Page 6 of Shattered King

Fiorella

O ne Week Later

Elisa sits on top of the workbench in the corner of my little garage space. Her legs kick back and forth as she scrolls absently on her phone. I push myself out from under the Spider and wipe my hands on an old rag.

“Where’d you learn to do all this car stuff anyway?” Elisa asks, frowning at me as she puts her phone down.

“Showing an interest in my hobby all of a sudden?”

She shrugs like she could barely care less. “I’ve seen you do this stuff a million times, but I have no clue where it actually comes from.”

“The guys teach me a little.” I nod toward where my dad’s guys are hard at work breaking down their vehicles. It’s noisy as hell, and they’re speaking a mix of Spanish, English, and Italian. “Mostly I learn from YouTube.”

“Seriously?”

“You’d be surprised at how many random little videos there are teaching you stuff.”

“The internet is a magical place, I guess.” She groans and stretches her back. “So seriously, Fio, why’d you make me come all the way out here? When you texted, you sounded like you had something important to say. Instead, I’m just watching you, like, change the oil or whatever.”

“I’m refinishing the drive shaft.”

“Like I said. Or whatever.”

I lean against the bench right beside her and lower my voice. Someone’s using a grinding saw to tear through metal, and the sound is more than enough to drown me out.

“I’m going to stick around for one year.”

She frowns at me, head tilted. “What do you mean, one year?”

“With that guy.” I refuse to say his name. Not since Papa told me I had to marry him. Since then, he’s just been that guy . “One year’s enough time to make sure the alliance is settled. I’ll slowly take money and put it into a bank account only in my name. Then I’m gone.”

Her eyebrows raise. “Are you being serious right now?”

“I want you to come with me.” I stare hard at my sister, thinking this is the only way it’ll ever work. If I ran off, they’d just make her take my place, and I won’t do that. She has to come, and she has to make that choice on her own.

“Fio, I love you, but you’re insane.”

“If you stay, you’ll end up like me one day. You have to see that. I know you think you’ll marry for love, but Papa won’t ever let it happen.” Or Raf won’t , but I don’t add that morbid thought. “We’re nothing but bodies to them, Elisa. You have to come with me.”

She sucks her lip. “Wow. You’re really not kidding.”

“It’s the only way you’ll ever get a normal life.” Desperation fills me. I know this is a stupid idea, but it’s all I have.

“They’ll come after us.” She leans forward, shoulders shrugging up. “They might let you go alone, but not both of us. We’re valuable, remember?”

“Not that valuable. Listen, I can do it. Maybe we’ll fake our death. Burn a car and make it look like we were inside.”

She smiles a little. “Sounds complicated.”

“I’ll figure out the details. I have a year, right? Just tell me you’ll come.”

I put my hand on her arm and squeeze lightly. I need her to know how important this is to me. I’d do anything for her. I’d kill, steal, lie, and sin if it meant keeping her safe. I’ve always gone further than any sister should ever have to go, but my job isn’t finished.

She’s my responsibility, and I won’t fail her.

“Tell you what. If you still want to run away in a year and you have an actual plan that might work, I’ll come with you.”

“Too many conditions. Just say yes.”

“No can do.” She shakes her head, smiling at me now. “Man, that guy really did a number on you, huh?”

“I don’t know what you mean,” I say too quickly. “Promise you’ll come.”

“We’ll see. I’m not saying no, alright? That’s got to be good enough for now.”

It’s not even close, but I know her well enough not to push. If she says she’ll consider it, then she really will consider it. I just have to convince her it’s the right thing to do and come up with a plan that’ll really work.

Then in one year, we’re out of here.

I give her a quick hug, which she squirms out of, complaining that I’m all dirty.

When I turn back to the car, I notice a person coming through the crowd toward us, someone who doesn’t belong here at all, who stands out like a diamond in a pile of rocks.

He’s wearing a dark suit fitted to his gorgeous, athletic body, and he’s smirking slightly like he’s amused to see me back at work.

“Oh, wow,” I hear Elisa whisper behind me as that guy approaches.

Damn her straight to hell, but she’s got it right.

He’s gorgeous. Even more attractive than I remembered.

There’s something in the way he looks at me, something possessive and primal, like all the action going on around him in the garage is just background noise and I’m the only one worth watching.

He moves with confidence and grace like an undefeated fighter entering the ring.

His clothes are expensive but understated, and his dark hair’s pushed back in a messy wave.

I remember his lips. I remember his voice. I’ve been obsessing about it for the last week.

And I wish I could wipe him from my brain completely.

“How’s she coming along?” he asks, nodding at my Spider. “I’m happy to see you’re back at work.”

His sultry voice snaps me back into myself. “ He’s coming along great.” I pat the hood lightly and hope the bumper doesn’t fall off. “What are you doing here?”

“Just came to see how you were doing.” He hesitates and glances over at Elisa. “I’m Luca Marino. Nice to meet you.”

“Elisa Serrano.”

“Oh, you’re the sister?”

“That’s me.” She hops down, beaming and friendly. “I hear you saved Fio’s life. Thank you so much.”

