Mafia Heir

Chapter 17

Luca

After the revelations from last night, I was more uneasy than I had ever been about leaving Charlotte. Silvano visited her for months. The bastard was in her gallery yesterday. It was no longer just about her. he knew I was watching and he was taunting me. She was right, he had plenty of opportunities to do whatever he wanted with her, but that wasn't his only goal anymore. There was more to it and hopefully after I talked with Antonio, I would know more. 

There was a new tension between Charlotte and I that I didn't like, but it would have to wait until I returned. She didn't like being ordered around, but she would have to learn how things worked around here. It wasn't like I was trying to hold her hostage. She was much safer here at my house, where Angelo and Marco could keep an eye on her themselves, than she was at her own place. Silvano's visits the last few weeks proved that. 

"I'll call you tonight, okay?" I asked, wrapping my arms around her for one last kiss before Carlo and I left. There was a harsh fall breeze in the air, and even though the sun was out, it felt unbearably cold. At least I'd get a little bit of heat on the Amalfi Coast. Years ago, that was where Antonio decided to settle because of the easy access to the water. He could move product virtually undetected with a levy system, and the methods still worked to this day. 

Charlotte nodded. "Am I allowed to go into work while you're gone?" 

"You're not a prisoner, Charlotte." I rolled my eyes. "You can go into work if Marco or Angelo are with you." 

"Right. My babysitters." 

I narrowed my eyes at her. 

"I'm sorry. I know you're trying to keep me safe, it just all feels little overkill." 

"I know it does, but that's because you don't know what this guy is capable of like I do." I tried to ease her mind. 

"And I don't know because you refuse to tell me." She gave me a mocking smile. 

"Okay, I'm going to head out now." I chuckled. Charlotte was tough. Her glare was so fierce it sent shivers down my spine. I had seen mafia men not be able to give such a deafening stare and god damn, I was impressed. I kissed her again, and then turned toward the car. 

"Text me when you land." She called after me. "Just so I know you're there safe."

"I will." I smiled, welcoming the change. She couldn't stay angry for long, and that was a beautiful quality. 

I, on the other, could hold a grudge with the very best of them. My entire life I hated Silvano for what he did to Antonio's family, and now he was antagonizing someone else I cared about. And he had to be stopped. 

"Everything in order for the exchange tomorrow?" I asked Angelo, slipping a pair of leather gloves on and blowing into my hands. The chill was so sharp I was sure we'd get the first snow of the season while we were gone. 

"Yep. Tony and Zeke have it covered. Marco will be on call just in case. The guns will be delivered to the warehouse and distributed from there." Angelo reported. Not only did he have to look after Charlotte while I was gone, he also took over regular operations. Tomorrow that meant a weapons drop from the Irish. Timing couldn't be worse.

"Good." I climbed into the car, Carlo following behind me. "We'll update you as soon as we know anything. Don't let her out of your sight." 

"You got it." Marco nodded. 

The ride was quick and when we arrived at the airport, the jet was waiting. Carlo and I loaded quickly and within the hour, we were on our way.

"Does Antonio know we're coming?" Carlo crossed one leg over his knee, pushing back into his seat to get comfortable for the long flight. On a commercial liner, it would be almost ten hours, but with the jet, we could cut that down drastically.