Luca

I left before Charlotte was up the next morning, slipping out of bed quietly and hoping not to disturb her. She fell asleep only a few hours ago, and I could tell how much she needed the rest.

I, on the other hand, had way too much to do to be wasting a morning in bed. If I kept digging, I just knew I would find what I was looking for and I could put this entire thing to rest. And until I could do that, neither Charlotte nor I were safe.

The way she'd fallen asleep in my arms last night felt like something from a dream. A dream that had long faded away in my mind. I was far too committed and immersed in my job to even considering having a long-term relationship with a woman, let alone marriage.

Traditionally, women had a very specific role within the Mafia, and that was to have children. Lots and lots of children who could carry on the family on and the legacies that had been set before them. They were bargaining chips, bait, and objects that you used until they were worn out and then you'd replace them with the next pretty young thing that came by. I saw it happen with my own mother, and I vowed early on that it wasn't something I could take part in. My father was a renowned assassin, but he was a disgustingly abusive and sexist asshole at home. The last thing I wanted was to end up like him, and fall into the same cycle, so I rarely even entertained the idea of having a wife. Certainly not children.

I was content with the revolving door of women who paraded through my clubs, willing and eager to please. I was more a no nonsense, no strings type of guy, which was why it came as a complete shock to me how comfortable it felt just to lie next to Charlotte last night. The scent of her hair was embedded in my pillow case, and the mattress indented with each supple curve of her body. Her petite frame fit against me like we were made for each other, and I laid awake most of the night in awe at how at ease I felt.

I knew myself well enough to know that the more time I spent with Charlotte, the more I was going to become ensnared in her web of beauty and mystique. It was dangerous for her if she left, but dangerous for me if she stayed. She had lit a fire inside of me that I didn't even know existed—one that craved the normalcy of her life. The predictability and boringness of it all. A side that wouldn't mind a nine to five job if it meant I got to come home to her every night.

That wasn't the man I was, though, and to entertain any other reality was reckless. We both had our lanes, and it was best to stay in them. I knew that logically, but it didn't stop the burning desire that had overtaken my entire being when it came to her. Maybe there was something to that old saying about always wanting what you can't have.

Luckily for me, the insurmountable work I had in front of me was a good deterrent, and I headed toward my office to get a jumpstart on it. Marco and Angelo beat me to it, and the two of them were sitting in my office throwing darts at a board behind the door—one nearly hitting me between the eyes when I opened it.

"Do you two ever sleep?" I groaned, snatching the dart out of the wooden door frame and tossing it back to Marco. "You have terrible aim by the way."

"I could ask you the same thing." Angelo said. "Marco told me we had a little issue last night, why didn't you call?" Not even eight in the morning and Angelo was starting in with his lectures.

"We didn't have an issue." I sat down at my desk with a heavy sigh. "Charlotte had a night terror and I decided to stay with her."

Angelo looked at me with an amused expression. "Before or after you fucked her?"

"I didn't fuck her. We slept. We were both exhausted, thank you very much."

"You expect me to believe Luca Catalano, who is anti-anything-to-do-with-love-or-relationships, just slept next to a woman without fucking her?" Angelo was really starting to piss me off.

"Do you think I have no self-control?" I snarled, irritated at his insinuation. "She was attacked and she was terrified. You think I am the type of man to take advantage of that situation and try to have sex with her in such a vulnerable state?"

Angelo grinned shaking me off. "I'm just trying to prove my point to you, Luca. And what you just said did exactly that. This isn't only about protection; you care for her." I couldn't even argue with him, I walked right in to that one.

"And what if I do?" Would that be such a bad thing? I had always put my work first, what would it hurt for me to pursue other interests for a change?

"Hey, I for one think it's a great thing." Marco chimed in.

"Shut up, Marco." Angelo and I said at the same time.

"If you two as done harassing me, can we please get down to business?" I shoved the half-eaten plate of food in front of me. "Tell me you've got something we can use."

"I was wondering when you were going to ask me that." He smirked. "We actually owe this one to Marco. He helped me connect the dots. We were..."

"Can you get to the fucking point?" My patience was wearing thin.

"I actually found several things." Marco said. "When I left you last night, I took her phone so I could see if there was anything useful on it. It was the new one you gave her, you know after her old one was smashed..."

I waved my hand, trying to speed him up.

"Well, I found a tracker on it. Two actually."

My eyes widened. "Two?"

He nodded. "One traced back to Silvano which is how they followed her tonight."

"And the other?"

"Here is where it gets interesting." Angelo smiled. "The other one came from someone in our own faction. And it's been tracking her number for the last twelve years. Since she opened the account."

What they had just explained was spelled out on the papers in front of me in black and white. I stared at the numbers, trying to make some sense of this. It had to be some kind of mistake. Wouldn't I know if one of my own men was after her? And for twelve years? "How?"

