My Mafia Target

The price of Deception

CHAPTER FIVE

Juliette's POV

The walls of Luca's private study felt like they were closing in.

His stare pinned me in place, dark and unreadable, while Matteo stood to the side, arms crossed, gun still visible at his hip.

I had two choices.

Lie. Or confess.

The problem? I wasn't sure which one would keep me alive.

"You've been playing me this whole time, haven't you?" Luca's voice was dangerously low.

I didn't flinch. I couldn't.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said smoothly, tilting my head.

Matteo scoffed. "Don't do that." He stepped forward. "We know who you are, Juliette. We know who sent you. What we don't know is why you're still breathing when you had the perfect chance to take Luca out."

I kept my face blank, but inside, my heart pounded.

Because Matteo was right.

I had my chance. More than once.

And I didn't take it.

Luca leaned forward, resting his hands on the desk between us. His body radiated something lethal, something controlled-but barely.

"If you were here to kill me," he murmured, his gaze locking onto mine, "why haven't you done it?"

I swallowed, forcing my expression to stay neutral. "Maybe I'm waiting for the right moment."

It was a bluff. A terrible one.

Because Luca smirked. A slow, knowing smirk that told me I was already losing this battle.

"Wrong answer, sweetheart."

The pet name shouldn't have sent a shiver down my spine, but it did.

Because Luca wasn't just angry.

He was intrigued.

Matteo, however, wasn't nearly as amused. "Luca, this isn't a game. She's a liability. We can't keep her here."

Luca's gaze never left mine. Assessing. Measuring.

"No," he said slowly. "We can't."

A cold wave of dread washed over me. I knew what that meant.

Either I convinced him to let me live... or I didn't walk out of this room at all.

Luca's POV

She was lying.

Not because she was bad at it-Juliette was an excellent liar.

But I had spent my whole life studying people, watching the way their bodies betrayed their words. And hers was betraying her now.

The way her pulse jumped at her throat.

The slight parting of her lips when I leaned in.

She wanted to kill me.

But she wanted me more.

That was her mistake.

"You have one chance," I said, voice calm. "Tell me the truth."

Juliette lifted her chin. "And if I don't?"

I leaned back, giving her the illusion of space. "Then you're leaving this estate in a body bag."

Matteo's hand hovered near his gun, waiting for my signal.

For a moment, I thought Juliette would fight. Run. Try to take me down with her.

But instead-she smiled.

"Fine," she said, voice like silk. "You want the truth?"

She stepped closer, until I could see the flicker of something dangerous in her eyes.

"I was sent to kill you, Luca."

The room went silent.

Matteo cursed under his breath, but I barely heard him.

Because I already knew that.

What I didn't know was what she would say next.

"But I didn't," she whispered. "And I'm not sure I ever could."

That. That was new.

And it was the most dangerous thing she'd ever said.

Because now?

I wasn't letting her go.

Not until I knew why.

And not until I figured out what the hell I was going to do with the woman who was supposed to be my enemy...

But might just be mine instead

Juliette's POV

The walls of my new prison were lined with bookshelves, dark leather furniture, and a fireplace that crackled like it was mocking me.

Luca hadn't locked me in a basement.

No, that would've been too easy.

Instead, I was in one of his private suites-high above the city, with a balcony that overlooked the world I used to control.

Now?

I was just a pawn in his game.

The door opened, and I turned, bracing myself.

Luca stepped inside, moving like a king in his castle.

Controlled. Calculated. Deadly.

But there was something else now-something flickering behind his sharp gaze.

Something he didn't understand.

Desire.

He shouldn't want me.

And I sure as hell shouldn't want him.

But the air between us was thick with it, like a fuse waiting for a match.

"You're being watched," Luca said casually, like we were discussing the weather. "Try to run, and you won't make it past the gates."

I raised a brow. "So what now? I just sit here and wait for you to decide whether I live or die?"

His lips twitched. Not a smile. But close.

"You're not dying, Juliette." He took another step closer, until I could see the dark stubble shadowing his jaw. "Not unless you give me a reason to kill you."

The threat should have scared me.

It didn't.

I tilted my head, letting my voice dip into something softer. "And what if I give you a reason not to?"

His jaw clenched. "You think you can seduce your way out of this?"

"No," I whispered, stepping closer. "I think you already want me, and that's a problem for you, isn't it?"

I felt the shift before I saw it.

One second, Luca was standing there, unreadable.

The next?

He had me pinned against the wall, his body caging mine.

I gasped, but it wasn't fear that sent my pulse racing. It was him.

"You're playing a dangerous game, sweetheart." His voice was low, rough, like he was barely holding himself back.

I smirked, even as my heart pounded. "I thought you liked danger."

His fingers curled around my jaw, tilting my face up.

His breath was warm against my lips. "Careful, Juliette."

"Or what?" I whispered.

His eyes darkened.

And then-he kissed me.

Not a slow, hesitant kiss.

A claiming.

Luca crushed his mouth to mine, his grip tightening as if he was branding me with every touch. His fingers tangled in my hair, tilting my head back, forcing me to take everything he was giving-everything he had no right to want.

But I wanted it too.

I wanted to drown in this moment, in the fire between us that neither of us could control.

I gasped against his lips, and that was all it took for him to deepen the kiss, his tongue sliding against mine with a hunger that stole my breath.

A groan rumbled in his chest, vibrating against me, and I felt his control slipping-his ironclad restraint cracking with every second his lips were on mine.

I should stop.

I should push him away.

But instead?

I pulled him closer.

And just like that-we both lost the game.

Luca's POV

The second my lips touched hers, I knew-I had made a mistake.

This wasn't a game anymore.

This wasn't about control or power or proving a point.

This was need.

Raw. Unfiltered. Unforgiving.

I should have stopped.

I should have pulled away.

But the way she melted into me, the way her hands slid into my hair, tugging, testing-it drove me insane.

I kissed her harder, devouring her like she was my next breath, like I needed her more than I needed my own survival.

I pressed her against the wall, making sure she felt every inch of what she did to me.

She moaned, and it was the most dangerous sound I'd ever heard.

Because now?

I was never letting her go.