“I…I have…about three more households to visit today,” I told him. “After that, it’s just paperwork at the office.”
Luca’s hand slid up my neck until he was cupping my face, and I couldn’t pretend my entire body hadn’t shivered even if I wanted to. His hands were large, warm, rough and bloody from beating the wall. I liked that they felt rough. I liked that they felt like man’s hands, not soft and pampered. I could have done without the blood, but I wasn’t going to complain. He didn’t look like he’d appreciate it.
“I need you to listen to me, Remy,” He said. “I need you to continue your day as you normally would. There’s a good chance this man may have followed you, proving you a liar about not knowing me. At the very least, going to The Ruby, then here, to The Diamond, proves you know Ciro.”
“Should I be afraid o-”
His fingers gripped my face. The tick in his jaw was back and his eyes were bright in their darkness. “There’s only one man on this planet you ever need to fear, Remy,” he said through gritted teeth. “That man is me. No one else is a threat to you. Understand?”
No.
But I nodded anyway.
“Finish your day out, but go straight home,” he ordered. “I’ll have someone following you, so don’t get upset or worried. I’ll be waiting for you when you get home.”
“This is big, isn’t it?” I asked, knowing there was more to all this than I knew.
Luca’s thumb passed over my lower lip. “The biggest thing to ever hit Morgan City,” he whispered before kissing my forehead and escorting me back to my car.
Chapter 11
Luca~
I sat in Remy’s house waiting for her, very much like I had last night, and the rage that exploded earlier hasn’t dissipated at all.
I was still fucking furious.
After seeing Remy to her car and sending one of The Diamond’s guards to follow her the rest of the day, I had gone to Sal’s where Phoenix had already pulled up the image and information on Emery Aldos. He had been exactly as Remy had described him, but his information was manufactured.
Phoenix being in real estate noticed right off that the address listed for him was false. It was an empty lot that we verified through city records. His file also claimed he was a restaurant owner, but the name and address of the restaurant came up with a location in West Virginia. Phoenix looked up the record of ownership, and there was nothing for an Emery Aldos. The man’s trace was a mixture of truth and lies, and I knew it’d take time to wade through it all, and I didn’t have that kind of time.
I let Ciro and Phoenix know that I wanted the sonofabitch found immediately because, at the end of the day, I didn’t care about the facts of his life. I cared that he dared to threaten and touch what was mine. I cared that he frightened Remy. I cared that he thought he could say my fucking name and not pay the price for his stupidity. When I got done with the man, there’d be no question what would become of anyone stupid enough to approach Remy ever again.
The front door opened and, this time, Remy didn’t scream when she saw me. She simply let out a sigh and shut the door behind her. “How do you keep getting into my apartment?”
I stood up from the couch. “Do you honestly think that pathetic lock can actually keep anyone out?”
She dropped her purse on the little table next to the door. “Evidently not,” she grumbled.
I cocked my head. “Have you eaten dinner? Are you hungry?”
Remy huffed out a sad, little laugh. “No, Luca,” she said wearily. “I’m not hungry. I just want you to tell me what’s going on before I lose my shit for real. How long have you been here?”
She sounded exhausted, and my heart thumped in sympathy. “I searched your apartment for bugs,” I told her. “I’m not careless, Remy. No one should have known I’ve been here.” Remy crossed her arms over her chest and raised a brow. I couldn’t fight the grin that took over my face. “Except Wednesday night,” I conceded.
“Then how did that man know who I was?”
“I don’t know,” I answered. “But I’ll find out.”
She glanced around her living room. “Did you find any bugs or anything?”