Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 105242 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105242 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
“Really? That hurts my feelings.”
What feelings? Elle knew it was a dumb question; the guy clearly went wherever he pleased. She doubted it was even a challenge for him.
She sat up in bed, not liking the feeling of him looking so far down at her. “What do you want?”
Lucca shrugged. “To talk.”
Elle felt like he was sitting too close to her body on the small bed. It was hard to be almost at eye-level with him; however, she didn’t want to show him how scared she actually was of him. Besides, there was something she had needed to talk to him about, as well.
“You don’t strike me as the talking type.”
It was somehow possible for his eyes to turn even more deadly. “I am when it concerns my brother. Did you know he’s been sitting out there the entire time?”
Elle blinked her eyes a couple of times. “He’s still out there? I told my father to tell him I was fine and to go.”
Lucca put his arm on the other side of her hip and leaned toward her, making Elle lean back from his cold face. “So, you knew he’s been sitting out there, waiting for your fucking permission?”
Elle was scared shitless; she had to admit it, being inches from his face. She swallowed again and nodded her head.
“Did you know he spent a whole damn month tracking down every person who laid a finger on you? The day before your birthday, he was finally able to take a baseball bat to Sebastian, and then I bet he finally allowed himself to fuck you. He wanted to deserve you. Did you ever think about how you got here? He found you fucking lying on the bathroom floor, and by looking at you right now, I don’t even want to know the last image of you he had in his head.” Lucca leaned in an inch closer. “So, I think the least you could fucking do is let him see you.”
I didn’t know. Elle shook her head no. “For three and a half years, I was hit around. He didn’t save me. For three and a half years, seeing me every day, he didn’t want me. The only reason he talked to me was because your father murdered someone, and he sicced him on me. I had been going crazy, wondering when someone would come and kill me, and Nero was right there the entire time, deciding whether I lived or died. So, fucking excuse me if I don’t want to see him.” Elle held onto his eyes, no matter how hard it was.
Lucca’s mouth turned into a smile. “I knew I liked you.” Lucca backed away from her but didn’t remove his hand. “You weren’t going to ever die in the first place. I wasn’t going to let my father touch you, and deep down, he wasn’t ever going to touch you anyway.”
You? “What?”
“The moment I saw you, I knew he would fall in love with you. Do you know why?”
Elle slowly shook her head.
“You remind him of our mother. You remind us all of her. You have her blonde hair, except yours has some pink in it. You have the big, curious eyes. You’re smart, and most of all, you’re strong. Our mother could handle the fact that she was married to the mafia, not to mention the head of the family. It takes a lot of fucking guts to deal with a made man, and you can handle it, no matter how high up the ladder Nero goes.”
“It doesn’t mat—”
Lucca shut her up with one look. “Nero took her death the hardest. He blamed himself—still blames himself. It was as if he fucking shot her himself. Then you come along and it happens all over again. He blames himself for every person who ever hurt you. He blames himself right now that you’re here in the hospital. And ever since you walked out on him, he acts like he fucking killed you. Do you want Nero to take on something like that all over again? If you don’t get over the fact that Nero didn’t know how to tell you the guy you witnessed being killed was murdered by his fucking family, then you leave him just like Mom did.”
Elle turned away from Lucca, not able to look at him anymore. What he had told her made her feel incredibly small.
Lucca grabbed her chin to make her look at him again. “Nero better see you by tomorrow night. Don’t make me fucking come to you in the middle of the night again. Do you understand?”
Elle gently nodded. “Yes.”
Lucca dropped his hand from her chin. “Good.”
Elle knew he was about to leave, so she quickly spoke the words before the sane part of her thought against it. “Chloe told me she talked to you.”
She swore she saw a hint of emotion when she’d said her name. Not even when he’d spoken of Nero or his mother had he shown an ounce of emotion, regardless that he had come here for Nero.
“So?”
She could hear the slight change in his voice, as well. I don’t think so.
“So, stay away from her.” Elle could fight anyone off for Chloe, even the boogieman in her fucking bed right now.
Lucca leaned back toward Elle, again right in her face. “Do you know who you’re talking to right now, darlin’? I have killed men and women after torturing them for hours. I am the underboss of the Caruso family, and one day, I will own this city.”
Elle kept her hold, no matter how bad her skin crawled. “I-I don’t care who you are. Leave her alone.” The last thing she needs is a man like him.
Lucca smiled. “I know you’ve protected her, and that you couldn’t leave her to fend for herself at school. Tell me what really happened to her that made you risk your life every day just so no one would touch her.”
I will never tell. This time, Elle moved her face closer to his. “If you hurt her, I will kill you.”