A long moment of silence drags out while he studies me, and then he nods to himself and shifts his focus back to the men. “You know why I called you here, I presume?”
Marcus nods. “Jordan McCabe.”
Luca’s heavy dark eyebrows jerk upward a little, as if he’s surprised Marcus admitted to it so easily. That he didn’t argue back or feign ignorance.
“Yes.” Luca leans back in his seat, tugging at the sleeves of his crisp dark suit. “He was important to me.”
“I know. He told us.”
“But you killed him anyway.”
“Yes.”
Marcus’s voice remains calm and blunt, and unease prickles through me. I know the men decided that lying to Luca would guarantee a worse outcome, but I wish he would soften the truth a little.
Luca’s eyebrows rise even higher, and he scans Theo’s and Ryland’s faces carefully.
“Care to tell me why you thought it was a wise idea to interfere with a man who was important to the operation of my business?” His tone hardens. “You were handpicked as potential successors for me, but that does not give you the right to interfere with my assets until the competition is over, do you understand?”
“They did it for me,” I say before I can stop myself. Then I add, “Sir.”
Now Luca’s thick brows reverse direction, dropping low and pulling together as he turns his attention to me. “Explain.”
Marcus and Ryland seem to have stopped breathing beside me. I can feel danger crackling in the air, but they already decided not to lie to the crime lord. If we’re going to tell the truth, he should hear the whole truth.
“That man they killed, Jordan McCabe, was my foster father when I was younger. During the time that I lived under his roof, he raped and abused me repeatedly.”
The words fall from my lips awkwardly. It’s easier to talk about now that all of it—including Jordan’s life—is in the past, but I’m still not used to so openly sharing the painful details of my past.
If it makes Luca understand, though, if it saves my men from harsh punishment, I’ll tell him every sordid, fucked up detail.
Ryland finally shifts beside me. I think it’s the first time he’s drawn a breath since I spoke up. “She told us what happened, and Jordan didn’t deny it. With all due respect, sir, he didn’t deserve to live.”
Luca’s sharp gaze cuts to Ryland, his expression turning hard. For a second, I can see every inch of the ruthless criminal who fought his way to the top to become the de facto king of Halston.
“That was not your call to make,” he growls. “None of you.”
My stomach drops. Blood rushes in my ears, and my mouth goes dry as I brace myself for what comes next.
Luca lets his words hang in the air for a moment, cutting off all the oxygen in the room. Then he sighs. “But in this case, I agree with you. Jordan was useful, but he always thought too fucking much of himself. If I’d known he was a child molester on top of it, I would’ve killed him myself.”
He rises smoothly from his desk, walking around it and leaning against the heavy mahogany as he crosses his arms over his chest. “That doesn’t change the fact that you went behind my back and killed a man who played an important role in my operations. His loss can be compensated for, but if you ever pull this kind of bullshit again, you’ll be out of the competition with a price on your heads, do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
All three men nod, their faces carefully blank. I bite the inside of my cheek to keep my own expression as neutral as theirs. Equal parts relief and terror flood my veins at Luca’s words.
The men won’t be punished for what they did.
But they just used up the last of Luca’s good will. Any other perceived slight will be a death sentence.
Luca assesses their faces for a moment, then nods in satisfaction. “Good. I’ve been watching your progress in the competition, and I’ve been impressed. Of course, it remains to be seen how it all plays out, but each of you have presented yourselves as strong contenders.”
“Thank you.” Marcus dips his chin slightly.
Luca smiles, something I can’t quite decipher passing through his expression. “And of course, I should congratulate you again on your engagement. When I agreed to let Victoria compete, I have to admit this was a development I never saw coming.” His dark gaze flicks to me for just a heartbeat before returning to Marcus. “And you two seem to be well-matched.”
My stomach hardens into a lump, and I almost bite a hole through my cheek as I work to keep any reaction from showing on my face.
Marcus stiffens beside me. “Thank you, sir.”
“I expect an invitation to your wedding,” Luca adds, a broad smile spreading across his face.
“Of course,” Marcus agrees.
My toes curl inside my shoes, but I manage to keep my fingers from doing the same as emotions roil inside me.
If I held out any hope that Luca would interfere in Victoria and Marcus’s engagement or call it out as the sham it is, his words have quashed it. No matter what he might think of it personally, he’s obviously decided to let it play out, to allow Victoria to leverage marriage as a power play.
So much for Luca believing in true love.
Or maybe he’s just decided the game is more important.
My heart is an insistent drumbeat in my chest, and I want desperately to get out of here. We’ve done what we came here to do, and the men have somehow managed to escape Luca’s wrath for the murder of Jordan McCabe. Now I’m
