Page 13 of Mafia Scars

Amelia.

God, I was probably her worst nightmare. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to forget the hurt and disappointment in her eyes when she found out who I really was.

Part of me wanted to grab her and take her with me to keep her safe. That was what we did to protect the women we loved, the women who could pose as targets to get to us. If any of us suspected even for a minute that our women were in danger, they’d either go to a safe house or were kept in our presence twenty-four seven. I preferred the latter, although I’d never met a woman I’d felt this way about until now.

“I wanted to catch Victor before going to Chicago.” Maybe the sudden need to act had thrown my mind out of sync, and I hadn’t been able to think straight. Or maybe it was my fear indeed of what could happen if I did go.

Victor was a clever man.

I had heavy surveillance set up to watch Amelia. She didn’t even know. But I saw all. And while I watched her, I knew that bastard Victor was watching me. same way we all watched each other. Covert and with stealth. So, under the wraps that it was difficult to know who you could trust.

I trusted Maurice. I did, but I knew in this business everyone had a price.

“Raphael’s not getting any better,” Maurice intoned. “What if I go to Chicago?”

“He won’t talk to you. He’s not talking to anyone except me.”

“Then you need to go. We lost two guys last night at the warehouse.”

“I know.”

We’d gotten a lead on some of Victor and Montgomery’s men at the warehouse downtown. We lost Dino and Joseph, brothers. It hurt me deeply when I found out.

Then Claudius called me today. My brother only called when he was worried about me. He’d never admit it though.

He asked me how things were going and if there’d be wedding bells soon.

From his question I took it that my father hadn’t spoken to him about my concerns I’d voiced weeks ago. I told Pa what was happening, and his advice had been to get the job done and bring the girl, Amelia, home.

As if it were that easy.

Now, though, it wasn’t looking like an option.

I knew she’d never come with me.

Every day was worse than the last, and I felt her slipping away from me. It didn’t help that that asshole Sinclaire was always sniffing around her.

I saw the way she looked at him sometimes, as if she was trying to figure something out. Plus, it was in his favor that a piece of her heart belonged to him. It was more than what I had because at least he’d never lied to her about who he was, and the fucker had one over on me by being able to be so open with his feelings.

The way I did it was so airy and primal that she must have thought all I wanted was sex.

“I’ll prep to go to Chicago in a week. I’ll give it a week. I need you to watch my back,” I told Maurice.

“I got your back. I just don’t like flying blind. We got Heath on surveillance and Orlando on foot. He saw Montgomery last night at a restaurant on Main.”

“That asshole. Maybe I should hit him up. It all started with him.”

“Luc, looks like either your brain’s turned to mush over this girl or you’ve lost your touch.” Maurice laughed.

“What’d I miss?” I think my brain must have turned to mush.

“You don’t want Montgomery. He’s a foot solider. Why get a lead on a lead when you can go to the source?”

“Demarco,” I filled in. Maurice nodded. Word had it that Demarco had flown back into the country. He’d seriously had everyone fooled, allowing them to believe he was here the whole time.

“Yes, Demarco. He and Victor are big players in this game. I’m sure they must know where to find each other.”

“We can hope.”