Lucifer: A Mafia Bad Boy Romance (Sinsations Book 1) (7 page)

I looked up into his eyes, feeling my cheeks grow warm. We were close? This was all pretend, right? Then why let me call him Luc when it was just the two of us? I tried to step away but his arms refused to budge. He was strong, probably able to break most men like dry twigs. Maybe he could keep me safe, but he wasn’t really my fiancée. He wasn’t even my boyfriend. It wouldn’t be fair to dump the drama of my crazy ex on him, but I couldn’t leave if something equally bad would happen to him because of the fake engagement. “Luc, what would happen if Uncle Vinny found out we’re not really engaged? You never said and I’m curious.”

He withdrew his arms and stepped back, looking down at me with an unreadable expression on his face. Had I pushed too hard? Been too nosy? He looked cold, calculating, as if working out what his best move would be. It was irritating. This wasn’t chess and I wasn’t some stupid game piece. I was just about to tell him that when he finally spoke.

“I’ll answer your question if you answer mine.”

I nodded. “Deal.” I had no idea what he could ask me but I was willing to agree to anything to get some answers.

His eyes dropped down, taking in my cleavage and bare legs. “Go change first. I can’t concentrate with you dressed like that.”

I chewed on my lower lip, dropping my gaze to the floor. “Except for the clothes from yesterday, I don’t have anything to wear.”

“Why not? What happened with the shopping trip?”

I glanced down at the floor. “Something came up,” I said softly, waiting for him to be angry with me for not doing as he wished.

He grunted. “Not a big deal. You’re distracting as all hell dressed like that but I guess I’ll just have to live with the torture.”

I glanced up at him. He smiled, and I couldn’t help but smile back. He wasn’t angry with me. I hadn’t really realized until right then how much Mike had messed me up, training me to expect all men to behave the way he did.

“Ready for my question?” he asked.

I nodded.

“When Uncle Vinny knocked on the door, you got scared, thought it was someone else. Who?”

Crap! I didn’t want to answer. If I did, he would know what a mess I was. I bit my lip, tears starting to sting my eyes as I fought to hold them back. This was it. This was when it would all come crashing down because nobody wanted to be with a woman who had a crazy cop chasing after her, a crazy cop that could make life difficult for everybody.

He stepped closer, used his finger to raise my chin so I’d be looking into his eyes. “Was it Detective Mike Gordon?”

I gasped, shocked. He knew. How did he know?

Luc kissed my forehead. “It’s okay. He had one of his moron friends here spying on you… but he’s gone now so you don’t have to worry about it. Okay?”

I smiled, fighting back tears that were threatening to spill. “I was scared to tell you.”

He kissed my forehead again, running his hands through my hair, massaging my scalp with his fingers, making me feel all warn and tingly, making the fear melt away. “You never have to be scared to tell me anything, Angel.” He looked into my eyes and kissed me, the touch of his lips making the last bits of fear and doubt disappear as if they had never even been there.

I couldn’t believe I had been scared of this man. Yes, I had seen him break a man’s arm but I was now certain he’d never do anything like that to me, doubted the thought would even cross his mind. I knew he could be violent, but I finally realized that violence would never be aimed at me. It made what I had to do much more painful. “I… I think I need to leave.”

Luc jerked back as if slapped, staring at me with eyes filled with shock. “What? Why?”

“Because I used to be stupid and ended up with a jerk. I left him but that’s not enough. He always said he’d find me if I left him, and he was telling the truth. You know that. He found me. He’s coming. And I’m afraid he’ll hurt you.”

Luc did the absolute last thing I expected. He laughed.

I stared at him, my confusion quickly transforming into anger. “This isn’t funny, Luc. It’s not some macho bullshit. Mike is a cop. He has a gun, and he’s not afraid to use it. It or his fists.”

The laughter stopped like someone had flipped a switch and Luc’s eyes grew dark. “I know he hurt you. Probably thinks he’s a big man for doing that. It’ll be fun watching him try to hurt me.”

The suddenly menacing tone in his voice sent a chill rushing down my spine. I had been worried that Mike would hurt Luc, but the look in his eyes, the rough edge in his voice, had me suddenly worrying that Luc would go to jail after doing something really serious to Mike. “He’s not worth going to jail for.”

