After he gave her hair a final twirl, she sensed a longing in him as the silk left his fingertips.
"You may go to bed now."
Standing felt different than it had the other times. She felt the same release she usually did, but she didn't feel the need to run. What's wrong with me?
She slowly began walking away, trying to figure out this other feeling that seemed to be scratching to get out.
"Good night, Chloe."
Turning back to him, her heart stuttered. "Good night, Lucca."
"Where the fuck is she!" He slammed his fist down on the desk.
The two other men in the room looked down at their feet before one finally spoke up.
"We still haven't found her ye-"
"How fucking hard is it to find an eighteen-year-old girl?" When he slammed his fists down on the table again, he shot up.
"It's … It's like she disappeared. Like she fell off the earth."
Going over to them, he pulled a knife out of his pocket and put it to the man's throat. "Do you remember what we did to her?"
The man began shaking as he nodded.
"Your daughter is her age, right?" He lightly slid the blade over the man's now crying face. "You either find her, or I'll show you how a girl fucking falls off the face of the earth."
When the man nodded again, he let him go, and the two flew out of the room.
Sitting back at his desk, he leaned far back in his chair, closing his black, ominous eyes. The image of a fourteen-year-old her came to his mind as he started dreaming of the past …
The girl was starting to lose consciousness, and her now traumatized, gray eyes began to drift away. There was something he enjoyed about seeing the eyes change from the person they once were to the person they were after he was done with them. It was his mark; how he claimed them.
He had taken away the young girl she once was and made her into his beautiful creation. Her body, her mind, her soul belonged to him and always would … until he took away her last dying breath.
Her eyes rolled to the back of her head before her eyelids closed.
"Good night, my little girl."
Fourteen
Not Even God Could Save a Man Who Lays His Hands on You
Coming down the steps the next day, she heard a voice talking to Lucca that she didn't recognize. Has someone found me? Their voices drew nearer, and then she could see a man in a suit with light brown hair. Lucca noticed her then.
"Chloe, I want you to meet Sal."
Chloe knew of Sal, had seen him around the Carusos when she had been with Elle, but she had never seen him so up close, never took a look into his deep black to deep blue eyes. Something about him made every hair on her body stand up and every alarm go off in her head.
"Hello, Chloe." He gave a wicked smile. "It's nice to finally meet you."
Frozen in place, she could only stare at the well-groomed man.
"Sal came to watch you and help you with your calculus while Drago and I take care of some business matters."
"H-He d-did?" Her shaky hands clasped together and squeezed.
Lucca stared at her for a moment before his voice turned dark. "Come with me, darlin'."
The command made her follow him through the house and down a hall. He opened a door, and then waited for her to go in first.
Stepping into what seemed to be his office, her heart began to pound then beat out of her chest as he shut the door behind him, closing them in.
Now alone, lines of worry marked his face. "Tell me what's wrong."
Still trying to shake Sal's eyes out of her mind, she tried her best to speak. "I-I just d-don't know him."
He took a step closer to her. "Drago is much scarier to look at than Sal, and you didn't know him, either, so don't lie to me, darlin'."
Biting hard on her lip, she thought she was going to draw blood soon. I don't know why he scares me.
Lucca took another step toward her when she didn't answer.
"I don't know … " she whispered. "I feel like I know him, but I don't."
Taking a final step, he pinned her against the big desk behind her when she tried to put space between them. They were barely inches apart when he picked up a strand of her hair and twirled it in the same motion he always did.
"Do you think I would leave you with just anyone, Chloe?"
Her chest fell as hard as she raised it. It was strange, and she didn't understand how, but somewhere deep down she knew he wouldn't. "N-No."
"Do you think I'd ever let someone get close enough to possibly touch you"-he pulled her hair ever so slightly around his finger, his eyes travelling down her pale face to her neck-"when I have yet to touch you first?"
She slowly shook her head, biting harder into her bottom lip. She was sure this was it, when he was finally going to touch her, though she wasn't ready. Please, not yet.
