Chapter 52
Now, he no longer had the heart to hand her over to the life Bastardi had prepared for her.
And yet, there was nothing he could do.
Genovese Senior had already signed off on the exchange.
That signature might as well have been carved into stone.
Marco dragged a hand down his face, exhaling slowly.
Soon, one of the guards appeared at the door, knocking once before stepping in. “Boss. Luca’s arrived p>
“Thanks,” he muttered, already on his feet.
Then he headed down the corridor toward Luca’s office.
He knocked once and stepped inside.
“Luca p>
Luca Genovese stood near the window, backlit by the morning sun bleeding through the glass. He was unbuttoning his jacket.
“Marco,” Luca said, not turning around. “I’m guessing you bring me bad news p>
Marco huffed, a tired sound. “I’m not exactly sure under which category I’m supposed to classify this news p>
That made Luca turn.
He studied Marco for a beat. Something had been off about him since he’d started babysitting Veronica’s sister. Luca had noticed. Of course he had. He noticed everything. But he hadn’t called Marco out on it. Not yet.
“I have business to take care of,” Luca said finally. “Walk with me p>
They walked in silence. Luca reached for a seemingly ordinary section of wall, fingers brushing over until it clicked. Stone shifted soundlessly, revealing the hidden passage beyond. Then he opened a door.
Cassidy sat tied to a heavy chair in the center of it all. His head hung forward, chin slick with blood that dripped slowly onto the floor, each drop a quiet punctuation mark. One eye was already swelling shut, the other sharp and bright with defiance. Even beaten, even broken, he still looked annoyingly alive.
He lifted his head as Luca and Marco entered, lips pulling into a crooked smile that split painfully at the corner.
“The mighty Luca has arrived,” Cassidy said. “Guess I should feel honored. I was worried you would leave all the fun to your goons p>
Marco stayed back, arms folded.
Luca pulled a chair from the wall and placed it directly in front of Cassidy. He sat, long legs spread, posture relaxed in a way that made it infinitely more threatening.
“I thought you’d be more of a fight, Cas,” Luca said casually. “This… seeing you like this, it’s not worth my time. You’re not a challenge. I’ve come to realize that p>
“Then why am I here?” Cassidy asked after a beat, tilting his head. “If I bore you so much p>
Luca’s eyes locked onto Cassidy’s with predatory focus. “Because you and I need to have a conversation. I’m going to give you a choice, because it seems no one ever bothered to explain how this was really going to end p>
Cassidy’s smile faded just a fraction. “I’ve only got one choice in front of me,” he said quietly. “And that’s rescuing Veronica and Valentina from you p>
Marco stiffened.
“You and what army? And please don’t say the police. You will just sound stupid,” Luca advised.
Cassidy lifted his chin despite the way the movement pulled at split skin and bruised muscle. His jaw was set in stubborn lines. “Then why do I seem to scare you so much?” he shot back. “Why do you see me as a threat p>
“I don’t,” he said calmly. “But right now, you’re clouding Veronica’s mind. She thinks she loves you p>
“That’s because she does p>
Luca exhaled. “Then why was I finger fucking her last night,” he said evenly, “why was it my name she was screaming into the night p>
Cassidy lunged against the restraints, the chair legs scraping violently against the concrete. “You’re lying,” he snapped, eyes blazing.
“And why would I do that?” Luca asked mildly.
“If you’re telling the truth,” Cassidy continued, “then she’s doing it to get her sister away from you p>
“Her sister is going nowhere. At least for now.” He stood, hands slipping into the pockets of his tailored trousers as he began to pace. “See, I’m not the bad guy here. I don’t know why everyone seems to think I am. I don’t go around begging people to ask me for favors. Her father wanted a favor p>
People knocked on his door because they had nowhere else to go, then cursed him for the price of entry.
“You talk too much,” Cassidy spat, blood and saliva mixing as he jerked against the restraints. “Get to the point where you kill me p>
Luca smiled.
“Yeah,” Luca said thoughtfully, rubbing his jaw with his thumb. “That’s a bit of a conundrum. I’ve been thinking about it since last night. You know… right after I almost fucked her p>
Cassidy’s head snapped up.
“So,” Luca continued, unbothered, “I’m going to lay out the choices you have, Cassidy Grant. Simple ones. I like simple. On one hand, I kill you.” He lifted one finger. “You become a tragic story she tells herself at night. She’s strong, she’ll get over it. And in time… she will fall in love with me p>
Cassidy let out a sharp, disbelieving laugh.
“On the other hand,” Luca went on, lifting a second finger, “I let you go. You limp back to whatever hole you crawled out of. And she will still fall in love with me p>
Luca watched them sink in, watched Cassidy’s breathing change, watched anger war with fear.
Cassidy scoffed, forcing bravado where cracks were already showing. “Vee would never love a murderer p>
“That’s adorable,” Luca said softly. “Truly. But she already knows who and what I am p>
He stepped closer now.
Luca crouched in front of Cassidy, their faces inches apart. Cassidy could see the calm in his eyes, the terrifying certainty.
“It’s left for you to choose,” Luca said quietly. “I beg of you… choose wisely p>
Cassidy swallowed. His throat burned. “You think she’s yours,” he said hoarsely. “But she’s using you. She’s doing whatever she has to for her sister p>
Luca’s jaw flexed. Just once.
“Maybe,” he said. “Or maybe she stepped into my world because part of her wanted to. People don’t like admitting that part p>