Luca's Dilemma (24 page)

Luca nodded. “You’re right. That’s more than fair. I just wasn’t able to think beyond Sheila’s safety at the time.”

“I think we can all relate to that,” Tyler offered. “But some advice, man. You really should tell her what’s going on. I made the mistake of keeping similar information from Evy, and it nearly cost me my family.”

Tyler’s deep blue eyes still harbored guilt. Was Luca looking at his future through the eyes of his cousin? After living with them for the past month, Luca had no doubt Tyler would be lost without his wife, just as he would be without Sheila.

Stepping from the door, Luca slowly blew out a breath. The other women had inadvertently distracted Sheila well, but each day it became harder to keep the news of April’s death under wraps. He had coerced her into giving up contact with pretty much everyone by suggesting she concentrate on bonding with his family and her new role as a volunteer basketball coach at one of the many community centers in the area. It also helped that he had “accidentally” dropped her phone in the toilet and kept promising to replace it when they found time. He had also managed to sabotage every computer she came in contact with in hope of keeping her off the internet.

She’d seemed happier than ever since their arrival in Oklahoma, and he’d selfishly reaped the benefits of said happiness. But Sheila was bound to catch on to his attempts to thwart her from contacting family and friends or hop on the internet and discover what happened to April eventually. That wouldn’t be good.

“I don’t know how,” Luca admitted. “Every time I think the time is right, she starts talking wedding and smiling at me in that way… you all know what way I’m talking about. Then I man out. I just can’t bring myself to say what needs to be said.” Closing his eyes, he allowed his head to sluggishly pivot side to side, the shame of his deception lying heavily on his heart. “Maybe I’m just hoping all this will end by the assignment expiration date.”

There. He’d said it out loud. A heavy burden lightened ever so slightly on his shoulders with his admission to this weakness. Sheila had finally stopped bitching about where they were, and his heart swelled at the recent show of happiness she claimed truly came from simply being with him. It didn’t help that she had admitted as much while he fulfilled his fantasy of taking her from behind in front of their assigned bedroom’s window. The deed had been too risky back home, where he would’ve had to stay focused should anyone sneak onto the property and spot them. At Tyler’s place, they were surrounded by muscle.

Tyler stepped forward and placed a hand on Luca’s shoulder. “Sheila seems pretty rational.”

A sarcasm filled “pssh” escaped Drago’s pursed lips.

Ignoring him, Tyler continued. “I think you need to give her a chance to understand who you really are and what’s going on. Trust me… If it’s genuine, that smile will come again and again before you know it. But the longer you keep secrets from her, the harder it’ll be to get it back. Do you really want to chance that this will all just blow over?”

Well damn!
Luca smiled broadly, finding irony in Tyler’s wisdom. “Funny how you evaded this family for all those years, only to grow up sounding just like Pops. Unbelievable.”

“Don’t try to change the subject, Lulu. True, they seemed to have backed off since your arrival here, but we’re riding on the assumption whoever is after her
knows
she’s here. A lot can happen in a month, and you and I both know deadlines can be extended,” Drago chimed in. “Don’t forget Sheila’s a smart woman and bound to figure out what’s going on sooner or later. You don’t want her finding this shit out on her own.”

“I know, I know. But how often do extensions occur, Dre? You know from experience the usual outcome is the deed gets done on time, the solicitor has a change of heart, or the solicitor and, most times, the solicited end up dead due to retaliation. My gut tells me once this, these, whatever people realize Sheila’s no threat to anybody
and
that she is about to become a Moriatti, they’ll leave her alone.”

“Is that your gut or your wishful thinking talking?” Drago asked. “I know we’re all supposedly retired, but you still need to be upfront with her about your true profession. Granted, few outside the family know of us, but it only takes one person seeking vengeance to turn your life upside down. Your ass is totally wrong if you plan on marrying her without giving her a say in the matter.”

Tyler’s lips pressed into a tight line, but he remained silent.

Luca sympathized with what Tyler had gone through, but the circumstances were much different. Evy had been the target of a lunatic and Tyler had zero experience in dealing with such things. Being an assassin gave Luca a leg up on how to think like one. He definitely had an advantage.

“Speaking of which, has Nathan had any success in finding out who’s causing all this trouble?” Tony asked.

