Page 41 of Entwined Lies (Entwined #1)

Isabelle

The warehouse hummed with the harsh fluorescent lights overhead as Reid and I buried ourselves in our work.

The screens glowed, data flowing in endless streams we barely had time to process.

We combed through every line, hunting for anything we could use.

It was like digging through a haystack that was already on fire—if the needle even existed in the first place.

Reid was in deep—shoulders hunched, fingers flying, brows drawn tight. He was locked in on hidden transactions and irregularities—the little things that didn’t quite fit.

I matched his focus, ignoring the burn in my eyes from staring at the screen too long, refusing to miss even the smallest detail.

Nina hovered nearby, pulling up backgrounds on everyone Parker kept close.

Hours bled together as Reid and I were cross-referencing files and combing through Parker’s and Ivanov’s finances.

Then, just as frustration started to settle in, something flickered across my screen—an offshore account, a string of transactions that caught my attention.

It seemed insignificant at first, just another entry in the sea of data.

But as I dug deeper, the pattern started to form, lines connecting, threads weaving into something real.

“Look at this.” I pointed at the screen. “This account’s tied to a shell company, and it’s been active. There’s a pattern here. ”

He leaned in, eyes narrowing as he scanned the data. “Good catch. This could be the break we need.”

For the next hour, we chased it down, connecting dots, following the tangled web leading back to Parker and Ivanov. It wasn’t solid yet, but it was something.

“My legs are numb. I need a break.” I stood, stretched just enough to sell it, then wandered toward the coffee bar—the one that magically appeared the same week almond milk became non-negotiable.

But I wasn’t thinking about coffee. I was watching Nina.

Her movements were too polished, too precise. As if she were going through the motions to avoid falling apart.

“Hey.” I kept my tone casual, almost bored. “Anything from the bug?”

She looked up, spoon pausing mid-stir, her fingers tightening around the handle. “No, nothing. It’s been quiet.”

“Please keep at it and tell me the moment that changes.”

Nina nodded, her expression carefully blank. “I will, I promise.”

I made a coffee, took a sip, and returned to the computer for one last skim through the files.

A few quiet minutes passed, then Luca appeared.

I gave him the rundown, kept it short, and started packing up.

Reid didn’t even glance up. “I’ll let you know if we find anything else.”

Before leaving, I walked over to Nina again.

“I need that call,” I whispered. “Please. Don’t leave me hanging.”

She met my eyes with a look that made something twist in my chest. “I won’t stop trying. I swear, I won’t let you down.”

The tension in her eyes set my nerves on edge, but I had to trust her. Because what other choice did I have?

? ? ?

When we got home, the scent hit me first—warm, rich, unmistakable. Italian. But not just any Italian.

I froze. It was from our favorite place—the one Jake and I went to more times than I could count. The one I’d never mentioned to Luca.

Not once.

Not in passing. Not even by accident.

But there it was—those familiar boxes stacked neatly on the counter, still steaming, like they’d just come off the stove.

“How did you know?” I asked, brows pulling together.

He smirked. “I know more than you think.”

“Thanks,” I mumbled and moved closer to the table.

The boxes were arranged neatly, like they’d been placed with purpose.

Exactly what I usually ordered—right down to the extra marinara I always ask for but never finish. Just like I had the afternoon we went there before George’s party.

I hovered near the table, arms crossed. “How did you know what to get?”

Luca shrugged. “Chrissy gave me the list.”

“You asked Chrissy?”

“She talks. I listen,” he said casually.

A beat passed before I could breathe again. If he’d known without Chrissy’s help… that’d have been a different kind of dangerous.

He didn’t say more, just watched with that impossible-to-read expression, his eyes never leaving me.

I could feel the weight of his gaze as I sat down and opened the first box. But despite the heat rising off the food, goosebumps prickled across my skin—my body refusing to relax.

Luca sat across from me, his gaze softening just a fraction. “You need to eat. You haven’t had anything since this morning. ”

I didn’t argue. Just picked up the fork and started winding the pasta, one tight coil after another.

“Yeah, I guess I should,” I said, more out of obligation than anything else.

Taking a bite, I waited for the warmth, the taste. Nothing. It was like chewing on cardboard soaked in guilt.

I looked up and forced a smile. Usually, that was enough to earn his smirk in return.

This time, he just watched me. His usual confidence was tempered with something softer, something almost vulnerable, as if he were waiting for me to say something, to acknowledge his effort.

But I was too caught up in pretending nothing was wrong to pull off the rest.

After dinner, we drifted into the living room, the tension trailing me like an unwanted guest.

