Chapter 11

CHAPTERELEVEN

SOMEONE WAS NUDGING Luca in his dream. It was an insistent touch, but Luca was too focused on the surgery he was performing to give any attention to whoever was trying to distract him.

Almost done…just thread the needle a couple more times to close off the wound—

“Luca.”

Not now, I’m trying to—

“Wake up, we’re here.”

Here? Where?

Luca’s eyes opened, and it wasn’t an operating room he was in, but a plane. He blinked, trying to get his bearings.

“Care to see Italy, or did you want to stay here?”

Italy? They were already there?

He sat up quickly and looked out the window, and sure enough, they were no longer flying through the clouds, but had landed among tree-lined hills. Damn, he’d slept through almost all of the flight and probably could pass back out now.

Then again, who could sleep in freakin’ Italy?

He bounded out of his seat and followed Dom off the plane, but as he walked down the steps, he realized they wouldn’t be going far. Not with Dom walking straight toward the black Aston Martin that was parked a few feet away.

Wow. That was a sexy convertible, and with Dom in the driver’s seat, it was practically a fantasy come to life. Unless you considered current circumstances, of course, but Luca wasn’t about to let the trauma of the last few days get to him. Not now.

Well, unless Dom decided to give him a view from the trunk.

Luca hopped into the passenger seat and buckled himself in before Dom had the chance to leave him behind.

“You know, when you and Chef mentioned escaping, I didn’t think that meant in a hot car in Italy.”

Dom let out an inelegant snort. “If you thought I’d hole up in a shack like your dear old dad, you’ve got another thing coming.”

“Constantino’s not my dad.”

Dom went silent for a moment before nodding. “You’re right. You’re nothing like him.”

Then he started up the car, and the purr of the engine drowned out anything Luca could’ve said to that, but he didn’t have words anyway. How could he when Dom had just acknowledged Luca was nothing like a Fiore? Nothing like his enemy.

For some reason, that knowledge felt like a warm blanket, and Luca settled in for the ride to wherever it was they were going. At least he knew it wouldn’t be a shack.

Or, hopefully, a basement.

“So… Where exactly are we?” Luca looked at his surroundings as Dom drove toward the exit of what seemed to be another private airport. But there was no visible signage, no “Welcome to Wherever Airport” sign, just the runway and a road leading out.

Was this place even legal? Or was it completely off the grid for people like Dom? Was this where all the bad guys like drug traffickers and gun runners entered and exited undetected? Luca had no idea, but when he glanced over to his driver, he realized that somewhere along the line he’d stopped lumping Dom in with those kinds of men and women.

“We’re in Milan right now,” Dom said as he made his way out of the empty airfield and onto a quiet street.

“Milan?”

“That’s right, but we aren’t staying here.”

Dom wove his way out of the densely wooded area, and as he brought the car to a stop at a main road, the sound of horns beeping and blaring made Luca grip the dashboard for dear life.

“What the hell?” he said as one driver after another laid their hand on the horn as they whizzed by. “Why are they all honking at us? We aren’t even moving.”

“Because that’s their way. They’re making sure you see them and stay put.” He reached across the car and tugged at Luca’s seatbelt. “Very good—you’re going to want to be buckled up for this trip.”

Luca frowned. “Um, why? I thought we were just going to drive to wherever we’re staying.”

“We are.” Dom chuckled, and the sound was slightly diabolical. “But the Italians are rather aggressive when it comes to getting from one place to another.”

“Aggressive?”

“Yes. As in, any small gap you see is an invitation.”

“An invitation to what?”

“To get ahead.” Dom flashed a wolfish smile, then pushed in the clutch and shifted into first gear. “And I love to get ahead. So hang on, kid.”

Like a bullet out of a gun—okay, probably not the best metaphor—Dom shot out of the quiet road and onto the main drag so fast the tires squealed and kicked up the gravel underneath them. He maneuvered the vehicle into a small opening between two cars that was so tight it made Luca’s entire body clench. As horns blared all around, Dom laughed like some maniacal lunatic and punched the accelerator.

Luca gripped the side of the door with one hand and his seatbelt with the other, then sent up a quick prayer that this wouldn’t be how or where he died, and realized that once again Dom held Luca’s life in his hands.

