Page 19 of Luca

He's not wrong. The chase, the tackle, the confrontation. It felt fucking good. It felt like being myself again instead of playing Sofia's careful, constrained version of womanhood.

“No, that’s crazy!” I say, waving a hand at him. “She startled me, that’s all. It caught me by surprise. And for the record, it wasn’t fun. I was running on pure adrenaline, I guess.”

Itwasfun to chase and catch her, but I should probably let the next one go if it happens again.

“Does adrenaline make you forget to be careful when there’s a knife?”

“I didn’t see a knife until Tony pointed it out.”

“Would it have made a difference if you’d seen it before?”

I blink at him. “Probably not.” I stand up abruptly. “You know what? I’d like a drink.”

The words are out before I can stop them. Sofia doesn't drink heavily. Sofia certainly doesn't declare she needs a drink mid-afternoon.

Luca frowns at me. "A drink?"

"I mean..." I scramble to cover. "A glass of wine. With another snack. That was scary, and I think... I think some wine would help me calm down. In fact, I’m sure it would. Care for a glass?"

It's a weak save and we both know it.

"Sure," he says slowly. "Let's order wine."

He signals to Paolo, who comes over immediately.

"Get us a table in a café somewhere quiet," Luca tells him. "Somewhere we can talk."

Paolo nods and heads off to find a restaurant. Tony stays close, scanning the crowd like he expects more pickpockets to materialize.

As we wait, I catch Luca studying me again. I can practically see the gears turning in his head, cataloging every inconsistency, every slip-up, every moment where I've been more Gabriella than Sofia.

"This instructor of yours," he says conversationally. "Giuseppe Romano. Did he teach a lot of women?"

For fuck’s sake!

He’s like a dog with a bone, not letting go of this.

"A few. It was a small, mostly private operation."

"And he's the one who taught you to tackle people?"

"Among other things."

"Like what?"

I realize I'm digging myself deeper with every answer. "Basic self-defense. How to get out of holds. That kind of thing."

"Pressure points?"

"A few."

"How to disarm someone with a knife?"

“No, we learned how to twist around if someone grabs our hair from behind or wraps their arm around our neck. Why are you interrogating me like I’m a criminal instead of her?"

"Because that girl had a knife, and you took her down anyway. Either you're incredibly lucky, or you knew exactly what you were doing."

The truth is, I did know what I was doing.