Page 28 of Sinful Mafia Prince

A woman’s voice knocked Luca out of his reverie. Two ladies were pulling white sheets off the furniture, but they stopped when they saw Dom and Luca.

“Apologies. When I’m here, I’m afraid I have a bit of a heavy foot.” Dom gave the women a charming smile, and Luca stifled a chuckle. There was no way Dom the adrenaline junkie had any less of a heavy foot even in Manhattan traffic.

“We’ll have everything down here cleared and cleaned for you soon, but the bedrooms have already been made, as well as the kitchen. If you’d like, we can stock it for you, or—”

“There’s no need to do that, but thank you.”

The woman nodded, and as they went back to uncovering what looked like a formal room, Dom ushered Luca toward the stairs.

“The rooms are upstairs to your right.”

“What? I don’t get a tour of the place first?” Luca asked.

“No. It’s not ready yet.”

“Oh.” Luca looked back at the white sheets lying in a heap on the floor. He didn’t know people actually did that. He’d only ever seen covered furniture in old movies. When was the last time Dom or his family had been here? “So should I just take any of them?”

“Any room is fine.” The change in Dom’s demeanor was like night and day. He’d gone from fun and carefree out on the road to introspective and closed off in here.

Luca started up the stairs, trying to make sense of what he might’ve done to cause such a shift in Dom’s mood. But when he reached the top of the landing and turned to look back down, he saw Dom had moved toward the windows overlooking the lake and had his hands clasped behind his back.

He was still and silent as he stared out at the sun sparkling off the water of the lake, but he seemed despondent.

Luca frowned, more determined than ever to get to the bottom of that mystery. Maybe it was something to do with the place? The house? Memories from here? He wasn’t sure, but as a yawn hit him and his eyes began to feel heavy, he realized it was a mystery that would have to wait another day. The bed was calling his name.

CHAPTERTWELVE

LUCA STRETCHED OUT along the queen-sized bed, practically melting into the soft mattress, and opened his eyes. He didn’t know how long he’d been asleep, but it felt like it could’ve been days. He’d needed it, though. Hell, it was the first time in a long time that he’d been able to sleep without the threat of danger just outside his door, and that had made him relax more than he thought possible.

He rubbed his eyes and sat up, wondering what time it was. There wasn’t a clock in the room, but the sun was out, which meant he should probably get up and see what Dom was up to.

Luca threw off the covers and got to his feet, stretching his sore body out a little more, and caught the gorgeous view out his window. Shimmering dark blue water contrasted with the vibrant green hills, and suddenly, any lingering fatigue in his body left. He was in freakin’Italy. No way was he staying up in this room when there was so much to explore.

He turned around to throw on the clothes he’d left in a heap beside the bed and noticed the fully stocked open closet. Wait, was that for him? Or were they Dom’s clothes? It reminded Luca of the time he’d walked into the room at the penthouse and found Dom had somehow managed to bring in an entire wardrobe without his noticing. No doubt he’d done the same thing here, but even if he hadn’t and these belonged to Dom, Luca could use a fresh pair of clothes.

Luca changed into a pair of jeans and a loose linen shirt, feeling more human already, and then stepped out into the hallway. Unlike in the penthouse, the doors were all open, and Luca wandered down the hall and peered into each one. They were all empty, the luxurious beds untouched. Each one was formal in design, with decorative coffered ceilings, gold sconces on the walls, and sheer curtains framing the windows. No personal touches or photos to indicate whom the rooms belonged to, but maybe that was because the Rossettis rented it out while they were away.

Or not, considering the way all the furniture had been covered like no one had been there in years. Why was that? If Luca owned a place like this, he’d be there all the time.

He wandered downstairs, nothing but silence meeting his ears.

“Dom?”

No answer, and from the look of it, the women he’d seen when he arrived were no longer there either. All the furniture was now uncovered, and it looked like everything had been freshly cleaned. The wooden fixtures were polished to a shine. As he moved through the house, he noticed how well lived in it looked despite the expensive décor. It actually felt like a family had lived here, or maybe that was just the way it was designed to feel.

“Dom? You down here?” he called out, but Dom didn’t answer.

Maybe he was outside. That gave Luca enough time to do a little snooping around, checking out each of the rooms without anyone looking over his shoulder. If he hoped to glean any information about its inhabitants down here, though, he was sorely disappointed. It seemed the Rossettis didn’t believe in family photographs, which was odd, but then again, it was a digital age and they weren’t exactly a normal family.

A light breeze ruffled Luca’s shirt, and he turned to see where it had come from. A pair of double doors were open to the backyard. Luca moved toward them and realized why Dom wouldn’t want to stay cooped up inside. Though the house itself wasn’t small, the yard wasvast, and appeared to have several levels that stretched out along the coast. The level he stood on was a large deck of intricate stone designs, statues, and separate lounge and seating areas along the expanse, and to his right, a grassy area with a covered pavilion. It was an unreal view, and the fact that it was only one of the levels blew his mind.

He peered down to the second level, where a pool and several lounge chairs were practically inviting him to come take a swim.

Damn. It was tempting. He looked around, and when he still couldn’t see Dom, he decided, what the hell. Luca jogged down the steps and made his way toward the shallow end of the large pool, where he kicked out of his flip-flops, rolled up his jeans, and walked down onto the first step.

Ahh, heaven…The cool water lapping against his ankles as he stared out at the most breathtaking view he’d ever seen in his life was an experience he wasn’t sure he could top. Sure, the house belonged to a mob family, and yes, he’d been kidnapped and brought here against his wishes. But as far as places he could be locked up in, this was up there.

As he stood there drinking in the view, a breeze swirled up around him, bringing with it sweet fragrances from the flowers and foliage surrounding the patio, and off in the distance he swore he caught the faint sound of splashing.

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