It wasn’t until Luca showed up that I turned crazy again. Seeing him walking into the room, cool, calm, and in control had set something off in me. My life was a mess and my mind was unraveling, yet he walked in like it was business as usual. Well, it wasn’t business as usual. I was losing my goddamn mind to fear and anxiety, and it seemed like he couldn’t give a shit if I walked head-on into a bus.
What I hadn’t expected was Luca to attack.
If it hasn’t been for Ciro being here, I’m not sure what would have happened, and I didn’t want to stick around to find out. If he was going to kill me, I wanted him to get it over with. Especially with finding out the man who accosted me at lunch wasn’t one of his goons, but someone else altogether.
My naivety had shaken me to the core. Luca Benetti had enemies. I mean, how could he not? If someone saw us together or…or I don’t know, it was possible I could be in danger because of it. Suddenly, the shadows posed more threats than just Luca Benetti. Anyone could be coming after me. If Luca wasn’t plan on killing me, I was going to have to go back to Nebraska. It was obvious I couldn’t live in Morgan City anymore.
The anguish at leaving the children I’ve come to love was breaking my heart, but I could help other kids somewhere else. I couldn’t help anyone if I were dead.
I knew I looked like a mess, but I did my best to compose myself. I wiped at my face and smoothed my clothing. I walked over to one of the chairs that sat in front of Ciro’s desk and grabbed my purse because I needed to leave.
“What are you doing?” Ciro asked softly, while Luca’s question was in a near shout. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
I turned to face both men. “I’m leaving.”
Luca scoffed. “Like hell you are.”
I ignored him and looked at Ciro. “Thank you for your help,” I said politely, like I wasn’t shaking inside. As if my life wasn’t crumbling all around me. “My apologies to your bartender for…I’m sorry for all of it.” I didn’t wait for him to acknowledge my apology. I turned to leave, but I didn’t get far. A large hand grabbed me and yanked me back, stopping me. When I looked up at Luca, he looked menacing.
“I get this is all new to you,” he said, his voice tight. “However, before we clear up your misconceptions of what this is, you need to tell me what happened at the café today.”
I stared into his black eyes and asked the only thing I cared about at this point. “Are you going to kill me?” His gazed dipped until it landed on my lips and I found myself returning the look. I wondered what his lips would feel like everywhere and, somehow, that seemed more dangerous than the question I asked.
Luca’s eyes found my again, and he said, “No, Remy. I am not going to kill you.”
My knees buckled.
He caught me.
With one arm around my waist, anchoring my body to his, Luca grabbed my chin with his free hand. “What happened at lunch today?” he asked again.
I didn’t bother to try to free myself from his hold because I didn’t think he’d let go without a fight. Plus, if I was being completely honest, it felt good to be in his arms. I tried to convince myself it was because it’s been ages since I’ve been with a man, but I was pretty sure that was a boldface lie.
“I was at Jeu Café having lunch when a man sat down at my table.”
He looked over at Ciro and, without a word between them, Ciro pulled out his phone, dialed, and said, “Luca needs the camera feed for Jeu Café from today.” He looked over at me. “What time?”
“Uh…I…I went straight to The Ruby after I left the café,” I told him, “So…an hour ago, maybe. Two. I’m not sure.”
“From ten to one,” he said into the phone.
“I…I didn’t get there until around eleven,” I said, trying to help narrow down the time.
“We’ll look to see if he was lurking around beforehand. Waiting for you,” Luca explained.
I was about to ask why when Ciro’s next comments shocked me. “Yeah, Remy was having lunch and some asshole sat down uninvited. She thought he was