Dreadnought (Nemesis #1)(19)
“Chloe, I want you to meet Sal.”
Chloe knew of Sal, had seen him around the Carusos when she had been with Elle, but she had never seen him so up close, never took a look into his deep black to deep blue eyes. Something about him made every hair on her body stand up and every alarm go off in her head.
“Hello, Chloe.” He gave a wicked smile. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
Frozen in place, she could only stare at the well-groomed man.
“Sal came to watch you and help you with your calculus while Drago and I take care of some business matters.”
“H-He d-did?” Her shaky hands clasped together and squeezed.
Lucca stared at her for a moment before his voice turned dark. “Come with me, darlin’.”
The command made her follow him through the house and down a hall. He opened a door, and then waited for her to go in first.
Stepping into what seemed to be his office, her heart began to pound then beat out of her chest as he shut the door behind him, closing them in.
Now alone, lines of worry marked his face. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
Still trying to shake Sal’s eyes out of her mind, she tried her best to speak. “I-I just d-don’t know him.”
He took a step closer to her. “Drago is much scarier to look at than Sal, and you didn’t know him, either, so don’t lie to me, darlin’.”
Biting hard on her lip, she thought she was going to draw blood soon. I don’t know why he scares me.
Lucca took another step toward her when she didn’t answer.
“I don’t know …” she whispered. “I feel like I know him, but I don’t.”
Taking a final step, he pinned her against the big desk behind her when she tried to put space between them. They were barely inches apart when he picked up a strand of her hair and twirled it in the same motion he always did.
“Do you think I would leave you with just anyone, Chloe?”
Her chest fell as hard as she raised it. It was strange, and she didn’t understand how, but somewhere deep down she knew he wouldn’t. “N-No.”
“Do you think I’d ever let someone get close enough to possibly touch you”—he pulled her hair ever so slightly around his finger, his eyes travelling down her pale face to her neck—“when I have yet to touch you first?”
She slowly shook her head, biting harder into her bottom lip. She was sure this was it, when he was finally going to touch her, though she wasn’t ready. Please, not yet.
He looked at the dark silk he spun. “I keep twirling your hair around my finger, because this is as close as I can get to touching you for now. I promise you, no one else will ever touch you in this house or outside of it. Not even God could save a man who lays his hands on you.”
The pressure in her lip lessened, and she breathed easier. She believed every word he said, but what scared her was that it also put her at ease. She was almost grateful about the fact she wouldn’t have to worry about anyone ever harming her, let alone touching her again.
What is happening to me?
Lucca gave her a few inches of breathing room. “I consider Sal my only friend, but he’s also more than that. I’m closer to him than I am to Nero, who’s my own brother.” This was one of those times he allowed any emotion to show. “My father took Sal in when we were young, and we were raised together. Sal may not be my blood, but he’s my brother. I trust him with my life, and I trust him with yours. He won’t hurt you, darlin’.”
Lucca wasn’t the type of man to put trust in anyone but himself, so she would trust him at his word that Sal wouldn’t hurt her, regardless that Sal made the hair stand up on the back of her neck.
“Okay.”
He gave her a smile before letting the strand slip from his grasp. “Drago and I will be back as soon as we can.”
Nodding, she put on her best brave face as she followed Lucca out of his office and back to where Sal was waiting. She sat down at the kitchen island with her laptop, while the men talked quietly amongst themselves. She couldn’t help wringing her hands to the point her nails dug into her palms. Never did she think she would ever wish Lucca wasn’t leaving her, not until now.
Chloe was left with two thoughts. The first, she wondered why Drago had been the one to watch her every move when it was Sal who was his real friend.
The front door closed, and she heard footsteps get closer. Turning her head, she swallowed hard, trying to keep down the unknown fear of the man Lucca called his brother.
Her other thought … Why does he remind me of him?
Fifteen
The Monstrous Name
Staring out the window at the emptiness surrounding them, Lucca focused on the dirt path, waiting for the cars to come into view. The Caruso family had arrived two hours earlier to scope out the place, something the possible enemy should have done. Their black Cadillacs were lined up in front of the empty warehouse, and each soldier was packing in case this was the year the Lucianos decided to end the peace.
Once a year, the two mafia families of Kansas City had a meeting on equal ground outside the city. It was a way to keep the peace between them; to keep another war from happening, as the last war had almost wiped out the Luciano name.
Lucca began flipping his lighter open and closed, not removing his eyes from the road. Since joining the family every year to the date, he had come here feeling nothing. This year, however, he couldn’t help feeling an uneasiness in the air.