Chapter 31

CHAPTERTHIRTY-ONE

“FUCK ME.” DOM threw on his pants and looked around for wherever the hell his shirt had gone. He found it in a crumpled heap on the floor and snatched it up.

“What’s going on?”

“Trouble, that’s what,” Dom replied. “Get dressed.”

“What kind of—”

“Oh, Dommm!” his sister called out to him from somewhere in the penthouse.

“Who’s that?” Luca asked.

Dom pulled on his shirt and then ran a hand through his hair. Fuck, what was Caterina doing here? There was no way his father knew about this little visit, because he’d never allow it after what happened. “It’s my sister. Get dressed.”

Like his ass was on fire, Luca did as he was told, throwing on his clothes and following Dom to the door.

Thank God they’d had the sense to come upstairs. Caterina knew about Dom’s under-the-radar sexual escapades, but this was different. He never slept with the enemy.

“Stay up here,” Dom said, throwing open the door. “And don’t—”

He choked on his words as he stepped into the hallway. Caterina stood at the top of the stairs, her arms crossed, and it was too late to shove Luca back inside his room. Her mouth curled up in a simpering smile.

“Well, well, well. Seems I’ve come to visit at a good time.”

“Not at all,” Dom said. As he continued down the hall, he looked over his shoulder and inclined his head for Luca to go to his room.

“Luca, right?” Caterina said. “Don’t you know it’s rude to hide upstairs when there are guests?” She waved her hand. “Come on. Unlike this one, I don’t bite.”

With a flip of her long, dark hair, she practically skipped down the stairs, no doubt thrilled about the newest development. Any chance she could get to be involved in Dom’s private life, she took. Probably because she was so cut off from any business dealings, which was the way both Dom and his father preferred it. She needed to stay out of sight, to stay safe, which meant this unexpected little visit wasn’t a smart move on her part.

“She’s not involved in any of this,” Dom said under his breath, just loud enough for Luca to hear. “Watch what you say. Better yet, don’t say anything at all.”

He expected a smartass remark, maybe even a bit of pushback, but Luca only nodded.

Damn. Looked like all Dom needed was to fuck Luca senseless to get him to shut his mouth.

They found Caterina standing at the bar cart in the kitchen. She turned around and held up an empty bottle of vodka. “There was a party and I wasn’t invited?”

“You shouldn’t be here.”

“That’s not very nice. Or welcoming.” She leaned around Dom to smile at Luca. “Is it?”

Dom bit back the remark on his tongue. “What are you doing here, Caterina?”

“I didn’t get a chance to talk to you much at the party, and since you’ve been so busy lately, I thought we could catch up.” She fluttered her lashes, trying to look innocent.

“Right. Tell me what you really want.” Dom grabbed the empty bottle from her and chucked it into the trash can.

“Well, you could start by offering me a drink.”

If it had been anyone else, he’d have told them to get it themselves, but if Dom had a soft spot at all, it was for his sister. He pulled out a fresh bottle from the freezer, since Luca had taken the other one upstairs, and then took the cranberry juice out of the fridge.

“Ice and just a splash of the red stuff. Please and thank you.” Caterina winked at Dom and then patted a stool. “Why don’t you come join me, Luca? I want to know all about you.”

To his credit, Luca looked to Dom first, but Caterina waved him off.

“You don’t need his approval to sit down. Or do you? Is that the kind of relationship you two have going on here?”

“There’s no relationship,” Dom said before Luca could answer.

“Oh. So that was just a business meeting in your room, then?”

Dom shot her a glare as he pushed her drink across the counter and then poured one of his own. “What happens in my room is none of your business.”

“Trust me, I’m not looking for those kinds of details.” She took a sip of her vodka cranberry and hummed. “Not bad. If the whole family empire goes to hell, you could always find work as a pretty decent bartender.”

“I appreciate the vote of confidence,” Dom replied dryly.

Caterina took another sip and then looked around. “Chef isn’t here today?”

“Ah. So that’s why you’re here.”

She blinked, all wide-eyed naïveté. “What?”

“Don’t even go there, Cat. I mean it.”

“Don’t go where, darling brother?”

Dom spread his hands on the counter. “Whatever this fascination is with Chef, you need to drop it.” She started to protest, and he put his hand up. “All that flirty shit that comes out of your mouth, I hear it. And I see it. He’s off-limits. You’re off-limits. So forget about it; it’s never going to happen.”

Caterina swallowed and took a beat to let that sink in, but then she flipped her hair over her shoulder and shrugged. “I’m never being serious. I just feel bad he doesn’t get out much outside of work, that’s all.” She swiveled in her seat toward Luca. “Anyway, I’m much more interested in getting to know you. Tell me about yourself.”

Again, Luca’s eyes cut to Dom, which made Caterina grumble, “Jesus, it’s not like you’re a hostage. You’re allowed to speak.”

Dom choked on his vodka, but Caterina wasn’t paying him any attention.

“Um. What exactly do you wanna know?” Luca said.

“Well, for starters, when did you meet my brother?”

