LUCA {Full Book}

34

There was fire in my eyes, flames blinding my fucking vision as I pounded up 5th Avenue until my feet came to a grinding halt in front of his building.

"Excuse me sir, can I have a name?"

"Who the fuck are you?" This guy looked more like a bouncer from the Bronx not a 5th Avenue fucking doorman. "Where's Arnie?"

"Arnie was let go."

Fuck. Arnie had been the doorman here for twenty years and I knew exactly why and who got him removed.

"Name sir."

"You know what, it's better if I stay out here." I threw my phone to my ear, dialing Adam. A coward wouldn't answer, but a smug prick would.

"Luca."
"Come downstairs."
"Nah... I'm busy... I'm sure you've heard that I'm about to take down an asshole that thinks he's better than me."
"You can come downstairs or I can find a way to you and I promise that meeting me on a public fucking street right now is a much safer bet."
"Have you met the new doorman? I recommended him personally, he won't let the fucking riff-raff in."
"Outside now or I find you later, the choice is yours."

I hung up, slamming the phone into my pocket. Cazzo di merda.

There were only two fucking women I cared about outside la mia famiglia and he had threatened them both. I had only two brothers and he disparaged them both.

And we had been brothers, our blood was once thicker than water. Only that was the problem. I had confused Adam for blood all these years but now I realized he was just dirty water.

I kept my focus, eyes locked on the doors, knowing he was too much of a coward to wait for me to find him and too fucking proud not to boast in my face.

And there he was... stepping out to the new doorman, whispering some shit up to him before turning to me. He could never fight his own fights.

I stepped back into the shadows but he stopped under the street light, letting me see the smug ass smile that was hiding his nerves.

"Stop the bullshit Cohen."

"You think I'm just gonna stand by and watch you run away with my top client, take my rep and company away from me? Who the fuck do you think you are? Remember I know you, she doesn't."

"This isn't about her. I'll walk away tomorrow, she means nothing. Goldmann's mine."

"No, the girl's just an added bonus to the plan."

"Extortion?" I laughed in his face. "You've got shit on me."

"You met with Goldmann's wife, I have eyes everywhere. That's enough to get the press' attention."

"Maybe you haven't noticed but I'm a giant motherfucker, good luck on trying to take me down."

"Ohh..." He laughed so fucking obnoxiously. "I'm not taking you down, I'm taking your company down, sorry your father's company, fuck I'm taking down the entire Romano name."

He talked big for such a small rat. He thought he could threaten my girl, me, my company, and my fucking name.

"I want Goldmann back tomorrow. I know you've bragged about your conquest, ran your fucking mouth everywhere and now you can let everyone know that you backed down. That Luca Romano backed down to Adam Cohen. That the biggest client in New York ran back to me."

I wanted to destroy that smug pompous smile lighting up his face. I wanted to ring his fucking neck, break those fucking legs, rip him apart like the fucking chicken he was.

But I was the smart one. "Final warning to stay away from her, you will call and leave the firm immediately. You will have no more interactions with her or anyone around her."

"Thought she meant nothing to you."

"She's an innocent and you've crossed a fucking line." I started towards him, leaning down to meet his ear as I passed. "Try me again e ti ammazzo."

I hauled back down the street, ignoring the signals, ignoring the fucking snow melting once it hit my fire laced skin, and ignoring the freezing wind that was smacking into me, not making a dent in the heat that had engulfed me.

There was once a time when Adam wouldn't be left standing but I had to be strategic, patient, let it slide for now, and it was fucking killing me.

"Evening Mr. Romano."

I looked up, the flames slowly flickering away as I focused on Tony. "Is she here."

"She is."

I felt the tiniest bit of relief shoot through me and I hurried to the elevator, racing right up to my door.

Fuck. She had my keys. I tried the knob, unlocked. Jesus Christ.

"Crystal?" I walked in, locking the door behind me before tossing my coat up. "Crystal!"

Fuck, she wasn't here. I walked to the balcony then into the bedroom, seeing her passed out on the bed.

"You've made my life very fucking complicated." I walked to the bathroom, ripping at the buttons on my shirt as I saw the two toothbrushes, sitting side by side.

I pulled out my phone, tossing it to the counter before dropping my pants. Gav was the first that needed to know.

I picked up my phone as I walked back over to the bed, climbing in next to her, immediately smelling the coconut in her hair and the rum on her lips.

'Goldmann stays with Cohen.' I sent the message then wrapped my arm under her, pulling her against me and she lifted her face, resting it right back down onto my chest.

The phone started buzzing next to me and I didn't want to talk to Gav tonight but I knew he'd keep fucking calling, just as I would.

"Yeah."
"What do you mean?"
"We're not getting Goldmann, now."
"What'd Cohen do? You know he couldn't touch you."

It wasn't me I was worried about and it wasn't his touch that worried me, because I had a feeling she could hold her own.

It was what he knew about me and what she didn't. She was repulsed, crying from just the words I spit the other night, she had no idea that that was calm, mellow Luca. She thought she knew who I was and maybe she did know this Luca, but yesterday's Luca would send her fucking running.

"Kiss my babies for me fratellino."
"Luca..."

I powered the phone off, dropping it to the table as I watched her.

I never had to think about another, even with Gav, I should have but I didn't. I'd never cared about repercussions because I could hold my fucking own. Because I was always in fucking control of the situation. Until now.

Everything I'd waited for was wrapped over me, clinging to me, breathing against me, her perfect heart beating against my broken one.

Adam thought I would just fucking roll over, let him have this win as this petty game continued.

But the game needed to be over.

He had stepped on my Queen and it was time to checkmate his fucking ass.