Chapter 4 - The Game Begins
Luca Moretti stared at her for three agonizing seconds. Then, unexpectedly, a low, rich chuckle rumbled in his chest.
It wasn't a mocking laugh. It was genuine, deep, and startlingly human.
“Paperwork,” Luca repeated, shaking his head slightly. “You really have no idea who I am, do you?”
“You’re a guy with too much money, a bad habit of splashing pedestrians, and an inflated sense of self-importance,” Maya said, her voice steadying as her defiance rushed back to fill the void of fear. “Should I be impressed by the suit? Because I’ve served guys in Armani who couldn’t tip five percent to save their lives.”
“I don’t wear Armani,” Luca corrected mildly. “It’s Brioni.”
“Fascinating. Let me write that down in my notebook of things I don’t care about.”
Adrian, sitting silently in the driver’s seat, stared straight ahead through the windshield, his face a mask of absolute professional stone, though his knuckles were white where he gripped the steering wheel. Nobody spoke to Luca Moretti like this. Not rival bosses, not city councilmen, not federal prosecutors.
And certainly not college juniors working for minimum wage plus tips.
Luca leaned back against the plush leather headrest, his dark eyes never leaving her face. “I don’t want to fire you, Maya. In fact, I think it would be a terrible waste of your... distinct talents.”
“My talents include carrying four heavy plates at once and pretending I can't hear creepy customers,” she said sharply. “What else could you possibly want?”
“A conversation,” Luca said simply. “Over dinner. Somewhere nice. Where you aren't carrying a tray or dodging hostile kitchen staff.”
Maya let out a short, incredulous laugh. “Are you asking me out? Because after you baptized me in a puddle and sent your personal attack dog to drag me into a car, I have to say, your game is aggressively terrible.”
“It’s not a date,” Luca replied smoothly, though a faint, dangerous shadow of a smile played at the corner of his lips. “It’s a truce. And an apology. I don’t usually make a habit of ruining people’s groceries.”
“My organic lettuce was priceless,” she muttered, though the stiffness in her shoulders had eased just a fraction. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, trying to find the monster she had been warned about in city rumors—the ruthless syndicate leader who controlled the docks, the clubs, and the dark underbelly of the Midwest. All she saw was a tired man in a tailored suit who looked like he hadn't slept a full eight hours in months.
“Tomorrow night,” Luca said, not waiting for her permission. “Seven o’clock. Adrian will pick you up at your apartment.”
“I have an exam on Friday morning, and I study on—hey, I didn't say yes!”
“Adrian,” Luca said, ignoring her protest entirely as he opened the car door. “Make sure Miss Ellison gets home safely.”
“Wait—!” Maya started, but Luca had already stepped out into the rain.
May you like
The heavy door shut with a soft click, and before she could scramble across the console to open it, the black Ferrari was gliding smoothly away into the Chicago night, leaving her trapped in the back seat with Adrian Cole and a knot of nervous, furious confusion in her stomach.
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