Page 61 of Vows of Blood

His smile is knowing. "Somehow, I doubt that."

He's off the bed before I can change my mind, stretching his arms above his head, shirt riding up to reveal his tanned stomach, toned abs, and the strip of dark hair disappearing into his waistband that I used to love tracing with my fingers.

At the door, he pauses and looks back at me. “Get showered and eat. I have work to do, but Carmella will take care of you. I’ll tell her to arrange some options for you to wear tonight.”

As the lock clicks shut, and I listen to his footsteps cross the hall into his bedroom, I press my hands to my face and groan.

What have I gotten myself into?

18

LUCA

Icheck my watch for the third time in as many minutes. We’re going to be late.

Nico leans against the doorframe of my study, arms folded, watching me busy myself with paperwork with barely concealed amusement. "She'll be down when she's ready. Women take time with these things."

“And how would you know?” I shoot him a look that would send most men running. He simply grins as I stand and check my cufflinks before pouring myself a large drink and handing Nico another.

"I heard the meeting with the O’Sullivan’s went as well as could be expected," he says, wisely changing the subject.

Giving him a slow nod, I focus on the burn of the amber liquid as it slides down my throat, preparing me for the evening ahead.

I fully expect my appearance with Sienna at my side to bring some heat.

"Maeve wants blood, and Finn wants answers. I have neither. But they've agreed to give me time and some latitude to flush out the hitman. For now."

I stare out the window at the circular driveway where two black SUVs wait, engines idling.

Tony walks around them with a mirror on a long pole, checking the underside and behind the wheels for trackers and explosives. Given recent events, I appreciate his thoroughness while Sienna is otherwise occupied.

"Any luck with the pictures?" Nico swirls the whiskey around in his glass, not as big a fan as me. Finally, he knocks it back and sets the glass down with a soft thud, hissing at the sharp burn.

I blink slowly, despairing that he would treat my Macallan like that, and shake my head. "She went through them all. Twice. It wasn’t one of the Russians. Or the Irish. And this isn’t the kind of job they’d have given to an outsider."

Which confirms what we both already suspected: that it’s someone from our own community, and quite possibly, someone we’ll be breaking bread with tonight.

Nico pushes off the doorframe and paces. "So, we're back to square one."

I sigh. “Not quite."

Nico stops, hating not being in the loop on every aspect of the business, but before he can ask what I mean, movement at the top of the stairs catches my eye.

When I walk out into the hallway, watching Sienna pause at the mirror to fix her glossy chestnut hair, everything else falls away.

She descends slowly, one hand trailing along the bannister, and I can't look away.

The dress she chose from the options Carmella brought is midnight blue and floor-length, with a slit up one thigh that makes my mouth go dry. It hugs every curve I had in my hands this morning. Her hair is swept to one side, tumbling over her shoulder in soft waves. Diamond earrings catch the light, and the delicate gold chain around her neck draws my eye to her collarbone, to the lightly tanned skin I was kissing just hours ago.

She looks like she belongs in this world, like she was made for it.

Like she was made for me.

"You are fucking insane." Nico's doubting voice cuts through my daze, but I couldn’t give a shit. Let him think that. Let everyone think that. The sooner they realize that this Luca Calvano does what he wants, the better.

Sienna reaches the bottom of the stairs and stops, an uncertainty there that she's trying to hide behind a carefully composed mask. "Will I do?"

"You'll more than do. You’re stunning." I close the distance between us in three strides, taking her hand and lifting it to my lips.