100

Gianna and I were sitting in the back while Romero drove the car through traffic. I pulled out my phone and checked what Romero had written.
A wants to hit a club. Authorization?
He had managed to send it before I snatched it from him, but Luca’s reply had come later.
No, my blood was boiling. Gianna huffed, “I can’t fucking believe his nerves.”
Romero looked at us through the rearview mirror. “Did Luca answer?”
“Yes,” I said. “He said you should be near him at all times.”
Romero bought my lie and really relaxed. Gianna winked. Luca would skyrocket, but I really couldn’t be bothered. Romero parked the car in a side alley and led us around the building . A long line of revelers waited in front of the entrance but Romero let us through.
“Hey, you stupid asshole, there’s a line,” one boy shouted. Romero stopped, a cold anger replaced his usual calm.
“Go ahead,” Romero told us before turning back to the boy. Gianna took my hand and pulled me toward the two bouncers in front. They were tall and muscular like Luca.
“You don’t look old enough to go clubbing,” said the dark-skinned man.
“Is that a problem?” asked Gianna with a flirtatious smile.
The man’s eyes shifted to something behind me. “Romero,” he said with a hint of confusion.
“It belongs to the boss, Jorge. This is Aria Vitiello and her sister Gianna Scuderi of Chicago Outfit.”
Both men stared at me, then respectfully turned away. “We didn’t know she was coming tonight. The boss didn’t say anything,” Jorge said.
Romero grimaced, but said nothing. Instead he led Gianna and me inside, past the wardrobe shaded in bluish light and a bar area. Behind it, doors opened onto a darkened dance floor.
Blue and white light flashed and hip hop rhythms echoed toward us. Gianna pulled my hand, wanting to go in that direction.
“We should go to Luca’s first,” Romero said.
“Is he here?” I asked surprised.
Romero nodded. “The club has several backrooms and a basement where we run some businesses.”
“Why don’t you go tell him I’m here while Gianna and I go dancing.”
Romero gave me a look. “No chance in hell.”
“Then that’s your problem. Gianna and I are going dancing. Romero grabbed my wrist. I stiffened. “Let me go now,” I hissed and he did, his chest heaving. Gianna and I entered the club. The rhythm vibrated under our feet as if the floor had come to life. The club was crowded with writhing bodies. Romero followed my sister and me as we made our way through the crowd of dancers to another area of the bar.
“Two gin and tonics,” I said. The bartender frowned briefly before noticing Romero, then prepared our drinks and handed them to us. Romero leaned over the counter and said something to the man, who nodded and went around the bar. I knew what that meant. I took a long sip of my drink, then set it down and moved to the dance floor.
I let the music take over my body and began to twist to the beat. Gianna smiled broadly, throwing back her head. She looked happier than I had seen her in a long time. She moved her hips and butt, shaking and rotating her hips. I moved closer and imitated her movements. Our eyes met as we lost all sense of our surroundings, as we let the rhythm take away who we were. I wasn’t sure where Romero was and I didn’t care. It felt like freedom.
The men looked at us. I did not return their hungry glances. It would not be right to lead them.
Gianna did not share my restraint. She smiled and flirted, batted her eyelashes and ran her hands through her hair. A few men began to dance around us. Gianna clutched at one of them, her hands on her chest. Another man raised his eyebrows, but I shook my head. She opened her mouth, then closed it again and stepped back.
I didn’t need to look back. I just kept dancing. I knew who was behind me, I knew from the looks of respect from the men around me, from the looks of admiration from the women. I rotated my hips, pushed my butt out, raised my arms. Firm hands rested on my hips. For a second I feared they belonged to some suicidal idiot, but they were the strong, big hands I knew. I arched up, pressing my butt against his groin. I smiled. I was pressed tight against a muscular body, and Luca’s warm breath brushed against my ‘ear. “Who are you dancing for?”
I tilted my head to stare into his blazing gray eyes. “You. Just you.”
Luca’s expression was hungry, but there was also a hint of anger. “What are you doing here?”
“Dancing.”
He narrowed his eyes. “I told Romero ‘no'” “I’m not your property Luca. Don’t treat me as such.”
His fingers on my waist tightened. “You are mine, Aria, and I protect what is mine.”
“I don’t mind being protected, but I do mind being imprisoned.” I turned in Luca’s arms, catching a glimpse of Gianna engaged in a heated argument with Matteo. “Dance with me,” I shouted.
And Luca did. I knew from photos on the Internet that he had often been in clubs in the past, and it became obvious when he moved his body. A tall, muscular man like him should not be able to move so smoothly. His eyes never left mine, his hands possessive over my waist. Luca leaned his head toward me to whisper in my ear. “You’re fucking hot, Aria. All the men in the club want you, and I want to kill them all.”
“I’m only yours,” I said proudly, and God help me, it was the truth, not just because of the ring on my finger that marked me as his. Luke’s lips rested on mine, fierce, demanding and possessive, and I opened for him, letting him claim me in front of everyone.
