Chapter 500: You Have To Be Careful
"Boss, you have to be careful," Marco said, pleading through the phone. "Don says he ain’t normal."
Luca’s mouth twitched. If David Vitale was not normal, then good. He loved putting beasts down. "Got it...Talk to you soon."
"Luca!"
Luca ended the call. He did not wait for the next words. He knew Marco was worried. He did not have time to reassure Marco that he had it all under control. He stepped on the gas.
The car lunged forward, engine snarling as Luca tore out of the parking area and into the street. His grip tightened around the steering wheel until his knuckles whitened, but his face remained still.
He should have known. Fuck, he should have known. The dead eyes. The unconcerned swagger. The absolute gall of the man. Watching. Existing in plain sight, the arrogance, the nerve. Luca should have realised.
David Vitale had been right under their noses the entire time. Taunting him from across the street while Luca looked past him, searching shadows that were not nearly as dangerous as the bastard standing in daylight.
His jaw flexed. By the time the day was over, David Vitale would be dead. David had reached too far. He had touched too many things that belonged to Luca, stood too close to Veronica.
There would be no fucking delay.
He drove hard through the streets, cutting through traffic. His mind was already at the café, already replaying every moment David had occupied space in their lives.
It finally made sense. A café taking forever to open. A storefront positioned perfectly across from the pizza parlour.
A watchtower.
David had needed a place to sit, observe and place bodies. Luca almost kicked himself. How had he missed this? How had he allowed the bastard to sit there, day after day, watching them while pretending to be nothing more than another man trying to open a shop? How could he have been so goddamn stupid?
But one thing still did not fit. Why had David rescued Vee when Inferi’s men took her? If he was working with Bianca, if he was truly part of her plan, then surely his goal should have been simple.
Veronica dead.
So why had he saved her? Saving Veronica made no fucking sense. They could have killed her. Any man working against Luca would have let it happen. Any man loyal to Bianca’s purpose would have stepped aside and allowed it.
And Luca, in that moment, had looked into his face and let him live. The thought sent another wave of fury through him.
Why hadn’t he shot David when he had the chance?
Fifteen minutes later, he reached the street where the pizza parlour and the café stood opposite each other.
Luca pulled up and stepped out of the car. He walked straight to the front door and tried the handle.
It was locked. He glanced through the glass. The interior was untouched. Luca moved around to the back of the building, gun already in his hand before he reached the door. He tested that handle too.
Also locked.
He took a couple of steps back, lifted his leg, and drove his foot into the door with brutal force. Wood cracked. The frame groaned. The second kick splintered it open.
Luca stepped through immediately, gun raised, eyes cutting through the space. He swept the room, every corner and every doorway. Espresso machines sat untouched behind the counter, expensive equipment that had never served a real customer. Cups were stacked neatly. Menus had been printed. Everything was ready, yet nothing had ever truly begun.
Because David had not needed a café. He had needed a window.
Luca moved deeper inside. He found the small office area and started yanking drawers open. He tore through every cabinet, every shelf. He did not know exactly what he was looking for.
But information had weight. David had existed here. Watched from here. Planned from here. There had to be something.
There was nothing of use.
Luca stood in the ruined office, breathing through the rage. Then he pulled out his phone and called one of the tech guys at Commissioned to pull up David’s house address.
*****
Veronica woke to the low, steady hum of an engine. She did not understand the sound. It wrapped around her like fog, vibrating through the seat beneath her body. Her eyes opened slowly. Light blurred above her. Cream leather. A narrow aisle. Small windows.
A plane.
Her pulse kicked hard. Veronica blinked several times. Her head throbbed viciously, pain spreading from the side of her skull down into her neck. When she tried to move, metal clinked. She looked down. Her hands were cuffed in front of her. She stared at the restraints around her wrists.
She drew in a careful breath and lifted her head. The aircraft looked private. She was alone on the wide leather seat, strapped by a belt. The cabin was dim, the blinds half lowered. She tried to look around properly, but the motion sent pain slicing through her skull. Veronica squeezed her eyes shut and swallowed a curse.
Think.
The last thing she remembered was the mall. A text from Val asking her to come help pick out a dress. That had made sense. Valentina had been preparing to leave for Italy, practically glowing through the phone with excitement at the thought of seeing Marco again.
She remembered arriving at the mall with her guards. She remembered the noise, heading to the clothing section. She remembered an impact to her head.
After that, nothing.
Veronica opened her eyes again. If she was here, in a private plane, then no one knew she had been taken. Whoever had done this had moved fast, and with enough planning to separate her from Luca’s protection.
Luca.
She looked down quickly, her heart hammering now for an entirely different reason. Her fingers went automatically to her chest. Her necklace was gone.
The tracker necklace was gone. Her throat felt bare. She twisted her wrist, searching for the Luca Genovese inscribed bracelet.
Gone.
(Brought to you by Missy Dionne 2/2)
