Chapter 6 - Secrets Brought to Light
By sunrise, the rain had stopped, giving way to a crisp, golden sky over the coastal estate.
Federal agents and Luca's most trusted loyalists had swept the grounds, clearing away the traitorous guards and securing the perimeter. The Falcone cartel’s attempt to infiltrate the Moretti empire had failed miserably, leaving Luca in total, undisputed control of the territory.
In the master study on the second floor, Luca sat at his oak desk. But he wasn't looking at financial ledgers or security reports.
He was watching Grace, who was sitting on the velvet sofa near the fireplace, nursing a cup of tea while Titan lay his heavy head across her lap.
"Reyes talked under interrogation," Luca said quietly, breaking the silence. "Falcone didn't just want my shipping records, Grace. They wanted your father's journal."
Grace froze, her mug halfway to her lips. "My father's journal? Why?"
Luca stood up, walking over to sit beside her on the sofa. He reached out and touched the weathered leather notebook resting on the table.
"Twenty years ago," Luca explained, "Arthur Walker didn't just train my father's dogs. He was hired by the original commission to build a secure vault beneath this estate—a vault protected by a biological key system. A system that only responds to the bloodline scent of the Walker family and the original hound strains."
Grace looked at him in shock. "My father built a vault?"
"He built the vault that holds the founding charter of the five families," Luca said gently. "Whoever controls that charter controls the entire legal infrastructure of the harbor. My father tried to force Arthur to open it, but Arthur refused and hid the secondary access key inside the dogs' training lineage."
Luca reached out, taking Grace’s hand in his. His grip was strong, warm, and possessive.
"Your father hid it to protect you, Grace. He knew that one day, the Falcones or my father's enemies would come searching for it. He knew that the only way you would ever be safe... was if you were protected by the most powerful man in the city."
Grace looked into Luca's intense, burning hazel eyes. "And is that why you kept me here? Because of the vault?"
Luca leaned in close, his breath warm against her cheek. His hand moved up from her palm, his fingers gently tracing the soft line of her jawline, resting against the nape of her neck.
"I kept you here for the first ten minutes because of your father's name," Luca whispered truthfully, his voice trembling with an emotion he could no longer hide. "I keep you here now... because I can't breathe in this house when you aren't in it."
Grace’s heart hammered against her ribs. She looked at the powerful, dangerous man who had sent shockwaves of fear through the underworld, seeing only the raw, fierce devotion in his eyes.
"Luca..." she whispered.
May you like
He didn't wait for her to finish. Luca leaned down and pressed his lips to hers in a deep, fierce, and desperate kiss that tasted of scotch, rain, and promises. Grace let out a soft sigh, her arms wrapping around his neck, pulling his heavy, muscular frame closer against her soft curves.
Titan gave a single, satisfied grunt, rested his nose back on his paws, and went to sleep.
