Chapter 15: other

LUCA

As I turn onto the backstreet I take to Don Cain’s mansion each time I head there, I can’t help but slow my car when I spot a familiar vehicle. In fact, it’s Adiv’s new car—the one he had to buy to replace his old, beat up one that got shot out in the desert and was subsequently destroyed for logical reasons.

For whatever reason, he’s parked off discreetly at a dead end area of the street that’s easy to drive right past if you’re not paying attention. It’s shrouded in darkness, encircled by tall and thick trees that make it an almost unsafe space.

His headlights are off, but I can clearly see darkness inside that indicates someone is sitting in it. Confused, and unsure if he’s wanting to talk to me privately about something outside of the mansion or if he’s in some sort of danger, I park the car at a distance and walk over to him.

I get about ten steps from him when it finally dawns on me that he’s not alone. There’s a woman bouncing up and down on his lap, rocking the car, with her palms pressed flat to the headrest on either side of his head as his seat is pushed right back.

Shocked, but amused, I decide to take a step back, retreating to my car in an effort to maintain the woman’s privacy. I’m positive they have no idea I’m here and since we have some time before we’re supposed to meet with Cain, I light up a cigarette and wait them out.

I obviously caught them towards the latter end of their fuck, because by the time I’m nearly done my smoke, the door opens and the woman carefully gets out. In the darkness of the night—and with the concealment of the shadows created from the nearby trees—I’m unable to see if I recognize her. Adiv follows her out and they embrace, before he gives her a lingering, but passionate kiss.

As she’s fixing the collar of his shirt, I take it upon myself to get out of my own car, taking one final drag on my cigarette before I kill it under the heel of my shoe. The noise I create finally alerts them to my presence and the woman gasps in such a way that it immediately causes all the hair to stand up on my entire body.

Because I know that voice.

“Dove?” I turn to face her, my tone incredulous.

Out of instinct, Adiv moves to stand in front of her, as if he’s about to protect her from whoever I am. I see how tense he is, but when he comes to the realization that it’s me, his muscles loosen moderately.

“L—Luca,” he stutters, “What are you doing here?”

Something in me flips like a light switch and I go from amused to pissed off in a matter of seconds when the gravity of the situation crashes down on me.

“I was driving past, saw your car—Adiv, what the fuck? The Don’s daughter? How long has this been going on?” With the way they kissed and the way Dove is latching onto the back of his shirt for safety, I’d assume it’s been a while.

“A few weeks.” I immediately scowl at his response, groaning in annoyance. “Look,” he defends, stepping towards me with his hands raised, “it isn’t like I purposefully sought Dove out. It just happened.”

“Luca,” I hear Dove’s pleading voice as she steps out from behind him and moves in front. “I’m in love with Adiv. I love him.”

My eyes shift from hers to his for confirmation. Though he doesn’t speak a word, his facial expression tells me everything I need to know. With his hand placed upon her waist, I know that my best mate has fallen in love.

“Does she know?” I question him, referring to the fact that we were sent here for ulterior motives. That we aren’t who we said we are.

“No—” he starts to answer, but I cut him off with a hand held upwards.

“It doesn’t matter anymore, does it?”

This isn’t even about work. Fuck work and Loralei, they’ve left us in the lurch. It’s about the fact that he’s fucking the Don’s daughter and if Cain found out, there’s no telling what he’d do to Adiv.

“I’d never do that to you, Luca.”

I know I’m being a hypocrite for judging him for this, but there’s only three reasons I’m able to distance myself from his massive mistake.

First, I’m not in love with Raven. Second, she’s the Don’s niece, not his fucking daughter. Third, mine was a one time thing.

Actually, I can add a fourth thing because I didn’t fuck Raven in my own fucking car—which the Don knows what it looks like—on a public street, two minutes from his house.

Never even mind the fact that we’re going to potentially be late for meeting him.

How’d she get here without being spotted? If she has a guard appointed to her, how’d she shake him? How’s she going to sneak back into the mansion? In her absence, has anyone noticed and is looking for her?

This is stupid from every angle.

I’m being an asshole as I utter, “But you are! Do you not understand what Don Cain will do to you if he finds out you’re fucking his daughter?” I realize the words are a bit crass, but Dove doesn’t even flinch.

“I don’t care, Luca. If anything, I’m trying to protect her from that monster.”

“With you being involved with her, it isn’t only her it puts in danger. Please tell me you see that! Your sister, your parents, me—it puts every single person you’ve ever bloody met in Cain’s sights. He doesn’t care what he has to do or who he has to kill and maim, just as long as he’ll get his revenge on you.”

He opens his mouth to give a rebuttal, but I continue, “And the thing is, if this gets out to other families, it’ll become something he’ll feel like he needs to do. If he doesn’t, he’ll look weak to his enemies. Which means he’ll hang you from the ceiling by your fuckin’ ankles and slice and burn you for days until you finally die at his hand. He’ll make it as grotesque—and then as publicly humiliating for you—as possible. It’s the only way he’ll be able to clear his name.”

“Do you think I don’t know that?” Adiv snaps. “Do you think I’m an idiot? I’ve seen what Cain can do. Sometimes shit isn’t always so logical. Sometimes I’m allowed to be a bit selfish.”

There’s no reasoning with him. We’re the epitome of a car careening down a hill with a cut brake line. There isn’t a single thing we can do to stop it at this point, just hang on for dear life, despite the explosive ending we know is approaching.