Page 160 of Ruin Me With Lies
There’s not much to pack up since I never unpacked to begin with, so it takes less than five minutes to pull on jeans and a long-sleeved black tee, lace up the old combat boots I arrived in, and knot my hair into a tight bun.“Ready.”
Luca gets up and looks me over, then slides on a playful smile and tugs at my ear.“Let’s get you to where you belong, smart girl.”
As we walk down the hall to the elevator, Luca wheeling my suitcase along, I ask, “Is Lorenzo here?What’s his mood like?I want to—”
“They flew out on the chopper a few hours ago,” he says.“Rushed off to some urgent meeting in L.A.”
“Oh, okay.”
Outside, he loads my stuff into the cargo space of his Bronco, and I slide into the backseat where a Soldati is already waiting.Rochi.He was on rotation while I was confined underground.
“Hey,” I greet, bumping my shoulder against his.“You getting on the clock or off?”
His answering smile is jerky, uncertain.“Uh, off.Luca’s giving me a ride home.My car’s at the garage.”
My gaze drops to his hands, rubbing back and forth on his thighs.“Too much caffeine?”
He abruptly stops and grips his knees, giving me another hesitant smile.“Uh, yeah.I’ll definitely have to pop a downer when I get home.”
Luca gets in behind the wheel and pulls off into traffic.
“How’s everything back at the villa?”I ask, slumping in my seat.
“Back to business as usual,” Luca replies.“The girls are still a little shaken up, but, you know...it’s the life.”
“What doyouthink happened, though?”I press.
“Could be anything.We’ve got a lot of enemies.But…” A long pause.“I think sometimes when you go unchallenged for too long, you get complacent.Let your guard down ‘cause you think you’re untouchable.Who knows, maybe someone out there thinks it’s time for a new king.Time for a new Vegas.”
A snort slips out of me.“Funny that ‘someone out there’ really believes that’s how it all works.”
His eyes snap to mine in the rear-view mirror.“What?”
I point out the window.“You missed the turn.”
A phone vibrates in the cupholder.“Oh, I’m dropping Ricky home first.”
As Luca slips in his earphones and answers the call, I slide a glance at Rochi beside me.He’s back to rubbing his thighs, staring blankly out the window.
Seventeen minutes later, Luca careens onto a property littered with old, rusted containers and tumbleweeds.
As he yanks up the handbrake and hops out, I lift a brow at Rochi.“This isn’t your stop, is it?”
He jerks his head in a stiff shake.“It’s yours.”
When Luca wrenches my door open, I shift to face him.“Who gave the order?”
He laughs and leans into the doorframe.“You know, I actually started thinking of you as a friend.You’re chill.You can hang with the boys.But that brain of yours?It’s become a nuisance.And as much as I like you, you’re not just another Pink House girl, and that’s a big problem.So...get out of the car.”
When I don’t move, he adds, “Don’t worry, I won’t kill you.You’re too valuable.You’re just helping the wrong side.With a little too much…freedom.”
Still, I don’t move.
With a deep snarl, he whips out his gun and levels it at me, “Getoutof thefuckingcar, smart girl.”
At the same time, Rochi slams his shoulder into mine, shoving me toward the door.
“Alright, alright,” I acquiesce with a laugh, raising my hands as I climb out.
