Page 97 of Loving Lucia

The man looks at me and shrugs. “Whatever. I’ll be in that diner. We’re leaving at 2:30 p.m. sharp.”

I’m surprised that he gives in so easily, but he must really, really not want to be here. He isn’t concerned about me running away either. He’s right, of course. I’m not going to run.

I’m not going to do anything, because there’s nothing Icando.

The clerk at the front greets me with a wide smile. “Ms. Bellini! Great timing. Your family is already waiting for you in the back.”

My family? I know for a fact Vanessa and my mom aren’t here, which means…

My heart thunders in my chest. No. That’s ridiculous. None of them would risk it, especially now.

But I put on a pretty smile in return and nod. “Thank you. I hope they don’t expect to see the dress, though! I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise.”

She laughs. “Well, you’ll have to tell that to them. They seem like most insistent men.”

Hiding the dread pooling in my stomach, I nod to her and let her lead me to the back. There, looking unruffled and unaffected as ever, are Angelo, Victor, and Saint.

“Thank you,” I tell the clerk.

She nods to me. “Let me know when you’re ready for your final fitting. Everything should be fine, and you should be able to take the dress home today. I’ll give you a few minutes with your family.”

My family.

The words are bitter when they’re associated with these three men. I’ve never been a part of their famiglia, and that certainly hasn’t changed. I stare at the three, then tell them in a flat voice as soon as the clerk has left, “Get out.”

The three of them share a look. Saint is the first to shake his head.

“Kitten, we need to go over the final plans. Especially after the… fire, some of the guests at the rehearsal must have changed.” He grins widely. “Castella isn’t attending, we know that much.”

Angelo barks a loud laugh. “I keep rewatching the footage. Shame I couldn’t have been there to help, but still, great show, Saint.”

“Yes, Santino did a good job. Don’t you agree, Lucia?” Victor asks, his eyes meeting mine. He’s prompting me to praise Saint.

I don’t want to.

“This wasn’t the plan,” I say. “None of this was the plan, and you almost got me killed. Do you understand what youdid, Victor? Did you think for one second about anyone but yourself?” I touch my throat. I almost wish Pavone had just finished it so I could be done with him and all of these men.

Victor’s eyes fall to my throat, and for a split second he frowns. I wonder what fucking excuse he’s going to throw at me next, how he’s going to pretend that this is all fine, but Angelo strides over to me and grabs my wrist. His expression darkens with anger when he sees the bruising.

“Pavone did this?” he growls. “I’m going to fucking murder him.”

“Yes, that is indeed the plan,” Victor answers calmly.

“Oh, so now we’re following a plan?” I ask harshly. “I’ve had enough of your interference and your plans. You nearly got me killed because you justhadto stroll in and taunt him.” I try to pull my wrist free of Angelo’s touch, but he only tightens his grasp. “You got my only ally in that house fired. And letgo, Angelo, I don’t need you touching me right now.”

As always, Angelo ignores me, pulling me closer so I’m bracketed in his arms. I push feebly against his chest, although I know how useless it is.

“I needed Angelo on the outside,” Victor says. “There’s only so much he can do while under Pavone’s supervision.”

“He was supposed to let all of you into the rehearsal hall!” I hiss. “But I guess you don’t need that after all? You’ll just storm in, drawing attention from all the staff? Give Pavone and Rossi enough warning that they can defend themselves?”

“Princess, a sniper shot from the building across the street is much more effective,” Angelo says. “And that’s not something you want to trust to anybody but the best.”

“I’ve already had the cameras tapped and we’ve set up some more bugs, too,” Saint adds. “You don’t have to worry about anything. It’ll be fine.”

They keep acting like they have things under control. But I can already see the other way this ends: with Angelo hitting my sister or my mother ormeby accident. There will be a lot of civilians milling around too, the wait staff and the hotel event organizer. After the first shot, there’s no guarantee he’ll be able to hit anybody at all.

“Lucia needs some convincing,” Victor says suddenly. “She’s forgotten what rewards are waiting for her when this is all over.”

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