"We were just as shocked as you were. I figured it was unlikely that it would be someone in your own ranks since we keep a close watch on that, and sure enough, the information is being sent outside of the US." Marco continued.

"As in Italy?" I questioned. So much for answers! All this was doing was leaving me with more questions.

"As in Italy." Angelo nodded.

I ran my fingers through my hair. "Does Antonio know about this?"

"Luca, Antonio is the one who put the track on the number." Angelo said quietly, as if he was almost nervous to tell me.

Antonio Romano had once been the Don of our entire organization. For decades, he dominated the organized crime world, earning our group the respect and notoriety it had now. He was ruthless and calculated, and there wasn't a man in the world who could manipulate people the way he did. Every decision he made had a self-serving purpose, and there wasn't a person in the world he valued more than himself. He was a strong leader, and it had come as a huge shock when about five years ago, he decided to step back and hand the reins over to me, even bypassing his own sons.

Angelo, Carlo and I grew up alongside his sons in Italy—all of us born and bred to eventually take over the organization. Antonio and my father spent years grooming us, and we all found out own niches within the hierarchy. I guess they thought I showed the most promise, because they rode me the hardest, singling me out from the beginning as the future of the family. For now, Antonio still managed the Italian side of our business, but it wouldn't be long before the entire thing was mine.

"Jesus Christ." I said slamming my hands down on the table. "Why do we constantly have more questions than answers when it comes to this girl? Is he after her, too?"

"I don't know." Angelo shrugged. "If he was, why track her every move for twelve years and not do something already?"

He would have had ample opportunity over the years to attack her if that was the case. And if he watched her for the last twelve years, Charlotte would have been about twelve at the time. What did he want with a twelve-year-old girl from the United States?

I had a million questions, but it was hard to sort through them enough to voice any. The idea that both Silvano and Antonio were after the same girl made a bit of sense, especially considering that Silvano had murdered Antonio's wife and daughter years ago. Bad blood wasn't a strong enough way to describe the animosity between the two. Antonio hated Silvano with such torrid passion that it was a wonder he'd let him live all these years. Perhaps Silvano knew Antonio wanted Charlotte for some reason, and he was going after her as a way to get under his skin. Whatever the reasoning was, I had to talk to Antonio man to man.

"I think I need to make a trip to Italy."

Angelo and I spent a few minutes ironing out the details. Carlo would come with me, and we'd leave in two days. That would give me enough time to get all the information I could before I had a conversation with Antonio. One thing I would never do was go there accusing him of anything without my facts straight. Something was going on, and if my intuition was right, Antonio had a few secrets he was keeping.

Once everything was settled, the rest of the men headed back to the estate, but I had a stop I wanted to make first. Before tearing out of the penthouse last night, I said some pretty harsh things to Charlotte, one of them being that I didn't care if she got killed, and the guilt was weighing on me. That couldn't have been further from the truth, and I wanted to be sure she knew that. Not in the mood for more ridicule, I didn't tell Angelo or Marco where I was really headed. They would only tell me to stay away, and I didn't need any more of that opposition. I knew the consequences, but I wanted to see her anyway.

I found her apartment easily, and slipped into a parking spot just down the street. Parking in New York was coveted and after finding a spot so fast, I was choosing to believe that the world was on my side today.

It took a little bit of sweet talking, but the doorman let me in and I went straight to her apartment. Marco dropped her off a few hours ago, and I hoped she would still be home. I knocked a couple of times, and then listened for any movement on the other side of the door.

First her footsteps, then a pause, and a few seconds later the sliding of the deadbolt. It was like music to my ears, knowing she was on the other side of the door.

"How did you get up here?" Apprehension blanketed her face. She clearly wasn't expecting to see me again, and especially wasn't expecting me to show up on her door step.

"The elevator." I smirked, knowing that wasn't what she meant.

Charlotte rolled those chocolatey brown eyes and held the door open. At least she wasn't turning me away. "I mean how did you get past the doorman? He usually buzzes me when someone wants to come up."

"Right. Andrew. I met him. Not much of a security guard." I brushed past her and into her apartment, peeking around the room as I did. "You should probably call management about that guy. With the right price, he'd let a criminal up here."

"You mean like you?" She tilted her head, folding her arms across her chest pensively.

"Ouch." My eyes widened. I hadn't expected her to welcome me with open arms but I hadn't expected so much hostility either.

"What are you really doing here, Luca?"

"I came by to make sure the security system was working." I could already tell she knew I was lying. "And... because I wanted to apologize."

Charlotte looked shocked at my admission.

"Last night, I was frustrated and I said some pretty harsh things. It's just... I'm used to being able to solve problems quick, and that's obviously not happening this time and... I would care if you died. I just wanted you to know that." The explanation sounded a lot better in my head. As I said it out loud, I sounded like a god damn teenager with his first crush.

A smile crept across her lips. Was she laughing at me? I let out a nervous laugh myself, completely out of my element here.