“I’m so damn hard,” Luca growled against my lips and I could feel his erection against my stomach. “Fuck it. I have a call scheduled with one of our distributors in five minutes.” I didn’t ask what they were distributing. I didn’t want to know.
“It’s okay,” I said. “Come back when you have time. I’m going to get something to drink.”
“Go to the VIP area .”
I shake my head. “I want to pretend to be a normal girl tonight.”
“No one watching you will think you’re normal.” His eyes traveled all over my body, and I shivered. Then he took a step back, regret evident on his face. “Caesar and Romero will be watching you.” I was about to nod when I noticed a familiar face in the VIP area watching me.
Adorning.
My breath stopped. He sat on another man’s lap, so he was not there for Luke, but the look in his eyes said it all. She was not on top of him. Luca followed my gaze and cursed, “She is not here because of me.”
“Yes.”
“I can’t throw her out. She comes here all the time to celebrate. I haven’t seen her since that night. I usually stay behind.”
I nodded as a knot formed in my throat. Luca took my chin between his thumb and forefinger, forcing me to meet his eyes. “There’s only you, Aria.” He glanced at the clock, then pulled back. “I really need to go now. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He turned and walked through the crowd that opened up for him. Matthew followed him and Gianna approached me. “That asshole.”
“Who?” I said distractedly. Grace had disappeared from the VIP area .
“Matteo. The guy has the nerve to tell me not to dance with other men. What is he? My owner.
Fuck him.” He paused. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” I whispered. “Let’s go to the bar.” Romero and Caesar stepped behind us but I turned back to them, feeling nervous. “Can you watch us from a distance? You’re driving me crazy.”
Without a word they parted and took their positions in the corners of the club. I released a breath and settled on a bar stool.
I ordered two new Gin & Tonics and took a long sip from the cool liquid, trying to relax.
Gianna waved her leg. “You can go dance,” I told her, but she shook her head and rocked it to the music. “In a few minutes. You look pale.”
“I’m fine,” I said, scanning the club for a sign of Grace, but she seemed to have vanished into thin air. There were too many people on the dance floor to find her anyway.
“I really need to go to the bathroom,” Gianna said after a while. Her Gin & Tonic was almost finished.
“I need to sit down for a few more minutes.”
Gianna looked at me worriedly but then slipped away and Caesar followed her at an appropriate distance.
I put my head in my palm, taking a deep breath. An arm bumped into mine, making me wince. I pulled back as a man with long blond hair leaned against the counter next to me. He walked past me to pick up a straw. His jacket brushed against my breast, and I leaned back further and looked away, uncomfortable with the look he was giving me.
“What’s your name?” he shouted.
I tried to ignore him. Something about him really gave me the creeps. I took a sip from my drink and tried to pretend I was busy looking for someone. The man kept looking at me with an ugly smile on his long bearded face. “Are you waiting for someone?”
I turned away, really trying to ignore him and not make a big deal out of it. If I started to freak out , Romero would come over and make a scene. Maybe he was already on his way. My vision began to blur and my stomach churned. I took another sip of my drink but it was no use. I slid off the stool but my legs were shaking and I was dizzy. I grabbed the counter behind me. Suddenly, the man’s mouth was at my ear, his cigarette breath stale on my face. “I’m going to fuck your ass tight. I’m going to make you scream, bitch.” His grip on my arm was overwhelming as he tried to drag me away from the bar.
My eyes found Romero swerving toward me, his hand under his jacket where the gun and knife were. Impatient with our slowness, my attacker hugged me like a loving boy ready to help his drunk girlfriend out of the club. “I’m going to fuck you like an animal. I’ll fuck you to death, asshole,” he croaked in my ear. I stared at him, feeling my limbs heavy, my mouth like it was full of cotton. I had heard those exact words not long ago.
I forced my lips into a smile. “You are a dead man.”
Confusion crossed the man’s face a moment before he writhed in agony. He let me go and my legs gave way, but Caesar grabbed me, replacing his arm with the man’s. My eyes darted in search of Gianna. She stood beside Caesar, her face worried. Romero stood behind my attacker, his knife stuck in the upper part of the man’s thigh. “You will follow us. If you try to escape, you will die.”
“Get her a drink,” Caesar said to Gianna. “But don’t drink.”
Caesar half carried me to the back of the club and down a flight of stairs. He opened a door with a shove and we entered some kind of office. Matthew stood up from his chair. “What’s going on?”
“Probably roofies,” Romero said, giving a good shake to the man he was holding.
“I’ll go get Luca,” Matteo said with a crooked smile. He went through another door and a moment later Luca entered the room, tall and imposing as always. I remained tight in Caesar’s grip, my face half pressed against his chest. Luca’s eyes narrowed, then switched from me to my attacker.
“What happened?” he growled.