SIN
I hammered on the door, the vibration traveling up my arm as the bass from the music inside thudded against my chest. It was obnoxious. Excessive. Pure Ricci. The two pathetic excuses for guards who had led me here had already vanished, scurrying off like rats before Luca could notice them. Word on the street was that Luca was the "fun" one, but in this world, "fun" usually translated to a homicidal psycho with zero impulse control.
Inside, the sound of giggling and high-pitched shrieks grated on my nerves. I hate waiting. I don't care if he's a Ricci, a king, or the Pope…. I am a Caruso, and making me wait is a fucking sin.
I raised my fist and hammered again, continuous and deafening. I could hear the whispering inside…the little sluts probably wondering who was ruining their party. Finally, the latch clicked.
"I fucking swear to God, if I…"
The door swung open, and I found myself staring down the dark, cold barrel of a semi-automatic leveled directly at my forehead. Luca stood there, eyes bloodshot and pupils blown to the edges of his irises.
I didn't blink. I didn't flinch. I just tilted my head, looking at the gun like it was a minor inconvenience, a fly I was waiting to swat. When he realized it was me, he let out a jagged sigh and lowered the weapon.
"Shit," he muttered, rubbing a hand over his face. "Thought you were one of the goddamn cleaners coming to bitch about the noise."
I didn't say a word. I looked past him, peering into the room. It was a chaotic wreckage of silk sheets, spilled top-shelf liquor, and neon lights that hummed with a headache-inducing glow. Apparently, the brothers didn't just share a name; they shared a love for over-the-top bullshit, though Luca's taste was definitely more expensive crack den.
He stepped into my line of sight, blocking the view of his playthings. "Um, what the fuck are you doing here...?" He trailed off, waiting for a name he hadn't bothered to learn.
"Seris."
"Yeah, Seris. What the fuck are you still doing in this house?" He took a deep drag from a joint, the sweet, skunky smell of weed filling the hallway before he exhaled a thick cloud of smoke directly into my face. "I thought Alessandro took his new toy with him. Weren't you supposed to be gone this morning?"
The disrespect was dripping off him like grease. A spike of pure, cold rage flared in my gut, but I buried it under ten feet of ice. I forced a sweet, vacuous smile onto my face and extended my hand.
"I don't think we were properly introduced. I'm Seris."
He stared at my hand like it was a piece of rotting meat. He didn't take it. He just shrugged, looking bored out of his mind.
I rolled my eyes internally, keeping the mask on. "It's nice to meet Alessandro's family. When he told me about you, he had nothing but beautiful things to say."
Luca took another drag, his eyes glazed and mocking.
"He speaks fondly of you the most," I continued, my voice like poisoned honey. "Says what a loyal younger brother you are. And Matteo, too, he…"
Suddenly, Luca erupted into a jagged, mocking laugh that turned into a cough.
"Okay, now I know you're fucking lying," he wheezed, shaking his head. "Even before the Matteo part. Alessandro doesn't speak well of anyone but his own fuck-ass self. And I don't even blame the prick. I'd throw those fools under a bus any chance I get. We're brothers by blood, but we hate each other with a passion. If they weren't my DNA, I'd have put a bullet in every one of them years ago."
He started to swing the door shut. "If you're done with the fairy tales, Seris, I have more important things to attend to."
I jammed my foot in the door. The heavy wood caught against my boot with a dull thud. Luca looked up, his brow furrowing as the playfulness vanished from his eyes. He realized the "sweet girl" act was just a thin coat of paint over something much darker.
My face went stone-cold.
"I hear your brothers are out for work," I said, my voice dropping the honey and picking up the blade. "I thought initially you'd be out with them. Leading. Doing something that mattered."
He shrugged, though I saw his jaw tighten. "They don't need me there. They can handle that shit themselves."
I nodded slowly, letting the silence hang. "So you're saying you're worthless."
The air in the hallway turned arctic. "What the fuck did you just say to me?"
"It was a question. Sorry if I riled you up, Luca. I just assumed the youngest Ricci would want a seat at the table, not just the scraps under it."
"You didn't rile shit. But what the fuck are you still doing here? Alessandro is gone. You should be out on the street. Aren't you just his latest slut anyway?" he muttered, the words intended to draw blood.
"Daddy, are you coming back?" one of the girls called out from the bed, her voice high and annoying.
Luca's face transformed instantly. He flashed them a brilliant, flirty smile. "I'll be back in a second, ladies." He turned back to me, the smile dying a gruesome death. "Get out before they get back. I'm done being nice."
He tried to slam the door again. I didn't move my foot.
Luca snapped. He threw the door wide, his hand blurring as it lunged for my throat. He slammed me back against the hallway wall, his grip tightening like a vice. A couple of guards started to rush forward, but he raised a hand, and they froze mid-step, terrified of his volatility.
"Now you're just fucking testing me, girl," he hissed, his face inches from mine. "My brother fucked you once and all of a sudden you forget your place? Don't fucking push me. I'll have them drag you out of here, and trust me, they'll make sure you're too broken to ever come back."
I just stared into his eyes. No fear. No pleading. Just cold, empty observation. I could see the psycho behind the mask now…the one the world was afraid of, and the one I was going to use.
"You're done here. Now leave," he growled.
The silence stretched between us. Then, slowly, I let a wide, predatory smile spread across my face. It wasn't the smile of a girlfriend. It was the smile of a demon.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, leaning into his grip rather than pulling away. "I didn't mean for us to get off on the wrong foot."
I moved closer, my lips brushing against his ear, my voice a lethal, seductive purr that made his grip on my throat falter. "I only wanted to... ask if I could join you. I think I'd be much more fun than those girls in there."
Luca pulled back slightly, his hand still on my throat but the fingers loosening. His brow furrowed, his brain trying to process the sudden shift from prey to partner-in-crime. He looked at my mouth, then back to my eyes, searching for the catch.
"You want in?" he asked, his voice low and suspicious.
"I want to see if the rumors about the 'wild' Ricci brother are true," I teased, my hand coming up to rest on his chest, right over his racing heart. "Or if you're just as boring as Alessandro."