Luca was more than grateful for the shift in attention. Although Tony’s dark caramel–colored skin and slight accent gave heed to his African–American and Hispanic background, Luca had come to see the self–made financial guru and his nosey wife as just as much a part of the family as any of the others in the room.

“Not as much as we’d like,” Drago said, letting out a frustrated sigh. “Word’s out about Lulu and Sheila’s hookup. Normally, Patina would’ve sung by now, but for some reason, he’s sitting tight on his info, pretending he has no idea who originally initiated the hit on Sheila. Uncle Nate doesn’t wanna press the issue with him just yet.”

“I don’t get it,” Tyler stated. “Why not?”

“Because Sal Patina’s stupid and unstable,” Luca explained. “He thinks we owe him for the untimely death of his daughters, who died when their assignments backfired on them. Taking him out wouldn’t be a problem if we were sure the nutcase was working alone. But we can’t assume that, especially when he has no apparent ties to Sheila.”

“What about her ex–boyfriend or her former boss?” Tyler asked.

Luca gave Drago a pointed look. “Damn, man. How much did you tell them?”

“Everything,” Drago answered matter–of–factly. “I know you’ve been, um… busy.” Pausing, he cast Luca a sly glance. “However, you’ll come to understand how resourceful these people are, and that’s not excluding the women. So far, we’ve been successful in zeroing in on Sheila’s former boss, the reason being Evy owns a large portion of stock in that company.

“Well, as of last week she does. Uncle Nathan thought it best the stocks be purchased under Healing Inc. That way if someone became interested in the large, sudden purchase, it wouldn’t so easily be traced back to us. Evy and Nita have joined Maria in performing a thorough audit of the insurance company’s financial records. Nothing beats having shrewd women in the family particularly a businesswoman, a corporate lawyer, and a certified public accountant. Turns out a certain Mr. McRae up and vanished as soon as the ladies started digging.”

A slow whistle passed between Luca’s teeth. “Have I really been that distracted?”

“Yes,” Tyler answered. “Something tells me Evy had the right idea by giving you your own wing to roam around in.”

“Yeah, that was nice of her,” Luca said, unwilling to confirm or deny his cousin’s implication. “As for Ahmed, I’m not too worried about him. He’s too refined and bigheaded to view another person important enough to summon a hit on. According to Sheila’s father, the arrogant bastard’s been trying to get back in his good graces by repeatedly pointing out our racial differences and trying to convince him this ‘good ol’ white boy’ ain’t got what it takes to make an honest woman out of his daughter. I guess it wasn’t enough that Sheila’s old man damn near killed him. Idiot.”

“Why’s he harping on your whiteness? Did you show him your ass or something? From what I recall, you always had trouble tanning that pasty white thing. Talk about a full moon. I should ask Sheila how she manages to sleep with that thing glowing in her face,” Drago snorted.

“Wow, you seem to know a lot about Luca’s ass, man,” Tyler stated, his brow rising.

Thus the ribbing began, predominately at Luca’s expense, filling the small office with loud, raucous laughter. Suddenly, the door flew open, nearly knocking Luca forward.

“
Mira aquí
!” An irate Nita demanded with one hand on the doorknob and the other fisted on her thick hip. “We didn’t spend the morning cooking our asses off for you to stay cooped up in this office ignoring us.
Portare il culo aquí
. The food’s getting cold, and we
chicas
gots better things to do with our time than wait around for you.”

Luca wasn’t one hundred percent sure, but he loosely translated Nita’s Spanish spoken words to be ‘look here’ and ‘bring your asses on here’
.
The green–eyed, dark Latina was certainly a beauty to behold, but she was definitely one to rival his Sheila in the foul language department.

Damn. And Dre seriously thought Sheila was feisty
?

Chapter 20

Valentine’s Day came way too soon. Between trying to figure out the mystery surrounding Sheila and the enigma of becoming the best man he could be for her, Luca still hadn’t gotten around to divulging his secrets. Sheila was getting antsy.

Fortunately, a great opportunity opened up for Moriatti and Swallow Real Estate in Cancun, of all places. When Drago asked, Luca jumped at the opportunity to take Sheila to the one place she’d always wanted to go. Drago and Rie would accompany them, and the hotel under consideration for purchase currently belonged to long–time allies of the Moriatti family. Safety was not an issue. This excursion would also grant him the opportunity to come clean.
No one stays angry in paradise
, he reasoned, putting off the needed talk until they could settle in their room.

