Page 6 of Unruly Obsession
After dropping Lily off, I drove Luca and Ara here to the house, where only Luca’s brother, Dario, lives. But for matters of business, Luca still uses this as the Armani home base. It’s also a good way to make sure his brother's rehabilitation from drug and alcohol abuse is going well.
Dario’s shadow casts across the doorframe, but for once, the fucker has better sense than to get involved and is quick to leave,much like the house attendants who always find themselves busy elsewhere the moment any voice rises. They’re paid well, but efficiency isn’t the only thing that keeps their jobs here; it’s having better sense than to get involved or be around when Luca is in a particularly bad mood.
“Luca, don’t pretend like I didn’t just say anything!” Ara snaps, throwing her hands in the air.
“I don’t think it’s good for the baby if you?—”
“Don’t you dare start treating me like I’m some helpless, weak damsel or use the pregnancy as an asshole excuse to not listen to my demands!”
His jaw tics, and I silently stand to the side of the office, watching the two of them. It’s always like this with them; they like to argue as much as they enjoy making up, but they’re both especially tense tonight.
“Have you called the hounds?” Luca asks me, and I nod in response. The moment he gave the order, I called in his five most trusted men—those who are at his beck and call. Monsters who enjoy drawing blood, given any excuse. Very few know their identities; they always appear in white masks with a different colored gem on each, identifying them. Though I’ve worked with them long enough to differentiate them between voice, build, and irritation level. That, and those who work closest with them know what they look like without the mask, but only a few in the family receive that honor. They only ever take them off in the presence of those higher in hierarchy. Nothing is left to chance, even in the Armani mansion, where a staff member might see them.
“Ara, stop. Let me think,” Luca demands as he walks to his polished wooden desk, positioned near the end of the room, to pour a glass of whiskey.
“There’s nothing to think about when I’m telling you what you need to do,” Ara says flatly, following him. “My friend was attacked because of us.”
“This is why we don’tdofriends,” Luca grits out.
“Ido friends,” she bites back. It’s very different from the woman who first appeared almost two years ago, using people to get closer to the Armanis to seek her revenge. It’s evident from the way her body is shaking that she fiercely wants to protect Lily Taylor, and I can see why, considering the woman is just… far too innocent to survive this world. Even if only dancing on the outskirts of it.
At this point, I don’t even know if Lily realizes that Lucaisinvolved with the Mafia or if it was simply a bad vacation incident.
I bring my thoughts back to the now. Thinking about Lily Taylor is nothing but a distraction, much like she has always been when she stands in any room with her blinding ray-of-fucking-sunshine light. The only thing I need to focus on is how we’re going to eradicate this threat to Luca’s empire.
“I’ve been here for too long without replacing my second in Italy. We need to reinstate our position there. It’s also likely that this could be an attack from the Bratva.” He gives me a pointed look. Assisting Dmitri Volkov months ago with his situation and killing his father, "The Lion," who was a high-ranking member in the Bratva, alongside a few of his men, might be leading to consequences now.
As for not replacing his second, Ivan, in Italy, that should’ve been managed sooner. By letting Ara have her revenge and kill Ivan, who used to do business on Luca's behalf, we’ve created a blind spot within the organization. But no one was daring enough to make a move until now. We had ample men in positions that deterred anyone from overstepping, so why now? Because Luca has a soon-to-be heir?
“We can deal with all that shit later, but if people are questioning your authority over there, we might have problems here,” Ara says matter-of-factly. “Lily was targeted, whether they mistook her for me or not, and they might come for her again.”
“Can you care more for your own safety, woman!” Luca snaps, fisting his hands. He looks like he’s going to kill someone, but that deadly gaze is also his weakness, because it's nothing short of the love he has for his wife that makes him, at times, illogical.
Silence fills the air, and the tension in the room shifts. I’m not sure if Ara is about to throw the closest book at him or burst into tears. Not that she’s usually capable of that, but her moods have been erratic during her pregnancy. Either way, she’s about to explode.
I don’t understand this. Never have from the moment my boss stepped into this turbulent relationship and decided on marriage. I do, however, know one thing: he’d do anything for her. Which, in my opinion, is stupid, since I’m the one tasked with his safety. But I also know, besides his insidious obsession and need to monopolize things, he loves her.
“Luca,” she says carefully as she walks toward him and grabs his hand. “Please.She’s my best friend. I can’t have this come between us.”
They stare at one another, and I look away, feeling like I'm intruding on the intimate exchange. These are the conversations he once conducted with me. He still does to an extent, but her influence impacts him far more than I’d like it to, especially when I have more logical, self-preserving suggestions.
“Hey, boss!” One of the hounds enters the office, the first of the group to arrive. Three more follow, each with different builds and colored gems on their masks.
Ara releases Luca's hand, and something I can’t understand transpires between them, now shut away from anyone else's view.
“I’m going to explain everything to Lily. Who we are. Who you are. What type of business is conducted by the family. Full transparency,” she says carefully. “We’ll sort this out, yes?” She peers up at him through thick eyelashes. How can a woman as small as her control our boss so easily? I couldn’t possibly imagine myself giving that much power to someone other than Luca himself.
“Yes, my little viper,” he agrees, sounding defeated. An obvious sense of relief washes over her, the tension in her muscles loosening as she kisses him on the lips, and he watches her as she heads toward the door to leave.
The hounds scatter around the office space, lounging lazily. Ara walks among them like a queen, and the men watch her with interest. They’re the same as me, curious about the shift in dynamic, they have better judgment than to interfere. Ara is a strong woman, but in turn has a weakness for our boss. We can’t see it any other way.
“Eyes onme,” Luca grits. And then there’s that, his immediate jealousy of anyone who looks at his woman.
“Something go boom to put you in a pissy mood?” Sky, the light-blue hound, goads.
“Watch yourself,” I warn, kicking off the shelves and coming to stand beside Luca.
Each of the hounds is a thorough killer, but four out of the five are still in college, only in their early twenties. Luca gave them power, an outlet to express their bloodlust and curiosities, in exchange for loyalty. Doesn’t mean they don’t have to be trained like dogs, which is precisely where I come in.
