Enchant (Eagle Elite) (2 page)

I
KNEW SHE’D BEEN
staring at me, how the hell could I not? There wasn’t a moment I wasn’t aware of her. Damn it, even during the one and only time I’d been with a woman in my entire life— the whole time, all I could imagine was Joyce’s lush red lips, her steel gray eyes and long brown hair. Granted, the woman had been a whore. A gift from the men to reward me for being one of the youngest to infiltrate the family in over a decade—something my older brother hadn’t even accomplished.

They gifted me with a whore.

But all I wanted was Joyce.

“You alright?” Paul asked.

“Course.” I took a slow drink of whiskey and glanced back at Joyce.

Just in time to see Frank pull her in for a kiss.

The glass shattered in my hand, falling in slow motion to the floor as my blood dripped onto the carpet right along with it.

“Whoa!” Paul slapped me on the shoulder, “Maybe you should cut back a bit.”

“Yeah.” Teeth clenched I excused myself and started walking towards the bar. “Maybe I will.” Or maybe I’d just slice my brother’s throat where he stood.

Frank was a cocky son of a bitch that had a heart of absolute stone. Figures he’d kiss my girl, the one girl I wanted more than anything in the world. The one girl I’d kept myself from because of my age and inability to provide for her. She deserved the world, the stars, the universe and those weren’t things within my capacity to give her.

Joyce didn’t come from wealth.

And I wanted that for her—more than anything. I wanted to shower her with jewels because that was the type of woman she was—she was perfection personified. All the men thought so. From the easy sway of her lips to her seductive laughter, she was every man’s dream. Mine especially. But blood stained my hands, blood that would ruin the fur she loved to be draped in, blood that would eventually decide if I lived or died---if I could provide the life she needed.

Damn it, she was mine! My fists clenched tightly at my sides.

“Ah, Luca.” Frank winked as I approached. “How’s business?”

He knew damn well how business was.

“Can’t complain.” Teeth still clenched I barely managed to keep my fists at my sides while his grin grew.

“Well,” he looked between me and Joyce, “I think I’m needed elsewhere and Joyce,” He lifted her hand to his lips leaving a lingering kiss across her knuckles. “You know exactly where to find me, if you need anything… at all.”

He walked away before I could shoot him.

I watched him disappear through the crowds. They parted for him, men adored him, women cheered him, the man was a giant pain in my ass and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. I would forever be under his thumb, forever compared, forever found lacking.

“Luca?” Joyce’s sweet voice brought me back to the present. Her black wrap around dress hugged every curve on her body. Pearls dipped into her cleavage and good God, I wanted to get lost in that cleavage more than I wanted air. “It’s not what you think, Frank was just—“

“—Frank was just marking what isn’t his to mark. Taking what isn’t his to take, and dangling you in front of me like a damn trinket.” I swore violently then pulled her into my arms. “Let’s get out of here.”

“But—“

“—I’m not a patient man Joyce, either you leave with me or you leave with him. Your choice, but I won’t be asking again. So be quick about it.”

Color bloomed across her cheeks. With a quick nod she grabbed her purse and tucked her arm under mine. “Where are we going?”

I smirked to myself and answered. “Love, we’re going to go everywhere and just when you think you can’t take it anymore.” I stopped and tugged her body against mine, my lips nipping her ear. “We’re going to do it again.”

Her gasp was all I needed.

It was my red flag.

The moment I knew that whatever she may have shared with him—was banished from her memory, and any remaining shreds of what his lips felt like against hers would be completely obliterated by the time I was finished with her. She was mine, she was going to be mine. Frank had the family, he had the money, damn him he was even going to be boss. So was it selfish for me to take something for myself?

No, not the way I saw it.

But things don’t always work out how we plan. And that night, the night I stole Joyce away from Frank, I became a pawn in a game I didn’t even know I was playing, one I would lose.

One I would regret for the rest of my life.

I felt his eyes on me as I opened the door to the casino. With one last look in his direction, I tilted my head.

Check. Mate.

