Bend Me, Daddy

"No. Luckily, his brother, Gil, saw him pull his gun and tried to stop him. Missed the guy's head by inches and the bullet skimmed the side of his neck just beneath his jaw, from what I understand." "Jesus Christ. What the fuck is the matter with that stronzo?"

"That's what Luca is sending me to find out. I'll be hanging out with Gino and the family for a while, so you'll need to handle everything here."

God fucking dammit. "Of course. Do whatever you need to do. And be careful."

He gave me a partial smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Will you let Luca know I'm heading over there? I'll watch the house tonight and talk to Gino in the morning."

I nodded and told him again to be careful, then locked the door behind him and checked the security system to make sure it was armed for the night before I found Luca in the kitchen with Veda. "Hey, Enzo," she greeted me.

"Veda. How are you?"

She smiled. "Good. Thanks. I have a test tomorrow morning though, so I'd better go do some last-minute studying and let you guys talk."

"Good luck," I told her as she rose and took her teacup to the sink, then returned to give Luca a kiss before she left. She patted my arm as she passed, and I felt a surge of affection for this woman who had made my lifelong friend so happy. She also kept him on his toes, and I admired her for that also.

"I'll be up soon, amore," Luca called after her.

She smiled at him over her shoulder and went up the stairs.

He watched her until she was out of sight, a possessive look in his eyes. Then he sighed. "Enzo," Luca said. "Come sit with me."

I did as he asked, unbuttoning my coat, and taking a seat on the chair to his left. I took off my sunglasses and laid them on the table as I waited to hear what he had to say.

"What's going on with you, my friend?"

My immediate instinct was to take a deep breath and tell him everything. Luca was my oldest friend. No. He was more than that. He was family. He understood me as no one else did, except maybe Tristan. And yet, I hesitated. "What do you mean?"

"I had the security footage from the club sent over to me. There was no attempted break-in."

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A reckless anger flared inside of me before I could control the impulse. "You didn't trust me? Didn't believe what I told you?"

"No," he told me honestly. "I didn't. Something is off with you, and I want to know what it is." When I didn't respond right away, he sighed again and leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on the table. "Enzo, I can see it in your eyes that something is eating at you, so you might as well tell me what it is."

I started to deny it, but he was right. Arguing with him was pointless. All it would do was piss him off and make things tense between us. However, I wasn't ready to tell him everything yet. Not until I was positive he would have my back when it came to Sera. So, I went for a partial truth. "You're right. There is something going on with me. And please forgive me, Luca, for imposing on our friendship like this, but I can't tell you what it is. At least not right now. Not yet." "Does it have something to do with the girl we're looking for?"

I kept my mouth shut, unsurprised that he'd hit the nail right on the head. Luca wasn't the underboss for nothing, even if his father despised him. He had good instincts, and they usually led him right where he needed to be. He tilted his head as he studied me, his gray eyes concerned. "Enzo, if you know where she is, you need to tell me. She's not worth starting a war over."

"I never said I knew where she is." I wasn't lying. At that very moment, I didn't know. I could guess she'd gone home after I dropped her off at the club. But since I wasn't with her, I couldn't know that for sure. I didn't even have a way to call her. Something that would need to be remedied immediately.

After a moment, he sighed and scratched his head. "Okay. We can play this your way for now. I just hope you know what you're doing."

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I caught his gaze. "I would never put you or our family at risk, Luca." Ghosts danced around me as I made this vow. And for a moment, my heart ached with longing for the wife and son I'd lost so many years ago. Reaching across the table, he put his hand over mine where it rested on the dark wood. "I know that, my friend. And that's the only reason I'm letting this go. For now," he added with a smile.

"Thank you," I told him sincerely. "I swear to you I will fill you in on everything as soon as I can."

He gave me a nod, and our conversation turned to business. A shop owner who was getting a little too full of himself and refused to pay his protection fee. And a new soldier who was having a hard time stomaching what he would have to do to change his mind. I promised Luca I would take care of things.

Shortly after, he made his way upstairs to join Veda, and I stayed where I was, enjoying the quiet. But before long, I was up and pacing the floor. I left my jacket and my sunglasses in the kitchen as I was alone in the house for the night. Then I made my way out to the main room where I took a right and headed toward Luca's office. I checked the interior, and continued down the hall.

I was restless, my skin tight and itchy. With Tristan gone, I would need to be here even more than usual. And that wouldn't give me much time to spend with Sera. I rubbed the back of my neck as I walked, trying to ease the tension there. My mind flashed back to her sweet face, covered in my come. Seeing her marked by me like that should've calmed the beast inside of me. But instead, it only increased the urge to cover her with my scent, inside and out, so everyone would know she was mine.

I stopped walking. Jesus Christ. What the hell was I? A fucking animal?

Turning around, I went back the way I came until I stood at the top of the stairs that led down to the gym. I kept some extra workout clothes there, and right now, I really needed to hit something.

Tomorrow, I would have a phone sent to the club for Sera, with instructions that she was to keep it on her at all times. That would have to be enough until I could see her again.