Thirty minutes later, I’m outside Luca’s office. Matteo was thoughtful enough to give me directions when he dropped me off – just one more way he’s taking care of me, just like he said he would. His words and tone may be harsh sometimes, and he’s certainly a growly, commanding beast with everyone else, but his actions towards me have been kind and genuine. Sweet, even, as unlikely as that sounds.
I knock on Luca’s door, entering when he gives me permission. I know I should probably be afraid of him, of everyone here, really, but knowing Matteo has my back and promised me protection eases any nerves I have.
“You wanted to see me?” I ask, once inside.
“Yeah,” he grumps. “The phone I let you use yesterday is blowing up. Has been all morning. The same number you called yesterday.”
“Freya,” I whisper, my gut clenching with worry. Why didn’t I think about what I would do if she got into trouble and needed me?
"Whoever it is, they need to chill the fuck out. Here," he tosses me the phone. By some miracle, I catch it. "Call this Freya person and let her know you can't be available twenty-four seven for girl talk or whatever."
I barely register his snide comment before I hit the call button.
“Speaker,” Luca barks. I hit the speaker button just in time for Freya to pick up.
“Dude!” Freya exclaims. “Where the hell have you been? I said to call me once you settle in. How long does it take to settle in?”
I let out a huge breath as all the tension drains from my muscles. She’s not in danger, she’s just being her over-protective self.
“Sorry, I kind of crashed last night.”
“Okay, well, it’s almost eleven, what were you doing this morning?” She snips out. Freya gets a little bossy when she’s worried. It used to rub me the wrong way, but now I know it’s her way of caring.
“I found the library.”
"Oh. Well, that explains it," she deflates a little.
“So other than that, you’re okay?”
“Yeah. I just, you know. It’s weird not being able to stop by your apartment or visit you at the library. I might swing by there over my lunch break and give Devon some shit for being a dickhead.”
Luca makes some choking sound in the back of his throat and I swear he cracks a tiny little smile.
“What was that? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m good. I’m sorry things worked out this way. I miss you too.”
“I didn’t say I missed you. I saw you less than twenty-four hours ago,” she scoffs. I wait her out for a moment and then smile when I hear her sigh. “Yeah, okay, whatever, you’re my best friend and my only family and I love you to pieces and miss your pretty face and bangin’ bod. Happy now?”
I laugh and relax even more when Freya joins me. “That’s all I wanted to hear,” I say with a grin. I really do hate that I worried her, and I hate even more that I’m abandoning her. I have to remind myself that my life is in danger, which means hers would be too if I decided to go back to my real life instead of staying here.
“Alright, my temporary insanity has passed, but you need to call me. Daily.”
I glance over to Luca, who has been trying to appear disinterested in our conversation. He nods once and then looks down at his phone again.
“Deal. I’ll call you when you get home from work. Your shift at the shelter usually ends at four, right?”
“Yeah...about that…”
“Are you serious? I just saw you yesterday and you’ve already moved on to a different job?”
“I was having a moment of insanity, remember? It was either quit my job or go all Brittany and shave my head.”
“Hey now, you can’t blame this on me!”
“I can and I will,” she says smugly before breaking out into a giggle. “Either way, it’s for the best. It broke my fuckin’ heart to leave those animals at the end of the day. I just want them to have a home, you know?”
“Yeah,” I say softly. “I get it.” Freya rarely shows vulnerability, and the fact that she’s doing it now only proves how much I’ve upended her life by stepping away for a little while.
“On to new adventures, right?” She perks up. “Speaking of, are you having any adventures of your own? Any cute butlers or coachmen to hit on?”
"Coachmen?" I laugh. "Like...for horse-drawn carriages?"
“I don’t know! Rich people are fucking nuts!”
Luca huffs out what I think is a laugh before turning his back to me. I smirk, thinking that both he and Matteo aren’t as heartless as they want people to think.
“Yeah, but they have great libraries,” I sigh dreamily. My cheeks heat up as I think about everything that happened in the library.
“Okay, okay, get a room,” she mutters.
“I already have one. The library.”
“Har har,” she says flatly, though I know she’s smiling at my lame joke. “Alright, babe. I’ll let you get back to your job. But remember, I need you to call me every day. No exceptions.”
“I will. I promise. I love you, Freya.”
“Love you too, bitch. Now stop slacking on the job!”
We share a final laugh and then say our goodbyes. My heart hurts for my best friend. For me, too. We’ve barely spent more than a day apart in the last five years.
"Four o'clock. On the dot. My office. You can make your call on speakerphone. If I'm not here, someone else will be. I'll make sure you two have your...girl talk."
He looks annoyed, but the fact that he’s letting me do this shows he cares more than he wants to let on. I know I’m not technically a prisoner, seeing as I am here of my own free will. Albeit, my options were pretty limited. But I can understand and appreciate that trust is hard to come by, especially when you have as many enemies as these guys do.
I nod and hand the phone back to him. “Understood. Thank you.”
Luca gets a weird look on his face – the same one Matteo did when I thanked him for offering his protection. I suppose gratitude isn’t a common thing in their world. Maybe I can change that.
“Right. Okay then,” he clears his throat and shakes his head a bit. “Now on to business. Isabella will be here soon to show you your duties. Matteo has assigned you to take care of his wing. You’ll have help, but he made it clear you alone are to clean his room and do his laundry.”
I nod again and swallow down my surprise while trying to tamp down the sudden, uncontrollable throbbing between my legs at the thought of being in Matteo’s space. His room. Stripping the sheets off of his bed and inhaling his warm, spicy scent.
A sharp knock on the door breaks me out of my lustful thoughts. I assume it’s Isabella here to start my training. I move to open the door, but Luca stops me.
“I don’t trust you yet, Darlene. Trust has to be earned. But I trust Matteo with my life, even when I don’t understand him.” He doesn’t come right out and threaten me, but it’s easy enough to read the threat laced in between his words.
“Same to you.”
I think I shocked myself as much as I shocked Luca, but I’m rewarded with that tiny smile he let me see earlier. “Fair enough. Now stop slacking on the job.”