Chapter Eight

Luca

I woke up, rolling over to pull Adriana closer. The memories of the previous night flooded my mind, vivid and intoxicating. Our night together had been unlike anything I had ever experienced before. Her touch, her scent, her laughter—all of it lingered in the air, making my heart ache with a mix of longing for more and utter contentment.

When my arm reached out and found only empty sheets, I sat up, confusion muddling my thoughts. Maybe she was in the bathroom. "Adriana?" I called out, my voice still thick with sleep. There was nothing but silence in response.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. The room was quiet, the only sound the soft rustling of the curtains in the morning breeze. As I moved toward the bathroom, my gaze fell on a folded piece of paper on the pillow where she had been.

My heart sank as I picked it up and unfolded it and read Adriana’s hurried scrawl, the words sinking into my brain like lead.

So. She had chosen revenge over me. It hurt, but even so, I understood her choice. Her father’s death was a wound that hadn't healed, and she was determined to see it through to the end, even if it meant sacrificing her own life. Instead of anger, a new resolve settled in me. I made my own decision in that moment. I would stop her from enacting her death wish at all costs, even if it meant ending my father's life myself, so I could make her mine once and for all.

I pulled on my clothes quickly, my mind racing. As I reached for my jacket, I realized my gun was missing. Adriana must have taken it. I couldn't blame her; she needed protection. I headed to my office and opened the safe, retrieving another gun and tucking it into my waistband.

Just as I was about to leave the mansion, my phone rang. It was my father.

"Luca, come to the Velvet Room immediately. There's something here you’ll want to see," Carmine's voice was clipped, taunting.

My heart pounded in my chest as I sped to the club. Adriana’s note replayed in my mind, mingling with my father’s ominous tone. When I arrived, I found Carmine standing in the center of the manager’s office, Adriana tied to a chair with the barrel of my father’s gun to her head. One of his enforcers, TJ, stood to the side, a smile playing about his lips as he watched her struggle against her bindings.

In that moment, all I could think about was saving her. She was the only light I had ever had in my life, the only softness in a world full of hard edges.

"What’s going on?" I asked, stepping forward cautiously, my mind racing to come up with some sort of plan.

My father’s eyes glittered with amusement. "Adriana has been a test for you, Luca. One that you have disappointed me greatly by failing. You misjudged me and the scope of my power. I have many eyes on my business endeavors, son, ones that even you don’t know about. I knew who this woman was before she even walked into the Velvet Room. I had high hopes you would come forward and tell me about her after she made her presence known to you. And to eliminate her as our family oath requires."

I forced a smirk. "I was handling it, Father. You didn’t need to get involved."

Carmine’s smile faded, replaced with a sneer. "Oh, really? Or have you gone soft for some pussy?”

I took a deep breath, trying to maintain my composure. "Are you feeling okay, Father?” I asked, determined to outsmart him at his own game. “You’re not making any sense. Why would I want to save this girl? I was only having a bit of fun before getting rid of her. Have I ever given you a reason not to trust me? Perhaps you’re going senile, and you’re losing control of your faculties. In fact, are you even competent enough to continue running the organization with this kind of paranoia?”

Carmine laughed, a cold, harsh sound that sent chills down my spine. "Nice try, Luca. But I know what you're doing. You’re planning to use Adriana to get rid of me so you can take over. But I have news for you, son. It won’t work, because your life will end in this room."

My breath caught in my throat. "Are you saying you’re going to kill your own son because you’re afraid of losing power?"

TJ suddenly grabbed me from behind, pinning my arms behind me in a vice-like grip.

“TJ,” I said calmly. “Don’t do this. I’ve always been good to you and treated you fairly. I’ve got nothing to hide here.”

“Sorry, Luca,” he replied. “Mr. Capuzzo’s boss.”

Carmine pointed his gun at me, his eyes glinting with malice. "That’s right, TJ. You know your place. But clearly my son does not. And on that note, Luca, I may as well tell you the truth before I send you on your way to hell.”

“What truth is that?” I asked. I had to keep him talking, distract him until I saw an opening, a chance to turn the tables.

“I’m not your father, Luca. You’re my brother Joseph’s son. I had your mother and him killed for their betrayal once I discovered the truth of their affair and your paternity. I should have known their spawn would turn out the same."

Shock and anger coursed through me. The man I had called father was nothing but a murderer who had killed my real parents. My mind raced, searching for a way out of this nightmare.

Suddenly, Adriana's legs came free of their bindings, and she kicked out, sweeping Carmine’s feet out from under him. His gun went flying across the room as he fell.

This was the opportunity I’d been waiting for. I elbowed TJ sharply in the ribs, breaking free of his grip. I kicked Carmine’s gun towards Adriana, who had managed to free her hands. In one swift motion, I drew my own gun from my waistband, spun and shot TJ, who immediately crumpled to the ground.

Carmine recovered quickly and stood, raising his hands behind his head with the realization that he was now unarmed. "We can make a deal, Luca," he said, his voice dripping with false sincerity. “We can both walk away from this. Think of the years we spent together.”

I smiled coldly as I pointed my pistol at the head of the man I’d called father. "Do us both the honor, Adriana."

Adriana stood, Carmine’s gun steady in her hands. Her eyes were filled with resolve as she aimed it at him. "This is for Giuseppe Gorga," she said, her voice full of emotion, and pulled the trigger.

The next moment, the door burst open, and Ignacio entered the room, his weapon drawn.