Page 79 of Devoted

She was perfect for me. My stolen treasure.

And now she’s just a memory.

My fingers dig through my hair as I shake my head slowly back and forth.

“What’s going on, Luca?” Grayson questions. “It’s her, isn’t it?”

“Drop it,” I say through gritted teeth.

I don’t need another lecture on following my heart. I don’t want to hear it.In keeping them all safe, I have to keep them in the dark. They think I’m only doing this as a deal for the Capris searching for Maddie. I want them far away from this.

“Boss, we’ve all said we will stick by you no matter what. We’ve got your back. You don’t have to do this.”His large palm smacks on the table emphatically, making my drink jump in front of me.

My hand flips in a circular wave. “It’s too late to back out now, Grayson. The deal has been signed. She’s probably moved on. Itold her to.”

It hurts, the fact that another man will get to call her his. Will get to treasure her like I only wished I could. I just want her to be happy.

Her pain runs deep, but I saw her strength. She’s a fighter. As long as she stays clean. The moment she slips behind that mask, Rosa becomes a shell of herself. A woman hiding her scars from the world. Not that I can blame her.

A heavy hand clasps down on my shoulder. Turning around, I’m met with Keller’s huge frame sporting a white shirt and black tie.

“Brother,” he sticks his tattooed hand out for me to shake.

“Have you seen Mom?” I ask as my palm disappears within his.

He nods with a frown. “Yeah, she’s looking after Max and Darcy. She’s fine. Sienna and Maddie are just in the restrooms. They’ll be here in a minute. Hmm.” Keller’s chest rumbles as he looks at Grayson with a grin.

“What?”I snap at him.

He gestures around the decorated room. “I thought you’d have called this off by now.”

“Not you, too. Look, I’m having some growing problems, sure. But having a she-devil invade your personal space and overhaul your life is a little bit of an adjustment.”

That's one way to put it.

“You didn’t seem to mind Rosa living with you.” Keller smirks.

“Fuck off.” This is already hard enough.

“Where’s Maria then?”Grayson asks.

“I dunno, she was getting her horns cut off or something before the party.”Her actual story was she needed lip filler. Like anyone here cared.

Grayson spits out his drink and laughs.

“She took my Amex and left. Told me she would meet me here.” The longer she’s gone, the better. I don’t really give a shit how much it costs.

“Have you seen Frankie yet?” I ask. Grayson shrugs and knocks back his scotch. Those two still aren’t on the best of terms. Even after Maddie assuring us Frankie didn’t hurt her, Grayson can’t forgive him. To be honest, I wouldn’t either. If someone took Rosa from me like that, let alone with my baby, I’d have every right to be pissed. But if I am going to win this fight, I need them all. Including Frankie.

“Luca, darling.” The high-pitched voice I’ve grown to hate echoes across the VIP area, and I cringe.

Her stilettos click against the floor as she gets closer.

She flits over, not even acknowledging me, heading straight for Keller. I’m not surprised, he is a local celebrity. I was sure she would sniff around him. Not that he would ever entertain another woman.

“You must be Keller,” she purrs while holding out her left hand to him.

She’s wearing a tight white dress that barely covers her ass. Her fake tits are filling it perfectly. Last year, I can’t lie, I would have fucked her. That probably would have made this whole experience less painful.

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