Just One Kiss (The Town of Pearl 8)

“You need to move on, Derek. We can’t risk our names being tainted and using our connections to assist you. She doesn’t want to marry you or be part of the family. Just move on. You can grab any woman you want,” William told him.

Derek got pissed as he turned around and raised his voice.

“You’ll do what I say. You keep looking. Hire an investigator, I don’t care. Just find her.”

“No, Derek. We’re done. You’re on your own,” Franklin told him, and Derek cursed.

“You’ll regret this. We’re family,” he said and stormed out of the office. He headed to the elevator, some people who heard him raise his voice looking at him. The doors to the elevator closed and he pulled out his cell phone. He scanned the text messages, looking for the right one. He found it, and called the number.

“Roscoe Levine,” the guy answered.

“Roscoe, it’s Derek. I want to go forward with the plan. Find her. I’ll have the money deposited within the hour.” He disconnected the call and leaned back and sighed.

He would find Lucia and make her marry him. Even if it meant tying her up and forcing her to be his wife. Too much was at stake. Her parents knew that too, and they would surely help. That’s who he needed to call next.

* * * *

“It sounds like a lot of work, Lucifer,” Salvatore said as they talked about the new job for Mrs. Higgins while they were eating. Lucifer couldn’t seem to get Lucia out of his head. He needed his brothers’ help on this job. It was the only way he could get the job done in eleven weeks. He also kept thinking about Lucia’s ideas. He wondered how she knew about art, etched glass, the Victorian era, and even designing in general. Her ideas about the large-planked wood were awesome. Even the drapery and enhanced etched glass were classy and exactly what Mrs. Higgins was looking for.

“What the heck is wrong with you? Didn’t you hear me?” Salvatore asked as Gabriele and Maxwell stared at him.

“Sorry, I was just thinking about what happened at Mrs. Higgins’s home today.”

“What happened at her home?” Maxwell asked.

He started to explain about Lucia, and he saw he had all of their attention. He went on about her designs, her soft-spoken behavior, and how she would be working along with them to come up with the design Mrs. Higgins wanted.

“How does she know about designing?” Salvatore asked him.

“I don’t know, but she sounded like she had a clue. She impressed Mrs. Higgins, and since she’s paying the bill, we have no choice but to work with Lucia.”

“What do we know about her?” Gabriele asked, directing his question toward Maxwell.

“Don’t look at me. I haven’t a clue. She showed up a few months back, is renting an apartment at the Anders home, and she doesn’t socialize much. Keeps to herself,” Maxwell told them.

“She was looking for work. I heard she was having a hard time,” Salvatore said.

“I think she has a job now with Mrs. Higgins besides helping design those two bedrooms. It’s strange, she looks like a teenager, but she’s really stunning and mature. There’s like this aura around her.”

“Aura? What the hell, Lucifer? You need to quit reading those online dating tips,” Gabriele teased, and they all chuckled.

“Whatever,” he replied and went back to eating.

They were all qui

et as they ate, and then Gabriele spoke.

“You thinking of hooking up with her?”

Lucifer looked up, surprised by the question. They never talked about dating, whom they slept with, or what they did in their free time. Especially not since the incident with Salvatore and Lindsey.

“Why would you ask me that?” Lucifer replied and then looked back down at his plate of beef stew Salvatore had been cooking in the Crock-Pot since early this morning. It hit the spot, along with the buttered egg noodles.

Suddenly he pictured Lucia in his head. He thought of her olive complexion, big brown eyes, and how petite, feminine, and attractive she was. Her long brown hair smelled so good, and he took full advantage of checking out the luscious curves of her body as he followed her up the stairs in Mrs. Higgins’s home. She was well-endowed for such a petite woman. When he stood near her, he felt like a giant, and an instant feeling of protectiveness consumed him. Lucifer ignored it.

“Well?” Maxwell pushed, with that smirk of his filling his muscular jaw and tight features. His brothers were one bigger than the next, Salvatore being the largest.

“I don’t really know her. She’s real quiet, almost passive.”