Dom weaved in and out of the bustling traffic, honking away as he cursed in Italian at cars flying by. When hands came out windows to flip them off, a wide smile crossed Dom’s face.

Of course something like this appealed to him. He loved adrenaline, lived for the thrill of whether he’d see another day. Luca, however, did not share the same sentiment.

He wasn’t sure how long the drive of death went on for, but when Dom came around a wide bend in the road and the view opened up to a spectacular lake, all thoughts of vehicular death vanished from Luca’s mind.

“Oh. My. God.”

He straightened and took in the sweeping mountains on either side of the pristine body of water, the sailboats, shops, and markets running along the coast.

“Welcome to Lake Como,” Dom said.

Luca’s jaw dropped as he took in the most beautiful sights he’d ever seen in his life. It looked like he’d been dropped into a painting, the colors too rich and vibrant to be real. Even the air smelled too fresh, with a hint of something sweet and floral on the breeze.

“Wow,” he said, shaking his head. “This is incredible.”

“Yes. It is.”

Dom drove through the winding streets, staying closer to the water rather than going up into the hills. Luca’s eyes grew wide at the size of the homes along the lake. There was no way they were staying in one of these places, were they? Each house was more luxurious than the last.

When Dom finally pulled into a driveway, Luca practically passed out from shock.

“We’re here,” Dom said, cutting the engine, but he didn’t make a move to get out of the car. Instead, he stared up at the palatial estate, his gaze a bit wistful.

“What is this place?”

“Via Besana Moltrasio.”

“Is it yours?”

Dom nodded, still not taking his eyes off the house. Luca couldn’t blame him—it was beautiful. Rounded windows decorated the two-story, cream-colored exterior accented with stone and ornate carvings he couldn’t quite make out. From where they parked he could see a sliver of the backyard, and holy shit, the house was directly on the water. He was itching to get out and explore, but Dom hadn’t moved.

“Is everything okay?” Luca asked.

Dom blinked, snapping out of whatever trance he’d been in. “Yes,” he said as he hopped out of the car then made his way to the front door, leaving Luca to follow him. Clearly everything wasn’t okay, but he’d ask questions later.

As he stepped inside the villa, he sucked in a breath at the view staring him in the face. Through the window, he could see a large terrace covered in lush foliage, beautiful flowers in bloom, and an inviting pool, and beyond that, the sparkling waters of Lake Como. It was the most stunning place he’d ever seen in his life.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Mr. Rossetti. You’re here earlier than we expected.”

A woman’s voice knocked Luca out of his reverie. Two ladies were pulling white sheets off the furniture, but they stopped when they saw Dom and Luca.

“Apologies. When I’m here, I’m afraid I have a bit of a heavy foot.” Dom gave the women a charming smile, and Luca stifled a chuckle. There was no way Dom the adrenaline junkie had any less of a heavy foot even in Manhattan traffic.

“We’ll have everything down here cleared and cleaned for you soon, but the bedrooms have already been made, as well as the kitchen. If you’d like, we can stock it for you, or—”

“There’s no need to do that, but thank you.”

The woman nodded, and as they went back to uncovering what looked like a formal room, Dom ushered Luca toward the stairs.

“The rooms are upstairs to your right.”

“What? I don’t get a tour of the place first?” Luca asked.

“No. It’s not ready yet.”

“Oh.” Luca looked back at the white sheets lying in a heap on the floor. He didn’t know people actually did that. He’d only ever seen covered furniture in old movies. When was the last time Dom or his family had been here? “So should I just take any of them?”

“Any room is fine.” The change in Dom’s demeanor was like night and day. He’d gone from fun and carefree out on the road to introspective and closed off in here.

Luca started up the stairs, trying to make sense of what he might’ve done to cause such a shift in Dom’s mood. But when he reached the top of the landing and turned to look back down, he saw Dom had moved toward the windows overlooking the lake and had his hands clasped behind his back.

He was still and silent as he stared out at the sun sparkling off the water of the lake, but he seemed despondent.

Luca frowned, more determined than ever to get to the bottom of that mystery. Maybe it was something to do with the place? The house? Memories from here? He wasn’t sure, but as a yawn hit him and his eyes began to feel heavy, he realized it was a mystery that would have to wait another day. The bed was calling his name.