CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
AYA
“… I didn’t believe him. I would never, ever betray you. I- I would… I would die first… I would-”. Conviction seared my chest, but callused fingertips halted my words to rub my lips. Sucking in a sharp breath, I closed my eyes as Luciano tightened his grip on my outer thigh. His heart beat under my ear was unstable, hard, but I knew mine wasn’t any better.
“You’re not doing jack shit, Aya. I’ll handle Sylvi. When I’m done with him his whores will be sympathetic. Nessuno può farti del male.” Smiling at Luciano’s foreign tongue, I lifted my head to look at him. My eyes widened at the slight upturn of his lips, and I reached to trace the delicate curve. Taking hold of my wrist, he squeezed gently before his faint smile disappeared and a frown took its place. “But don’t ever unbuckle again.”
Blinking slowly, red seeped into my cheeks as Luciano’s eyes narrowed into fine points.
“S- sorry. But… you apolog-“ Cut off by a palm against my mouth, blood rushed to my face at his scowl. Squeezing my body in warning, he pushed me off him and over the center console. Even under the warmth of the midday sun couldn’t compare to him, and goosebumps washed my chest and arms. Slowly reaching for my seat belt, I nibbled my bottom lip before he groaned softly. Peeking over, my eyes narrowed as he swiped his hand down his freshly shaven face.
“Don’t fucking do it again.” Growling out the command, Luciano waited stiffly for me to buckle before the car jerked forward. His pack of cigarettes landed in my lap, and butterflies erupted in my belly as I fiddled with the box.
The drive downtown was listless, and I tapped my fingers together in my lap as I watched the scenery become more human and less nature. The transition was gradual, but with each turn my stomach churned more violently. My fingertips tingled, sweat gathering against my upper lip as we came closer and closer to the law firm my father had once been head of.
My father… Closing my eyes to the city streets, I tried to picture him in my mind. He had red hair, I knew; even people we didn’t know would comment on it when I was little.
But the rest of him was draped in shadow, and I cracked my eyelids apart with a soft sigh.
“… You shouldn’t torture yourself trying to remember them, Aya.” Gruff and low, Luciano’s voice sounded strong and sure from the driver’s seat. Glancing over, my gaze scanned his tight features. His nostrils flared, shoulders tense as the veins in his hands bulged from under his taut skin.
“I’m not. I just… don’t know. Trevor- he had me for a year and a half and no one ever looked for me. And now… no one is still looking for me. What if it’s better this way?” Tearing my eyes from him, I pursed my lips together tightly; I wasn’t sure I’d ever spoken to him so much about myself. Next to me, Luciano sighed heavily to send a plume of smoke into the car. My mind whirled through the past few days, and I laced my fingers against my thighs.
No one looked for me when my parents went spiraling down, and no one bothered to find me with Trevor. Luciano was the only one that wanted me safe- that cared about me when we weren’t together.
That has to mean something.
“The woman that offered to get you out knew about you before posing as a prostitute. She had to have found out somehow. There had to be people that knew where you were.” Biting down on my bottom lip, my chest tightened as Luciano stopped at a red light. “No one needs to look for you if they already know where you are.”
“But why? I’m not famous like my parents- I don’t even have the money they left me.” Frustration swirled behind my ribs, and I reached to rub my face roughly. None of this made sense. Everything was confusing, and I just wanted it to end. Sinking into the leather seat, I turned to Luciano as he frowned, his brows cradling deep creases and a look of concentration on his face. A shrill ringing sounded before he could reply, and I held back a sigh as he reached for his cell phone.
“What, Tyler?” Setting the device on the center console, Luciano gripped the wheel tightly to send the car forward. A soft crackling emanated from the speaker, and I stared at the screen while my gut tied into knots.
“Aya’s father took some big cases before he died, so I looked into them. They’re all mobster defense cases- for us. Trent Hildon- Jackson Mayers- even Luccia. When he died, the firm went legit, but I did some serious digging and Alex Young is still receiving payments from a woman named Christa de Martinia. She’s a frequent at Soleil du Italia, and she’s there right now on assignment from Italy. She’s a scout for Georgio. My only guess as to why she’s still paying after all this time is that she wanted Aya, but Trevor got to her first. He didn’t touch her because he was going to ransom her. Christa must know that Alex Young is holding the $10million and Aya might come back for it, so she’s paying him to keep him on lookout.”
“Send her picture. I’m heading there.” Speeding up, Luciano didn’t bother to end the call as he let out a growl. The sound reverberated through me, sending a shiver down my spine.
“What? What does that mean? Luciano, I don’t-” My throat tightened, cutting off my frantic words before he reached for his phone. With just a few taps he got where he needed to go, and I jumped when he tossed the device at me.
“Is that the woman that tried to help you?” Looking down at the picture, my eyes widened at the face that stared back, and I nodded wordlessly. Hitting the wheel, Luciano groaned harshly before snatching his phone back. “She wants to give you to Georgio. Trevor took you before she could and planned to sell you back. If that didn’t work, he could’ve sold you to the Russians. He was going to keep the $10 million in the safe in case shit went against him. The law firm was a backup if she couldn’t find you because she knew anyone that knew about the money would go there with you.”
“Exactly-” A loud squeal burst from my mouth when Tyler’s voice filtered through the phone speaker, and I clutched my chest to stop my heart from breaking through. “She found you were with Trevor and tried to trick you into coming with her, but you said ‘no’. Not long after that is when we found out Trevor was two timing us. She must’ve told Georgio to come to the States under the guise of checking on Sylvi, when really he was coming to collect Aya. Which means he knew about you and your money long before we did. It also means he could still be trying to get to her- she’s still a virgin and you know how much he likes those, Luciano.”
Luciano only grunted in acknowledgment, and I gnawed on my inner cheek diligently. Rubbing the area over my heart, my hand trembled from the anxiety heating my blood. My eyes ached, and behind them memories of the screaming invaded my mind. Long, thick fingers caressed my cheek, and I let out a shaky breath before Luciano’s gruff voice chased the cries away.
“Don’t be scared, mia Aya.” Leaning into his touch, I closed my eyes until Tyler cleared his throat into the phone. The sudden slow down of my heart sent a throb through me, and I rolled my lips between my teeth.
“I’ll send Marco to the resort. You should get there around the same time.” Tyler barely got the words out before Luciano hung up, leaving the phone on the center console. The atmosphere was tense, bearing down on me to push short, shallow pants from my lungs instead of real breaths.
Turning to Luciano, I watched his jaw tick while his hands clench and release around the wheel. He looked ready to kill someone, and my breath caught in my throat. His was the same look he wore at the fight club; it was the same expression that masked his face when he watched Sylvi at lunch.
He really was going to kill for me.