Page 77 of The Secrets We Keep

“Fine,” Luca said, reaching for the door and yanking it open.

His heart stopped, and he heard Carina’s sharp intake of breath from behind him.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Sienna faltered when the door swung wide. She wasn’t sure she should come here. But she’d made the mistake of not running to him once. She didn’t want to make it again.

Luca froze when he saw her. People were standing with him, but with the light at his back, it was hard to make out who. Two men and a woman, judging by their height. His brothers and sister?

She took a tentative step forward, and in an instant, whatever invisible force holding Luca in place dissolved. He rushed to her, crushing her body to his and burying his face against her neck.

“I thought you were…”

His voice broke, and she squeezed him tight, breathing him in. In Luca’s arms was the only place she’d ever truly felt safe.

“I could have been.”

He set her down so quickly she would have stumbled back a step if he didn’t keep his grip tight on her arms. “What happened? The news said… Your building was…” He sucked in a shaky breath. “I tried to call and...”

He stumbled over his words as if he was trying to make sense of his thoughts, and she reached up to cup his face in her hands, pulling him in closer until their foreheads were touching. His breath fanned her lips, and she squeezed her eyes tight against the sting of tears.

Luca was here and she was here and everything was going to be okay. She repeated that to herself over and over, concentrating on the feel of his body against hers. As if sensing what she needed, he wrapped his arms tight around her, drawing her against his chest and running his hand down her hair.

Slowly, so slowly, her racing heart began to quiet. She relaxed against him, and he pressed his cheek to the top of her head.

“I was afraid I was never going to see you again,” he breathed, and the terror in his voice hit a chord deep inside her chest.

“I’m right here. I’m okay.”

“Does someone want to tell me what the fuck is going on here?” a voice behind them demanded.

“Jesus Christ, Matteo,” a woman grumbled, the irritation clear in her voice. “Let them have a fucking moment.”

“Who the hell is that?” Matteo snapped.

“It’s Luca’s contact,” the woman replied. “It’s freezing out,” she said a little louder in a comment clearly meant for them.

Luca ran his hands up and down her back to warm her. She only had a thin exercise shirt and leggings on. All she owned in the world, save for her car at this point. She’d think about that later.

“You ready?”

She peeked around his shoulder at the people still huddled in the doorway, their faces hidden in shadow. “No. But let’s do it anyway.”

He smiled, kissing her forehead before tucking her in against his side and leading her up the front walkway. “This is my sister Carina and her fiancé, Alexei. And my brother Matteo.” Luca took a deep breath, and his arm tightened around her. “This is Sienna Gallo.”

“Holy fucking shit,” Alexei mumbled.

Carina looked from Sienna to Luca and back again, a small frown creasing her brow. “I think some explanations are in order.”

She stepped back from the door so they could enter, and Alexei did the same. Only Matteo remained rooted in place, body half blocking the door, gaze intense.

“How do we know we can trust her?” he asked, not tearing his eyes away from her face. “How do we know she isn’t working for Gallo?”

Luca took a halting step toward his brother, and Sienna laid a hand on his chest to keep him in place. “You’ve trusted me so far. Or at least you’ve trusted the information I provided you. Give me a few more minutes to tell you all of it.”

Matteo studied her a moment longer but eventually moved aside to let them pass. Luca led her into a soaring foyer with an antique copper chandelier hanging from the ceiling by a long thin chain. The floors were a beautiful tiled mosaic that clicked under Carina’s heels, and the crisp white walls were adorned with expensive art.

They turned into an expansive room with a fire burning in the massive marble fireplace on one wall, overstuffed couches and chairs circled around it. Luca guided her to a loveseat and sat, pulling her into his lap and wrapping his arms around her waist.

---