Chapter 7

CHAPTERSEVEN

EVEN FROM ACROSS the room, Dom could see how petrified the kid was, though now that he was standing up and Dom got a good look at him, it was clear he wasn’t a kid at all.

Maybe just shy of six feet, he filled out his jeans, t-shirt, and leather jacket in a way Dom hadn’t expected. The dark hair along his jaw and upper lip was a little more pronounced than it had been earlier, but it matched his buzzed hair, giving him a rugged look that better suited city life than some uptight medical school.

The way his body went rigid at Dom’s words, though, said that while Luca may look the part, he didn’t have the street smarts to live a life like this. Already he’d backed up, ready to flee now that he wasn’t tied to a chair.

Dom tsked. “I wouldn’t try to run if I were you.”

Luca stopped moving and looked back at the door. He seemed to contemplate doing just that, and a part of Dom hoped he’d try just so he’d have an excuse to rough the kid up a little. Keeping his hands off was his father’s preference, but it wasn’t an order.

Hmm… On second thought…If Luca wanted to play catch the rabbit, Dom was up for a quick game.

He flashed a sadistic smile at Luca. “Tell you what. I changed my mind. If you can get through those doors and into the elevator, I’ll let you go home.”

The way Luca’s brows pinched together told Dom he didn’t believe him—which was smart—but there was something else in his expression. Something a lot like hope.

Before Dom could blink, the kid took off, running for the front door, which, of course, was locked. And unlucky for him, the security system wasn’t as easy as flipping a deadbolt.

As Luca struggled with the handle, looking in vain for a latch, Dom decided to give a false sense of mercy to the guy desperate to leave his presence. He removed his cell phone from his pocket, tapped a button, and watched as the front door flew open, knocking Luca back and to the ground.

He didn’t stay down for long, though, only glancing at the open door and then back at Dom, who stood unmoving, before scrambling to his feet.

It was almost flattering the way Luca practically tripped over himself to get away. Dom enjoyed the effect he had on others with just his reputation preceding him, though Luca claimed not to know about any of that. He had no idea how much worse things could be.

Luca took off, making it through the front door, but he didn’t realize what was waiting around the corner.

From their usual spots guarding the elevator and the penthouse’s entrance, the Borrelli twins stepped into view. Their massive bodies blocked the hallway, and the sight of them made Luca stop suddenly to reassess—but his moment of hesitation cost him dearly. Before he could risk it all to keep going or give up and turn back, one of the twins reached out and gripped him by the throat.

“Going somewhere?” Joe said. With a hand that had crushed many windpipes, he began to squeeze, pushing Luca back down the hall as the boy struggled to get free. When they crossed the threshold to the penthouse, Joe’s eyes met Dom’s. “Playin’ hide and seek, boss?”

“I thought Luca here could use some exercise after sitting all day. Too bad he couldn’t get any further. What a shame.” Dom gave Joe a nod, and he let Luca go suddenly. Luca fell to the floor, struggling to breathe.

As the twins left the room and shut the front door—the locks automatically engaged—Dom strolled over to where Luca was bent down, gasping and coughing.

“You knew…I couldn’t leave.”

“Yes.”

Luca shook his head. “I don’t understand why…” He sat there still, looking at the floor.

“You’re a smart kid. Surely you’re piecing things together by now.”

“I’m not—” His words came out hoarse, and he coughed and tried again. “I’m not a kid. And I’m not whoever you think I am. You have the wrong person.”

“No. I have the right person. The problem is, you have no idea who you are.”

Luca blinked up at him, the fear from seconds ago now clouded with confusion. “That makes no sense. I told you who I am. My name is Luca Davis. I’m from New Haven, Connecticut—”

“Stop it,” Dom barked as he loomed over his captive. “These are all lies. Don’t you understand?”

He crouched down so they were eye to eye, and when Luca scrambled back from him, an immoral smile curled Dom’s lip. “The life you know, the one you have been led to believe… None of that is real.” Dom cocked his head to the side, giving the kid a thorough once-over. “The fancy house, the rich school, the loving parents… It’s all just a front.”

