparently, they don’t want anyone coming here uninvited.”
“It’s not about being uninvited,” Luca says as he enters the room. “It’s about making sure Gazzago doesn’t just decide that grabbing you would help his position. We’re going to keep an eye on all of you.”
I stare at Luca as heat fills my cheeks. He’s wearing jeans and nothing else. His chest is a chiseled masterpiece, and I find my jaw hanging open. The sight of him is both a comfort and a reminder of everything that’s wrong. He offers Luna a smile, and she waves back at him, her mouth agape too. Jealousy rears its ugly head, and I want to tell Luna to stop staring.
Instead, I force my voice out. “What’s going on?”
Luca is standing in front of his screens. “Nothing, just checking something.” His hair is tousled from sleep, his eyes half-lidded with exhaustion. He stretches as he waits for the screens to boot up, his muscles rippling beneath his taut skin. A minute later, he’s leaning over, studying something. Surreptitiously, I admire his ass. He looks amazing, and the heat pools between my legs as I imagine what he would be like in bed if we’d finished what we started, his hands on my skin, his lips on mine.
Luna smacks my arm, and I turn to look at her. She shakes her head. “Close your mouth and wipe the drool,” she whispers.
I grin and then fight to keep the heat out of my cheeks. Hopefully, he didn’t hear any of that. I’m already mortified to have to be here with him.
“So back to the question of what you are going to do?” Luna asks me again, her eyes softening with concern.
“I have no idea,” I admit, the hopelessness creeping back in.
Luna nods, her expression serious. “Your mom is freaking out. She called my mom, and the two of them were on the phone for hours. My mother then got off and told me I wasn’t to leave the house. I nodded and then walked out the door. Seriously, those two need to come into the twenty-first century.”
“Yeah. I spoke to Mama just before you arrived. She’s upset. My father… well, he’s at it again.”
Luna leans over and squeezes my arm, her eyes filled with empathy. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s bad this time, Luna. Really bad. He’s five million in debt.” I can barely get the words out; it’s so incredible to me. The number feels insurmountable, like a boulder crushing me.
“Oh, honey,” Luna says and squeezes my arm again, her eyes misting with tears.
“He sold the summer house,” I whisper. “It just breaks my heart. I loved our place on Lake Lugano. He just sold it without telling me or my mom. Told her that they didn’t need it anymore.”
I break a bite off the pastry, but it sits in my mouth like dust, the flavorless crumbs choking me as I try to swallow. “He’s such a bastard. The only reason he’s letting Gazzago get away with this is because Gazzago has promised him a capo position. It’s just insane.”
“Does Mia know your dad sold the summer house?”
I shrug, my shoulders feeling heavy. “I have no idea. What does it matter now? It’s gone. He sold the best part of my childhood.”
Luna nods, her eyes filled with sympathy. “I had no idea it was this bad. Why didn’t your mother tell you all this before?”
Guilt washes over me, a sickening twist in my stomach. “That was my fault. Last time she told me he was in debt because of his gambling, I yelled at him, and he hit me. But then he hit her for telling me.”
“Oh my God. Was that how you got the black eye?” Luna’s voice is full of shock, her eyes wide with horror.
I nod. I hadn’t told Luna and Mia about the abuse because it had happened infrequently when I was a child. I was with them at boarding school, so I had been safe. Once I was here and he hit me I was so embarrassed that I kept silent. That’s what my mother wanted. Now I’m beyond that kind of embarrassment. I have too many other things to worry about, and the shame has been replaced by a deep, simmering anger.
“Your father hit you?” Luca is suddenly standing next to me, his presence towering over us.
I glance up, startled. “Um… it… well… yeah, but the last time was a while ago. It’s a long story,” I finish lamely, my voice barely a whisper.
“Your father gambles, and when you confronted him about it, he beats you and then your mother?” Luca’s voice is cold, his jaw clenched, his eyes darkening with anger.
