Luca folds his arms across his chest, leans back on the closed door and raises an eyebrow. “What’s going on?”
“That’s what I’d like to know!” I huff, glaring at Luca and then shifting my attention to Ashton. “The two of you keep so many secrets around here. Which is fine, until you start dragging me into this mess. What was that at the grocery store with Harper? Who was that guy? Why is he threatening her?”
I have so many questions, and Ashton and Luca just stare at me. They quietly exchange a glance between themselves, followed by more silence.
Luca’s tense jaw tells me if I don’t keep pushing, I won’t get any answers. His gaze locks with mine, and he doesn’t waver.
Ashton glances away, studying the music posters on my wall, pretending to be interested in anything other than this conversation.
“Silence won’t cut it. Not with me. You owe me an explanation. I dropped everything to drive you both to help Harper, and I’d do it all over again, but you can’t tell me it was nothing. I saw the security footage.” I stare Luca down, waiting for him to flinch or cave and reveal something to me.
More silence and I step closer, invading his personal space. “You owe me answers.”
“I don’t owe you anything,” he bites back.
“Really? Next time your wife is in trouble, should I just leave you to figure it out on your own?” I had dropped everything I was doing, jumped in my car with Ashton and Luca, and hauled ass across town to make sure that Harper and Zeke were all right.
Luca sighs and tips his head back against the door, glancing up, avoiding my stare.
He knows I’m right.
“Harper and Zeke were threatened a few weeks ago by another mafia boss, Massimo DeLuca. It’s a long story, but the short version is Harper doesn’t know about the threats.”
Exhaling, I step backward, giving Luca space as I move to sit at the edge of my mattress. I shouldn’t be surprised by the news, it’s not like I’m unaware that Dante is mafia, but I don’t like hearing my friend and her son are being threatened by another mafia boss.
“And what about you? Is that why you couldn’t play our last game this season? Did he threaten you too?” I knew Luca wasn’t sick. I just wasn’t sure what the hell happened that made him give up his favorite sport.
“He did a little more than threaten me.” Luca points at his chest. “A couple of cracked ribs in addition to some nasty bruises.”
I grimace. The cracked ribs were probably why he couldn’t play hockey. I’ve seen him with bruises after a game. It’s never kept him from working out or attending our next practice.
When he’s finished telling me about Massimo DeLuca, his uncle and the man who he believes is behind the threats, I realize my lip is bleeding.
I’ve been biting down without even realizing it. I wipe away the blood and wince, but not from the pain.
It turns out the threats to Harper and Zeke aren’t just words.
“You can’t tell Harper.” The heat in Luca’s gaze is unnerving. Luca steps toward me, towering above the mattress.
He expects me to keep this just between the three of us?
My head swims.
Shouldn’t Harper be aware so she could be more careful? “Why the hell not? She deserves to know if she’s in danger.”
“I don’t want to worry her.” Luca scowls at me. “And it’s not your place to tell her.”
Ashton glances away, his attention moving from the poster to my record player against the wall on a wooden stand. He’s clearly trying to distract himself to keep out of the conversation as much as possible.
It seems he’s in agreement with Luca, based on his silence.
“That’s a hell of a secret that you’re asking me to keep.” I hang my head for a solid minute, debating what the right thing to do is for everyone involved. I finally glance up at him. “Fuck, Luca. It’s shit like that; it’s going to make Harper hate you.”
Just when they are finally getting settled into married life—happy, blissful—he’s going to fuck it all up.
At least I’m trying to help him from wrecking his marriage.
“Swear to me that you won’t tell Harper.” Luca stands over me, and I roll my eyes, annoyed that he doesn’t trust me.