CHAPTER THREE

You have to understand one thing about Luca. The man he was and the man he became, those are two very different people. He may have appeared cold and indifferent but as a lover? He was everything a woman could hope for. He was sensitive, complimentary, skilled, oh was he skilled. But most of all, I knew he loved me. But sometimes, love isn’t enough to save a person when they’re already doomed to fail.  I’m ashamed to admit I had a part in his demise, though I didn’t know at the time, I played directly into the hands of the mafia, for reasons that were more important than our own love and infatuation. They needed him hard. And they were going to use me to get
it .– Joyce Alfero

“
H
E’S SOFT.”
A
NGELO PUFFED
on his cigar, his eyes trained on the door my brother had just exited.

Rock and hard place didn’t even begin to describe our current predicament. We wanted control over the Nicolasi family now that their boss was dead and the only way to do it was to either marry into the family and hopefully gain their trust, or implant one of our own men, one they loved, one they adored, one they trusted like a son.

Luca.

He’d done small jobs here and there for the Nicolasi family as a way to prove his allegiance to the agreement made between all of us. The Nicolasi’s were only allowed to stay in the states as long as they kept their noses out of our business and played nice.

They wanted one of ours as a good faith deal.

We handed over Luca on a damn silver platter.

And we may as well have given them gold.

He killed with ease, he tortured like he enjoyed it and didn’t wear his emotions on his sleeve.

But the men and me? We knew the truth.

It was already wearing on him.

The nightmares.

The late night drinking.

He was going to break and if we didn’t watch it, he’d break on their watch all before we could finish the plan.

What was needed? A distraction. A means to an end.

I hated using the woman I loved in that way… hated that I was pushing her into my brother’s arms almost as much as I hated that I’d be the one to take her from him.

She would grow to love me, I’d make sure of it.

But she’d hate me before that love took over.

And I wouldn’t blame her for it.

“It’s done.” I hissed under my breath. “He’s infatuated with her, he’s just a kid, doesn’t know which way is up when a pretty girl bats her eyes… it will work.”

Angelo let out a disgusted snort. “Yeah well, it better, or else it’s your head that rolls.”

He wasn’t in any state to threaten me. I could order him killed with the snap of my fingers.

But deep down I knew he was right.

If things went south it would be my head, my family that would take the fall. When had I turned into that guy? The one that used those he loved for personal gain? Then again it wasn’t personal as much as it was good business.

We’d both be bosses, me and Luca, that’s how it should always be. Who the hell cared if there was collateral damage as long as we had control of both families?

Yet, guilt pinched me in the chest.

What use was money and power.

When you had no one to share it with?

“Keep us updated.” Angelo patted my back twice. “I want to see this done by the end of the week—I need to see proof he can do what it takes, he needs to do the hard thing, yes?”

“Yes.” I said smoothly, my stomach clenching with the thought of my twenty-one year old brother going through hell. “I’ll make it so.”

“See that you do.”

He left me, alone. I walked to the door, grabbed my coat and hat, then walked out into the chilly Chicago air.

“Take good care of him, Joyce.” I whispered, “He’s going to need those memories… by God he’s going to need them.”

CHAPTER FOUR

The mafia consists of two things, blood and family. Outside of that, nothing else really matters. Both Frank and Luca lived by this rule and it was my greatest fear that they would die by it. I’d seen so much death in my short life and the more my own demise loomed near… I knew, I wanted to soak up every possible thing I could before I left my own humanity in that hospital room. – Joyce Alfero

I
T WAS ON THE
tip of my tongue to ask him, why now? Was his brother’s kiss so horrible to him, so detestable, that something finally snapped in that thick skull of his?

But I didn’t want to ruin the moment.

After all, I had no idea how many of those moments we would get, how many moments I would get.

I shivered, even though I wore a fur around my small body. That was one thing they never warned you about when you started treatments, how cold you always were and how you’d do anything to be warm again.

We walked the short distance to his walk up apartment.

It was conveniently located above a twenty-four seven Chinese takeout restaurant and I could only imagine how many sleepless nights he spent glaring at the neon sign that most likely hung right outside his apartment window.

“This is me.” Luca said gruffly, letting go of my hand.

I started walking towards the door but he pulled me back.

“Joyce,” I would never tire of the way his voice rasped my name as if it was both his blessing and his curse tied into one. “You don’t understand.”

I turned and pulled my arms into my body to keep myself from shivering more. “What don’t I understand Luca?”