Page 68 of The Bonventi Hitman

After a few minutes, Luca hangs up.

"Johnny's bringing the load to make it even—nothing light going out tonight, thank God," he says and rubs his forehead. "Getting a goddamn headache from all this shit."

"Well, at least we were able to handle it here versus hearing about it from the Greeks," I say as I walk over to meet him.

"Yes. And you," he says to one of his men loading up the trucks, "when these two fucks wake up, tell them if I ever see them again in this warehouse, a beating will only be the start of what they'll have coming."

"Yes, boss," the man replies, looking at the others around him working, who all nod and get back to loading the trucks.

"I know it's late, but Enzo said he wants you to fill me in on the meeting before we part ways," I say to Luca, who doesn't seem too happy to hear it.

"Shit, all right. Your place is on the way, and I could use a drink," he says and steps over the men lying on the ground.

As I drive toward my house, Luca is texting someone and getting pretty worked up.

"Isabella," he says finally. "Always thinks I'm fucking someone. I mean, if tonight hadn't happened, she'd have been right."

My hands instantly grip the steering wheel tightly, my knuckles turning white.

You’ll never touch her. She’s mine.

I pull into the driveway, and Luca hops out before I can even kill the engine. We walk to my office, and I feel myself getting a bit worked up as Luca struts down my hallway.

Once inside the room, I pour us a strong drink and take a seat.

"Much needed," Luca says and raises his glass. "Alla nostra."

I nod and take a sip, looking forward to the burn.

"So, the short version: they’re in." Luca says, taking a sip.

“Ivan can’t be trusted. I thought the Irish would have known that, too. He’ll turn on you in a heartbeat,” I say taking another sip.

"Exactly," Luca nods. "I warned Enzo he was getting greedy, but he didn’t want to address it. Maybe I should have pushed harder."

His glass clinks against the table as he sets it down, his eyes staring at the amber liquid swirling inside. I can tell he's deep in thought.

That makes two of us.

I've had Sofia on my mind since leaving her, but that's no surprise. She's been there like an ever-present haze since I first danced with her. I tried to resist, truly I have, but there's something about her that pulls me in, despite knowing things could lead to this very conversation I'm about to have.

I lean forward in my chair and take a deep breath.

"Luca," I begin, my voice steady. "We need to talk."

GABRIEL - 25

Luca reaches for his drink, taking a sip before acknowledging me with a nod.

This is it.

This moment I've been dreading and anticipating all at once.

I need to officially claim Sofia as my own before I lose my mind.

Unsure of what to say, as I've never had to ask for something that I feel is mine before, I just blurt out the facts. Man to man.

"I can't stop thinking about her," I confess, my gaze locked on Luca's. A range of emotions flickers across his face – surprise, confusion, and finally, understanding.