The apartment Enzo has that he told me to lie low in? It turns out the apartment is the one he’s currently occupying because it happens to overlook a certain bookstore. I honest to God don’t know what the fuck to do with him anymore.
I’ve been here for two days and haven’t heard a single thing from Luca, though he did find out that Enzo helped me back into the city, he has no idea I’m currently staying with him—he’d have a fucking coronary if he found that little tid-bit of information out.
I had Enzo sneak my laptop from his father’s office for me so I can at least work while I’m here. I’ve been focused on helping the women and girls that were in my father’s custody. Alec managed to send a team to intercept a shipment, saving thirty women. But it still doesn’t feel like enough, it never will.
No matter how hard I try to distract myself, all my thoughts keep coming back to Luca. I don’t even fucking know who I am anymore. This isn’t me; I’ve never been the type of woman so sit around and mope over a man. My heart aches when I think about what we could have had, but I know deep in my bones that if it wasn’t for what happened with my father, something else would have torn us apart in the end. It was inevitable, we’re both too stubborn, too hot headed, and far too alike for us to ever have a balanced relationship.
The ringing of my phone pulls me from my thoughts, and I frown as I see an unknown number calling me.
Could it be him? But why wouldn’t he try calling me from his own phone first?
I tentatively reach out and accept the call, bringing my cell to my ear. “Hello?”
“Izzy?” a familiar voice asks, and it takes me a minute to recognize the man on the other end of the call.
“What are you calling me?” I sigh.
“Can we meet? I want to talk to you,” he asks, and I inwardly groan.
“Fine.” Resigned but curious as to why he wants to meet me, I agree to meet him at a coffee shop downtown.
I end the call, call an uber and grab my coat before walking out the door. The drive to the coffee shop doesn’t take long. I walk inside, and I’m hit by the strong smell of coffee and cinnamon before seeing the reason for me being here sitting at a table in the middle of a shop with a coffee waiting for me.
“What am I doing here Alec?” I slide into the seat opposite him and shrug out of my coat.
“I wanted to see how you were doing, check up on you.” He gestures towards my face. I look like shit, I know I do. There’s no amount of makeup that can hide the bruises covering my face and body.
Enzo had a doctor meet me at the apartment as soon as I landed in New York, he popped my shoulder back in place and stitched the deeper cuts that cover my body.
“I’m fine,” I answer briskly, and he gives me a resigned nod.
“It’s not your fault you know,” he says to which I give him a confused look before he continues. “I’ve seen everything you’ve been doing. What your father did was not your fault, you shouldn’t blame yourself for something you were unaware of and powerless to fight.”
Right, that.
“Cut to it, Alec. Did Luca send you here?”
“Fuck no. And he has no idea I’m here, he’d probably threaten to kill me if he did, you know he’s sorry right?” I peer out of the window and murmur, “It’s too late for that, he may have been there for me eventually, but he wasn’t there when I needed him the most.”
“You’re right, but I want you to know that I’m grateful for everything you’ve done in the last two years. I don’t want yours and Luca’s relationship to come between our partnership. If you want to completely ignore my identity and carry on as Hurricane and Scorpion, I completely respect that. But I would like us to get to know one another better, you’re my biggest asset Izzy.” He slides a thumb drive across the table and stands. “That’s a copy of everything that Luca was sent, I thought if you saw that, then maybe you could try and see things from his point of view.” And with that little parting gift, he strolls out of the coffee shop, leaving me to wonder what the hell just happened.
I’m in a daze as I take a cab back to the apartment, Alec’s words repeat in my mind over and over until I’m on the verge of a breakdown. I take the elevator up to Enzo’s floor and walk down the narrow hall but my steps falter once I see the man that I’m helplessly in love with sitting on the floor in front of the apartment door.
Luca must sense my arrival as his head snaps up and his eyes widen when he blinks as though he doesn’t think I’m really here.
“Izzy,” he whispers and the pain in his voice makes me want to wrap him in my arms and tell him everything will be okay. But I don’t, because it won’t, I really don’t think we can ever come back from what’s happened.
“Why are you here, Luca?” I murmur.
He climbs to his feet, and I take in his appearance. His usually pristine suit appears disheveled, his hair seems ruffled, and he has dark circles under his eyes, as if he hasn’t been sleeping.
I guess that makes the two of us.
“I had to see you with my own eyes baby, can we talk? Please.”
I sigh before unlocking the door to Enzo’s apartment and waving my arm to gesture for him to come inside before closing the door behind me.
I take a seat on the armchair—not wanting to sit on the sofa and give him the opportunity to sit too close to me. But rather than sitting on the sofa, he sits down on the coffee table in front of me. His hand twitches and he clasps his hands together and leans his arms on his knees as if he’s trying to stop himself from reaching out to me.
“I’m so fucking sorry, Iz, I know that won’t mean anything to you, but I just needed to say the words. You’re my fucking life, baby. My everything. Please tell me there’s some way we can fix this.” Theres’s desperation in his tone and it breaks my heart to see him so fucked up over this, but I can’t risk my own heart breaking again.
“I know you are.” I give him a sad smile while willing myself not to cry. “There’s nothing to fix, Luca, this was always going to end one way or another.” I stand and walk to the window to look down at the street. “I’m grateful for everything we shared, but I can’t do it anymore. I always thought I was strong, I thought I could handle anything. But I’m not, you broke me, Luca.” My voice cracks on the last word and I turn to face him. I didn’t even hear him approach me, but as I turn, I realize he must have gotten up while I was speaking, because he’s standing right in front of me, unshed tears in his eyes that threaten to weaken my resolve.
Luca drops to his knees right in front of me, his chest heaving as though he’s struggling to catch his breath.
“I can’t do any of this without you, Izzy. I can’t fucking breathe without you. Every second I’m away from you I feel like I’m struggling to take a breath, I’m drowning and you’re the only hope of my survival. I’m begging you, Izzy, please just give me a chance to prove just how much I fucking love you. You know I’m not the type of man to ever beg for anything, but I’ll happily stay on my fucking knees for the rest of my life if that’s what it takes. I’ll do anything, Iz. You want space for a while? I’ll do that. You want dates and flowers? Done. You want me to burn the city to ashes for you baby? Just say the word and I’ll light the match while kneeling at your feet. Just give me a chance to love you with everything I have.” He heaves in a breath and hangs his head, but I can still see the tears running down his face.
“I’m sorry. I love you, Luca, but I can’t be with you.” My lips tremble as I force myself to say the words, and he nods silently before standing. He approaches me carefully, as if he’s worried that I’ll bolt the second he comes close and wipes the tears from my face before pressing a light kiss to my forehead which only makes me cry harder.
“I’ll always love you, Izzy,” he whispers into my hair before he pulls back. He gives me one last look, full of shame, remorse and heartbreak before he turns and walks out the door with his head tilted down.
As soon as the door closes behind him, I fall to my knees, my legs unable to keep me standing any longer. The remnants of my shattered heart scatter to the floor around me while the other half of my soul just walked out of the door.
