Page 78 of Unruly Obsession
Luca clicks his tongue disapprovingly. “You said you weren’t going to twist it.”
I look him dead in those cold blue eyes. “I’ve served you loyally always and will continue to do so if you give me thechance. However, it would appear that the ray of sunshine has become something more to me than a target, sir.”
Luca’s gaze narrows. “Then you can’t be trusted at all.”
“Luca,” Ara warns.
He faces her. “I permit you in these meetings, dear, but if one of my men is compromised, then they have to be made an example of.”
She hauntingly laughs. “Compromised? He’s in love, you fucking idiot.”
Luca’s eyebrows furrow.
Ara then faces me. “And I, for one, am grateful. Coming in here, I thought we were going to kill you. I didn’t know that Luca had ulterior motives in this mission. If I had known, I wouldn’t have allowed it. But I certainly didn’t know that Henrithhither.” She then looks at Luca. “Did you not allow me to have my revenge to protect me? Give your men some slack.”
Luca scoffs. “Slack? This is how we run things here.”
“And what if a man had struck me, Luca?” She pins him with a glare.
“He would never have the chance,” Luca growls. I never thought it would be Ara coming to my defense, and I’m not entirely sure I’m worthy of it. Perhaps it’s because she’s the only woman in the room, and that makes her a better mediator.
Luca scowls at me. “You compromised the identity of one of the hounds.”
“I thought it would scare her having a man wearing a mask in her home while I investigated matters for the other part of the job.”
Luca’s eyes bulge in disbelief. “What the fuck happened to you while I was gone? You’re my best, and you’ve turned into…” He starts clicking his fingers. “What’s that term they use in those books? A cinnamon roll?”
Silence fills the air. I don’t need to point out to him that, of all people, he’s become the exact same fucking thing since rolling over for Ara.
I didn’t understand their relationship before, and I still don’t entirely understand it now. But I respect that love comes in different forms.
“I’d like to speak to Lorenzo alone,” Ara boldly says, ignoring his previous statement with an eyeroll.
“You want me to remove myself from my own meeting?” Luca asks lethally.
“Luca, stop pissing on your belongings when you know he’ll still take a bullet for you, and give me a moment alone with him.”
Tony and I share a glance. Having Ara around definitely adds a bit of amusement. At first, I saw Ara as someone who was trying to undermine her very powerful husband, but the longer she’s been with us, the more apparent it becomes that she’s just as ruthless as Luca. He couldn’t have found himself a better partner.
Luca walks over to her and grabs her chin, his other hand immediately dropping to her stomach. “Your sharp tongue always seems to get you into trouble, my little viper. You’ve made a naughty habit of undermining me in front of my men.”
She reveals a cruel smile. “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, dear. Next time you try to use one of my friends for your benefit, let me assure you I’ll be doing more than undermining you. I’ll be putting you in an early grave.”
He flashes a wicked grin, and I look away as Luca leans in and kisses her passionately. I know this isn’t the last of our conversation, but not having a bullet in my head is promising.
Tony follows Luca, throwing a quick glance and a nod my way. I do the same, respectfully. Tony is one of the few men under Luca’s employ who has a family of his own. I alwaysthought having a family was a burden; it’s only recently that I've begun to realize it’s nice to have someone to go home to.
Ara comes to stand in front of me, and her open palm hits the side of my face. It's barely enough to make my head move, but it makes her point. I grind my jaw, readjusting it and trying to usher away its sting. “That’s for using Lily in the first place.”
I don’t remind her that it was on herhusband's orders.
“How many times has her father hit her?” Ara asks carefully, her gaze narrowing.
Although Ara might be one of her closest friends, there’s clearly a wall between them, and Lily’s secrets will die with me unless she’s willing to voice them herself. “If I might be so bold, Mrs. Armani, I think you should ask her yourself.” Ara’s eyebrows jump, and I continue to carefully explain. “Her father has favored a bottle in his hand for as long as she can remember. I think right now, she doesn’t need me exposing her secrets. I think she needs a friend.”
Ara seems even more surprised as she looks me up and down, her hand coming to her stomach. “You really love her, don’t you? I didn’t think you’d have it in you.”
My gaze drops to the floor because there’s something loaded in Ara’s sincerity. It's uncomfortable having a woman provide an opportunity for us to articulate or express ourselves differently after being only us men for so long.
