Page 74 of Ruined

“You don’t even act like my boss anymore.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “You’re right. I should be a lot harder on you.”

Frankly, I didn’t want to be his boss anymore.

He was forcing me into being the one to keep him in line. I didn’t want that, but that’s what he signed up for. Being part of the family meant following orders, no matter how much he hated them. I had to be firm.

I took his shoulder. “I know you’re pissed, but you can’t challenge me in front of the others.”

“I know.”

“You don’t, or you wouldn’t be pulling stunts like this.”

Luca’s jaw tightened. Even after everything he’d been through, he refused to shatter. That’s what got to me the most.

“You’ve got to get it through your thick skull. This isn’t just about you. It’s about the family. Pulling shit like that in a meeting makes it look like I can’t control you.”

“I wasn’t trying to challenge you. I just wanted to help. They’re always talking about how loyalty keeps thefamigliarunning.”

He’d throw himself on a grenade for the Costas without a second thought, like he owed the world his life just for surviving. I didn’t want him to waste that on the wrong people.

“That doesn’t mean getting yourself killed to prove a point,” I shot back. “You’re not stepping up for the crew. You’re looking for a way to bury whatever’s eating you alive.”

He flinched. “I’m not.”

“I see the way you carry yourself, like you’ve got something to prove. Newsflash, you don’t fix your shit by throwing yourself into the line of fire.”

He stayed silent.

“You want to prove something to me?” I said, softer now but no less firm. “Prove you can keep your head down and follow orders.”

“I just?—”

“No excuses. You work for me. You don’t put yourself on the chopping block for some heist when I need you alive. Got it?”

He let out a slow breath. “Yeah.”

I leaned back into my seat.

The car rumbled to life, and we pulled out onto the quiet streets. Luca’s jaw lost some of its tension, but his grip on the wheel was still too tight.

How the hell did we get here?

Not long ago, he was another guy under my command. Smart, reckless, with a chip on his shoulder big enough to tip a scale. Still, just a subordinate. My job had been simple: keep him in line, make sure he didn’t get himself killed, and use his talents.

Now?

All I could think about was him. I had no idea how to go from barking orders to kissing him. He shouldn’t have this kind of effect on me. Luca was a goddamn problem I couldn’t control.

I ruled my world with a steady hand. I kept people at arm’s length because attachment made you weak, but I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I pictured his face when he wasn’t around, the hollow sadness in his eyes when he thought no one was looking. I couldsmellhim, hear his sharp baritone that always found a way under my skin.

“You’re staring,” Luca muttered.

“You’re pretty.”

He shook his head. “Subtle.”

Subtlety had never been my strong suit, and with Luca, I didn’t even bother trying.