Page 17 of Luca

“How do you know?” My voice was barely audible.

“Because the victim was a woman. She was killed in his flat. There’s no way Luca would do something like that.”

His conviction was unwavering, and I found myself pausing.

“Please, Claire,” Gracie chimed in, giving me her classic puppy-dog eyes, hands clasped in a pleading gesture. She always did this when she wanted something from me. I sighed, knowing I couldn’t say no to her.

“Alright,” I conceded. “But I’m only stepping in until your lawyer is back on his feet, or you find someone else. That’s it.”

“I appreciate it!” he said, nodding in agreement.

Miki nodded, gratitude clear in his expression. “Thank you.”

We made our way to the police station where Luca was being held. Along the way, Miki filled me in on what they knew so far.

It was even worse than we’d thought—rape and murder. My breath hitched. No… No way!

Surely he hadn’t?

As soon as the question crossed my mind, I dismissed it. Of course not. Luca might be many things, but he wasn’t a rapist, and he’d never hurt a woman. I was sure of that.

Despite everything, Luca and his Bratva Blood Brothers had high morals when it came to women. They believed women were to be loved and protected. I knew that much from Ash, who’d reassured me when Gracie started seeing him. Gracie had also told me about Krissa, the Rominovs’ oldest sister. She’d been raped and murdered a couple of years ago. It had devastated thefamily. I couldn’t imagine any of them doing something similar to another woman after what they’d been through.

So, despite my initial reluctance, I resolved to help. Not just for Luca, or the Rominovs, or even Gracie—but for the woman who’d been murdered. She deserved justice. And justice meant finding the actual killer, which started by not letting an innocent man take the fall.

Besides, no matter my earlier protests, deep down, I knew I could never leave Luca to face this alone. I just hoped I wouldn’t regret it.

CHAPTER 10

LUCA

EARLY HOURS THE NEXT MORNING – CHARGED WITH MURDER

After arriving at the station, the cops processed me before shoving me into an interview room. Detectives Rollo and Williamson tried to pry information out of me, but I knew the game too well to fall for that. I may never have been arrested before, but we’d all been schooled in exactly how to handle such situations just in case. Every question they threw at me got the same response: “No comment.” I requested a lawyer, and after about half an hour of circling the same empty routine, they finally gave up. I was led to a holding cell, and left to sit and wait in this tiny, windowless box.

By now, Miki would know about my situation. Trigger had received my text just as the police were at my door, and I knew he’d wasted no time alerting the others. So, it was just a matter of time until a lawyer arrived, and I’d have to run through the interrogation again—this time with legal backup. If they charged me after that, I’d be taken to court on Monday and have to apply for bail.

Would it get that far?

I sighed. Yes, I’d no doubt it would.

The reality of it made my skin itch. I shifted on the hard bench, my shoulders tense, and rolled my neck to work outsome of the stiffness. Someone had framed me. The dead woman lying in my flat, my ex Julie, was nothing more than a pawn in someone’s twisted game. My gut told me it was the MP—he’d found out who I was. We had anticipated the possibility, but apparently we’d underestimated just how badly he wanted revenge. The MP was already buried under a mountain of charges; we assumed he’d be too busy wriggling out of those to bother coming after us.

We had been wrong.

A man like him couldn’t be taken lightly. Desperation makes people dangerous, but this guy? He was something worse—a full-blown psychopath. Maybe a sociopath. I wasn’t sure which, but either way, the result was the same: he was capable of anything. And now, he’d had me arrested for murder.

The dull hum of distant voices and clanking doors were my only company. This boredom was unbearable. I really didn’t relish the prospect of being stuck here much longer. Worse was the idea of going to jail. Danger? That I could handle. No doubt I’d thrive in it, like always. But the thought of losing my freedom? That crawled under my skin in a way nothing else could. The confinement would be a special kind of hell.

I was the Head of Entertainment for the Rominov’s for a reason. People were my world. The buzz, the pulse of life around me, were like my life’s blood. Miki always said charm was my superpower. He was right. Making people do what I wanted came easily. There was nobody I couldn’t charm. Well, except Claire. My Little Miss Sexy Ass. She was a special case. Stubborn as hell—and I loved her for it.

Loved her?

Those two words made my heart stutter, panic filled me and a cold sweat prickled across my skin. I dragged my hand down my face. If anyone was watching, they’d think I was starting to crack under the pressure of a murder charge. But this panic hadnothing to do with that. It was Claire—my feelings for her ran deeper than I’d even realised, and that left me shaken.

What the hell was I going to do? The weight of everything pressed in on me, harder with each breath. Claire hadn’t wanted me because of my ties to the Bratva. What would she think now? A murder charge, involving a woman I’d once been with—it was a disaster. This would remind her of my past, my reputation as a player. One more nail in the coffin of whatever I’d hoped we could have. After this, she’d be even less inclined to open her heart to me. And I didn’t think even my Plan B would change that.

Devastation threatened to overwhelm me. My heart had recognised Claire as mine from the moment we met; I just hadn’t realised it had given itself fully to her at the same time. I’d known her rejection would cut deep and my heart would hurt if I failed to win her. But I’d expected it would heal with time, along with my battered self-esteem. Now, I wasn’t sure how the hell I was going to cope with losing her. Something, I’d never truly believed was an option until now.

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