"You came all this way to tell me that you would care if I died?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I did."

"Well, thanks, I think." Her laugh broke the tension I felt. "I actually wanted to talk to you, I'm glad you're here."

"Oh yeah?"

"I was thinking... maybe we could trade your protection for my payment for paintings. That is if you still want them."

"Of course I still want them." I said, following her into the kitchen. "We can discuss payment later, though."

I had my own ideas of how she could repay me, and judging by the deep red on her cheeks, she knew where my mind was at.

"Would you like something to drink? I have tea or lemonade or..." She quickly changed the subject.

"Got anything stronger?" Maybe a little alcohol would take the edge off and I wouldn't seem like such a bumbling idiot.

Charlotte opened up a cabinet filled with hard alcohol and wine. "Whiskey?"

"Perfect."

She poured us two glasses, handing one to me as she leaned back against the counter. "I was surprised to see you left this morning."

"I needed to get a jumpstart on some work." I said, taking a big gulp of the amber liquid. I couldn't tell if it was the familiar burn warming up my insides, or the playful sparkle in Charlotte's gaze.

"What exactly does work entail for a Mafia king?"

I burst out laughing, unable to contain my amusement.

"What is so funny?" Her brow furrowed.

"It's called a Don. I'm a Mafia Don. Not a king."

Charlotte rolled her eyes dramatically. "Okay, what does a Mafia Don do?"

The way she pressed the glass to her lips sent a shockwave through my body. Did she have any idea the power she held over me? I was standing in her kitchen, wishing I was that god damn glass of whiskey so I could have a taste of her. Keeping my distance was nice in theory, but when we were so close that I could reach out and run my fingers through her dark brown locks, it was a hell of a lot harder to have the level of restraint I needed.

"Charlotte, I want to let you in to my world, but if I do that... once you're there, you can't go back. You can't unhear the things I'm about to tell you no matter how badly you might want to. And you can't ever talk about it with anyone other than me. Is that what you want?"

She stepped closer to me, so close I could feel the heat radiating off of her. "I want to know who you really are, Luca. The good and the bad. All of it."

I was still hesitant, but damn, was I a sucker for those eyes of hers. I'd do just about anything she asked of me if she looked at me that way again.

"I run a part of the Italian Mafia. The Romano family. We're one of the most powerful organized crime units in the entire world. The hotels and all of those other investment properties I told you about? They're all cover businesses that we sue to mask what we're really doing."

Charlotte chewed on her lip, absorbing everything I said. "What do you really do?"

"We ship guns. Or parts to guns. In fact, that was why we were at your gallery. Angelo was looking for a new avenue of getting international packages into the United States and art seemed like a good cover."

"Wow." She sucked in a sharp breath. "And the drugs and women..."

I shook my head. "I don't mess with the drug trade. All we do is guns. And it's actually perfectly legal. Gun parts aren't regulated and you don't even need to have a permit to buy parts. And all of the women who work for me do it willingly. They can come and go as they please, and quit whenever they want. I don't believe in holding people hostage in that way."

Charlotte blinked several times as I tried to justify what I was doing. Why couldn't I just shut up?

"Have you killed people?" She winced, not sure if she wanted to know the answer to that question.

"Only when necessary." I said, as if that made it any better. I had a feeling she and I had very different ideas of what necessary meant.

She sucked in a sharp breath and I could see her mind swirling. What the hell was I doing? This was dumb and irresponsible, but I was a freight train with failing brakes at this point. There was no stopping me.

"Charlotte," I took her hand in mine, a bit surprised when she didn't pull away. "I'm here because I'm interested in more than just paintings from you. There is a connection between us, and I know you've felt it too." She blushed. "From the second I met you, I wanted you. And the feelings have just gotten stronger as time's gone on. I thought I could stay away and ignore it, but I don't want to do that anymore. I want you, Charlotte. In every way imaginable. But if we're ever going to give it a shot, you need to know the truth about me. Who I am and what I do. There are a lot of things I can't tell you, but I want to be as honest as I can."

Charlotte looked completely caught off guard by my admission. "Luca, I..." She started to stutter. "Don't you think we should keep things between us professional?"

"Is that what you really want?" I kept a firm grip on her hand, a relentless bolt of electricity pounding between us. I knew it wasn't what she wanted. I could tell by the look on her eye and the way her body responded to my touch. Whether or not she was going to let her guard down, though, was another story. She had to give herself permission to admit how she was feeling.

"No." she said breathlessly. "But I'm not sure I entirely trust you."

"Well, the feeling is mutual there." I smirked, leaning so close to her now that my lips almost grazed hers. "Charlotte, tell me to leave. Tell me to walk out that door, and I'll leave you alone. I'll continue to protect you from a distance and you can work with Angelo about the paintings. If you want me to go, I will. Just say the word."

Without the slightest bit of hesitation, she locked eyes with me. "I don't want you to go. Stay with me. Please."