Page 73 of Corrupted Memories
I fold my arms across my chest when he doesn’tanswer, deciding to bridge the gap a bit. “You’re early.”
He hums. “Figure I have less chance of being stabbed in the back if I arrived before the Irish.”
Amusement pulls at my lips. “That’s not really their style. I heard they prefer a clean slit of the throat.”
His eyes flash with fury before he locks it down, narrowing his gaze at me. “One day your luck will run out and that tongue of yours will be cut out.”
I shrug, not concerned by his threat. “Perhaps, but not today.”
“Not today,” he concedes.
Nico comes in, pausing when he sees Luca. “How do you keep doing that?”
“Doing what?” Luca asks, a flicker of a smile on his lips.
“Getting up to our floor without alerting security,” Nico grits out.
Luca’s smile deepens. “This is my city.”
I wave at Nico to drop it. If I’m honest, I don’t care if Luca can get in and out of my building without alerting our security. Perhaps I should, but I have nothing against him. When I found out he wasn’t who hid Gianna from me, but just as blindly fooled, a kinship formed. Maybe it’s the fact that he seemsto genuinely love his father, like I do mine, that makes me respect him as well. It had been a surprise since the pair are never overly affectionate in public, barely seen together at all.
Nico moves to stand behind me with a scowl. “Rian and Aodhan are on their way up.”
Nerves course through my skin, but I bury them deep. Neither man would hurt me, I’m certain of it, but I haven’t warned Rian we are having another guest. And I don’t want the headache of the Underboss of the Famiglia dying in my office.
“Why do you look like that?” Luca says sharply.
“Like what?” I question.
His eyes narrow. “Like you’re preparing for a storm…” He trails off, his jaw tightening when it clicks. “You didn’t tell him I was coming.”
I scoff. “Nor did you reach out when I suggested it.”
“I don’t follow your orders,” he spits out.
Shrugging, I pull at the collar of my shirt. “And I don’t follow yours. I felt this was the best way to get him in the room.”
Luca pinches the bridge of his nose before pulling a gun from his waist, setting it on his lap and staring at the door intently.
“Just aim to hurt, not kill,” I mutter under my breath. A single knock thuds against the door before it's flung open. Aodhan steps through, his attention drawn immediately to Luca. I give Luca credit for not immediately raising his gun as the man is already reaching for his.
“Stand down,” Rian grunts, pushing past him to move closer to my desk. “Ambushing me, James? Here I thought we were becoming friends.”
I gasp, holding my hand to my throat. “Friends? Don’t play with my feelings like this.”
He rolls his eyes, dragging a chair to face us both as his right hand moves behind him. I’ve never dealt with Aodhan, most of my interactions have been with Cillian or Cormac, while Nico deals with Declan. So it makes me curious that he brought Aodhan and not the two knuckleheads that showed up at our rendezvous point like bloodied grim reapers.
Luca flexes his hand, uncurling his grip on his gun as he stares at Rian. I feel the need to fan myself from the tension, but suppress the urge because I don’t think they’d fully appreciate the beauty of the joke.
“Let’s get this over with and this will be the last time I answer your call. I don’t appreciate being blindsided,” Rian says.
I frown. “What if Luca was looking to apologize?”
Luca’s head snaps to me, a growl-like noise strangled in his throat.
Rian’s lips twitch, his eyes not straying from the man on the couch.
I lean back into my chair, crossing my arms. “I actually wasn’t joking.”
