POV: KATHERINA
“Rickard?”
I looked at him, surprised, as he stood nervously at the doorstep of the hotel room. Luca, Rickard, and Leonardo were supposed to pick up Accardi from the airport, and Luca left an hour ago.
“Hi, can I come in?” Rickard asked me softly.
“Sure,” I let him in and closed the door. “Weren’t you supposed to meet your boss?” I asked as he sat down on the couch.
“I couldn’t go,” he replied. “I’m afraid he might see the fear in our eyes. We’ve failed him. I tried to talk him out of setting foot here, but he was adamant.” he sighed and ran his hand over his hair.
“It’s all right,” I consoled him.
“No, it’s not. I’m worried about you because no one’s going to lose out on this war. In fact, this is what we all want, Katherina.
“Even though the war is between us and Karen, it’s strange but true that you’ll be the one affected the most.
“For the first time, Luca will have to take a step back and think, but I’m afraid no amount of thinking is going to help him come up with a better solution.
“Lives are going to be lost, and there will be pain, and you’ll be the biggest sufferer,” Rick said.
I gulped hard, thinking over the conversation I had with Rebecca and how both of them were right.
“Luca will do something… I trust him,” I replied as courageously as possible, but Rickard saw right through me and smiled sadly.
“Do you trust him, or do you love him?” he asked, staring at me. “You didn’t come back just because you knew he’d find you.”
“He’s still an asshole, Rick, and as toxic as this is, I can’t do anything about it,” I replied softly.
Rick took my hand in his and gave a comforting squeeze. “Luca’s very attentive and cautious while you are prudent. You must tell him before he finds out.”
“It’s hard, and with everything that’s going on… I don’t think it’s the right time, and I’m afraid of what he might think or how he might react.
“I can’t throw myself at him just like that, not after everything that he did to me. He didn’t even apologize.
“It’s like he doesn’t care and wouldn’t mind doing it all over again. It’s just so difficult to understand him.”
“The only mistakes he made were raising his hand to you and keeping you away from your parents,” Rick replied.
“No,” I said quickly, “He broke Christopher’s legs―”
“Luca likes to have two strings in his bow, Katherina,” he cut me off quickly. “There’s a lot you don’t know.”
“Then tell me!” I cried, “No one’s telling me anything!”
“It’s better that way.”
“So, when all this is over, I’ll be bawling my eyes out! I have to wake up every day and look at the man I fell in love with is also the man who killed Chris and his family. Do you know how that feels?”
“I look at myself every day in the mirror, and even though I’m not proud of myself, I sleep peacefully, and that’s because I have a clear conscience.
“I don’t have any guilt or any pain of killing a human who is no less of a monster than me.”
“Karen’s not a monster, and neither is the sheriff,” I defended them.
“And I’m not as sly as a snake,” Rick snickered.
“I’m sorry, I was so angry that night,” I said quickly, recalling the night I confronted Luca.
“I understand, and I’m sorry for ignoring you after telling you where your parents were kept confined.”
“You were there for me from the beginning, Rick. Please don’t ever ignore me like that again,” I said.
Rick nodded in response, and the doorbell interrupted us.
“I’ll get that.” Rick got up from the couch and opened the door, revealing Luca.
“What are you doing here?” came Luca’s voice as he entered.
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that question?’
“Boss is at the fighting club. He wants us assembled in an hour,” Luca replied.
Rick sighed and nodded at him before giving me a smile.
“I’ll see you later, baby girl,” said Rick and left.
Luca locked the door behind me before walking toward me.
“You all right?” I asked him, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him closer to me.
“I don’t know, baby,” he mumbled and captured my lips. “My boss wants to meet you.”
I immediately stepped back.
“What? Why?”
“I had to tell him how it all started,” he said, pulling me back into his arms.
I moved my head closer and placed a kiss on his neck. Then another, and another. I started kissing his exposed skin softly, and his grip on me tightened.
“None of my people must be harmed in any way,” I whispered in his ear before tugging on his earlobe.
His hands came down, grabbing my ass and lifting me up roughly. My back was slammed on the wall, and a whimper left my lips.
“I’m nothing in front of him. I can’t deceive him. His word is law,” he stared dead at me. “Also, Karen won’t stop till she’s brought our boss down.
“A lot of gangs are under us, Katherina. If my boss goes down, everybody goes down.”
“Well, at least you guys will change and be more human,” I said in an accusing tone.
Luca narrowed his eyes at me. “This is who I am, and you’ve already accepted me, so quit complaining like a child!” he snapped back.
“It’s the least I could do. I can’t whip you now, can I?”
He chuckled dryly and pulled my shirt up, cupping my boob. His eyes turned into a pool of desire, and I knew he wanted to take me right here and right now.
But I wasn’t in the mood for sex when he was ready to go rampage to kill the people I have known from my childhood.
“Get off me” I tried to push him off, but he pushed himself against me, caging me to the wall.
“You’re so blinded by what you see that you don’t know there’s so much more here than meets the eye,” Luca whispered
He sucked the flesh above my breast, pulling down my bra before pinching my nipples till they became hard.
