Signed To The Mafia King - Chapter 44: Chapter 44

ALINA
I stared at him, my fork frozen halfway to my mouth.
Luca didn’t look at me. He kept his eyes on his plate, shoulders tense, his jaw clenched so tightly I could see the muscle ticking.
“My father shot it to death.”
His voice was flat, almost indifferent, but something about the way he held his knife so tight told a different story.
I set my fork down. “Luca…”
“It was a long time ago,” he said, cutting into his steak like we were discussing the weather. “Eat your food.”
I hesitated, watching him.
I wasn’t sure why, but his sudden iciness made my chest feel tight.
I picked up my glass of water and sipped, choosing my next words carefully. “What was his name?”
Luca’s glared at me like I was stopping him from enjoying his food.
For a second, I thought he wouldn’t answer.
Then, so quietly I almost missed it, he said, “Bruno.”
I smiled. “That’s a cute name.”
Luca started cutting his meat again, this time stabbing at it like it had angered him. “It wasn’t cute. He was a mutt. Small, scrappy, always running off.” He finally looked at me, and the corner of his mouth twitched. “Kind of like you.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” He leaned back in his seat, and his shoulders relaxed a bit. “Always getting yourself into trouble. Ignoring the fact that you’re surrounded by men more dangerous than you can handle.”
I huffed, rolling my eyes. Was Luca telling me about danger? He lived in a world where death was the currency of fear. “I handle myself just fine.”
He shook his head like he didn't know what to do with me.
I watched him, still thinking about the way his whole body had gone rigid when he mentioned his father. I knew their relationship was tense.
It had been obvious from their conversation at my wedding ceremony after Victoria had made a scene. I didn't want to think about Victoria so I pushed her out of my mind.
I didn't want to worry about if Luca was still sleeping with her, or if she was the reason Luca refused to sleep with me. What if he still loved her?
I sighed, forcing her off of my mind.
I hadn’t known Luca for long, but I had seen enough to know that his father was a sore subject. And now I understood why.
He had been eighteen when it happened. Practically still a kid. His father had killed his dog in front of him, probably just to prove a point.
I clenched my fingers around my napkin. What kind of person did something like that?
“Bruno must have been special,” I said after a while.
“He was my mother’s gift to me. When I was a kid, I wanted a dog more than anything. My father thought it was silly. Said I needed to learn responsibility first. My mother didn’t care what he thought.”
I could hear the slightest shift in his voice when he mentioned his mother. It was the first time I had ever heard him talk about her.
“She got him for me anyway,” Luca continued, “said he’d be my best friend.”
I rested my chin on my palm, studying him. “Was he?”
Luca’s lips parted slightly, like I had caught him off guard with the question. He was quiet for a long moment. Finally, he nodded. “Yeah.”
I smiled. “I knew it.”
Luca shook his head, but there was something softer in his expression now.
“I used to sneak him food from the table. My father hated it. Said I was spoiling him. I didn’t care.” He glanced at his plate, almost like he was seeing something else. “I taught him tricks. He used to wait for me by the front door whenever I came home.”
I felt my heart squeeze.
I could picture it perfectly.
A young Luca coming home to a dog that adored him. Maybe he had been a little less hardened then and that dog was taken from him in the worst way possible.
I allowed the silence to settle between us. There was nothing to say, and really there was no need for words.
I imagined that Luca too didn’t mind the quiet.
A waiter came by to refill our drinks. When he left, Luca sat up straighter, rolling his shoulders like he was shaking something off.
“Enough about that.” His voice was back to normal now. He was calm like he had packed everything away again.
I let him.
We finished our drinks and food, moving onto lighter topics. I teased Luca about how picky he was with his steak, and he rolled his eyes at me.
When I made a comment about how he was probably the kind of person who counted his steps when he walked, he gave me an unimpressed look and muttered, “You’re not wrong.”
I laughed.
And then I realized Luca was relaxing.
Not in the way someone might after a drink or two, but in a way that made me think maybe he wasn’t just tolerating my presence this evening, after all dinner had been his idea.
I thought he was so happy about finding his shipment that he was actually enjoying himself.
When we left the restaurant, I was still thinking about that. Luca walked in front, searching the street out of habit before waving for me to follow. His men were already waiting by the car.
As we got in, I glanced at him. “Where to now, boss?”
Luca’s gaze flicked to me.
Then, without answering, he pulled his phone out and made a call to Marco.
I turned my head, watching the city lights outside the window. I enjoyed watching people, in a vehicle. It felt like freedom to see other people who were free.
I would never truly have that as a Costa, but at least, I could dream.
My stomach still felt warm from the food, but there was something else too.
Something I couldn’t quite put into words.
Luca wasn’t as harsh as he liked to pretend.
And now, I knew a little more about him than I did before.