Luca sat first. I followed, easing down between his legs, my back settling against his chest like muscle memory. He flicked the TV on. I didn’t even register what was playing—just colors and sound, something to keep the silence from swallowing me whole.

His arms came around me slowly, pulling me in tighter. He pressed a kiss to my neck. Then another. Slower. Softer.

“I could get used to this,” he murmured, voice low—gentle in a way that twisted something in me.

The words sat heavy on my tongue—I could say it. I could tell him I loved him, that he’d become more than I ever expected. But I couldn’t forget how quickly he’d brushed off that slip, how casually he’d covered it like those words had never even left his mouth.

So instead, I went with something safer.

“I think I like you.”

It wasn’t much. But it felt like everything.

His lips curved against my skin, a quiet laugh rumbling out as his thumb traced slow, lazy circles along my side .

“You think?”

I nodded, barely. “I think… you’re not as insufferable as I thought.”

He raised his head, leaned in close, his breath soft against my ear. “I think I like you too.”

That flutter hit my ribs like it had been waiting there all day—warm, soft, terrifying.

I hated how easily he could do this to me—how just a few words from him could make something inside me twist, tighten, hope.

I told myself to breathe. To stop thinking. Just feel .

Closed my eyes and let his warmth bleed into me, let the beat of his heart press against mine like a promise I knew he couldn’t keep. Because deep down, I knew better. Moments like this were fragile, destined to crack the second reality came crashing in.

I didn’t know how long I’d been out. The room was still. Shadows stretched long across the walls, the only light coming from the soft, distant glow bleeding in through the patio windows.

I shifted, blinking the haze away. Sleep still clung to me, thick and heavy, but little by little, the world pulled itself into focus. The warmth I’d been leaning into was gone. In its place, just the cold stretch of empty couch beneath me.

It took a second before I heard it.

Voices.

Low, faint, coming from somewhere down the hall.

Rubbing my eyes, I started up the stairs, just about ready to crash—until Luca’s voice caught my ear, low and serious.

I’m not usually the snooping type.

Okay. That’s a lie. But tonight, I was choosing to be a responsible adult and go to bed.

Then I heard my name .

I stopped dead at the bottom of the stairs, heart kicking hard, like it had just remembered it was supposed to care.

Well, great. Now I had to listen.

Before I could stop myself, my feet were already moving, carrying me toward Luca’s office as if curiosity were something terminal and I’d already caught it.

I flattened against the wall just outside, close enough to hear, far enough to run if I had to.

“It is what it is,” Luca said.

“You’re going to leave her behind? Just like that?” Enzo asked with skepticism.

“I’m not leaving her behind. I’m letting her go. There’s a difference.”

“You won’t even try to make it work?”

“There’s nothing to make work. It is temporary,” Luca said, his voice firm.

Temporary.

I knew it. Hell, he’d never promised me anything else. Yet hearing it from his mouth—so detached, so certain—still knocked the air right out of me.

God, this wasn’t supposed to hurt like this. I thought I could keep my heart out of it. But with every glance, every touch, he chipped away at the walls I’d spent years building. And now I was left with this aching, breathless want to be the one he chooses. Even if I was never supposed to be that.

Enzo’s voice cut through my thoughts. “Roberto’s been meeting with Parker. He told Parker about… him. But don’t freak out, our men are next door. No one gets close to him.”

“Roberto,” Luca said, the name sliding out like poison. “Fucking piece of shit.”

Silence followed, heavy enough to choke on. I could almost picture his eyes narrowing, the way his jaw always clenched when he was barely holding it together.

“I want him to suffer. No quick death, Enzo. Drag it out. Break him piece by piece. I want him to be a bloody mess, and when you’re done, leave what’s left of him somewhere public.

Let him be an example for the others.” After a pause, he added, “and find out who leaked about the bugs. Someone’s feeding them information.

I want a name, proof, and a bullet in the head. No one fucks with me and walks away.”

“Take care of it. Just give me a little time.”

Panic surged hard and fast—lungs tightening, breath stuttering.

I pressed my hand over my mouth, tried to keep it in. Keep me in.

I backed away from the door, every step harder than the last, legs nearly buckling as I hit the stairs. Made it to the bedroom. Shut the door. Leaning against it as if that thin piece of wood could keep reality from creeping in.

But the truth was glaring at me: this would all come crashing down sooner than I’d ever imagined. And the most messed-up part? Even if he never loved me, even if he never believed me when it mattered—I’d still do it all again.

But one thought echoed in my mind, louder than all the rest—I was running out of time. And every second I wasted brought me closer to a story Luca would accept without hesitation.