Athena
The rest of the ride was spent in silence. For someone who was meant to be tactful, I seemed to be having zero success in doing that. But hey! How was I supposed to know he had childhood trauma? It wasn’t like it was written in his case file or all over his forehead. And in my defense, I had meant it as a joke. A rather expensive joke, but a joke still.
Oh, who was I kidding? He was pissed. And I had no idea how to break through the stupid walls he had erected this time.
Hell, why was he even mad at me?
If anything, he was the one who gave me childhood trauma. He killed my father! The only person a fifteen-year-old girl had in the entire world. I deserved to be mad at him instead.
“Will you step outside? Or are you determined to spend all day in the vehicle, Miss Gonzalez?” Luciano spoke from outside the car. I hadn’t realized we had arrived or that he had exited the car.
Fixing him a glare through the window, I stepped out and folded my arms. “I’m Miss Gonzalez now? Really? I had only cracked one joke!”
Luciano gave me a look that told me how clueless he thought I was. Stepping closer, he dropped his voice an octave lower.
“Would you like everyone to know you’re fucking the boss?” He asked and I felt my face heat up in anger.
Fuck, he was right. And it was infuriating. This was a professional setting, he couldn’t talk to me unprofessionally. Not like there weren’t times when he had broken character either.
“Technically,” I said coyly, determined to get the last word. “We haven’t fucked yet. So I don’t think that counts.”
“Hmm,” Luciano murmured, his dark eyes dropping my lips then flitted upwards to look me in the eyes. “We’ll have to rectify that, don’t we?”
Oh no, that backfired. Giving a nervous chuckle, I stepped away from him and cleared my throat rather awkwardly.
“The building Mr. Moretti,” I mumbled gesturing at the big gigantic structure behind him. The last time I had come here with him, it had barely been completed. Now it stood, solid and very beautiful. At least I thought it was. Luciano simply glanced behind him, gave me a blank look, and turned to walk into the building.
Ah damn, the contractor was most likely in deep shit.
As we toured the insides of the majestic l, a niggling thought dropped into my mind. I wondered just how many people had to die for him to claim such a large piece of land and build a huge ass building on it.
“What’s this building for?” I asked, tired of my thoughts and the silence that grew between us.
“I haven’t decided yet,” he replied after a long silence.
Yeah right. It was more likely to be a hideout for his gang in broad daylight. They would have their operations right under everyone’s nose and get away with shit faster than the FBI could say quidditch.
But I had no proof. Nothing to show for my speculation. That was all I had. Fucking speculations.
I glanced at Luciano to see he was already looking at me as if he could see the wheels turning in my head.
“Spill,” he muttered. “I know that glint in your eyes. I know you want to say something.”
“How do you feel about it?” I asked, dropping the facade a bit. It was time to get some real answers.
Luciano inclined his head to a side, his eyes narrowed in slits. “You might want to expatiate on that?”
“I mentioned the murders in the car,” I stated, hoping he would follow my line of reason. But the man had to be as dumb as a donkey because he gave me a rather blank look.
“You did,” he nodded.
I sighed exasperated. “Really?”
Luciano chuckled and spread out his hands. “You’ll have to be more specific, woman. There’s too damn much on my plate at this rate.”
“Don’t snap at me!” I hissed. “I asked how you felt about the murders all over the city.”
Luciano’s dark eyes regarded me with a leveled gaze. For a minute that was all he did. Stare at me as if pondering. Had I revealed too much? Could he guess my intentions from just one question? Was this another major slip-up?
“Ah, Raven,” he stepped closer and instinctively I retreated towards the wall.
His eyes shone with something feral briefly and he stepped closer even more until I was backed up against the wall. “Shall I be honest with you? I. Don’t. Give. A. Shit.”
“That’s brutal,” I mumbled seeing the cold look on his face.
“Is it?” He grinned in a rather mechanical manner, sliding my hair behind my ears. “Why? Did you think I was a saint?”
No, I hadn’t. But I had…I had hoped he would fake pity, fake concern even if he was just doing so to appeal to me. Who was I kidding? Even under disguise, this was still a mafia lord who had killed countless. His heart was as black as the grimmest part of the whole fucking health.
“The murders are none of my concern, I couldn’t care less. I have my company to run and make more money, hell that’s all I fucking need.” Luciano added.
Fury burned in my blood at the nonchalant way he said so. How could he?! He thought this way and felt he had the right to feel awful when I made the joke about childhood trauma.
“You’re a bastard!” I seethed, trying but failing to still my trembling nerves. “I thought -”
“You thought what? That I could be fucking saved?” He was mocking me. There was that mocking look in his eyes and he leaned closer until her face was mere inches away.
“I thought beneath all that hardness, there was someone that was actually human!” I spat and shoved him away from me. “You’re nothing but a selfish, cruel son of a bitch!”
“Raven!” He bellowed.
“Oh did that hurt?! Did I strike a nerve? You deserve much worse than that, you cold unfeeling asshole-”
“You have no right!” He roared, his deep voice bouncing off the empty walls. “You have no fucking right to judge me! Fanculo! What do you fucking know Raven?!”
His voice though stern at the beginning, ended in anguish and my jaw slacked at the torn look in his eyes. I had known terror and pain growing up. I could easily recognize it from anyone. Even on the hard-hearted man before me.
My mind flashed to the charity event some months ago. He had given those children beds. Beds. Luciano had… He had gone through pain and terror. He had to have.
“You know nothing!” He spat, breathing heavily. “Where were they?! Where was every single fucking one of them?! Don’t talk shit to me about compassion!”
For a minute I watched him struggle to breathe. Something had happened. Something that hung over him, like the sword of Damocles. We weren’t that much different, were we? Unable to let go of hate.
I placed my hands gently on his chest, gripped his jacket, and pulled him closer. His breathing was harsh and if this continued, he might as well hyperventilate. Doing the one thing that seemed to pacify both of us, I leaned forward to kiss him.
His mouth pressed ardently against mine, demanding, taking as if trying to hold on to something. Something so brittle and fickle. I matched his kisses eagerly, wanting nothing more than to forget the storm brewing within me. Nothing more than to pretend I was just a woman in the arms of a man who drove her fucking crazy.
“Raven,” he growled between kisses.
“No,” I mumbled, pressing my lips against his.” Don’t stop,” For a while we got lost until he wrenched away, shaking his head, warm brown eyes slowly falling to their usual cold bleak state.
“You should stay away,” he ordered, yanking himself out of my hold.
“Luciano, wait-”
“No!” He yelled, pushing away from me. “This ends here! Stay away from me.”
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I yelled, feeling like someone drove an awl down my chest with each distance he put between us. I had gotten closer. I had gotten closer, I just needed to get the reports I needed and then he could stay away all he wanted!
Not now! Not now when I was so fucking close!
“You’ve seen it yourself, I’m not a fucking saint! I’m the devil and you’ll get burned!” He fumed.
“I don’t recall complaining!” I retorted, storming towards him.
“You have to go,” he spat, giving me a bored look. “I do not need you anymore, Gonzalez. What we had… It’s over.”
I shook my head, sliding my hands around his neck. I watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down “Liar,” I murmured and placed my head against his chest.
Until I had my revenge, I was going nowhere.