Page 8 of Checkmate

“I can understand that, but why don’t you try this… don’t think of me as a babysitter. Think of me as a friend of your brother’s who is mourning the loss of him, kind of like you are. Our mourning obviously isn’t the same, because he wasn’t my biological brother and I didn’t have the same amount of time with him that you did, but… Leo was the best friend I've ever had. Hell, in a lot of ways he’s probably the only friend I ever had. I truly trusted him, and he became like a brother to me. So, I miss him, and I can tell you do too, so just think of it like that. I’ll try my best to stay out of your hair,” I tell her.

I can feel her eyes on me as I pull out onto the street. She sighs. “You really did care for him, didn’t you?”

I nod slowly. “Yes, I did. I’ll always regret not being there that night. I should have been there sooner, but I got caught in traffic, couldn’t find parking, then had to navigate the crowded Vegas strip sidewalks. It seems like everything was fighting against me.”

“I remember how the strip used to be. My friends and I would run into the crowds just to lose our security,” she says, with a small laugh. The sound of it is sweet.

I chuckle in response. “Well, please don’t do that to me.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” We go quiet after that as I make my way back to my place. The silence between us is comfortable at least. I sneak glances at her as she takes in the city she called her home for the majority of her life. The lights dance in her eyes, and I can’t help but wonder how it feels to be back here now. When we reach my parking garage, I stop to key in the code and then move forward. “You live here?”

“Yeah, why?” I ask her. My nerves are already on high alert.

She shakes her head. “This used to be my favorite building in Vegas. I used to tell Leo that I would live here someday. Of course, that was before my mother was killed and I learned to despise my father and his business.”

I get out of the car and walk around to open her door. “I think it would be best if you come up with me. I can’t really protect you if I’m up there and you’re down here.” She rolls her eyes but gets out of the car without saying anything. I can tell she doesn’t like the idea. She’d rather just sit in the car. To be honest, that would make both of us happy, but if she gets killed on my watch, I’ll be the next to disappear. We reach the elevator and step inside. The doors shut and the dreary elevator music beings. I look at Vivianna. “You really don’t like the family business do you?”

She meets my eyes, but quickly looks away. I have a feeling she doesn’t want me to see whatever is showing in them. “I didn’t used to hate it, but then I guess I didn’t really understand it back then. Once my mom was killed, I started to see it for what it was. Slowly, that realization and understanding turned into hate. Then I left.”

I nod my head and the elevator pings to let us know that we reached my floor. We step off the elevator and I lead us to my apartment. I take a deep breath before opening the door. Letting Vivianna in here seems too personal almost. I kind of want to forget this whole plan and just wear this suit for however long I need to. Eventually, I push the door open and step inside, turning on the lights. I have them dim right now and I’m thankful for that. “Make yourself at home. I’ll only be a minute,” I tell her, not bothering to look at her expression. I’ve worked hard on making this place my own and I’d hate to see the judgement in her eyes. I know that compared to the life she’s used to, this apartment is nothing, but to me, it’s my place. I don’t waste any time heading for my bedroom. I quickly grab a duffel bag and start packing the essentials, before moving on to my clothes.

I come out of my bathroom and toss the duffel bag on my bed. When I turn around to head for the closet, Vivianna is standing in my doorway. “Everything okay?” I ask.

She nods her head slowly. “Why do you seem so nervous, Luca?”

Shit! That didn’t take long for her to piece things together. My heart is in my throat and my mind is racing trying to think of a way to get out of this mess.

Eleven

Vivianna

Luca’s words about my brother had shaken my foundation to an extent. They were unexpected. Luca actually seemed to care for Leo as a brother and I hadn’t considered that he might be in mourning just as much as I was. I had expected him to be desensitized to death like the rest of my father’s army. It was something they were used to, but Luca, yet again, seemed different.

