Luca’s frown deepened, and he shook his head before walking out of the dining room.
“Luca?” He didn’t answer, so I followed the sound of his muttering to his office. “Hello?” He raised a hand but kept typing on his laptop. “We were kind of in the middle of something in there.”
“And we can go back to yelling after I—there it is.” He looked up at me with a grimace. “Come here.”
I walked around the desk, my body tense from Luca’s bizarre behavior. When I got close enough, he pulled me to his lap. Resting his chin on my shoulder, he leaned forward to be able to reach the keys around my body. “Look at this.”
I didn’t know whether it was his warm breath on my neck or the image on the screen, but a shiver ran down my spine.
“She’s a cop?”
“FBI.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You told me you weren’t going to talk to him anymore, so I didn’t see the point. I’m trying to keep you as separate from this shit as possible.”
I fell back into Luca’s chest. “Holy shit.”
He wrapped me in a tight hold. “Yeah. He must’ve found out, so that’s probably why it’s ‘fuck Daphne.’ More reason for you to stay away from him. The guy didn’t even realize his fiancée was a plant.”
“I didn’t seek him out.”
Luca started to stand, gently placing me on my feet before putting distance between us. “But you didn’t cut him off.” The screen of his phone lit up, and he frowned. “I don’t think you completely grasp the gravity of the situation.”
“I’m not stupid, Luca.”
“Then stop making stupid decisions.”
“Are you serious?”
“Are you?”
“What the fuck was I supposed to do? Throw a coffee in his face and storm out? Let Frankie rough him up?”
“Anything that gets you away from a Chronis,especiallyat a time like this, is a better plan than catching up over lattes.”
I pressed my lips together, not wanting to say anything else. The whole conversation pissed me off. The worst part? I knew Luca was right, but it didn’t change the fact I was in no more danger today at the coffee shop than I was at the grocery store or wherever else. Was I supposed to stay locked in the house?
“Look—” Luca grabbed his phone, frowning as he sent a message. “I need to go.”
“It’s Thursday.”
“I know.”
That’s all he said.
That’s it.
The fucking bastard.
Instead, he grabbed a few things out of his desk and left the room. I stayed frozen in his study, unable to wrap my head around what the fuck just happened.
When I finally made it back to the dining room, I fought back the urge to cry. It was empty like I knew it would be, but I hoped Luca would be sitting at the table, ready to gorge ourselves on whatever magic he’d whipped up.
He’d actually left.
He’d never done that before.