“I was happy to do it.”

She goes over and gives him a big, tight hug. I clench my jaw, glaring at the two of them. I don’t like the way he looks at her when she pulls back.

“Seriously. Thank you. She’ll never say it, but she appreciates it too.”

“That’s all right. I have a feeling your sister doesn’t like to say thanks very often.” He glances at me, smirking now.

“Oh, god, you have no idea. That girl is so freaking stubborn. And her pride? It’s like bigger than Mt. Everest.”

“Thanks for that,” I say quickly, cutting into their conversation. “But we don’t need to sit here and talk about my flaws.”

“I wasn’t aware you had any of those.” Now Luca’s straight-up teasing me. “From where I’m standing, you’re perfection.”

My cheeks turn red as I look down at myself. Baggy ripped jeans stained with oil and grease. An oversized men’s t-shirt, similarly filthy. “Don’t be an asshole.”

“I like this one,” Elisa says, touching his arm. “Are you sure you have to marry him?”

“Okay! That’s enough!” I steer my sister away. “ What are you doing? ” I whisper at her.

“ Just seeing if you can still get jealous .” She beams and winks at me, the tricky little bastard. “Well, it was nice meeting you, Luca!”

He looks amused as I usher her off and kick her out of the garage.

When I get back to my car, Luca’s looking it over thoughtfully, kneeling down on the dirty floor to get a better view of the undercarriage.

I take the opportunity to appreciate his tight, powerfully built butt and his very broad back before he notices me look. I pretend to clean my nails on a rag.

“You’re doing good work,” he says, getting back onto his knees. An odd little thrill runs into my core, seeing him like that.

“You know something about cars?”

“Not as much as you, but a little bit.” He gets to his feet and tilts his head. “You’re pretty good at this.”

“I’m surprised you were willing to get your fancy suit dirty on my floor.”

“I’ve got others.”

“Well, good for you. Why are you here?”

“Just wanted to check and see how you were doing.” He’s still staring at me. There’s not an ounce of shame or self-consciousness in this guy at all. Only pure confidence. I like it, but damn, I wish he’d stop looking at me like he’s thinking about the way my nipples taste.

“I’m doing fine.” I gesture around me. “Back to the scene of the crime already.”

“That’s good. I’m glad. Some people go through it after a near miss like that. Happy to hear you’re fine.”

“Yep. Right as rain. Perfect as the day I was born.” I gesture toward the door. “You can go.”

He doesn’t move. “But if you did need to talk?—”

“Definitely don’t.”

“I’m happy to listen.” He walks over and grabs my wrist. Normally, if anyone else tried that, I’d punch them right in the trachea.

But for some reason, I don’t move as Luca presses a business card into my palm.

There’s a work number printed in the center and a cell number handwritten underneath it.

“That’s my private phone. Call or text anytime. ”

“That’s not going to happen.”

“The option’s still there.” He keeps holding onto my wrist. His grip is strong and warm. I like the way his skin feels. I’m tempted to lean in closer and breathe in deep to see if he still smells like in my dreams.

But then I yank back because that’s pure insanity.

“You don’t have to do this, okay?” I shove the card into my pocket. “I’m fine. It’s all fine. I’ll see you in a month.”

He frowns slightly, head tilted, then he sighs like he understands. “You think I’m here just because we’re getting married?”

“Aren’t you? Just making sure your future wife isn’t all crazy because she nearly got shot.”

He shakes his head slowly. “Not even a little bit. I’m here because I want to make sure you’re alright.”

A shiver runs down my spine. Does he actually care? His posture is leaning toward me, almost possessively, and he’s looking at me like he’s dead serious. But guys like Luca don’t do anything without an ulterior motive.

He saved me last week because he knew I was important to his family’s plans. And he’s here now because he wants to make sure he’s not marrying a crazy girl.

That’s all this is. He doesn’t actually care. None of them ever do.

“I’m fine, okay? Totally, completely fine. I’m going to get back to work now.”

“If that’s what you want.” He steps away and starts to turn.

Then I open my dumb, fat mouth without thinking. “And what happened in your office?” I feel my cheeks start burning as he slowly looks back at me. “That’s never, ever happening again. Don’t get your hopes up. This marriage is going to be all business.”

He nods slowly, staring at me hard, and licks his lips. Fuck, he’s so sexy it drives me absolutely insane. “All business,” he repeats. “That’s fine with me.”

“Good. Great. Wonderful.” I point at the door. “See you at the wedding.”

He looks at me a moment longer like he’s trying to decide what to say next, but only shakes his head and walks off.

Once he’s gone, it’s like I can breathe again. I deflate and lean against my car, groaning to myself, much too aware of the other men in the garage though none are looking at me.

This should be easy. He’s just some guy, and it’s not like I’m going to stick around with him for long. It’s one year of making sure he keeps his hands to himself, and then Elisa and I are out of here. No more mafia politics. No more danger. No more men trying to kill us.

Just safety. A normal life. Happiness. Real love.

I turn back to the car, hating myself for being so damn attracted to that man, but vowing that I won’t be so weak around him ever again.