Chapter 7 A Husband's Welcome

LUCA

Luca stepped into the room, tearing his suit off. He couldn't remember the last time he had worn one.

He snapped a finger at Demetrius, one of his men. "Pour me a drink. Make it a strong one."

Marco waved Demetrius away, and poured the drink himself. He squeezed half a lemon inside the gin, and brought it over. "Don't get drunk. You still have to bed your wife."

Luca grunted and gulped down half of the drink. He grunted, faking a groan. Marco laughed, tipping back half his drink too. "To your marriage. May it give us healthy sons and daughters. Sons especially."

Luca closed his eyes, remembering Alina's wide eyes as she stared up at him, her teeth biting into her lower lip. Oh definitely, they would make children. Lots of them if she kept staring at him like that.

"She's going to be a wild one." Marco said, sitting across from Luca. They had a meeting in three minutes. Someone had thrown a body over his wall, Luca wanted to find out who it was.

He was at his small house. A small safe house where he met with people he didn't want the world to know he was meeting with.

Luca opened his eyes. He glared at Marco who straightened up in his seat. "Marco, I don't want to talk about my wife. When is Darion getting here?"

Darion was Luca's private investigator. He worked for Luca alone, spending as many hours as was necessary to dig and find any information Luca needed.

Luca had sent Darion a message to find who the dead man was.

Marco took a look at his watch. "He should be here in twenty minutes."

Luca nodded. He didn't tolerate lateness. "Slash twenty percent from his cheque. He didn't attend my wedding. He has no excuse to keep me waiting."

Marco picked his tablet off the desk and typed something into it. He finished his drink and closed his eyes, completely relaxing his body.

That was something Luca had always envied Marco. His ability to fall asleep as easily as he pleased was as natural as it was unnatural for Luca to do the same.

Luca closed his eyes and thought about the wedding. He remembered sliding the ring onto her finger. The way her hand had suddenly been felt heavier in his.

He lifted his hands and stared at his ring. He was married. Luca Marino, THE MONSTER was married.

He lifted his drink and guzzled down all of it. He winced as Demetrius stepped back into the room. "Darion is here."

"Wake Marco." Luca said.

Marco woke and straightened out his clothes, looking like he had never slept. "He's thirty minutes late."

Luca nodded. "Good. Take out thirty percent."

Darion walked in, holding a folder and a small leather bag in his hands. He handed the bag to Demetrius who took it away along with his coat. "Luca. I'm so sorry I am late. You know how Chicago is."

Luca rolled his eyes. Darion was always full of theatrics. "You're lucky you're the best or I'd slash fifty percent from your pay. Now sit down and tell me what I want to know."

Darion moaned pitifully. "Luca, I do good work for you. Fifty percent would be too much even if I ran away with your wife."

Marco laughed. As did Luca. Then the smile fell off his face like water off the face of a rock. "If you ever make jokes about my wife again, it is not only money you will be missing." He said to Darion.

Darion nodded, lips thin. He understood that Luca had just threatened his life and that he was very fucking serious about it. He handed the folder Luca "There's everything we found on the man who was thrown over your wall."

Luca opened the file and read through it. He didn't like what he saw. The man was a nonentity, had been declared missing for months after he was kidnapped on the streets of Chicago. Before being declared missing, he had been owing a few of Luca's night clubs almost ten thousand dollars.

"I don't understand. He wasn't captured by any of my men. Who killed him then?"

Darion ran a hand through his hair. "I'm not certain. There were no finger prints left on him or the note. There was nothing on his skin, the clothes he was wearing were new and it seems he was dressed after he died."

Luca closed the file calmly, and dropped it on the table between them. "I don't pay too to give me more questions than answers, Darion. Do I assume you cannot do your job anymore?"

Darion shook his head, fear making him his hands shake suddenly. Luca's anger burned hot and cold. He didn't want to be on Luca's bad side. "I'll get you the information. I just haven't had any time. It's barely been two days."

Luca nodded at the folder. "Take that and get out. I need the information as soon as possible. Get it to Marco. He'll get it to me."

Darion nodded gratefully and picking up the folder almost ran out of the room. Luca stood and decided it was time to get home.

His bride was waiting for him. Luca cracked his neck. Tonight was his wedding night and that was something to look forward to at least.

He walked outside with Marco beside him. Marco shook his head. "Darion's getting sloppy. Used to be the best in Chicago. Now he's just another overpaid coward."

Luca didn't answer. He had a bad feeling, a cold at the back of his neck. He stepped outside, breathing in the night air, searching the street.

He had heard something. Or someone.

He barely had time pull Marco to the floor when a bullet flew over their head.

Marco swore, already pulling his gun out of his pocket. Three men came out from hiding, holding guns in both hands.

Luca ran for his car. Today was his wedding day, couldn't the men fucking wait? He grabbed the door handle just as a bullet entered his arm.

The pain made his fingers weak. He gritted his teeth and opened the car door, ignoring the blood pouring from his arm. He threw himself into the car, turning his head to stare back at the men who had shot at him.

Their heads were covered. They knew better than to attack him with their faces showing. They would all be dead by morning.

Another bullet hit the trunk. Another one cracked the side mirror.

Then silence.

Luca pressed his hand over his arm wound. Warm blood stained his fingers and dripped down.

Marco's hands tightened on the wheel. "You alright?"

Luca didn't answer. He wasn't alright. But he wasn't dead, either.

By the time they reached the estate, his white shirt was soaked through with blood. Marco pulled up in front of the house, and Luca got out without a word, his jaw tight against the pain.

Marco followed. "You need stitches."

Luca waved him off and kept walking. "Get someone to find out who did this. I want them found by morning. Send all the men if you have to."

Marco nodded and ran away, shouting orders at the men outside. Luca climbed the steps, one hand pressed against his arm, the other already undoing the buttons of his jacket.

He walked into his room and stopped.

His bed wasn't empty like he was expecting. Alina was in it, naked on her knees, her hair falling down her back and over her full breasts.

Her eyes widened when she saw his clothes. She jumped out of bed, and Luca's fingers twitched at his side.

His stomach clenched.

He took another step inside, his voice rough.

"Alina, what are you doing here?"