Page 71 of Auctioned To Her Dad's Mafia Enemies

I move to the bar and pour myself a drink,watching the amber liquid swirl in the glass. “He wanted to kill Aemelia.”

Alexis exhales sharply, rolling his shoulders.“You think she’ll be upset to lose him?”

I take a sip, the burn of whiskey settlingdeep in my chest. “We need to talk to her. Find out everything she knows. Abouther family, about the past. If we’re going to take Enzo out...”

Alexis tilts his head. “You’re worried she’llcare, and…”

I set the glass down with a quiet clink, mygaze cutting to his. “And.”

There’s no need to say it out loud. We wanther to stay with us and holding her against her will isn’t enough. She needs towant to be here, and destroying any family she loves can only drive a wallbetween us.

Enzo wants to kill her, and we need to findout why.

Then we need to finish him.

I just hope Aemelia will agree because nowthere are twoLambretticocksuckers on our hitlist,and there’s no saving either of them.

31

AEMELIA

WHAT HE NEEDS

I’m watching television when Luca enters theroom. My door is no longer locked, but when Alexis left, he closed it behindhim, and I didn’t bother to test if they were truly comfortable with mewandering around the penthouse. Things have changed between us, but I’m notsure how much is real and how much is just a carefully maintained illusion.

Luca’s gaze flicks to the screen, where aromance movie plays—a temporary escape from the tension around me.Embarrassment prickles at my skin, and I grab the remote, switching it off asif caught in something forbidden.

Even after hours in the penthouse, Luca isstill impeccably dressed, his crisp shirt unwrinkled, his slacks pristine. Hecarries himself with the kind of effortless power that makes lesser men bowtheir heads and women forget how to breathe. Without a word, he moves acrossthe room, dragging the chair from the corner and positioning it close to thebed. Then he sits, legs spread, forearms resting on his thighs, his unwaveringgaze locked onto me.

His eyes, laser blue and searing, send shiversof awareness down my spine, just as they did the night of the wedding. Spendingtime in his company, kissing him, and sleeping in his arms has done nothing tolessen the impact of his intensity on my body. If anything, it’s made it worse.

“I need to talk to you, Aemelia.”

“Okay.” My voice comes out smaller than itshould, a risk where Luca is concerned. I don’t want him to think I’ve beenweakened by his brothers’ attention or the gunman outside. Weakness is a magnetfor men like Luca. It would make me another thing he could devour.

“Your uncle Enzo was the one who sent thegunman.”

My stomach tightens. “How do you know?”

His eyebrows rise slightly as if my questionamuses him. I exhale and nod. Of course, he knows. He’s Luca Venturi.

“Why now?”

He shrugs one shoulder, a small movement thatbetrays his irritation. “He wanted to end this. End the shame on his family forgood.”

The shame. I hang my head.

“Do you love your uncle?”

I hesitate, understanding the gravity of thequestion. This isn’t about my feelings; it’s about Luca’s intentions. “I don’tknow him,” I whisper. “Not since I was a child. He was never kind to me. Healways looked at me like I was something disgusting… the same way my fatherdid.”

Luca’s jaw tightens, and he tuts, shaking hishead. If I didn’t know better, I’d think my family's treatment of me when I wasyounger bothers him. But this is Luca Venturi, the Boss of the Venturi family.His conscience is nothing but ash, his heart a lump of granite.

“You were innocent.” Luca closes his intenseeyes, his dark lashes framing the sharp line of his cheekbones. Then after abreath, as if the words cost him something, he adds, “You are innocent.”

I force a small, bitter smile. “Not anymore.”

His eyes flick up, and the fire in them stealsthe breath from my lungs. There is nothing cold about him now. He is molten,simmering with emotions that are wild and consuming.

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