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And then I would rip him apart, personally, intimately.
For a man like him? I have all the time in the world.
The fact that his name came out of the mouth of the woman I’m falling for, is nothing short of a fuckin’ nightmare. How dare he cause me the most amount of pain, and then deliver me salvation? I’d kill him longer just for the sin of involving himself in something that was bringing me joy, for even thinking he could corrupt her.
And for the last two weeks, it’s been one dead end after another. The Viper is a phantom, a shadow, and if there’s a clue anywhere, it’s not where we can find it.
And all the while, Ashley has been beside herself with worry, and guilt, knowing that she brought all this hell to my feet and not knowing what to do with it. She knows I’ve been working overtime trying to find her former employer, but she doesn’t know why beyond my duty to destroy anything threatening her.
I need to tell her at some point, soon. It just... hasn’t been the right time.
Never one to run from a fire, Dani slips into the seat on the other side of my desk, crossing her legs and her arms.
"How long are we going to chase this ghost, Luca?" She asks quietly, a steady seriousness in her eyes.
"As long as it takes." I try not to grit my teeth at her because she should know better than to ask. Why doesn’t she want revenge as badly as I do?
"But you know the Viper isn’t going to just come out and play with us," she points out. I grit my teeth, and shake my head. "I know this isn’t about the business. This is personal, and it’s hurting the family. You have a lot to live for. More things to focus on."
"He threatened her," I growl, and Dani sighs. "He showed up, while I was out with her, with no fucking fear of me at all, and looked at her."
"A man looked at your—" She pauses, and curls her lip, like she doesn’t want to say it, "Girlfriend."
Fiancee if I have any fucking say about it. I’m seeing my mom tonight, she’s flown in from St. Barths just for that reason, to hand over the family stone to me so I can make things official. But I don’t want to tell Dani that yet. It’s none of her business.
"It’s more than that," I hiss, and she narrows her eyes.
"She told you that she saw him," she says slowly, "but has he made any other contact with her?"
"He murdered our fathers!" I roar, getting to my feet, slamming my hands down on the desk again so hard that it moves forward an inch from the force. Dani sits there, looking unimpressed.
"Are you done having a temper tantrum?" She asks, and then glances at the door. "If not, I can go. Let you scream at the empty air some more, if you’d like. Maybe punch the wall. Throw some shit." Her lower lip is trembling, and I inhale. Dani has never shown an inch of emotion when it came to our fathers being killed. Not even at?—
"Do you not want revenge?" I ask, dropping my tone and my volume to something a little more comfortable. Dani gives me a tight smile.
"Let’s just say before my father died, I would have loved it if someone would have cared about my welfare as much as you do Ashley’s." Her eyes are shadowed and I take another breath. What she’s not saying could fill a room. How the fuck did I not know about that? I was older than her, how did I not see— She clears her throat. "Revenge is reserved for people you’re sad you lost. Like your dad. It’s in the past. But you need to be smart. This is a vendetta. We’re not going to get anywhere with the Viper if we’re not careful. He’s not just some two-bit thug."
I nod, and sit down. She’s right. Of course she is. She’s been right about everything since I took the reins of the business, and before.
"He’s a snake," I mutter under my breath.
"People say the same thing about us," she says with a delicate yawn, stretching her arms out over her head. "Now, let’s put all of this on hold, and go to dinner. We have a special guest coming, after all."
"Mom’s here?" I jerk to my feet.
"At the restaurant already," Dani says, "and waiting. Patiently." She smiles at me, and gets up, walking out before I can ask her more. "And yes, I had Ashley brought over for the reunion." My cheeks flush. Sometimes Dani treats me like I’m Ricky, an idiot with no manners. I would have told Ash to meet me there if I had known it would be so soon, after all.
The restaurant is one of the nicest in the city, and the staff know my family well. The private room in the back, with the heavy wood paneling, the leather seating, and the view of the water. Mom is already seated, a glass of wine at her elbow, a smile on her face as we enter. Ricky’s at her side, rubbing a smudge of lipstick off of her cheek, Matt and Gio looking amused at her greeting the youngest of the family.
But now that I’ve arrived, my mother’s face lights up, and she waves to me, standing.
"Luca," she cries, and her arms wrap tightly around me. My heart warms at the feeling, and I hug her back, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "You’re eating well," she says into my ear, running her fingers through my hair, as if to make sure it’s all still there. I try not to roll my eyes, as she pulls away from me and turns to Ashley. "You must be Ash," she says, taking Ashley’s hands, and then kissing her cheek. "A delight to meet you."
"Likewise," Ash says, her face pink. My mother looks her up and down, and clearly approves. Ash’s hair falls down her back in loose waves, small pearls at her ears, elegant without being flashy. My mother doesn’t even raise an eyebrow at the demure dark charcoal dress Ash is wearing, the way it hugs her curves but doesn’t have too deep of a neckline. At least, not one that makes me want to punch every man in the room just in case they think about looking at her.
"She’s perfect," Mom tells me, and then winks, leading Ash to the table, and sitting her down in the seat next to her. Dani and I share a look, and I have to bite back a chuckle.
"Don’t you think you should ask what Ashley wants to do?" Ricky asks, his voice a low rumble, and Mom turns to him, raising an eyebrow.