Luca’s brows pinched together. “A front? I— A front for what? My parents are the most normal, everyday people you will ever meet. They go to work, come home, they barely even go out, let alone into the city. I’m telling you, you have the wrong person.”

Dom got to his feet and smoothed his hands down his jacket. “Get up.”

Luca’s eyes widened but he otherwise remained still.

“I said. Get. Up.” The tone of his voice was one any smart man would understand meant trouble, and lucky for Luca, the one thing he did have going for him was his brain. He got to his feet, making sure to keep his distance, but Dom wasn’t about to make him comfortable.

He walked around Luca, looking him over from head to toe, taking in every little detail of the one he was now tasked with keeping close…and alive. Luca glanced over his shoulder as Dom moved behind him, his fight-or-flight response no doubt signaling like a motherfucker. That was what happened when you were the prey in a predator’s sights.

“Luca,” Dom said by the kid’s ear. “Do I strike you as a man who gets things wrong?”

The only movement Luca made was to breathe. “No.”

“Exactly. So when I tell you I have the right person, don’t fucking argue with me.”

Luca did just that and shut his mouth, but the wheels were turning, that much was obvious, and after a long moment, he said, “Then who am I? If you say that my life as I know it is a lie, then tell me what you think you know.”

“If I did that, I’d have to kill you, and luckily for you, someone higher up the ladder wants you alive.”

“There’s someone higher than you?” The second after he said it, Luca clamped his mouth shut, as though he realized how mouthy he was getting.

Dom arched a brow. “Only by one rung, and don’t take too much comfort in that. He takes my advice more often than not.”

“And you want to kill me?”

“I wouldn’t be opposed to it.”

Luca swallowed and shook his head, muttering to himself.

“What was that?”

His brown eyes flicked back to Dom’s. The fear from earlier was again present, but so, apparently, was his resolve. Luca tilted his chin a fraction and said, “I said you’re a monster.”

Dom smirked. “Now you’re catching on.”

“Someone will come for me. People are going to be worried about me.”

“The only people worried about you already know what happened. They were in on it.”

“What?” Luca paled instantly.

Dom slid his hands into his pockets and took a step forward. “You were a favor, nothing more. And that’s all I’m going to tell you tonight. Now come with me.”

He led Luca up the two flights of stairs and down the hall, passing by several empty bedrooms before stopping at one. Dom opened the door, pushed it wide, and gestured for Luca to go inside.

From the look of apprehension on his face as he walked by Dom, it seemed he’d been expecting another chair and windowless room. Instead, he was getting a five-star hotel room, complete with luxury bedding, a large floor-to-ceiling window, and even a chandelier. Not bad for someone Dom would’ve preferred be in the gutter.

Luca turned around, a frown on his face.

“What?” Dom said. “Not up to your standards?”

“I’m staying here alone?”

“Would you prefer company?” Dom smirked and leaned against the doorjamb. “I could stay. Or perhaps you’d prefer Joe?”

“No,” Luca said quickly, running a hand over his hair. “I just wasn’t expecting…this.”

“That makes two of us,” Dom said under his breath. He nodded toward the door in the corner. “The en suite’s through there. Use it or don’t. I don’t care.” Dom turned to leave.

“Where do you stay?”

“That’s none of your business. When I need you, I’ll find you.”

Luca swallowed hard as Dom pulled the door shut. He stood there for a moment, hand on the knob, before turning on his heel. The bedroom he entered was at the end of the hall, an immense space with views of Manhattan on both sides of the room, though he preferred the curtains shut for privacy. It was a dim space compared to the rest of the penthouse, furnished in shades of dark grey, with a modern brass chandelier above the bed on a dimmer.

He unfastened his suit jacket and laid it across the edge of the bed, and then he cracked his neck from side to side, sighing as the tension left his body. As he began to remove his cuff links, he wandered over to the oversized van Gogh hanging opposite his bed and pushed a barely there button on the wall beside it.

The painting began to lift, and Luca came into view. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, his elbows on his knees and his head leaning against his clasped fingers like he was in prayer.

You can pray all you like,Dom thought, and it was a shame, really, because while Luca was as close to God as he likely ever would be up here, what he didn’t seem to realize was that he was sharing space with the devil himself.