Chapter 35
“No.” Cassidy stepped closer, hands cupping her face. His lips crashed into hers in a bruising kiss, clumsy and desperate and far too full of everything he hadn’t said soon enough.
She let herself feel it.
Then the world detonated.
Luca saw red instantly.
One second he was sitting in the car, jaw tight, watching the scene unfold with a predator’s stillness. The next, he was out, door slamming, shoes hitting pavement with lethal intent.
“You really are looking to get yourself killed, aren’t you?” Luca was suddenly there.
Cassidy turned, placing himself instinctively between Luca and Vee. “For her? Yes!” he shot back. “And then she’d finally be free of you p>
Vee surged forward immediately, panic flaring in her chest. She shoved herself between them, hands out, heart hammering. “Please. Please, Luca,” she begged. “Its nothing p>
“I’m going to kill him!” Luca snapped, eyes never leaving Cassidy’s face.
“You do that!” Cassidy barked. “At least then the police would know who to come for. You’re a slippery one, Luciano Genovese. Not anymore p>
Luca smiled.
It was slow. Wicked.
“Better men have tried, fool,” he said softly. “Better men than you have fucking tried.” He leaned in just enough to make the threat intimate. “I own the fucking NYPD p>
“Please, Luca,” Vee said again. “Let’s just go. Please p>
“Vee Cassidy said quietly, turning to her, ignoring the threat looming inches away. “Please. I’m not going to give up on you p>
Her heart shattered.
She looked at him fully then, really looked. The bruised eye. The stubborn tilt of his chin. The love written all over his face.
“You have to,” she whispered. “Cas, please p>
“For what?” he asked. “For him p>
“For me,” she said, tears spilling freely now. “For Valentina. She’s just a child p>
Cassidy’s shoulders sagged, the fight draining out of him as reality finally punched through adrenaline. He looked past her, at Luca, and then back at Vee, eyes glassy.
“I have to save you,” he said hoarsely.
“I know,” she whispered. “To do that, you have to walk away p>
Luca watched, jaw tight, fury coiled beneath his skin.
“Vee.” Cas sighed. “I… I love you p>
Vee turned instinctively toward Luca first.
Then she turned back to Cas.
Tears blurred her vision. She didn’t know why she said it. Maybe it was the intensity of the moment. Maybe it was stubbornness. Maybe it was the desperate need to know that somewhere inside all this chaos, something was still hers. “I love you too p>
Cas smiled, and it broke her.
It was soft and fractured.
“Let me go,” she whispered.
Cas nodded. “Okay,” he said quietly. “For now p>
She stepped away from him slowly, every step toward the car feeling heavier than the last. Behind her, Luca stood motionless, imagining all the ways he could and would dismantle Cassidy piece by piece.
Both men stood there, locked in a silent standoff, eyes sharp, daring the other to make the wrong move.
“Luca Vee called softly. “Please. Let’s leave p>
She thought he might refuse her.
Then he turned.
He got into the car beside her. The driver pulled away smoothly, the street sliding past them.
Inside the car, Luca’s jaw remained set, anger clouding everything else. Jealousy sat heavy in his chest, bitter and sharp. She loves him. The thought echoed, relentless.
Him. Cassidy. A teacher. A man with absolutely nothing to offer her.
A nobody.
And yet he had dared. Dared to stand in front of him. Dared to say he loved her. Dared to believe he could battle Luciano Genovese, the devil himself, for a woman.
The nerve.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Vee staring straight ahead, shoulders tight, tears drying on her cheeks. She looked smaller somehow. Tired.
“Take us to Bastardi’s place,” Luca instructed the driver.
“Yes, sir p>
Vee shifted beside him. “Luca, I’m tired. I just need to sleep p>
Silence answered her.
It pressed in around them, until she knew, with a sinking certainty, that she had done it. She had poked the bear.
The car moved forward, city lights thinning into darkness, until a structure loomed ahead. The house was enormous, sprawling wider than Luca’s, louder too, but without elegance. Where Luca’s place whispered old money, this one shouted indulgence and rot.
Music thudded from somewhere near the pool, bass heavy enough to vibrate the air. People moved everywhere. Women draped over furniture and men alike, skin bare. Gum snapped. Smoke curled. Glasses clinked. It was excessive decadence.
Vee swallowed.
“What are we doing here?” she asked quietly.
“It’s time you learned,” Luca said, already opening his door.
“Learn what p>
He paused just long enough to look at her, really look at her, his eyes dark and unreadable. “What would most likely have happened to you if I hadn’t won that goddamned auction p>
Her throat tightened as she stepped out of the car. She let her gaze wander, unwilling and drawn all at once. Girls perched on men’s laps, laughter a little too loud, eyes a little too empty. Others lounged on chaise chairs, legs draped, waiting to be noticed, chosen, consumed.
A chill slipped down her spine.
Luca took her wrist firmly, guiding her forward. His touch burned with fury. As they walked, men turned assessing Vee openly, their eyes lingering too long.
Luca’s grip tightened.
The entrance hall was grand.
They stopped and Vee saw a man across the hall, loud and ugly, pulling a girl closer as if she were a prize he’d just paid for. Vee flinched.
“Stay close,” Luca said.
Luca handed over his card at the entrance. The man at the door glanced at it, stiffened, then swiped it. A quiet click sounded, followed by a nod that carried more fear than respect.
They were waved inside.
The living room opened before them. Vee’s steps slowed. Her eyes widened from the way her mind refused to accept what her senses were reporting.
Women passed them wearing collars. A few walked obediently beside men, eyes downcast. Others were on their knees, being dragged casually. No one looked shocked. No one hurried. This was routine. This was business.