Page 31 of His Win (His Obsession 3)

LUCA

Having Veda's parents safely ensconced in my home was...interesting. Even in the horrendous condition they were in, I could see almost immediately where the sisters had gotten their different personalities. Nicole, from the way Veda had described her, must have been the spitting image of her bitch of a mother.

The father, on the other hand, was a little harder to read. However, he'd just been beaten to within an inch of his life trying to protect his wife, so I had to respect him somewhat for that. Being attacked in the middle of the night wasn't a normal thing for him, and he'd done the best he could to protect the two of them. It also made me see where Veda had gotten her inner strength and integrity from.

As soon as Enzo got back on the phone with Veda, he'd told her to stay where she was until she heard back from him. Tristan rushed to the hospital under my orders. With a little "persuasion," he'd managed to get her mother released sooner than her doctor would've liked, as she was in much worse condition than her father, who'd already been released, but remained by his wife's side.

My brother, expecting me to be at my father's meeting, only had one man watching for Veda, and he was easily surprised and disposed of. And now I knew why he wasn't at the meeting to determine his future. Then I had her parents brought here to the lake house. Security had been doubled, and no one was allowed to come or go from the property without reporting to me.

Now, in my office with Enzo and Tristan, I half wondered if I'd lost my fucking mind by bringing her parents here. Or if it was the most sane idea I'd had since I'd met her.

"Call Veda and tell her her parents are safe," I told Enzo. "And that she has my word they will remain that way as long as they are here. If she wants to see them, she'll have to come to me."

"What are you doing, Luca?" Tristan asked.

I purposefully avoided what I knew he was truly asking. "I don't think my brother has a hard-on for her parents. He did it to get her attention. Or mine. And as far as we all know, he's not aware she hasn't been here with me, so having them in my safekeeping will make sense to him. And will piss him off." It gave me pleasure to think of Mario as frustrated as I felt at the moment. "And it will also bring Veda back to me. To us," I corrected.

"So, you're using her family to get to her." His voice was hard.

My eyes shot to his and his eyebrows rose in silent question. "Yes," I told him honestly, then turned away. I didn't need another lecture right now. "Enzo."

With a nod, he pulled out his cell to do as I'd ordered, putting the call on speaker.

I walked over to the window behind my desk, trying to ignore the way my stomach jumped when I heard her voice on the line. She sounded so scared. I wanted nothing more than to hold her against me and soothe those fears.

Enzo related the news to her that her parents were safe and in my house. She did not sound happy about this good news.

"Put Luca on the phone."

I held out my hand to take the phone and took it off of speaker, before holding it up to my ear. She didn't even give me a chance to say hello.

"What are you doing?"

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" I mused aloud.

"Goddammit, Luca. What are you doing with my parents?"

"They are safe," I told her.

"In your house? No. No, they are not. Give them back to me, Luca!"

"You called us," I reminded her. "What did you think I was going to do?"

She cursed again, and I heard her friend asking her what was going on. Veda told her, "He took my parents."

"Veda, you're being ridiculous. Your family is safe. I did what you wanted. I don't understand why you're so upset with me."

Her voice rose. "Why I'm upset? You weren't supposed to kidnap my parents, Luca! Just protect them!"

"I am protecting them, amore. Don't you see? Mario wants you distracted, so you'll mess up and he'll be able to get to you. The safest thing for all of you is to be here. I can keep you all safe."

"That's not going to happen," she told me. "Have Enzo meet me somewhere. I can take them with me back to the hospital."

"No," I growled.

"Oh, goddamnit, Luca, I'm not playing this game with you."

"I assure you, amore, this is no game. Your parents, and your mother in particular, are in no condition to leave. My physician is on his way."

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