Luc barked out a harsh laugh. “He’ll pay for hurting you… and nobody will be going to jail.” Without warning, he grabbed me and pulled me close, his mouth crashing down onto mine. I grabbed his big biceps, digging my nails into his flesh as his tongue teased mine, forcing a moan to slip free. All too soon, he pulled away, looking at me with that lopsided grin of his. I tried to catch my breath, feeling lightheaded. What had we been talking about?

He turned and walked to the large picture window that over looked the Strip. From this high up, it overlooked almost everything. I saw the tattoo on his back again, the words
Morte Prima di Disonore
in the scroll that wrapped around the dagger. “What does your tattoo say?”

“Death before dishonor.” He shrugged and I couldn’t help but admire the way his muscles flexed when he moved. “It’s kind of like a family motto. We used it in the service, too.” He turned and looked at me. “Stay with me. Nobody will hurt you ever again. I promise.”

A lump formed in my throat. Stay with him? Did he mean just until Uncle Vinny left or… did he mean something else? It was impossible to tell. Either way, it was a tempting offer. I was tired of running. But there was more to this that he still hadn’t shared and I couldn’t make a decision without knowing what was going on. “You never answered my question.”

He sighed, frowning. “You don’t really want to know.”

I went to him and wrapped my arms around him, stood on the tips of my toes, and kissed his chin. “Yes, I do.”

I could’ve said no. It would’ve been easier. But this woman had worked her way under my skin, and I didn’t want to let her go. Not ever. A woman like that deserved the truth. I looked out the window, saw the first rays of the morning sun start to peak over the horizon. When Uncle Vinny was trying to catch someone in a lie, he didn’t fuck around. That was the right way to handle serious business. No fucking around. Just tackle it head-on and deal with it like a man. Let the fucking chips fall where they may.

“I love you,” I said, noticing the spark of excitement in her eyes. “I don’t want you to say anything right now, but I want you to know I love you.” I pulled away, hating myself for doing it, but I needed to walk. I had too much energy inside me, making it damn near impossible to stand still. “I love you… but I don’t deserve your love.” I waved my hand around the room. “Everything you see around you was bought with money earned doing bad things. Blood money.”

I moved to the bar in the corner of the room, stepped behind it as I turned to look at her, as if using it for a shield. I wanted a drink. To hell with the fact the sun was coming up. I poured a shot of scotch and slammed it down. “Once upon a time ago, I was Lucifer ‘Lucky’ Libonati, the Third. These days I’m just Lucifer Libonati, the owner of Sinsations… but my father is still Lucifer Libonati Jr, the don of one of the biggest, most powerful crime families in Chicago.”

I poured another shot as I watched the color drain from her face, her eyes widen with shock, but it was too late now. She wanted to know… and needed to know if this was anything more than an arrangement during my uncle’s stay. “I was an enforcer for the family. I could’ve been more, could’ve sat behind a desk and had others do the dirty work… but I liked the dirty work. Liked it a lot. More than I should have so I went into the military, figuring I’d get my fill of it there.”

I downed the shot, enjoying the burn, wishing the liquid fire sliding down my throat could purify me, make me worthy of the woman standing in front of me. “In the military, I kept doing what I had done before, only now I was considered a hero every time I pulled the trigger.” I sat the glass down on the bar, watching Krista. She had taken a tentative step forward, followed by another. “I got my fill,” I continued, “and then some. I came back home a changed man. I’d seen enough death, caused enough death, and I wanted out. My father let me leave and I came here to start over, to leave the past behind. It tried to catch up this week, tried to pull me back into its grip.

I stepped out from behind the bar as she took another step closer. “If I wasn’t engaged, I’d have to go back and honor a family debt. Being married, or engaged to be married, was the only way out.”

Krista nodded, chewing on her lip.

“But it’s more than that,” I added. “I was hooked on you the moment I saw you. I can’t get you out of my mind...” I closed the distance between us, took her into my arms, and looked into her gorgeous eyes. “… and I don’t even want to try.” I saw a hint of a smile a split-second before my lips met hers.

