Page 97 of Mafia Scars

“Okay… boss, I’ll communicate with you on the hour the next time I take your daughter away. Should I take pictures too and send them to you?”

“Luc,” I hissed at him.

His response to me was a look so scandalous that I couldn’t stop myself from blushing.

To my horror, Dad pulled out his gun and waved it at Luc.

Then Marcus stepped between them.

“Raphael, lose the gunnow,”he barked, staring at Dad point blank. Dad put the gun back in his pocket. “You point a gun at my kid again, you’re dead. Given the nature of this mess, I’m going to give you some advice and tell you now. Do not piss us off. Now, look, my son’s with your daughter. Fucking deal with it. You put them together, after all.”

Claudius laughed and walked away. Marcus backed away and joined him, leaving Luc.

I wasn’t going to let him leave without a hug at the very least.

I stood and hugged him.

“I’ll come back later,” he whispered into my ear. His breath tickled my skin, and I smiled at the prospect of seeing him later.

“You better,” I replied and reached up to cup his jaw, guiding his mouth down to mine for a quick kiss.

When he moved away from me, something felt out of place. Like I should have been going with him. He looked at me as such but with a promise in his eyes too.

I watched him back away and join his father and brother.

They left together, and I turned back to Dad with a frown.

“Why are you acting like I’m eighteen or something?”

“I never got to see you when you were eighteen,” he shot back.

“Whose fault is that?” I folded my arms under my breasts and shook my head.

“Mine. I don’t need the reminder.”

“Dad, do you know how weird you’re acting? You sent Luc to find me in LA. You told him he had to marry me to take over the business.” I couldn’t get over how incredulous that was. Like I was some sort of object you could bargain with. “Then you act like some crazy person, pulling a gun on him when I actually fall for him.”

I didn’t realize what I’d said until the words left my mouth and took note of the stunned expression on Dad’s face.

Stunned, but then at ease.

“You fell for him? So, my plan worked?”

I rolled my eyes at him.

“You didn’t plan for me to do that. The only part of your plan that was a plan was for him to protect me, and you got the bonus of him getting me to come back home, which I would have done anyway if I’d known you were sick.”

I sat back down next to him.

“Fine.”

“Why were you like that just now?” I didn’t get it.

He sighed, looking frustrated. “I still see you as my little girl. In my head you’re still seventeen and all these years haven’t gone by without us speaking or seeing each other. I know that’s my fault. My brain’s just slow to catch on.”

“Dad, I never gave you any guy trouble when I was home before.” I was too busy dancing to worry about guys and dates. And I was quite content to dance my life away. Which meant he got off easy in that respect. “You had it good. I’m a grown woman now. I’m twenty-eight. Please, do not wave a gun at my boyfriend the next time you see him.”

“Fine. So… it’s serious then? Between you and Luc?”