He looked at the dark silk he spun. "I keep twirling your hair around my finger, because this is as close as I can get to touching you for now. I promise you, no one else will ever touch you in this house or outside of it. Not even God could save a man who lays his hands on you."
The pressure in her lip lessened, and she breathed easier. She believed every word he said, but what scared her was that it also put her at ease. She was almost grateful about the fact she wouldn't have to worry about anyone ever harming her, let alone touching her again.
What is happening to me?
Lucca gave her a few inches of breathing room. "I consider Sal my only friend, but he's also more than that. I'm closer to him than I am to Nero, who's my own brother." This was one of those times he allowed any emotion to show. "My father took Sal in when we were young, and we were raised together. Sal may not be my blood, but he's my brother. I trust him with my life, and I trust him with yours. He won't hurt you, darlin'."
Lucca wasn't the type of man to put trust in anyone but himself, so she would trust him at his word that Sal wouldn't hurt her, regardless that Sal made the hair stand up on the back of her neck.
"Okay."
He gave her a smile before letting the strand slip from his grasp. "Drago and I will be back as soon as we can."
Nodding, she put on her best brave face as she followed Lucca out of his office and back to where Sal was waiting. She sat down at the kitchen island with her laptop, while the men talked quietly amongst themselves. She couldn't help wringing her hands to the point her nails dug into her palms. Never did she think she would ever wish Lucca wasn't leaving her, not until now.
Chloe was left with two thoughts. The first, she wondered why Drago had been the one to watch her every move when it was Sal who was his real friend.
The front door closed, and she heard footsteps get closer. Turning her head, she swallowed hard, trying to keep down the unknown fear of the man Lucca called his brother.
Her other thought … Why does he remind me of him?
Fifteen
The Monstrous Name
Staring out the window at the emptiness surrounding them, Lucca focused on the dirt path, waiting for the cars to come into view. The Caruso family had arrived two hours earlier to scope out the place, something the possible enemy should have done. Their black Cadillacs were lined up in front of the empty warehouse, and each soldier was packing in case this was the year the Lucianos decided to end the peace.
Once a year, the two mafia families of Kansas City had a meeting on equal ground outside the city. It was a way to keep the peace between them; to keep another war from happening, as the last war had almost wiped out the Luciano name.
Lucca began flipping his lighter open and closed, not removing his eyes from the road. Since joining the family every year to the date, he had come here feeling nothing. This year, however, he couldn't help feeling an uneasiness in the air.
He was starting to lose his patience. He didn't like leaving Chloe at home while he was this far away with only Sal there to protect her.
If I didn't want to see him … I would leave.
Finally, the cars started appearing. Lucca watched them pull up and the men get out. He observed each man until he finally saw the one he was waiting for.
Lucca slid his lighter back into his pocket, hearing it hit the other metal object. Pulling out a big, heavy gold ring, he stared at the design of a rectangle with a stamped horseshoe in the middle, surrounded by small diamonds.
The warehouse door opened, prompting him to slide it back into his pocket. Turning around, he looked at the two long tables facing each other. Dante sat in the middle of one table with his consigliere, Vinny, to his right. There was an empty seat to Dante's left for him. However, he was waiting for the Lucianos to fill up the other table before he headed toward his seat.
Before he sat down, he placed his pack of cigarettes and lighter on the table. Then Lucca listened to the two bosses commence the meeting, not once speaking. Instead, he took in the men.
The Lucianos looked like the polar opposites of the Carusos. Just as much as the Carusos looked immaculate, the Lucianos looked rugged. The men who did wear suits were far from the expensive Italian ones the mafia was often known for. Grooming wasn't much of a requirement for them, either. Some men were also covered in tattoos from their hands to their necks. They were a rough-looking family, matching their surroundings of the rough area of Kansas City they owned. Here in this warehouse, the Carusos looked out of place, while the Lucianos looked at home.