Undressed By The Mafia God-Chapter 159: We Can Talk Extensively

He didn’t wait for her reaction. That was the trick. Say it like a truth, not a line.

Behind him there was a small pause.

"Can I see your phone?" Bianca’s voice stopped him.

Cassidy turned slowly, eyebrows lifting. "oookay." He pulled his phone from his pocket and unlocked it, handing it over without hesitation. Bianca took it casually. Her fingers moved quickly across the screen.

Bianca handed it back. "Call me one of these days. We can talk extensively. Lord knows I need it."

Cassidy glanced down at the new contact saved in his phone.

Bianca.

He nodded and smiled as he turned away.

Easy peasy.

Bastione would be thrilled.

Luciano Genovese’s wife had just handed herself over as a potential weakness.

*****

When Luca found Vee lying on that hospital bed, skin so pale from the blood loss, he almost did something he had never done before.

He almost cried.

Veronica looked impossibly small against the stark white sheets, the hospital gown swallowing her frame. Her hair spilled messily across the pillow.

"Luca." Valentina said.

Luca hadn’t even noticed she was standing near the window until she spoke. Her arms were folded tightly across her chest, exhaustion etched into every line of her face.

Veronica heard what her sister said and her eyes flew open, catching Luca right at the door. "Luca." She whispered.

For a second he just stood there, staring at her.

His throat tightened.

Anger. Relief. Guilt.

All of it crashed through him at once.

He stepped into the room completely, his eyes never leaving her face.

Vee always knew that look.

It was the calm before the storm. It was the look he wore when his emotions had sunk so deep beneath the surface that they had turned dangerous.

"You’re back." She gave him a small smile, trying to make light of her condition.

He didn’t say a word.

Just walked closer to her.

When he reached the bed, he took her fingers in his.

His eyes stayed glued to her face, studying every detail — the pale tone of her skin, the faint shadows beneath her eyes, the way her lips curved even when she was clearly exhausted. He couldn’t look anywhere else. He couldn’t look at her bandaged thigh.

Because if he did, he knew exactly what would happen.

If he looked at the evidence of what Bianca had done to her... he would crumble. He would break.

Marco quietly signalled to Valentina to give them some privacy.

Valentina hesitated. She had spent the last two days demanding answers from Veronica and receiving nothing but half truths and tired smiles.

As she passed Marco in the doorway, she gave him a look that promised interrogation in the very near future.

Marco sighed internally. He already knew he was next.

Luca still hadn’t spoken.

"Luca, I’m fine. I’m okay."

He went down on his knees beside the bed. He lifted her hand and pressed it against his forehead.

His head bowed as if the simple act of touching her hand was the only thing keeping him steady.

Gently, she ran her fingers through his hair as he bowed there beside her bed.

"I’m doing good," she murmured softly. "The food here is crappy but I promise its like I am on vacation."

Still no word from him, he just knelt there, Vee running her fingers through his hair.

She could feel the tension in him even without looking.

His shoulders were stiff, his breathing controlled.

He’s furious, she thought.

Then he moved.

He lifted her hand slightly and kissed her knuckles. His lips lingered there.

Then he stood.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

Then her lips.

And just like that, he turned and walked out of the room.

Vee stared at the empty doorway for a moment before letting out a tired sigh.

"He never listens." She already knew exactly what was about to happen. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Marco had been leaning against the wall outside the room, arms crossed, ignoring Valentina like one would choose to ignore a very annoying mosquito when Luca stepped out.

One look at his boss’s face and Marco straightened.

Yep.

The volcano was definitely active.

Without a word Marco fell into step beside Luca as they walked down the hospital corridor.

"Ricardo is waiting downstairs," Marco said carefully. "He brought your guns."

"Splendid."

That was the only word that escaped him.

*****

Across the city, Nonnina sat quietly in her room that had become her sanctuary.

Age had slowed her body but not her mind. Her sharp eyes still noticed things most people missed.

Like the way Julian looked at Bianca.

She had done her best to stay out of Bianca’s way. The young woman brought enough chaos into the house than Nonnina had experienced in years. But even from a distance, certain things became impossible to ignore.

Julian was in love with his brother’s wife.

The realization had come slowly at first.

A glance that lingered too long.

A silence when Bianca entered the room.

Now that she had seen it, she couldn’t unsee it.

She wondered if anyone else saw it.

Noticed it. Questioned it.

Probably not.

Nonnina sat in her chair, the soft clicking of her rosary beads filling the quiet room. She prayed softly.

For Zuccherino. For Diavolino.

She always knew their love was doomed. She just hadn’t thought it would collapse so soon.

Luciano Genovese was stubborn enough to burn the world down for her.

The match had already been lit.

So when she heard the groan of the gates, she leaned closer to the glass.

Luciano stepped out of the car with the confidence of a man who owned every inch of ground beneath his feet. He reached behind his jacket and pulled out two guns with the casual ease of someone who had done it thousands of times.

He knows...

Nonnina panicked. Her heart began to pound so hard she could hear it in her ears. The rosary beads slipped from her fingers as she turned from the window, moving faster than her old body liked to move. She hurried out of the room quickly. Her breathing was already uneven.

(Brought to you by Janelle Fox)

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