Page 50 of Luca

“Now?” I ask, grabbing a pastry and folding it into a napkin.

“No time like the present,” she says, shooting me a broad smile.

I follow her inside and we travel down a couple levels before the door opens into a brightly lit room with more guns hanging on the walls than I’ve ever seen in my life.

“Holy shit,” I say and take a bite of the Danish in my hand.

“That was my first reaction, too. Finn has a room like this in all of his homes. Some aren't quite as well stocked as this one, but the man likes variety.”

I shoot her a wide-eyed look.

“With guns only. He’s not getting any variety anywhere else. Trust me.”

I can’t help the laugh that escapes. It’s more common than not to be married and step out on your wife whenever the mood strikes. I’ve overheard how plenty of married men speak about other women and their side pieces. It’s so common in this life I’m surprised Alessia is as confident as she is. But I suppose if any of those men were married to a woman who looks like Alessia when she takes a gun off the wall and loads it with practiced efficiency, they wouldn’t be so inclined to disrespect their wives or marriage vows.

“This one is a little lighter. I think it would be a good one for you to start with. Now, the first thing you do when you pick up a gun is keep it pointed in a safe direction. No accidentally shooting the person with you. Then check to see if it’s loaded.” She shows me how to do that even though I watched her load it.

She flips a switch on the wall and the rest of the room illuminates, revealing a long range with a paper target at the end. Alessia presses a button and the target moves toward her so she can unclip it and replace it with a fresh one.

“I’ll go first then you can give it a try.”

She hands me ear protection, and when she fires, the noise is muffled but still distinct. Not that I’ve been around much gunfire in my life. Though, I guess that could change at any time now.

She brings the target back to her, and I see where the three shots she fired hit their mark. Two in the chest and one through the forehead.

“Impressive,” I say as she takes the target off the clips and replaces it.

“Practice makes perfect,” she says with a smile and hands me the gun. “Your turn.”

Thirty minutes later, we head back to the penthouse. Though now I know how to fire a weapon, I’d say I’m a long way off from being comfortable with a gun in my hand or being anywhere near as efficient with the weapon like Alessia is.

When the elevator doors slide open, Finn is there talking with Luca on one of the sofas.

“I understand your hesitance in involving your wife, Luca. Trust me, I fucking get it, but it’s the fastest way to put an end to this, and you know it. I’m just asking you to consider.”

“What are you talking about, Finn?” Alessia asks as she comes to sit next to her husband on the leather sofa.

Finn looks between Luca and me. “Ways to get that snake out of hiding.”

“And I told him there’s no way in hell I’m asking Giada to put herself in danger. Who the hell knows what he’ll do if he gets his hands on her?”

“Nothing pleasant, I’m sure,” I mumble, sitting next to Luca on the other couch across from one of the most powerful couples in all of Boston.

Luca turns his body toward me. “I promised you I wouldn’t use you to bring down your family. You’re more than someone we can use to our advantage. I don’t want you to feel like you’re stuck in the middle. Or that by not helping us, we’ll send you back to that monster, Giada. That would never happen.”

“Of course it wouldn’t,” Finn confirms. “I was just suggesting that she can draw him out.”

“Which is using her,” Luca shoots back at his cousin, obviously tired of explaining himself.

“I don’t like it, Finn,” Alessia says, looking her husband dead in the eye. “It’s dangerous as hell and Giada has no way to defend herself. Hell, today is the first day she shot a gun for chrissake.” I’ve never met a woman who would contradict her husband in front of other people. That was certainly never tolerated in my house.

“We would be with her the entire time. I’d make sure to have our guys placed around her so Carlo wouldn’t get even close to taking her.”

“No. There’re too many variables that could fuck that plan up,” Luca says.

“What do you have in mind?” I ask Finn, curious about his idea.

“Giada—” Luca starts.

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