THE MAFIA’S SINFUL OBSESSION

4. PRAY OR PREY

Tessa's reality seemed to slowly dawn on her. The motel room suddenly felt very small with Luca Moretti in it, she felt the walls enclosing her, caging her with Hades himself.

She had spent her whole life reading men—Drunks, gamblers, con artists, makers, gangsters. Luca was a different breed from the rest. He was quiet, neat and reserved, but you could see the danger lurking by the side of the eyes, you could smell his insanity from his intoxicating cologne, and you could feel your skin crawl from his warm smile, which was an illusion for a calculating one.

Each of his moves was calm, calculated, precise. All of his words pushed her to the edge of the cliff, right where he wanted her to be.

Her heart thumped heavily against her ribs, but she couldn't afford to let it show.

Tessa glanced at the gory photos splattered on the bed—Damien.

A sharp pain twisted in her chest. Damien was more than a bitter ex to her. He was a friend before he was her boyfriend. They were toxic to each other, but they had a beautiful time too. He had been the first man she ever fell in love with, and she still loved him, but now it was purely platonic.

But he was gone. Because of her stupid act of nosiness. She roped him into her mess and had caused his demise. He died worse than a chicken trying to save her head.

She wanted whoever killed him to pay, but that was laughable. To think she could avenge her friend when her life was the next in line. She was not so stupid to think herself some heroine.

Luca watched her in silence as if drinking from every expression she made and letting his words sink into her head. "You can keep running, or you can come with me."

She got momentarily distracted when her gaze flickered to the leather book on the dressing table which Luca kept tracing his sharp fingers around its edges. That was her father's most treasured possession.

She had yet to open it even after so many years, but the way he lingered on the book almost made her feel he already knew the contents.

Tessa swallowed, "And if I say no?"

"Simple. You die," Luca exhaled through his nose, the ghost of amusement flickering in his eyes.

Tessa thought he would have lost his patience with her already, but he was as calm and patient that she felt like a toy being played by him. She hated to feel stupid but under his all-knowing gaze, such feelings couldn't be helped.

Tessa gritted her teeth. She never wanted to kill so badly.

"You see, Tessa, you are really an interesting woman, but you really do not take me for a fool, do?" Luca tapped her nose as he enunciated each word he spoke.

On the contrary, Tessa felt like a fool desperately trying to seek an escape.

"First you thought to stab my neck, I could smell the stench of your murderous intent, then you planned to escape from here—I wonder how." He paused and squinted at her.

Tessa had her mouth agape in shock and bewilderment. How come? Was he a ghost or something? Or was she such an open book? But he hadn't been looking at her, how could he tell?

Goosebumps spread like a map on Tessa's back.

"You don't need me, I can just give you the flash drive," she deflected.

Luca searched her eyes and then tilted his head as if assessing her and how much truth he could give her. "I don't need the drive."

He reached into his suit jacket pulling out a sleek black USB, twirling it between his fingers. "I already have it."

Tessa's heart dropped into her stomach.

Did that mean that she had a fake USB in her possession?!

She stubbornly snuffed that thought, "I am not going to fall for such a trick. You want to trick me into believing that the one I am with is fake?"

Luca arched his brows.

That was the only answer she needed. It was indeed fake!

She immediately rummaged her jacket for the USB she had carefully hidden on her but was met with emptiness. She snapped her head up to Luca, who had a warm yet cold illusion of a smirk.

"You were looking for this?" There was another USB drive in his palm. They looked alike at first glance but on a closer look, the one he had shown her previously was customized while the other one, which was supposedly meant to be in her possession, was like a copycat.

How did it get to his possession? She had hid it in an inner pocket of her jacket.

Her eyes widened in bewilderment. He had easily gotten it from her jacket without her knowing. Of course, what was she expecting from the prince of the underworld?

She dipped her head down and burst into a mirthless laughter.

The realization that hit was too strong.

He had the real USB.

The USB she had was fake.

He had easily gotten the USB from her even if she wanted to use it as a bargaining chip.

His men were probably going to surround the motel, so trying to escape was going to prove abortive.

Damien. He died because of a fake USB.

"You are lying." She breathed. She didn't know who she was referring to, herself or the evil man before her.

Luca sighed, "Gattina, you have a thing to doubt, don't you?"

Tessa, despite the nerves in her body, screaming out to her to run, held his gaze and asked, "Then why do you need me, since you have the real USB? You could have just let them get to me and kill me."

Luca smirked. This time it was a real one and not an illusion.

"Because the Costello don't know I have it," he murmured. He took a step back from her and faced the window. "They think you have it and that won't stop hunting you until they get it."

Tessa's head went off with alarm bells. If she got what he said correctly. He was merely here as an act to tick off Costello to think she had a worthy price. She was merely a bait.

She was merely a bait! This was hard to swallow. She couldn't help but look at Luca with new-found hate.

"You had disrupted my plans by being nosy, and you already know too much." Luca reached out, his fingers brushing the lost stray lock of her hair from her face. This caused her to flinch, but he did not stop.

His touch was like that of feathers, gentle and warm.

Tessa found her voice with great difficulty, "I don't know anything, I promise."

"Or do you?" Luca retorted. "Swear you didn't look through the USB?"

There was a tinge of mockery laced in his voice.

Tessa knew he had caught on to her. Damien had warned her.

"Come with me, Tessa," he said, voice low and deadly. "Let me protect you."

Tessa let out a bitter laugh. She had been here before, she knew this game. "Protect me or use me?"

Luca's smirk widened to a cold smile, "Let's not pretend that you have a choice."

He was not lying. Tessa knew it clearly, but that did not stop her jaw from clenching. She had spent most of her life trying to be free, it had taken every single drop of her sweat to become free and in just one single night it was going to be ripped away from her.

She knew what his world looked like. Going with him was going to mean becoming a pawn in his game. She was going to sell her freedom in exchange for her life.

She had a very strong urge to risk losing her life rather than enter into whatever this was, but looking at the dismembered body of her friend in the pictures on the bed, she knew she wouldn't die well knowing he had died for naught.

Her past was gone but she was still there.

And since she could still muster a breath, she could play the game.

Tessa lifted her chin and met Luca's eyes, hatred evident in them. Defiance seeping out of her pores.

"I'll go with you then."

Shaking his head in approval, Luca's lips curled as if he had known all along what her response would be.

"You are a smart woman."

Tessa felt the opposite of smart, but she did not rebut. He was her boss from now on.

She knew one thing for sure though, that she might be stepping into the lion's den. But she was not going to be his prey at all.