Protected By the Monster

“Good evening, good evening,” he said amiably. “How are you two doing this fine night?”

“I’m doing well, thank you, Don,” Luca said.

“And how are you, Clair?”

“I’m fine,” I said, turning my head away.

“Ah, I sense some tension.” Uncle Luciano chuckled. “Did we interrupt something?”

“No, Don, not at all,” Luca said. “Your niece here simply has some moral quandaries with what we do for a living.”

I looked back at Uncle Luciano, meeting his gaze. I refused to let myself be intimidated, even if he was one of the most terrifying men in the world.

“If she’s anything like her mother, I’m sure she’s been making sure you know exactly how she feels,” Uncle Luciano said with a soft chuckle. “Strong-willed women run in this family.”

“That’s one way of putting it, sir,” Luca said.

Uncle Luciano limped over toward the big, brown easy chair and lowered himself down into it with a sigh. He gestured at the couch and met my gaze. I hesitated then walked over and sat. Luca joined me, sitting close enough that his thigh touched mine. I wanted to push him away, but instead I sat still with my back straight and my eyes staring ahead.

“All right then, Luca,” Uncle Luciano said. “I understand you have a plan to take the fight to the Jalisco.”

“Steven brought it to me,” Luca said. “He heard of a safe house near Temple University. He thinks it might be a good spot to hit, might send them the right message.”

Uncle Luciano nodded. “I see, and I can understand why you might think that.”

“The girl is the real issue, sir,” Luca said. “I don’t want to leave her here, but I also don’t want Steven to make the hit without me. There might be important information there.”

“You want my permission to bring her along?”

“That’s right, sir.”

Uncle Luciano nodded his head and let out a grunt. “I see,” he said. “And what do you think of this plan, Clair?”

I stared at him for a moment, trying to see past his fake kindly grandfather exterior. “I don’t want people to die because of me,” I said.

Uncle Luciano snorted and shook his head. “Dear, they’re going to die whether you choose to allow Luca to go along or not. I’m going to hit that safe house one way or another. I would prefer it if Luca went along, since he has a lot of experience with this sort of thing, but I won’t force you into it.”

I looked from my uncle to Luca then back again. I shifted in my seat, trying to move my leg away from Luca’s, not trusting myself to touch him, not even a little bit.

“Is this really something we have to do?” I asked.

“It’ll help you,” Luca said, his voice low. “And I want to make sure you’re safe.”

“And you’re going to do it anyway,” I said. “Even if I say no, you’ll just send someone else.”

“That’s right,” Uncle Luciano said.

I stared at Luca then, looked into his dark, handsome eyes, at his full lips, and remembered the taste of him, the feel of him pressed up against me.

I had to look away. My heart raced, my hands trembled.

“Fine,” I said. “If you want to go, I won’t stop you.”

“Great,” Uncle Luciano said. “I’m glad we got this cleared up.”

I wanted to puke. I stared at the floor and shook, my mind spinning, my body light and dizzy. I knew I just made a choice, just crossed a line that I’d never be able to come back from, and it made me sick to my stomach.

But I couldn’t stop Luca. If he wanted to go and kill those men, I couldn’t stop him, not really.

And the truth is, some part of me hoped that Luca would do better, that he’d choose better. Some part me wanted him to decide on his own what was right and wrong, and that he’d want to stay home, want to avoid going out and getting into some unnecessary gunfight with men he didn’t even know.

It didn’t matter that they were trying to kill me, or capture me, or whatever it was they wanted.

I knew what was right and what was wrong.

“Now, we have one more thing to discuss,” Uncle Luciano said. “And truthfully dear, this is the real reason I came all the way out here.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“The matter of Fazio’s estate,” he said. “You’ll be signing some papers in the next few days. I have bank accounts set up in your name ready to accept the funds. My understanding is that this will be a substantial amount of money, and you’ll likely be very financially settled for the rest of your life, if you choose to do nothing but invest it wisely. I will put you in touch with my financial advisors and get a portfolio started for you, if that’s something you’d like.”