Chapter 30

Chapter 30
Lan

Watching Willa work isn’t what I was expecting. She’s clearly not experienced in this but the odd way she’s going about it makes her seem…amusing. Her playful but sassy nature bleeds through but I saw the change in her eyes when Dalia said Sebastian was meant to be hers. 

It was only a brief reaction but to me, she was almost screaming out her displeasure. I’ve always been able to read people and Willa is one of those rare people who don’t bother hiding who they are. It gives her this…openness that many people don’t have anymore. The show she’s putting on is for us more than the woman sitting in front of her. She wants to prove herself to us, but she doesn’t need to. In the short time that I’ve watched her, I can tell she’s not only more than capable of taking care of herself but she will protect the people she cares about just as fiercely. 

She’s loyal. A quality we take very seriously and now that she’s marrying Maxim I need to know she will be loyal to us. She’s one of us now, and it seems we have no choice but to include Luke as well. He’s still a wild card in my book though. We’ll see how loyal he is to us before we face off with Luca. I’m not above killing him if he endangers any of the people under my protection. That includes Willa now. 

Once again my mind drifts to the idea of her having more than one romantic partner. It’s an anomaly to have a group so willing to look past social norms and engage in such a relationship. It would send Maxim and my family reeling. I'm not sure how Maixm is going to explain the dynamic to his father. 

My father would not accept it that's for sure. 

“Dalia, where is he? Where is Luca?” Willa asks, catching my attention again. 

Her back is to me but I can see how tense she is. Her shoulders are up closer to her ears and her breathing is erratic.

“I don’t know,” Dalia says with a shrug. 

Gone is the simpering woman we walked in on. Back is the bitch who’s been trying to snag Sebastian no matter the number of times he’s turned her down. I pull up the information I have on her and her family looking for any hint at why Luca wants her help. She’s superficial and proud of it. Her father’s finances have been a mess for a while now, but I don’t see any fluctuation in it to point at extra money changing hands.

What is he doing?

Not being able to see what Luca’s plan is is pissing me off. I need more information!

Willa walks slowly over to the table of tools we have set up for getting the information we need. “I think you do know Dalia. And you will tell us. You know why?” 

There's an edge to her voice that sends a jolt of something to my dick. Another anomaly. 

I don’t enjoy the act of sleeping around like Maxim does. Well did. If I needed a release I would accept someone into my bed but it was rare. It doesn’t stop people from assuming things about me or even spreading rumors, but I’m too busy to deal with all that stuff. Women are unpredictable and can get attached. I don't have the time or patience for women who get attached. They want more than I’ve ever been willing to give. 

“Because these guys won’t hurt you, but I will. Woman to woman…I’m far more dangerous than them. I know exactly where to hurt you. So make a choice now. The truth or pain.” Willa’s voice is lethal but also smooth and sultry. 

If she wasn’t threatening Dalia with bodily harm I’d think she was whispering the words in my ear and…

Someone clears their throat and when I glance at the other guys I see I'm not the only one affected by her display. I can admit to myself that this side of her is highly attractive. 

Once again Dalia’s bravado slips. “Please.” 

Willa shrugs and grabs a random item off the table. “Pain it is.” 

“Wait! I’ll tell you!” Dalia cries out with a whimper.

I watch Willa’s whole body relax. She didn’t want to hurt Dalia even after what she’s said or done. It's a weakness that could be dangerous in the long run but right now…it shows how compassionate she is. A quality that is too easily stripped away by the kind of lifestyle we grew up in. Luke steps up behind her and wraps an arm around her waist. Sebastian nods and she lets Luke lead her away from Dalia. Maxim moves from where he was standing and joins them against the wall closest to the door on the opposite side of where I’m standing. Luke’s arm stays fixed around Willa’s stomach and he glares at Maxim but doesn’t object when he takes her hand from where it had been resting over his arm and holds it in his own. 

Luke is clearly jealous of their new…relationship but he doesn’t make a scene or make Willa feel uncomfortable. She also takes their little spats in stride. I guess she’s seen her mom deal with similar situations and learned a thing or two.

“Talk.” Sebastian snaps at Dalia.

I force my attention away from Willa to focus on my friend. She’s been stealing away my attention far too much.

Dalia looks up at Sebastian and her lips pop out in what I'm assuming she considered a cute pout but just makes her look pathetic. “He threatened me. He said if I didn’t help him he would ruin us. I couldn’t let that happen to Daddy.” 

Daddy…who calls their father Daddy at this age? 

“I don’t give a shit! What did he tell you to do? Everything.” Sebastian spits at her. 

Dalia must see how serious he is because she starts to shake a little like for the first time she’s genuinely afraid. This isn’t an act anymore. 

“I told you! He wants to know what you’re planning! He said you wouldn’t let the family go without a fight. He said all he needed was a way in. A way to get…her away from you.” She points at Willa. “That’s it! I had to get the information and find a way to get her alone.” 

“That’s it?” Sebastian pushes. 

She nods. “I snuck in to try and get information but…didn’t find anything. Then I was going to…” She glances at Willa for a second. “I was going to have someone take care of her and send confirmation.” 

That gets my attention. “You have his contact information?” 

Luca has been contacting Seb with his grandfather’s old phone, but it’s been impossible to lock the signal down. The thing is I doubt he uses it for his other business. That's the number I need. 

“Yeah. He’s been texting me from an unknown number.” Dalia eyes me warily. 

“Where’s your phone?” 

She tilts to the side and pulls a bright pink jeweled iPhone from her back pocket and holds it out to me with trembling hands. I scoff at the ridiculous case but take it and walk out of the room. Footsteps follow behind me as I walk over to my computer and start the process of trying to trace the number. 

“You think you’ll be able to track Luca with that?” Willa’s voice is close…too close, but I don’t react. 

I can not react to her.

“That’s the idea. But he’s smart. I doubt we’ll get much from it.” My admission tastes bitter as it comes out. 

It drives me crazy that an idiot like Luca is able to hide from me. He has to have someone helping him. 

Willa blows out a breath and walks away dropping onto a chair nearby. “This is crazy. Here I thought I was going to have a normal college experience. But nope! A mafia boss wants me dead and I’m getting married to a man I just met. Never thought this was the direction my life would be going in.” She lets out a small laugh. 

“These kinds of marriages are not unusual in families like ours. In my family, the bride and groom sometimes don’t meet until the day of the wedding.” 

“Yeah I know it’s not unusual in certain cultures, but I just never thought it would happen to me. Not that I’ll ever regret doing this to help protect my family, but marriage seemed so far off. if I got married at all.” She says.

“Do you want Maxim to take back his proposal?” 

She’s quiet for a minute. Her eyes move to the door to the room where the others are We’re far enough away that they can’t hear us though. So I wait and then the corner of her lip lifts into a small smile before she meets my eyes. 

“No. I don’t want him to take it back.” 

Good answer.