Luca watched the blur of red, white, and brown he knew to be Sheila excitedly dash toward the terrace immediately upon entering their suite. The hotel was very secluded, facing the ocean with its own private beach. Their particular suite on the top floor jutted out from the rest of the hotel, providing them maximum privacy. Only the clear blue waters of the ocean would lay witness to any acts they should desire to perform. He allowed his eyes to sweep the room before Sheila drew his attention.

“Oh, Luca, I can’t believe I’m finally here,” Sheila stated excitedly as she pulled him beyond the sparse furnishings of the large balcony. She turned, clapping her hands together at her breasts, the act drawing his hungry gaze to that area, before turning to face the tropical oasis that would be their view for the next week.

Although the land side of the hotel was surrounded by a tall wall and guards patrolled the beach on foot and by boat, not wanting a repeat of the April incident, Luca took up the task of further ensuring their safety. Ever diligent, he performed a quick scan of the balcony, observing the vibrant green upholstered chaise lounges with small serving table tucked between them. To the left was a small glass dining set with similarly colored chairs.

The solid glass of the safety railing would have been a problem if the ocean wasn’t the only thing in front of it, and if it didn’t happen to be fabricated out of reinforced dual polycarbonate panes. The see–through barrier served to partially obstruct the gentle ocean breeze but not enough to hinder the tropical atmosphere. Otherwise, it felt as though they were standing right on the horizon.

Wrapping his arms around her from behind, he brought his hands up to cup each of her breasts and began rubbing her cheek with his own, a thrill running through him as he absorbed some of her excitement. “You deserve this and more, babe. Once we’re married, I promise to take you anywhere you wanna go. Even to Mars, if you’d like.”

Sheila chuckled. “Ah, I don’t know about Mars, but I’d like that very much. My parents were always too busy to take us on leisure vacations. They always combined history lessons with our childhood trips. By the time I was fifteen, I was bone weary of looking at the ruins of South America and Europe. I do have to admit the safari in Africa was pretty cool.” She turned to face him and placed her hands behind his neck. Her beautiful eyes glowed with glee while the breeze shifted the short waves of her soft hair.

A familiar peace settled over Luca as both her hands began to play with the hair at the nape of his neck. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, basking in the combination of her scent blending with the warm ocean air.

“Thank you for bringing me here… especially after I acted so out of sorts when we landed in Oklahoma. I know I should have said this sooner, but please forgive me for putting you through that. I know it’s no excuse, but after being so sick and thinking about my intended time here with Ahmed, I was just frustrated.”

Luca’s eyes flew open and he winced slightly at her mention of being sick. Sheila didn’t seem to notice. Now was the time to talk, before she smiled again and ruined the opportunity. “Sheila—”

“No, don’t try to make me feel better,” she continued, interrupting him. “I’m glad we’re spending time with your family in Oklahoma. Other than Tina and my brother, I’ve never really had any close friends. Your family’s wonderful.”

Her sentiment touched him deeply, stealing his words. Her luscious lips began to graze over his jaw and cheek, awakening his awareness. Having her in his life had obliterated the sharp pain of loneliness they once had in common. It was nice to know he’d changed that situation for her, for the both of them. But the long, sensual kiss she laid on his lips was the ultimate reinforcement that the benefits of being in love gave him a high he’d never trade off.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Mr. Moriatti.” The words were murmured against his lips before Sheila resumed kissing him senseless, undoubtedly with every last ounce of love she held for him.

Once again, Luca’s mind clouded, drowning out every other thought but the existence of Sheila. In celebration of the holiday she had worn the appropriate colors and Luca was glad she — unlike the Patina chick would have on such an occasion — hadn’t tried to persuade him do the same.

But the colors looked so right on her, adding an extra glow to her already warm honey–coated skin. The white shorts hugging her hips and thighs made him want to time how fast he could get the skin–tight material around her ankles. Then he’d take her from behind as she clung onto the railing, both of them enjoying the ocean view while he pounded into her. The fancy sleeveless red shirt with all its many layers and hangy–thangys enhanced her already pronounced cleavage.