Page 71 of The Secrets We Keep

Matteo stood in dismissal, buttoning his suit jacket as he looked down his nose at Luca. “That’s all you get. Talk to your contact about those shipment details, and we’ll finalize the rest.”

The room was silent once Matteo breezed out, and Luca sat back in his chair with a huff. The ring of Dom’s phone broke the silence, and he pushed back from the table without a word, leaving the room to answer it.

“You’re not exactly being subtle, you know,” Carina said.

“Subtle about what?”

“About the fact that you’re in love with her. Your mysterious mole inside Gallo Industries.”

Luca looked up to see Alexei and Carina both staring at him, and he scrubbed a hand over his face. “It’s a long and complicated story. That I will tell you when this is all over,” he added when Carina opened her mouth to speak.

“Maybe over the dinner at our house everyone keeps avoiding.”

“What is it with you and hounding me about dinner at your place?” Luca said, pushing to his feet and waiting for Carina and Alexei to do the same.

“I was going to announce the wedding, but since someone already opened his big mouth”—Carina looked pointedly at Alexei, who managed to look both apologetic and unbothered at once—“I figured I’d just do something nice. It’s been a long time since we did something as a family just because.”

“Since when do you care about being a family?”

“I don’t know.” Carina shrugged, pausing outside Luca’s office door and leaning back against Alexei’s chest when he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “The idea is growing on me. With Dom meeting Emilia and now the two of them raising her brother and sister, you with your mystery woman, me and Alexei.”

She smiled when Alexei leaned down to drop a kiss on the top of her shoulder. “It makes me think about Mama for some reason. Makes me wonder what she might think of all of us. Now look.” She huffed out a breath. “You’ve got me all sentimental. I hate when that happens. If it comes to your contact or Matteo’s ambitions, I’ll stand behind you every time.”

“We both will,” Alexei assured him. “You’re right. Matteo has plenty to cover his tracks if we took out Gallo tomorrow. Doing this much damage is just an ego stroke for him at this point.”

“If it comes to it. I’m going to see her now.” He checked his watch. “She should be getting off work by the time I get there. Once we talk, I’ll know more.”

“Keep us posted,” Carina turned to go, pausing to look over her shoulder. “And when this is all over, you can bring her to dinner.”

Luca shook his head and slipped into his office to grab the rest of his things. He wanted nothing more than to be with Sienna out in the open. It’s all he’d ever wanted with her. And they were so close to having it. He didn’t intend to fuck it up this time.

Everything had to go off without a hitch. Because he couldn’t lose her again.

Chapter Thirty-One

Sienna trudged up the block toward home. Fuck this whole day. After her run-in with Ciro and Drago the day before, she’d been on edge. Every time she looked up, either Ciro or Isa was staring at her. By the time she collected her things from the bottom drawer of her desk and made her way to the elevator, she was beginning to feel like a bug under a microscope.

Her feet hurt in these stupid shoes she’d bought on impulse. Her stomach was growling because she’d skipped lunch to attend two meetings. And she hadn’t heard from Luca all day.

She wanted to tell him about Drago and Ciro but not over the phone. He would worry. It was a conversation best had face to face. But she didn’t know when she’d see him again. Hopefully soon, if only to calm her nerves.

Rounding the last corner to her apartment building, she stopped short when she saw him. He was jogging up the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street, looking down at the phone in his hand. He stuffed it into his pocket as he glanced up to gauge the traffic, and seconds later, her phone went off in her bag.

She flailed around for it in the recesses of her purse, refusing to tear her eyes away from his profile as he quickly cut through the cars crawling along the road, people eager to get home or do some last-minute Christmas shopping. Freeing her phone, she glanced down at the screen and smiled.

I’m at your place. I’ll be waiting for you upstairs.

Cursing the damn shoes, she quickened her pace to catch up with him. “Can you hold the door?” she shouted as he put in the code she’d given him and the door unlocked with a click.

His head whipped around, and his smile warmed her down to her toes. He leaned against the open door, eyes trailing her body from head to toe, lingering on her legs before moving back up to her face. And there was the exact reason she’d bought the stupid shoes.

“I could get used to coming home to you every day,” she said, tilting her head up for a quick kiss.

“You will,” he promised her. “Very soon.”

She stepped through the door and quickly checked her mail. Nothing but junk and some local mailers. She dumped it all into the recycling bin before swiping her key fob over the scanner and buzzing them into the elevator.

Once the doors slid closed, Luca reached for her, drawing her against his chest and wrapping his arms around her waist. “How was your day?”

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