Chapter 5
Luca hummed softly in response. His eyes remained on Vito, watching the man unravel in real time. “Well,” he said at last, straightening, “looks like your daughter’s virginity just created another opportunity for me p>
Luca rose to his feet, adjusting his jacket. “I’ll get back to you on that,” he added lightly.
He crossed the room once more. As he passed the cabinet, a framed photograph caught his attention. Luca stopped. Reached out. Picked it up.
Two girls smiled up at him from behind the glass. One of them he recognised immediately. The pizza girl from yesterday with the sharp mouth.
Interesting.
“Are these your daughters?” Luca asked casually, still studying the photo.
“Yes… yes!” Vito answered too quickly, scrambling to his feet now, hope clawing its way back into his voice.
“Both of them?” Luca pressed.
“Yes!” Vito exaggerated, nodding hard, sweat dripping down his temples.
Luca tilted his head. “Hmm.” His gaze lingered on the girls’ faces, thoughtful. “I guess they look like their mother p>
He lowered the photo slightly, eyes flicking to Vito with open contempt. “You,” he added flatly, “are just a fat pig p>
He placed the photograph back carefully. Then he turned and walked out of the house.
Vito sagged in relief, breath shuddering out of him.
Outside, Luca paused and breathed in deeply. The morning air was crisp, clean. It always amused him how the world kept turning, never stopping.
“I’m going to take a small stroll,” he said calmly, adjusting his cuffs. “Feel the air p>
Marco nodded.
“You take the car,” Luca continued. “Go see Bastardi about the virgin girl. Get him to accept the deal. If he does, tell Scalese to prepare his girl p>
A beat.
“If Bastardi refuses,” Luca added, eyes darkening just a fraction, “then Scalese better accept my offer. Or I will have his head p>
“Do you have your registered gun for protection?” Marco asked.
“This is a safe neighbourhood, Marco. What could possibly go wrong p>
“You can never be too safe,” Marco replied.
“You’re becoming more paranoid than I am,” Luca said lightly, adjusting his jacket. “And yes, I have my registered gun p>
Marco nodded once, satisfied. He turned and headed for the car, leaving Luca alone on the sidewalk. Luca strolled, hands loose at his sides, breathing in the normalcy of the morning. Birds. Footsteps. The distant sound of traffic. He let himself exist as just a man walking through a city.
Vero walked their small dog through the park. The leash rested comfortably in her hand, the dog trotting ahead, tail wagging. The park was alive with parents pushing strollers, joggers, ducks quacking greedily by the pond.
And then she saw him.
He sat on a bench near the water, feeding the ducks, shoulders relaxed, posture open. He looked… free. So different from the man she had encountered yesterday.
She knew she should keep walking. She absolutely knew it. But her feet slowed anyway.
She pulled the dog closer and stopped behind the bench. He hadn’t noticed her. He was focused on the ducks, on the simple act of tossing crumbs into the water, a faint smile touching his mouth.
She leaned down slowly, carefully, her lips close to his ear, mischief bubbling up before she could stop it. “Marco!” she shouted.
What she didn’t expect was instinct.
Luca reacted without thought, without hesitation. His body moved before his mind caught up, years of survival and violence snapping into place. He rose to his feet in one smooth motion, his hand already swinging the gun out, turning, aiming—precision honed by countless moments where being a second too slow meant death.
Vero’s breath caught as she found herself staring straight down the barrel, her pulse roaring in her ears. The playful moment shattered instantly, replaced by raw adrenaline, shock rippling through her body. The dog yelped softly at her feet, tension snapping through the leash.
Luca’s eyes locked onto hers. The pizza girl.
Vee’s eyes widened in shock, the careless tease dying in her throat. “I’m sorry,” she blurted. “I was just kidding… I saw—I saw you and I…Please don’t kill me.” Beside her, the little dog sensed the shift immediately, its body stiffening as it started barking sharply, a frantic, protective sound that cut through the stillness of the park.
Luca’s features shifted, the hard edge in his eyes easing as quickly as it had appeared. He exhaled slowly, then slid the gun back behind his jacket. “Who the hell screams into a stranger’s ears?” he demanded. “Do you have a death wish p>
“What idiot goes to the park with a gun?” she shot back, fear quickly mutating into anger as adrenaline flooded her system. Her heart was still racing, her chest tight, but she straightened instinctively, spine stiffening as defiance replaced panic. “Are you crazy?!” Her hands trembled slightly around the leash.
Luca clicked his tongue, shaking his head slowly. The dog continued barking, its sharp yaps bouncing off his already frayed nerves. “I’m the crazy one?!” he snapped, incredulous. “What are you? Five?!” His eyes narrowed slightly, studying her flushed face, the way her lips parted as if ready to fire back again.
“Says the man who thinks a gun is a toy!” she fired back. “You could have killed me! The least you could do is apologise, not scream at me like a mumbling banshee p>
“You want me… me… to apologise?” Luca echoed, incredulity heavy in his tone. One dark brow lifted as he looked at her, disbelief written plainly across his face. The dog was still barking, the sound drilling into his skull, each sharp yap testing his patience further. He drew in a slow breath, jaw tightening, shoulders tense beneath his jacket.
“Oh, excuse me?” she scoffed, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. “Mr. One Hundred Dollars has never apologised.” She knew she was poking at him, pushing deliberately, and yet she couldn’t seem to stop.
The grating pitch of her voice, combined with the relentless barking, finally snapped the thin thread of Luca’s restraint. With a sharp sigh, he bent down, bringing himself level with the dog. He fixed the animal with a steady, commanding stare. “Sssshhhh he murmured. “It’s alright, boy. Stuck with the crazy lady, huh? Yeah, I’d ask for help too p>