“Don’t look so terrified,” Lucca finally says as the car moves into the lane of traffic.
“Don’t be so secretive.” I fire back.
His grin is back on his handsome face. “You don’t like surprises?”
“You know I don’t.” I fold my arms across my chest, drawing Lucca’s gaze to that area.
“Did I ever tell you I spent time in prison?”
“Yes. That’s how you meet Nicolai.” I remember that, but he never expanded on why he ended up in prison. It didn’t take much of a stretch to think of why.
“It was my second time in prison.” Lucca starts.
“Second time? How many times were you in prison?”
“A few,” Lucca smirks at me. “The second time I was in prison, I met a man. Everyone called him Big E. He was huge. I’m not sure what E was short for, but that’s what we called him. He was an old-timer in his eighties, and he had already served thirty years.”
“Why was he there?” Thirty years made me think it was something very serious.
“He swore he was innocent. Said it was because he had broken into a police officer's home. He didn’t know it was an officer’s house at the time.”
“Thirty years?” I didn't exactly buy that.
“Yes.”
We stop at traffic lights. Lucca stares out the window like some scene is playing out on the window of the car. “The week he was set for release, we threw him a farewell party. I don’t think I’d ever seen anyone so glum.”
Lucca frowns, and it’s an odd look on his face. The car starts to move again.
“Maybe he was nervous about returning to society after thirty years,” I say.
“After the party, he returned to his cell and hung himself.”
My heart stills in my chest before it pounds. I didn’t know this man, but from the look on Lucca’s face, he knew him. Maybe even befriended him.
“I’m sorry, Lucca.” I shift closer to him and take his hand. He looks down at our joined fingers.
“When I got out, I tracked down his family.”
I squeeze our joined fingers. “They must have been heartbroken.”
“He only had a brother alive. We sat and had a cup of tea, and it was then I found out why Big E was in prison. Thirty years of keeping a secret and hiding the truth is what had him taking that rope and tying it around his neck.”
A coldness seeps under my skin and slowly drips into my system.
“He had broken into the officer’s home. That part was true. He just hadn’t told us that he had woken the family up, and they discovered he had killed the officer’s wife and two children.”
Bile slowly rises up my throat. The sound of the air conditioner grows louder as the silence swallows the surrounding space.
“That’s a delightful story,” I murmur.
Lucca looks me in the eye. “Secrets eat away at us all, Evie.”
“Do yours eat away at you?” I ask.
Lucca doesn’t look away from me. He never hides, even when I can see the pain and uncertainty in his eyes.
“I’ve done a lot of bad things in my time.”
“You’ve also done a lot of good.” I remind him.
He doesn’t blink. “One day, I’ll tell you all my bad deeds.”
That didn't scare me. What scared me was his not telling me. The fact he would share all his darkness with me has me leaning in and placing a soft kiss on his lips.
Once I break the kiss, Lucca tucks me into his side. The airport comes into view not long after. I sit up as Pavel drives across the runway to a small plane. The door is open, and as we pull right up to it, the pilot comes down the steps.
“What is this?” I ask.
Lucca doesn’t answer but gets out and holds the door open for me. I climb out as Pavel gets our luggage out of the boot. There are a lot of suitcases, and that has me concerned.
Lucca takes my hand as we walk to the waiting plane.
The pilot greets us, and once we enter the plane, he follows, heading to the cockpit as we take our seats. The inside is luxurious. The cream leather takes all the heat from my overheated body. It’s like a cold drink on a hot day.
“You have to tell me where we are going.” I plead, and Lucca laughs, a rare sound that has me smiling at him. No matter how annoyed I feel right now, I can’t stop the smile.
“Get comfortable; it’s a long journey.”
We take off down the runway to an unknown destination. I should be excited, but it’s more fear that consumes me. I know Lucca won’t hurt me, but that doesn’t stop all the possibilities from fluttering through my mind.
Lucca passes me a drink. I sniff the strong scent of alcohol before I quickly drink it all. Instantly my body relaxes, and I take the second one Lucca offers me. The alcohol has me sinking deeper into the chair, my mind going back to Big E.
“That was a horrible story about Big E,” I say with my eyes closed.
“It’s life. He could have left and tried to right his wrongs.” Lucca’s cologne has my mind foggy, and I glance at him.
Right now, I wish we were back in the penthouse and in the bed. My mind jumps back to our conversation that I should be focusing on. “He couldn’t make right what he had done.”
Lucca stares at me before taking a sip of his drink. “You think he can’t be forgiven?”
What had Lucca done in his time with the Bratva? How many people had he killed?
I had watched him kill four in my short time with him.
“It depends. If you feel remorse, maybe.” But did that
