Ransom (On Hold)

Chapter 2

Luca Romanos's POV

I had inherited my father's investment banking company at the ripe age of nineteen after he had croaked. Now, seven years later, the business has never been in better shape. 

Years before my father had passed he had made a rather hefty investment in Moretti & Co. He believed that by becoming business partners with the other sizable Mafia pack in NYC, it would create some sort of alliance. The Rossi and Romano packs had been at each other's throats for years before the alliance, solving all of the disputes between us with pure unadulterated violence. 

This alliance ensued for many years. However, when it was time for the Moretti's to pay back that investment, they refused. 

I exhausted every measure possible to maintain our neutral collaboration. After many threats, I concluded that taking matters to a more personal level was the only way to clench the repayment, even if it meant that the alliance would be terminated. 

"Sir," I turned around to see one of my pack member's, Damon, standing in the doorway of my home-office.

"Did you bring me back what I asked for?" I questioned. Not even the slightest bit of interest could be heard in my voice. Damon glanced at the floor, his body language shifting to that of apprehension. 

"Not exactly..."

"What do you mean 'not exactly'," I spat pushing past him. My pace was agile down the long hallway of my apartment. The arrangement was for my men to seize Jackson Moretti before the gala. We would then take him to an undisclosed location until his father paid back the lump sum in full. 

I came to halt upon witnessing the sight in my living room. Three more of my men stood, eyes diverting me in every way possible. On the ground in the center of the living room sat a trembling woman. 

"Who the fuck is this?" I turned and harshly whispered to Damon. 

"It's Moretti's daughter." I was fuming.

 I hissed profanities and words of discouragement to my men almost forgetting about the woman on the floor. When I was done scolding them, I slowly walked to Moretti's daughter. Bending down, I took her chin in my hand forcing her to look at me.

It took just about every muscle in my body to keep my reaction neutral. She was by far the most beautiful creature I had ever laid my eyes on, and I've seen my fair share of women. Something about her fearfulness of me was exciting, yet some unknown part of me wanted to take her into my arms and tell her that she was going to be okay. 

I was mesmerized by the blue of her eyes. 

"Your father owes me a lot of money, Sweetheart," I stated, a smirk spreading across my face. "Let's hope he thinks that you're worth the sum he owes me." 

Her whole body tensed at my words. An overwhelming sense of guilt washed over me. What the fuck is going on with me. 

"I'm going to take this out of your mouth now. No screaming, okay?" I asked. I waited for some sort of response, but she was still staring at me wide-eyed. "Okay?" I questioned again, a little more harshly this time. She nodded, jumping slightly at my change in tone. 

As gently as I could, I pulled the cloth out of her beautiful mouth. I peeled her from the ground and walked her over to one of the couches. I began untying her hands relishing in each moment that our skin was touching. As soon as her hands were free she scooted back on the couch increasing the distance between us ever so marginally. 

"Leave us," I motioned to the men lingering in the room. I waited for them to exit before I continued the conversation. "What's your name?" I asked. The truth was, I knew what her name was, I just wanted to hear the sound of her voice.

"Miley," she whispered. Her voice was like honey, and the pain behind it sent my head into a tizzy. Our eyes locked once again and we both froze. Something about her was all too consuming, and I could sense a similar energy radiating off of her that I felt within me. 

"Miley," I repeated. Goose bumps quickly ran up her arms. There was a long pause.

"Why not just ask my father for the money?" she questioned quietly. 

"I've been asking him for years, Sweetheart. I wouldn't have taken things this far if it wasn't absolutely necessary," I responded. 

"So you're just going to keep me here until he pays you back?" her head cocked to the side adorably. 

"Not here. That would be too obvious," I answered honestly.

"Where then?" she pushed. 

"You're a curious one aren't you?" By this point my smirk had grown into a full-fledged smile.  She shrugged her shoulders, contemplating her response. 

"I just don't like not knowing what's to come," she whispered. I leaned back into the couch letting her words sink in. I wanted to know what her other dislikes were. Hell, I wanted to know everything there was to know about her. 

Though Moretti owed me a surplus of money, I was beginning to hope that he would drag on the negotiations as long as possible leaving me with more time with his daughter. 

"Some place quiet," I responded letting silence fill the apartment ironically. I watched as her body somewhat relaxed. It was as if she was relieved to be leaving the noise of the city, but I could still see the latent fear in her eyes.  

"Boss," Damon stood in the doorway once again.

"What?" I urged, frustrated that he had disrupted the moment I was having with Miley.

"The plane is ready."

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