A Minor Technicality [Completed] *Slowly Editing*

Chapter 24 - Rachel's Inquisition

Luca's POV

This "assignment" was going to kill me. Of course, it wasn't officially an assignment, and until Monday, I hadn't even known that Blythe was the witness Walker and I were hoping to find. It didn't matter, though. The only way I would be able to protect her from Michael was to stay professional, which meant treating this case like a normal assignment. But how the hell was I supposed to do that when she was prancing around the hotel room wearing see through underwear.

I'd thought it was funny when Natalie explained her reasoning for Blythe's wardrobe, but Blythe's idea of revenge was torturous. I thought the pink nightie last night was torment, but she'd spent the entire day wandering around the suite wearing a sheer teddy. It clung to every curve, and it was made of a creamy lace, which allowed hints of her golden skin to peek through, taunting me with every move she made. The back was even worse, as it was practically a thong, and her firm cheeks begged to be held in my palms.

Worst of all, she blatantly ignored me, as if I wasn't even present. She sat on the couch reading another one of those fashion magazines, then she lay across the bed, bare ass facing the sky as she laughed at some romance film on television, and finally she rest against the headboard painting her toenails a siren red color while humming seductively. I was ready to crack. I was going to have blue balls, for sure.

The Marshals on each side of us found my frequent visits to their rooms amusing. I guess Natalie had explained my grouchy mood to all of them. Fucking traitor. She was convinced that I felt something for Blythe. She said that my tone whenever I mentioned her was transparent, and she thought I should make my move. I hated that she could read me so damn well.

Eastcott had delivered my new phone first thing in the morning, and I kept it permanently at my side. Only Natalie and Walker had the number. Not even the Marshals protecting us were given it. Natalie said that she trusted these four men with her life, but she knew the fewer people with my contact information the better. It also kept the line free for only the most important messages.

Pacing the hallway for what had to be the fifth time that day, my phone began to vibrate in my pocket. Hoping it was Natalie or Walker with news of Michael's movements, I answered the call, not looking at the caller identification, only to be shocked at the voice on the other end of the line.

"Morelli," I answered quickly, hoping to cut to the chase.

"Luc, baby, it's me." The voice sounded small and almost tentative.

"Rachel?"

My mind began racing. "Where did you get this number?" I asked, more harshly than I intended.

"Walker gave it to me," she whimpered. "I called the precinct looking for you, and he said that he heard we had broken up. He wanted us to be happy," she explained. "Please don't be angry with him."

My jaw ached from the sudden tension. Walker would be getting a call from me regarding the meaning of a SECURE phone.

"Why are you calling, Rachel?" I demanded. My heart softened when I heard her sniffle.

"Luc, I miss you, and I am so, so, sorry." I could hear her deep gasp for breath between her tears. "I should never have planned our engagement party when you told me you were having second thoughts."

"No, you shouldn't have," I agreed, still at a loss. What the hell was I supposed to say to her?

"Please don't let that be the end of us," she pleaded. "I promise I won't turn into Bridezilla again."

"Rachel, I just don't think that you and I are right for each other," I murmured.

"But you're my last link to Alessandra," she cried. The words were like a punch to my gut. Rachel had always been the only one who had understood my love for Ally. She had shoved aside Ally's memory, but maybe that was just her way of coping. Who was I to judge her for that? I swallowed uncomfortably.