The rest of our ride was silent for the most part, aside from his peculiar music choice. I didn’t peg him as a country music lover, it must have been the suit and car. When we arrived at his building, I had to hold back the groan that threatened to escape. The Copper Stone Elite apartment building had been my favorite building in all of Las Vegas growing up. It was about ten stories, just down from the strip. It looked sleek and elegant with nothing but glass from top to bottom. The lights that came on at night from the roof always felt like a beacon to me. The building gave me this feeling of old Hollywood flair; it was sleek and elegant.

I was dying to see the main entrance, but I didn’t admit that out loud to Luca. Instead, we entered through the elevator, which was large and stainless steel, which was somehow spotless from fingerprints. When we reached his floor, we stepped into the hallway. The dark hardwood floors shined under the muted recessed lighting. The matte gray walls gave the feeling of wealth for some reason. The doors are far apart compared to the apartment building I lived in back in New York. I’ve counted six doors total on this entire floor, which means that the apartments must be spacious. All of the doors are the same dark hardwood as the floor with stainless steel numbers directly in the middle of each door.

Luca stops at the last door on the left and slips his key inside. We enter and he quickly turns on the muted recessed lighting that is similar to the lighting in the hallway. Quickly, he punches in the security alarm code. He seems uneasy, nervous almost, to have me in his place. He disappeared into what I assume is his bedroom without a glance back at me. He did tell me to make myself at home, but I’m not one to do that. I have to admit, his place seems inviting despite it being the complete opposite of my taste.

The whole place is large and open concept. There’s a large kitchen that takes up almost the entire side of the apartment. It has dark wood cabinets and dark gray countertops with all stainless steel appliances. The large sunk-in living room takes up the rest of the area. A large black leather sectional sits in the middle with glass and stainless steel tables and a large gray area rug. Directly across from the sitting area is a large TV with two tall towers full of Blu-Rays. Underneath is a long, dark wood center that holds all kinds of electrical gadgets that most guys love. The other wall is floor to ceiling shelves, most are full of books while the others are empty. The blinds are covering the floor to ceiling windows that run along the back wall.

I can spot the midnight blue bedding from where I stand in the living room and decide to toy with him a little. I step into the doorway. The same color scheme carries into the bedroom, with the exception of the midnight blue bedding and rug under the bed itself. Sitting on either side of the king-size bed are two small bedside tables with lamps on each. There’s a large piece of abstract art hanging over the bed, but other than that the room is bare. There are two dark wood doors in the room that I assume lead to the closet and the other one to the bathroom.

Luca walks out and tosses his bag on his bed without noticing me. When he turns around,I can tell I’ve startled him. “Everything okay?” he asks.

“Why do you seem so nervous, Luca?”

There’s a flash of something in his eyes, but it’s gone so quickly, that I can’t decipher it. It doesn’t help that he’s difficult to read. “I’m not really nervous. It’s more… a feeling of pressure. To be handed your protection in the midst of the mafia war, that is sure to be brewing, seems like a lot. Plus, it’s strange for me to have someone in my place. No one has been here except for Leo when he helped me get this place and the movers that brought in the furniture.”

I tilt my head to the side trying to decide if I buy his excuse. I mean, clearly Luca is a good-looking guy, so surely he doesn’t actually mean he’s never had anyone in here. I don’t buy that. A slow smile graces my face. “You know I don’t believe that, right?”

His brows furrow. “Believe what?”

I laugh lightly. “That you’ve never had anyone in your space.”

Luca shakes his head. “Why does that seem so hard to believe?”

I scoff and roll my eyes. “Do you need your ego stroked tonight?” He shrugs then smirks. “Fine. You’re obviously not a bad looking guy, you’re wearing at least a three-thousand-dollar suit, you drive a Bugatti, and you live in one of the most elite apartment buildings in Las Vegas. You want to tell me that you don’t have women falling at your feet and into your bed?” I tell him, placing a know-it-all smirk on my face because I just hit the nail on the head.

---