“Then why don’t you help me see?”
“Darling, I want to, but do you really think that’s what you want?”
Luca looked up to stare into my eyes and considered his question.
“You call us monsters because you’ve seen us. We don’t hide in the shadows, and we do what we want and live the way we want to, regardless of who sheds the blood for us and who pays the price.
“But have you seen the monsters that lurk in the shadows? Will you be able to see them?”
I was rendered speechless, and Luca gently put me down and adjusted my clothing. “Go get dressed. We need to meet our boss.”
***
Luca told me a few simple rules to follow while sitting in front of his boss, and I listened to him carefully.
Three simple rules, and if I broke them, he’d make sure I’d face the consequences.
Look him in the eyes while talking.
Never cut him off while he’s talking.
No staring.
He parked the car in the same spot he parked yesterday, removed his seat belt, and turned to me. I remained looking at the club door in front.
“I’ll be right beside you. Don’t panic and remember to behave,” he said. I nodded my head and got out of the car, and we headed toward the fighting club together.
The guards opened the door, and instead of people drinking and fighting, we met with silence and emptiness. There wasn’t a single soul around.
We walked toward Luca’s office, and he held the door open for me to enter before going in and closing the door.
Everybody was present in the room; Rickard, Rebecca, Leonardo, Edward, Parker, Victor, and even Romero, and they all looked at me gravely.
When my eyes finally fell upon the man sitting at Luca’s desk, a pair of dark eyes were already staring at me. I gulped hard as I looked at Accardi De Gasperi.
He must be in his late fifties. Wearing a nearing black suit and holding a cigar in his hand, he gave me a soft smile.
Luca took my hand, and Accardi's smile widened as we approached him.
“Boss, this is Katherina Blackwood,” Luca said emotionlessly.
“Please take a seat, Katherina.” His voice was deep and rough.
My eyes fell on Cruz, who stood beside me with his arms across his chest.
He gave me a malicious smile, and I knew he was no longer the Cruz who’d let his guard down the other day and spoke to me kindly.
I sat down, and Luca sat beside me. He squeezed my hand comfortingly, but my heart wouldn’t stop racing.
Accardi took a deep puff on his cigar and blew out the smoke on the other side of his mouth. He placed it in the ashtray next to a pork pie hat that had a shiny silver band curving around it.
“It’s a knife, child,” Accardi responded, following my gaze and taking the hat in his hand. “I had it made in Russia. The band is a knife. Aim it and throw it, and it’ll slice your throat.”
I gulped hard as he set it back on the table and folded his hands in front of him, regarding Luca and me.
“I’ve heard a lot about you from my sons, Katherina. Everyone’s got their opinions about you, and all of them are different.
“Though I agree with them all, I had to put forward the one that’s important to us.” He spoke softly but in a commanding manner.
“Victor told me you don’t belong in our world, and that’s important. I’ve never seen my sons like this before.
“Emmalyn and Rebecca can be good at times but not my sons. I didn’t bring them up like that. Even Cruz seems to be different, a little out of place.”
Cruz let out an angry sigh and shifted on his legs.
“Everything seems out of place, and we are in a war with the cops. It’s not new to us, but this time it’s different, and we’re on the brink of losing everything. Do you know why, child?” he asked.
“N-no, sir,” I replied, my voice trembling.
“Because my beloved and most trustworthy son decided to bring a woman into the war,” he said rudely, staring at Luca, who sat defeated next to me.
“Luca is my lion, Katherina. And as you know, wherever the lion might go, its home is always in the forest. He wishes to walk among other animals, but he can’t, not without killing them.”
I averted my eyes from him. He can’t fucking treat Luca like an animal.
First mistake.
There was silence, but when he spoke again, his voice was nothing like before.
“He made a grave mistake by bringing you here. You already know too much, and so does your family.
“The cops and the lawyer will go down eventually, but you and your family will be a threat if I don’t do something about it.”
I looked at him confused and then at Luca, who wouldn’t look at me.
“I don’t understand,” I said truthfully. “I thought this was about Karen and Sheriff Newman. Why’s my family involved?”
I couldn’t help the panic that started to rise inside of me. I’d been able to finally breathe peacefully since the day my family was out of this mess. There’s no way I could pull them back again.
“When Sheriff Newman dies, the case will move onto another aggressive cop.
“From what Luca has told me, I’m very sure your parents don’t want their daughter to be in our world, and Luca is adamant about not letting you leave.
“So, you have two options with you. You either cut ties with your family, or I wipe them off the surface of the earth.”
That wasn’t an option. That was a threat. In spite of the power this man held and the fact that he could kill me with just a throw of his cap, I couldn’t hold the anger in me.
“I can’t cut off ties with my family. What if I want to leave Luca?” I asked and could feel Luca’s eyes burning the side of my face as his hand tightened in mine.
I quickly withdrew my hand from his and confronted the man in front of me.
“Then you die with them,” he replied calmly. “I don’t question what my sons do in their private life, but if it affects my business, I’d have to decide.
“Everything will end tomorrow. The sheriff, the lawyer, and her family and your family, go down.”
