Chapter 162 HER TWIN.
~~LUCIANO.
I stood there in the bedroom, my heart pounding like a war drum, watching Talia saunter around the room as if it were her personal kingdom.
She moved with that arrogant sway, touching the edges of the dresser, trailing her fingers over Raina's jewelry box like she had every right to it.
The air felt thick, charged with her presence, and every step she took twisted the knife in my gut deeper. Raina was out there somewhere, bound and scared, at the mercy of this psycho and her schemes.
I had to play this smart. One wrong move, and I'd lose her forever. She had leverage now, and it tied my hands, forcing me to swallow the rage boiling inside me.
“Where is she?’' I asked again, my voice low and steady, though it took everything not to lunge at her right then.
Talia turned to me, her eyes gleaming with that twisted delight. She tossed her damp hair over her shoulder, still in the towel.
“I am here now. That is all that matters. And wait, when exactly did you know she was a fake? I thought I'd been playing it too well,” she threw her head back and laughed, a loud, mocking sound that echoed off the walls like shattering glass.
Her laughter grated on me, fueling the fire in my veins. Impatience surged through me, and I couldn't stand this charade any longer.
In two strides, I crossed the room, my hand shooting out to grab her neck. I slammed her back against the wall, the impact rattling the pictures on the shelf. Her skin was warm under my fingers, but it felt wrong, as tainted.
I squeezed just enough to make her eyes widen, leaning in close so she could see the storm in my gaze.
“I could kill you right now, and no one will bat an eye. I will kill you and feed your remains to the dogs,” The words came out in a growl, raw and unfiltered, the kind of promise I'd kept a hundred times before in darker corners of my world.
She didn't flinch, not really.
Instead, a sly smile crept across her lips, even as her breath hitched.
“If my partner doesn't hear from me by morning, he will kill Raina,” Her voice was calm, and almost bored, but I saw the flicker of calculation in her eyes.
“Marco,” I said, certain, the name dropping like a stone into still water.
Her eyes twitched, just a fraction, but it was enough. There was surprise, then wariness.
“You have been keeping tabs on me?”
I tightened my grip slightly, watching her face for every tell.
“You are wrong if you think you're better at this game than I am. Marco should have filled you in better. After all, he was the sole survivor in the massacre I led years ago.”
The memory flashed sigh blood on the warehouse floor, screams cut short, and bodies piled like discarded trash. I'd done it for control, and for my organization, and Marco had crawled out barely alive, nursing grudges ever since.
If he was tied to Talia now, it explained a lot.
“You cannot do anything to me,” she hissed, her defiance cracking just a bit.
“Where is my wife?” I demanded again, my voice dropping to a deadly whisper, inches from her face.
She moved faster than I expected. Her fist slammed into my stomach, the air whooshing out of me in a sharp burst. Pain bloomed, but I didn't let go. She twisted, pushing hard against my chest, and I stumbled back a step, releasing her. She rubbed her neck, her eyes blazing.
“We are going to play this game my way, Luciano!” she shouted, spreading her arms wide like some deranged queen claiming her throne.
In the motion, her towel slipped free, falling to the floor in a heap. She stood there bare before me, her skin glowing under the soft lamp light, and her curves exposed without a shred of shame.
She didn't bend to pick it up, and didn't cover herself. Instead, she stood taller, using her nakedness like a weapon, daring me to look away.
“I hoped to spend a few weeks or more with you before you found out,” she said, her voice turning sultry, stepping closer.
“But it is not entirely bad this way, is it?”
My stomach churned at the implication. This woman, this imposter, thought she could slide into Raina's life, into our bed?
The thought made bile rise in my throat. “What do you want? Name it, and I will give it to you. Then you can be on your way,” I forced the words out, buying time, and my mind racing through options to calls to the team, and tracing Marco's hideouts, anything to get Raina back safe.
She twitched her lips upward into a smirk, shaking her head as she closed the distance.
“And where is the fun in that?” Her hand reached out, her fingers caressing my chest, tracing the lines of muscle I'd earned from years of fights and survival.
She tiptoed, her bare body brushing against me, and pressed a quick kiss to my lips soft, invasive, and gone in a blink.
I shoved her backward hard, disgust flooding me.
She stumbled but caught herself, laughing again, that insane cackle filling the room.
“You are not going to get out of this alive, Talia,” I threatened, my fists clenching at my sides.
“Threaten me one more time,” she said, closing the space once more, her naked form pressing forward boldly. “And you will get her head delivered to you in a box first thing in the morning.” Her hand darted lower, finding my cock through my pants, and squeezing with deliberate pressure, painful, and provocative.
Rage exploded. I pushed her harder this time, not caring as she fell back onto the bed, sprawling there with another peal of laughter. She looked up at me, wild-eyed, and unhinged. I couldn't stand it anymore.
The mockery, the threats, and the violation of everything sacred in this room. Grabbing my discarded shirt from the chair, I stormed toward the door, her psychotic laughter chasing me like a shadow.
The hallway felt colder as I burst out of the bedroom, the door slamming behind me. My bare chest heaved, the cool air doing nothing to calm the fire inside. I needed my men, and my resources now. Descending the stairs two at a time, I hit the foyer and hollered,
“Gabriel!”
My voice echoed through the house, sharp and commanding. Before I could call again, footsteps pounded from the side entrance. Gabriel came running, Viktor right on his heels, both looking alert but confused. Gabriel's face was all innocence, eyes wide. “What is wrong, boss?”
I didn't answer with words. The betrayal hit me fresh.
How had they let this happen? Gabriel had driven her here and reported Raina was home. Fury blinded me as I closed the gap, my fist flying out to connect with his jaw in a solid punch. He staggered back, but to his credit, he didn't go down, straightening up with a wince.
“Boss,” Gabriel said, his voice steady despite the blood trickling from his lip, and his eyes fluttering as he blinked away the daze.
“Sir,” Viktor interjected, stepping forward, his hand hovering like he wanted to intervene but knew better.
I ran a hand through my hair, tugging at the roots in frustration, then spun around and punched the air, the motion releasing a fraction of the pent-up energy. My chest burned, breath coming in ragged bursts. They stood there, waiting, and finally, their voices overlapped, “What is going on?”
“My wife is in danger!’' I hollered, the words tearing out of me like a roar.
Gabriel's face paled, concern etched in deep lines.
“W… what? Did an accident happen inside? Should I get the ambulance?”
I whirled on him, bellowing,
“The woman you brought home is not my wife! That is Talia, her twin!”
The truth hung heavy, shocking even me as I said it aloud.