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Luca smirks, though I can see he doesn’t mean anything by it. “We both know, if I’d been there, I would’ve been with you.”
“Relax,” Elio says, grinning, which must mean he’s ready to let this go. Even though I’m confident I could go toe-to-toe with him, he’s the don of the Marino Family. It would mean I’d have to leave the country. And what for? Luca’s my friend. Elio could be, too.
“I had to check, Colt. I trust Luca, especially since he settled down. He hasn’t led me wrong once since then.”
“You saying I was a fuckup when I spent half my time drinking, eh?”
We all laugh. I’ve noticed something about Luca. Whenever he refers to those times, he never mentions the womanizing, and I get it. I never judge him for it. He’s found the love of his life. He doesn’t want his past to define him, but it makes me think of Lexi. If she had a past… Dammit, could I let it go? Or would I need to list them and hunt them all down? How do I feel like I own her so strongly so fast?
“Let’s go for a ride,” Elio says. “I’ve got somebody you need to meet. Somehow, I think you’ve got something in common.”
“In common?” Luca says, looking confused.
“It seems they’ve both seen their fair share of darkness.”
“Ah, I get you, brother,” Luca nods, looking at me.
CHAPTER 13
Lexi
It’s time.
When Mia’s text arrives, I’m already looking at my phone. This job gives me a lot of time between tasks, meaning I can look at the texts Colt sent me again, the romance burning through me, his words making me feel special like nobody else ever has.
I’m coming in, she goes on.
Are you sure about this, Mia? You’re only eighteen.
Yeah, but he’s a creep. Don’t get me wrong. If there were a hot older guy, a person I actually LIKED, that would be different. But Ralph’s not old. He’s just a bad person. I’ve seen enough not to sit by and do nothing!
Has anybody ever told you that you’re a little dramatic?
Maybe once or twice!!!
You sure love those exclamation marks!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Despite the circumstances, a smile touches my lips. She is nuts, and we really are doing it.
I walk through the showroom with a clipboard, pretending to tick off a list. If anybody asks, I’ll say I’m double-checking something for the system. Ralph walks ahead with Mia at his side. She’s smiling at him as he talks.
“Of course, I can arrange a test drive,” he says. “Sometimes, it’s better to go with a qualified driver with vehicles like these. These aren’t toys.”
He laughs pathetically, sounding so gross, almost like a cough. It brings me back to bad times. That’s why I have to be here. I won’t let anything happen to Mia, not for something I should be dealing with.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Mia mutters. “I don’t like driving.”
“What do you like, then?”
“Uh, I don’t know.” Mia does a fake laugh, making herself seem simpler than she is. “I like dinners. Expensive dinners. I’m almost like a snob when it comes to that.”
“Oh, I see. Little fancy one, are you?”
I cringe so hard at his choice of words.
“I don’t know…”
That’s when I cut in, walking purposefully in front of them. Ralph stops, almost does a double take like he forgot I worked here, then grins his wet, creepy grin. He glances at Mia and then back at me.
“I take it I don’t have to introduce you two?” he smirks.
“Hey, Lexi,” Mia says.
“What are you doing here?” I snap, just like we planned.
Mia flinches, playing her role perfectly, and then gets a stubborn look on her face. “I’m here to see my friend, Ralph. Don’t act like because my cousin married your sister, you can control me. Okay?”
Ralph beams like this is precisely what he wanted to hear.
“She’s right,” he says. “You can’t dictate her life, Lexi. That’s not very nice, is it?”
“Maybe I’ll see you around, Ralph.”
“Wait,” he says. “Um, give me your number. Yes. Just in case I can get you a good deal on a car—something expensive.”
He gives me a nasty look, and I think about slapping him. He’s enjoying this like I knew he would be, the absolute freak. As Mia reads out her number, Ralph smirks, typing it in, and then watches as Mia walks away.
Ralph turns to me. “Shouldn’t you be working?”
“Leave her alone,” I snap.
He looks around as though making sure nobody will overhear, then takes a step closer to me and lowers his voice. “I’ll do anything I damn want with her.” I get what Mia was talking about now: how he seems to get angry and excited at the same time. He looks unhinged. “Anything I want, and nobody can stop me. Now get back to work.”
I want to spit in his face so badly. I want to slap him, to do worse, show him he can’t scare me, but that wasn’t part of the plan. That’s the excuse I give myself as I turn and quickly walk away. I’m not a coward. I’m not scared. He isn’t dragging my mind back way too many years.