I should’ve known when Luca said I would regret the decision to ask his men to spare Karen and her family, but I never knew I would regret it so soon and so much worse than I could’ve imagined.
I was worried about Chris and his parents, but now I just want to be selfish and think of my own.
“No,” I said firmly.
“What―”
Second mistake. I cut him off.
“Karen is doing this for what Luca did to her son.”
Accardi looked at me for a long moment before confronting Luca.
“You didn’t tell her, didn’t you?” he asked Luca.
“No, boss,” Luca replied immediately.
“Victor, you were right. She doesn’t belong in our world” He turned toward Victor, who gave a curt nod looking at me.
“I can’t lose any of them.” I stared at him.
Third mistake.
“I don’t care, child,” he said. “My men will leave for Bridgehills tomorrow, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
I turned toward Luca with eyes burning with tears. He sat motionlessly and didn’t dare to look at me.
“You won’t let anything happen to them, will you?” I asked him desperately, but he kept his mouth shut and didn’t even glance my way.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you. He’s coming too,” Cruz teased.
“He is not!” I snapped loudly, my voice echoing in the silent room.
“He’s not. No one’s going to Bridegehills tomorrow.” My voice broke at the end.
Accardi took a deep breath and stood up.
“My decision is final.”
“NO! I won’t let you do that! I don’t care whether they are going to end you or not. I just won’t let you harm my people!”I screamed, standing up and facing the monster.
“Katherina.” Luca held me back.
“Back off, bitch!” Cruz snapped at me.
“Watch your tongue, Cruz!” Luca warned.
“Don’t you dare talk that way after messing everything up, Luca!” Accardi's powerful tone made them shut up.
“Boss, I did everything I could,” Luca said desperately, but Accardi wasn’t buying it.
“You went soft on them because of her!” Accardi pointed his finger at me. “The Luca I know would have killed them all long ago! You are not the boy I raised.”
“Boss―”
“Not another word Luca. Not a word.”
“Boss,” Rick came forward. “It’s not Luca’s fault. If you blame him, you need to blame all of us,” Rick said.
“Yes, Boss. We did everything we could.” Edward supported him.
“Then why were your efforts in vain? Why did you lose everything? Where is Emmalyn? Is she even alive?”
“She is,” Cruz replied softly.
“I need my girl back, and I need this girl’s town burned to ashes by tomorrow,” he ordered and left the room swiftly.
Everybody followed him out, leaving me, Rickard, and Luca.
“I’m sorry, Katherina,” Rick said.
I shook my head at him and looked at Luca.
“You knew this was coming, didn’t you?” I asked, but he kept quiet, not even looking at me. “You knew, and you didn’t tell me?”
“Katherina, there’s nothing to tell. It’s bound to happen one or the other day,” he replied tiredly.
“Are you even listening to yourself?” I snapped and pulled his arm to make him face me. “It’s my family you’re talking about!’
“Fuck them. I don’t care.” He spat the words.
I ran my hands over my face and took a deep breath. This was so bloody fucked up, and just when I think it couldn’t get any worse, it proved me wrong.
I looked up at Luca fiercely. He’s made his decision, and I’ve made mine.
“If they die, I die with them,” I said.
He turned rigid, and his hands curled into fists. His jaw hardened, and he looked murderous. It reminded me of the Luca I’d witnessed in the beginning.
“I’ve lost everything in my life. I’m not ready to lose you too.” His voice was hard and stern.
“You’ve made your decision, and I’ve made mine. I know I don’t stand a chance in this, but I’m not such a coward as to sit back and let you kill my family.
“As important as Accardi to you, so is my family to me. If I need to lose them to have you, then I don’t need you. They die, I die―”
“STOP SAYING THAT!” he cut me off and pulled me closer by my shoulders, his grip tightening around me.
“You’re hurting me, Luca.”
“No! You’re hurting me! I’m stuck between my loyalty and you! I can’t lose my boss, and I definitely can’t lose you too. Why don’t you get it?” he screamed in frustration.
“T-talk to your boss,” I struggled to speak.
“He won’t listen! Rick tried, I tried to before bringing you here. There is no way he’s going to change his mind.
“Think about it, Katherina, if your family and Karen’s are dead, my boss is safe, and no one can take you away from me. You can move on from their death and start a life with me, please,” he begged.
“Luca.” Rick interfered for the first time. “Luca, what are you talking about? Are you even listening to yourself?”
Luca released me from his clutches. “There’s no other way, Rickard. You know that.”
“There is. Talk to the boss and let her go like I let―”
“That was different,” Luca cut him off roughly.
“You let her go because you knew she didn’t belong in our world, and you didn’t want to force her to be with you.
“You let the love of your life walk away out of generosity. I can’t do that. I’m not you.”
Luca turned to me.
“I’m a selfish bastard, mia cara. I take what I want without asking. And I want you. I’ve always wanted you from the moment my eyes laid on you.
“I don’t care what you call me. I don’t care what anyone calls me. I’m obsessed with you.”
At this point, there’s nothing I have to say to him.
He left the room without any further explanation. Rickard wrapped his arms around me, and I cried on his chest.