“A few days ago.”

“Where?”

Luca’s eyes flashed to Dom. “Here.”

“And let me guess—it was love at first sight.”

“No,” he said a little too quickly. “Actually, I thought he was an asshole.”

“Really?” Caterina smiled and looked at Dom. “Smart guy. I like him already.”

Dom lifted his drink to his lips, flashing his middle finger.

She laughed and turned back to Luca. “I can’t imagine what he did to win you over, not that I need those details either. What I do want to know is who you really are.”

“Cat—”

“Because you look so familiar, and even though you’re obviously an attractive guy, I don’t mean familiar in a good way.” She narrowed her eyes at Luca. “Who are you?”

“Luca Davis.”

“Try again.”

Luca opened his mouth to answer, but Dom beat him to it. “You know who he is.”

“Do I?”

“Yes. You do. And I can explain.”

“You can explain why he’s lying about his name and why you’re screwing around with someone who looks like a Fiore? Really?” She stood up and spread her hands out, mimicking Dom. “And don’t tell me he doesn’t, Dom—I have eyes. He looks just like her.”

“I’m not denying anything.”

She reared back like she hadn’t been expecting Dom to admit it. “Holy shit, so he is a Fiore? Have you lost your mind?”

Hell, maybe he had, considering what he’d been doing with that Fiore only a short time ago.

“Hello? Explain yourself.”

Dom shook his head. “That’s just it. I don’t have to explain anything.”

“Excuse me? When all I’ve been told my whole life is to stay away from them because of all the horrible things they’ve done, and here you are with one in your room? That deserves an explanation, Dom. A damn good one.”

Luca stood up and began to back away. “I’m just gonna let you two talk—”

“Don’t even think about going anywhere,” Caterina said. “You think I trust you to go off alone? I know all about your family.”

Luca clenched his jaw. “They’re not my family.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I don’t know them,” he said. “Any of them. I’ve seen a photo, I know I look like the mom, but I’ve never met them. I don’t even know their names.”

Caterina whirled to Dom. “What is he talking about?”

“I’m not even from here,” Luca continued. “I go to med school in Connecticut, I get straight As, I have a normal family who doesn’t shoot up a city full of people. Whatever this rivalry is, I’m not a part of it. I don’t want to be.”

Dom slammed his glass on the counter. “You don’t have a choice.”

“What do you mean he doesn’t have a choice?” Caterina asked.

“It means this conversation has gone far enough. You know enough. No more questions.”

“No, I don’t agree to those terms. You all keep me hidden in the dark like I’m a breakable woman who can’t possibly understand anything. Something’s going on here, and I deserve to know what it is.”

“No.”

Caterina growled and turned toward Luca. “Tell me why you don’t have a choice. Why you’re here.”

Dom rounded the island and took Caterina by the elbow. “You need to leave—”

“Stop telling me what to do. Let him speak.”

“He doesn’t have anything to tell you.”

She jerked herself free of his hold. “Why can’t he tell me that? What did you do, Dom?”

God, his sister was going to frustrate him to an early death, he could feel it. But before Dom could escort her out, Luca quietly spoke up.

“He took me.”

Both Dom and Caterina went still, and she shook her head as though she hadn’t heard right.

“What?”

“That’s it. Enough.” Dom took hold of her arm again, and she wasn’t able to get out of his grasp as he hauled her out of the kitchen. He only let go—blocking her view of Luca—once they were at the front door.

“What the fuck, Dom? What does he mean, you took him? Did Father tell you to?”

“Cat—”

“And if he did, why were you both coming out of your bedroom looking like you’d just been up to no good? For the love of God, what are you doing?”

“None of your business.”

She scoffed. “Always the same line, isn’t it? None of my business. Has it ever occurred to you it might be more dangerous to keep me out of the loop? How do I protect myself if I don’t know what’s going on?”

“We will protect you. Always.” At the worry in her eyes, Dom felt his frustration ease. “Look, who brought you here?”

“I brought myself.”

“Christ, Cat.” He ran a hand over his face, wanting to fucking scream. “You’re not supposed to leave the house without an escort.”

“It’s not my fault he can’t keep up with a Bentley.”

Fuckin’ hell. Dom would be dealing with that piece of shit soon. He unlocked the door and whistled for Tony then pointed at the burly guard. “Tony will be driving you home.”

“What? I can drive my own—”

“Tony will be driving you home, and if I hear you gave him any shit, I swear to God I’ll put five guys at every entrance. You got me?”

Caterina’s face dropped. He knew what a pain in the ass this was. That he was. But this was the only way to keep her safe.

“There are things happening that I know you don’t understand and that I can’t tell you. But please trust me when I say it’s not safe for you to be out on your own. Promise me you won’t do this again.”

She didn’t look happy at all, but she nodded. “Okay. But promise me you’re being safe too.”

“Always,” he lied. Another case of what she didn’t know couldn’t hurt her. Would she even be able to look at him if she knew even half of what he’d done?

No. And that was why she could never find out.

And one of the many reasons she needed to stay far the hell away from Chef.