Page 66 of Dagger in the Sea

“Keeping your brother’s party clean, Luca? Now I’m touched.”

He held my gaze as he sniffed at the contents of the baggies and dumped them in the sink under running water, rinsing out the baggies, throwing them away. He washed his hands again, pulled at a towel and rubbed them dry. We went back out to the party which was in a full rage. The place was packed. “I’ll let a security guard know we had some trouble in the men’s room,” I said. “I’m heading over to your uncle’s table where I had your security guard bring Adriana.”

Luca nodded as we wove through the crowd. Something told me to keep watch on our periphery. I scanned to my left and right as we were jostled by dancers and gawkers holding enormous cocktails. Enormous shiny pink and gold champagne bottles flew by. The music boomed, strobing lights flashed. I found a security guard and let him know about our trouble in the men’s room. He scowled and immediately notified hiscompadreson his two way radio.

Luca and I made it to Gennaro’s table, and the moment I spotted Adriana, I let out the breath I’d been holding onto. Photographers snapped her non-stop as celebrity friends, acquaintances, fans, and wannabe’s posed with her, everyone showing off their Alessio jewelry for the cameras. After Alessio, Adriana was tonight’s next best attraction and she was making the most of it. I caught her eye and winked, her lips tipped up at me and she seamlessly slid back into another photo op pose.

Theo, the publicist, was in a deep conversation with Gennaro, Miguel standing watch on the other side of them. Our eyes met as we both scanned the area repeatedly.

Luca danced with a girl in the press of the crowd before the stage. Alessio, with his arm slung around one of his models, came over and they sat in one of the small sofas by the table. Adri only glanced at them quickly and went back to being interviewed by a journalist without missing a beat.

These two, what the fuck?

I kept my eyes on Luca. He had moves, dancing slower than the girl, than the music, but somehow still in the beat. The music turned over into a new song, and he took the girl’s hand and they pushed their way off the dance floor. She stopped to talk to someone and he kept going toward one of the bar areas. Movement in a diagonal headed straight for him entered my sightline. A prickle razored over my neck, my pulse ticked. A man headed right for Luca, his hand clenched in a fist—no, he was holding something. I charged toward him.

I pulled Luca by the arm out of the way, and his eyes flashed at me, jaw a tight blade. Turning, I shot out my knee into the man’s stomach, and he doubled over on a grunt. Twisting his arm behind him, I pulled him off the dance floor, Luca and I dragging him into a grouping of palm trees, shoving him up against the spiky bark. He grunted, his grip loosening on the small knife in his hand and I grabbed it, pressing it into his throat.

Luca searched him for more weapons. “Are there any more of you?”

The guy’s face curled into a creepy grin. I slashed at his flesh, and he jerked in my grip, letting out a loud, panicked hiss. His blood slicked over my fingers.

“Answer the man,” my voice simmered as I twisted my fist in his gut.

His dark eyes flared. “No! No!”

Two of the club security guards surrounded me. “Deal with this piece of shit before we attract any more attention.” I released the guy and he fell to the ground, clutching at his throat, gasping loudly. Luca’s face remained set in grim lines but a smile curved his lips as the men hauled the bleeding guy off.

“You were right,” I said.

Luca raised an eyebrow. “About what?”

“You need me.”

His face suddenly relaxed and he let out a laugh, smacking a heavy hand on my back. “I have good instincts, Turo.”

“You were out on the dance floor to attract more attention if there was more attention to attract, weren’t you?” I said.

His lips curled.

“What’s happened?” Adri stood before us. A vision from another world in shimmery white and silvery lilac under the strobe of the lights, and I blinked at her glittering diamond gorgeousness. Her face was stricken, anxiety marring her features.

“Luca doesn’t know how to make friends,” I said. “It’s over.”

Her gaze darted to Luca then back to me. To my hands stained with blood. Her eyes widened, her lips parting. I grabbed a towel from the hip of a passing waiter and wiped it off.

“What’s happening? What aren’t you telling me?” Her voice trembled.

I dumped the towel and grabbed her elbow, guiding her back to the table.

“What is going on?” Her face tightened as we tracked through the crowd.

“Someone wanted to get to Luca, but I got to him first.”

“As I said, you have skills.”

“Are you done for the night?” I asked her.

“Why?”

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