Chapter 78
He looked back at the dog. Its eyes were fixed on the front door now, body tense.
“Yeah,” Luca muttered under his breath. “You feel it too, don’t you p>
His hand slipped under his jacket, resting where his weapon was. He had learned a long time ago to trust his instincts, especially when they came uninvited. Fear did not appear without reason. Dogs knew things. They smelled danger long before humans did. They heard what others ignored.
Luca took a step toward the house, then another. The dog whined softly, pacing, glancing between him and the door.
He put his hand on his gun and walked toward the front door. He knocked lightly. “Vee p>
He opened the door slowly, the hinges groaning in protest, and drew his gun. “Veronica?” Still nothing.
“Vito?” No answer. The familiar unease that had been gnawing at him coiled tighter in his chest. He moved inside cautiously, scanning every corner, every shadow.
Then he felt it before he saw it. The attack came from behind, a heavy weight, a rush of movement that his instincts screamed at him to counter. He jerked his elbow back instinctively, connecting with the intruder’s jaw with a sickening crack. The man stumbled backward, a grunt of surprise and pain ripping from his throat.
Luca didn’t want to fire his gun. Guns were loud, messy, and drew attention he did not want.
The next attacker came faster. Luca crouched low, the spring in his legs ready, and drew his pocket knife. A quick movement, stabbing both men in the thighs. They collapsed with curses and curses-turned-groans, weapons clattering uselessly to the floor. He kicked their guns far away from them.
He didn’t waste a second, moving with the lethal grace of someone who had spent years making danger routine.
Before him now lay the living room. And there, standing like a shadow carved from ice, was Bastardi. Gun pressed against Vee’s temple, another man standing beside him. Vito sat on the couch, frozen, sweat beading along his balding forehead.
Of course. Bastardi.
Luca’s gaze flicked to Vee. She was shaking visibly, lips parted, hair falling in loose strands across her face.
Luca’s jaw tightened. Every muscle in his body. He knew Bastardi had expected this to be easy, expected compliance. He had miscalculated.
And Luca would make him pay for that mistake, with every ounce of force he could summon.
Vee’s eyes met his for a brief second. She trembled, yes, but she trusted him, entirely. He would not let her fall. Not now, not ever.
“Luciano. Surprised to see you here.” Bastardi said. The gun was steady against Vee’s temple, metal kissing skin, his finger relaxed on the trigger. “Are you the girl’s personal escort now p>
Luca stepped fully into the room, shoulders squared.
“Bastardi,” Luca said finally. “Think about what you are doing. Think deeply. Consider the consequences and take that gun off her p>
Bastardi chuckled. “Imagine my surprise when I came looking for my escaped cargo and I find out you are playing house with this one here. The sister of my cargo.” He leaned closer to Vee. “And then I realised you double crossed me. For a pussy p>
Luca’s jaw tightened. But right now, rage was a luxury he could not afford. He needed Bastardi sloppy, arrogant, distracted by his own sense of victory.
“I’m going to count to ten,” Luca said. “Take that gun off her and point it at me. Because when I get to ten, you will have a knife in your hand and there will be a bullet hole in his forehead.” He gestured casually toward the man beside Bastardi, a nervous soldier whose eyes were already betraying him.
He glanced at Vee again. Just a second. Long enough for her to see him. His eyes softened for her alone, a promise burning there. I see you. I’ve got you.
“I want the girl,” Bastardi said, his grin widening, confidence swelling. “And maybe your slut here gets to keep breathing p>
“You’re not getting the girl. It is quite amazing that because you trade in women, you think you can stand up to me. Luciano Genovese.” He took a step forward, daring him. “You, the Bastione bastard. To think I even considered transacting with you. If not for the fact that you are worth nothing but betrayal to your own blood, I would not touch you with a five foot pole, you cock sucking son of a bitch p>
In the blink of an eye, Luca’s hand moved. The knife left his fingers like it had been waiting for this moment all its life. Steel sang through the air and buried itself cleanly into Bastardi’s wrist. The gun clattered to the floor as Bastardi screamed, pain finally reminding him he was mortal.
Everything exploded into motion.
Vee ducked instinctively.
Still refusing to fire his gun, Luca seized the sliver of opportunity, moving fast, shoulder slamming into the other man before the idiot could focus again. Bone met bone. The impact drove them both into the wall, a framed family photo shattering as Luca followed through, fist connecting with jaw, then temple.
The man went down hard, breath leaving him in a wet gasp, skull bouncing once against the floor before going mercifully still. Luca barely registered it. His focus had already snapped back to Bastardi.
That was the mistake.
Bastardi was bleeding, furious, unhinged. Pain had stripped him of strategy. He ripped the knife from his own wrist with a hoarse snarl, blood spraying across the couch, the rug. Before Luca could pivot fully, Bastardi lunged and drove the blade into Luca’s side, just beneath the ribs, twisting as if he wanted to leave a signature.
Luca sucked in a sharp breath. Pain bloomed white-hot, stealing the air from his lungs. He staggered back, hand flying instinctively to the wound, warm blood already soaking through his shirt, slick against his palm. His vision tunneled, but he stayed upright. Stubborn bastard that he was.
“Luca!” Vee screamed.
She grabbed the heavy lamp from the side table, porcelain base cool and solid in her hands. She brought it down on Bastardi’s head with a desperate cry. The lamp shattered on impact, ceramic and bulb exploding outward as Bastardi dropped, his body crumpling to the floor in a heap of blood and broken glass.