Lucca kicked the blind man at his feet. “Tell him why he marked her.”
“Heee wanted Maxwelllll in his pockket, to give him information on youu orrr anything that coullld take you down.”
The fury Dante held was now turning from Lucca to Lucifer.
Lucca continued the explanation himself, “The only reason he hasn’t gotten to you yet is because Sal has outsmarted him and Drago has blocked him for all these years. We just never knew it was Lucifer then. When we suspected him, we needed the evidence.”
“Fuck.” Dante took a swig of his drink, trying to simmer himself down. “We have to think carefully and plan even more carefully. I am not taking my men to war right this second, not for her. That’s the price you will pay for putting her above Drago and the rest of the family.”
I thought he would say that.
This was exactly why Lucca had needed the final piece, why he’d had to wait and plan carefully, just like his father had said. Otherwise, he would have made Lucifer’s death more imminent.
His haunting voice gave the command, “Sal …”
Sal pressed a button on his phone.
“Don’t worry; I’m not going to hurt her… like I did your mother.”
Dante leaned forward as he stood up, his ice-cold eyes promising retribution. “The Caruso family goes to war. Now.”
Forty-One
The Darkness in Its True Form
Chloe was back where it all began four years ago, in the cold warehouse that sat in the middle of nowhere. The same men who had taken her before brought her here, except for one of Lucifer’s three men, the one who had worn the horseshoe ring.
She’d had nightmares of this moment ever since he had first let her go. I always knew this day would come.
Her wrists and ankles were tied with tight ropes. Her hands constantly moved, wringing, which only caused the ropes to burn her skin.
The devil placed her freezing body on a chair that sat in the middle of the desolate building. As he stared down at her, she could see the victory in his sick, black eyes.
“They’re here,” one of his men told the devil as she heard several cars pull up in a distance.
“Lucca?” the little girl in her helplessly whispered for the only man capable of saving her.
“You really think he’s going to save you?” Lucifer pulled a long piece of fabric out of his pocket before tying it around her head to cover her mouth as she struggled against him. “That didn’t work for you the last time, did it?”
It was dangerous thing to have hope. For her to hope to be saved this time when no one had come for her the last. This time, however, she now knew a man like Lucca existed, and the feeling they shared kept telling her one word over and over. Believe.
Lucifer ran his fingers roughly down her face. “I have dreamed of getting you back ever since I let you go. I’ve waited a very long time for you. Too long. I made myself sick over wanting you.”
Chloe breathed so heavily she thought the fabric that was tied around her mouth was going to suffocate her. Every time he touched her, it left a trail of scorching fire that continued to burn her skin, unable to burn out. Feeling every touch he left on her, the pain of it started to consume her. She wanted to wash it away, yet she feared that soap and water wouldn’t ever fix it.
He brought his hands to her hair, grabbing it so hard he was practically ripping strands out. “At first, I wanted to kill you. But when Lucca took you away from me, I realized I wanted something very different.”
She didn’t think it was possible to see anything other than the nothingness in his huge, black eyes, yet she saw something different now—obsession.
Chloe’s eyes teared when he brought his face closer to hers. When she closed her eyes, the pooling tears fell as she felt his disgusting, cold tongue lick the scar that rested along her cheek.
“How does it feel to have three men want you? Me … Lucca … Amo …” When he uttered the last name, he could see the shock on her face. “Yes, you’ll have to remind me to thank Amo for leading me back to you. I might even let him live … if Lucca hasn’t killed him already.”
Another tear fell down her cheek. She tried to pull her hands apart, wanting the rope around her wrist to release her.
“Soon, I will have you, my little girl. I just have to take care of business first,” he whispered the promise to her before he released her.
That was when the door to the warehouse opened.
Lucca?
Men started filing in. Men she had never seen before. She quickly realized it wasn’t Lucca or any of the Caruso family. These men weren’t dressed in fine Italian suits and shoes. Most of them were only wearing parts of a suit, like a jacket or slacks, but they weren’t made of fine materials. These men looked rough, almost like Lucca, but with a different quality to them.