Page 27 of Hard Lessons

Chapter Five

“Oh, and I almost forgot. This is for you,” the driver said.

A slim envelope fluttered into her lap.

“What?” She opened it, her hands shaking. “Who is it from?”

“Open it, you’ll see.”

She didn’t need to. She recognized Luca’s spidery handwriting on the front.

Serena, my love. Being without you has been hell. But you’ll pay for this last year at my hand. Never again will you lie to me. I’ll make sure of that. Forever in my heart, Luca.

Shit, what the hell did that mean? At his hand? Was he going to kill her? Was he really that mad?Never again will you lie to me—well, she couldn’t if she were dead, could she.

Oh, fuck. This is a nightmare wrapped up in a shit storm.

He’s going to kill me.

It’s not like he isn’t an expert at getting rid of evidence... bodies.

This couldn’t be happening. Serena should be boarding a plane right now, taking her first-class seat with as much champagne as she could drink on a one-way ticket to the Big Apple.

Sitting outside Wormwood Scrubs with a murderous Luca Morretti striding toward her had not been on her to-do list for the day.

Fuck.

“Ah, here he is, out a week early and even if I say so myself, perfect timing,” the driver said, unlocking the doors. “Now you can tell him all about my kidnapping you.”

“You bastard,” she snarled. “If you’ve done this you know damn well he’s mad at me. You’ve as good as signed my death sentence.”

He chuckled.

She didn’t have time to tell him exactly what she thought of him because Luca pulled open the passenger door. He dropped his bag onto the seat, stooped and poked his head into the car. “Ciao, Paulo. Good to see you.”

“You too, and out in the open. Fresh free air is good, right?”

“Si, it sure is.”

The two men shook, Luca’s smile broad though not going up to his eyes.

Serena folded her arms and pushed down her shoulders. She tilted her chin. She didn’t know what the heck was going on but she had no intention of playing the victim, or letting Luca know his little stunt had rattled her.

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