After the kiss, she looked up into my eyes. “Your uncle got us out of bed way too early.”

I smiled, lifting her up into my arms. “Then maybe it’s time we got back in bed.”

I tugged on the top of the skimpy cocktail server’s outfit, trying to keep my boobs from popping out. This thing obviously wasn’t made for women who had a little more upstairs than others. I walked through the casino carrying my little server’s tray, smiling at the guests every now and then. Whenever someone tried to give me an order, another ‘angel’ would appear and help the guest. Nothing had been said about it but I knew it was Luc taking care of me since I was new at this.

Dante was coming from the other direction as I moved from the slot machines to the table games. He gave a small nod as we passed each other. I glanced at the people sitting at the tables playing blackjack and poker, tossing chips back and forth that were worth thousands of dollars. If I spent my whole life in Las Vegas, I’d never get used to the casual way people gambled with such huge sums of money, winning or losing a small fortune in the blink of an eye.

I nearly jumped out of my skin as someone screamed behind me. I turned and looked at one of the blackjack tables. Some guy had apparently just won big. A quick movement out of the corner of my eye drew my attention to the nearest row of slot machines. Someone stepped back out of view, letting the one-armed bandit being played by an old man hide him. I stared for a few seconds, resisting the urge to walk back towards the spot. Instead, I turned and kept following the route that had been laid out for me.

A woman who looked like she’d had too much to drink stopped me and asked where the bathrooms were. I quickly turned back and pointed in their direction. The woman thanked me and headed in that direction. There were closer bathrooms but I had wanted an excuse to turn around again, and it had paid off. Mike was here.

There were no slot machines to hide behind in this section and he had quickly turned his back to me, pretending to be interested in a game of blackjack that was going on at one of the tables, but I would recognize him anywhere. The curly brown hair, the wrinkled jacket. He always looked like he slept in his clothes. Even after I ironed them in the morning before he went to work, it always looked like he had spent a week sleeping in the car by the time he returned home.

I turned back around and started walking, forcing myself to breathe slowly as I ran a hand through my hair and touched my earlobe. That was it. Message sent to whoever was watching the cameras. Now I just wanted to get out of here. I quickened my steps and headed towards a storage room along the far wall, trying to fight the urge to look back. I was within a few feet of the door when my willpower crumbled. I glanced over my shoulder. He was there, just a few tables away. He saw me looking and grinned, sending a cold chill down my spine. It was the grin he always wore when he had to show who the man of the house was. He started towards me, walking fast.

I fumbled with the doorknob, my suddenly numb fingers slipping on the shiny metal. Finally, I gripped it, opened the door, and stepped in, quickly pulling the door closed behind me. There was no lock on the door, no way to keep him out. I ran towards the other end of the room.

I nodded at Krista as she ran by me, flashing her a quick smile. She had done good, but there was no time to congratulate her. There would be time for that later. Right now, it was time for business. The door behind me, the one that led into one of the many service hallways that ran through the casino, closed behind me as the door in front of me opened. Detective Mike Gordon entered, almost running into the room. He glanced around, surprised to see me but no Krista. I smiled at him. “Hi, Mike. I’m the new man in Krista’s life. We need to talk.”

He was a cop, maybe a good one, maybe not, but he knew enough to smell a trap. “Fuck this,” he said, turning and pulling the door open. Dante stood on the other side, filling the doorway with his 6-foot, 4-inch-tall frame. Mike staggered back as Dante entered the storage room, letting the door close behind him. He grabbed Mike, spun him around to face me, and held him tight, pinning his arms behind his back.

“Fucking pussy,” Mike screamed. “Not man enough to fight me without man-mountain here?”

I chuckled. “You’re funny, Mike. The last person who called me a pussy got a bullet between the eyes… after I cut his tongue out.” I smiled, enjoying the way the color washed out of his face. I reached under his jacket and pulled a gun from a shoulder holster and put it in my jacket pocket. It would ruin the line of the suit but that was okay. It was worth it. I patted Mike down, pulled a smaller gun from an ankle holster, and placed that one in another pocket. I stepped back and nodded.

Dante let the detective go with a shove, stepping back against the door. That exit was officially out of commission for the moment.