Page 105 of Privilege

Yet, it still killed him inside. Killed him, and made him so fucking angry, too.

I warned you, didn’t I, Renzo?

Stay away from my daughter.

—LM

SEVENTEEN

“Lucia, I hope you understand why your father is doing this,” the enforcer droned on in the driver’s seat like he might think Lucia was listening to him. She wasn’t. “Do you know how it would look for your family if you were found in a hotel room with a guy? There’s no reason for you to be getting involved with a young man who—”

“I’m sorry,” Lucia murmured, continuing her staring contest with the window even as she spoke, “what are you paid to do again?”

“Excuse—”

“Because I don’t think you’re paid to talk to me at all.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Lucia saw the man’s shoulders tense from her comment. Yeah, she bet that one sucked. She wasn’t some stupid little girl with her head stuck in the sand like a lot of people thought when they looked at her. She knew a hell of a lot more about her family and their business as a mafia than anyone really knew. Besides, no one ever hid the details when she thought to ask, too.

Enforcers weren’t very high up on the food chain. And like fuck was Lucia going to allow an errand boy or muscle to lecture her on what she should or should not be doing. She doubted this man was a virgin, and she hadn’t seen a ring on his finger, either. No way was he going to chide her on behavior when she seriously doubted he was innocent.

He couldn’t be.

Look what he did for a living.

“Your father was right,” the man muttered, “you’re not like yourself lately, Lucia.”

She laughed, and went back to staring out the window. The passing buildings leading into upper Manhattan were a far nicer sight than the enforcer glaring at her in the rearview mirror. “Is that all he says about me? Shame.”

The enforcer grunted, but otherwise, kept quiet.

She was grateful.

Lucia was not in the mood to get in a sparring match with anyone, let alone the man who practically threatened to break down her hotel room door if she didn’t come out willingly. By order of your father, Lucia. Well, it was him and another man, but she didn’t know where that guy went. She was taken with this man while the other one headed inside the hotel to grab her things. Or, that’s what she was told.

She scoffed inwardly, and glowered at her reflection in the window. This was getting ridiculous, wasn’t it?

Now, Lucian was just going to pull her out of every situation he didn’t like? Forcibly remove her from places?

Okay.

If taking away her car didn’t stop her from leaving whenever the hell she wanted, and doing whatever she wanted, then nothing would. Besides, her father forgot that Lucia had access to an entire trust fund that Lucian couldn’t touch, too. Compliments of her biological grandfather before his murder. Once she had turned eighteen, all that money became hers to do with what she wanted, whenever she wanted.

What was it, twenty million, now?

Something like that.

If she wanted another vehicle that he didn’t buy …. if she wanted anything at all, she could go get it herself. Lucian was living in the clouds if he thought stepping in and making things difficult for Lucia was going to stop her from seeing Renzo if she wanted to do just that. It wouldn’t do anything but annoy her until she figured something else out.

“Almost at the restaurant,” the enforcer muttered from the front.

Lucia had a good mind to tell him she didn’t give a damn how close they were, but she opted to keep quiet. She probably pissed him off enough already without adding to it. Plus, it wasn’t really his fault, and she knew that. He was just doing what he had been told where she was concerned. He was given an order, and he followed it through.

Resting back in the seat, Lucia’s fingers itched to have her phone. At least then, she could call or text Renzo and let him know what happened. She bet Renzo was back at the hotel by now … probably wondering where in the hell she was, or why she took off.

Not that it mattered.

She didn’t even have her phone.