Chapter 5 Collateral
The air in the dining room shifted the moment Luca leaned against the doorframe, his grin lazy, but his eyes calculating. He didn’t wait for an invitation, he pulled out the chair opposite Isabella and sat on it as if the table belonged to him.
“Don’t stop on my account,” he said lightly. “I’d hate to think I ruined my brother's… intimate breakfast.”
Dante’s jaw hardened, his eyes shooting daggers at Luca. “You’re not wanted here, Luca.”
“Funny,” Luca chuckled, pouring himself a glass of wine despite the early hour, “I could say the same about her.” His gaze slid to Isabella, lingering just long enough to make her shift uncomfortably in her seat. “But it seems you’ve already taken a likeness to her.”
Heat rushed to Isabella’s face. “Likeness?” she echoed, unable to stop the word from slipping past her lips.
Luca tilted his head, eyes glinting with amusement. “Ah, so she doesn’t know yet. Typical Dante, dragging someone into your world without explaining the rules.”
“Don't you have work to do?” Dante questioned him.
Come on, Dante. You never bring women to this table. I’m curious.” He turned his focus back to Isabella. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”
Isabella hesitated, her throat dry. “Isabella.”
“Isabella,” Luca repeated, savoring the syllables. “Beautiful name. Doesn’t quite fit this cage, though, does it?” His grin widened when she stiffened.
Dante’s fork hit the table with a sharp clang. “Luca.”
But Luca only chuckled. “Relax, brother. I’m just… introducing myself. Isn’t that polite?” He turned back to Isabella, lowering his voice. “Tell me, how does one end up here? With him?” He gestured casually toward Dante. “Did you choose it? Or were you chosen?”
Her lips parted, but no words came. She felt Dante’s gaze burning into her, a silent warning not to answer.
Luca leaned back, watching the tension stretch. “Ah, I see. Silence, that’s how he likes it.”
Dante’s fist hit the table with a sharp crack that made Isabella flinch. “That’s enough.”
Luca didn’t react, his smirk only deepened. “You guard her already. Interesting.” His eyes flicked between them, sharp with curiosity.
Isabella felt an incoming headache. She glanced at Dante, but his expression was neutral. Luca’s smile was unsettling, but there was something else beneath it, something that looked almost like a warning.
Isabella pushed her chair back slowly. “Thank you… for breakfast. If you don’t mind, I’d like to return to my room.”
She stood, eager to put distance between herself and both brothers, the air still heavy with Luca’s mocking smile.
But before she could take two steps, Dante’s voice cut across the room, low and commanding.
“Wait!” His voice echoed in the room.
Her breath caught. She turned, his gaze already on her.
“You’ll need to get ready later,” he continued, dabbing his mouth with a napkin before setting it down with precise etiquette. “Tonight, you’re coming with me.”
Her brows furrowed. “Coming with you? Where?”
“An exclusive gathering.” His eyes never left hers. “Formal. Midnight.”
“A party?” The word felt ridiculous on her tongue, like it didn’t belong in this world of cold marble and quiet threats.
Dante rose slowly from his chair, and even that simple act made her step back. “Not the kind you’re imagining. You’ll see.”
She swallowed hard, her voice trembling despite her best effort. “And if I say no?”
“I don't think you would.” Dante added in a flat tone.
“Excuse me.” Isabella stomped out of the dining room.
The dining room felt colder the second Isabella’s footsteps disappeared down the hall. Her absence left behind silence.
Dante stood rigid at the head of the table, his eyes followed the door she had exited, though his expression gave away nothing. Only the faint tension in his jaw betrayed him.
Behind him, Luca broke the quiet with a soft laugh. “Well,” he said, swirling the last of his wine lazily, “that was entertaining.”
Dante didn’t move.
Luca leaned back in his chair, stretching out like a cat that had just toyed with a mouse. “You’ve changed, brother. Once upon a time, you would’ve slit Marco’s throat the moment he defaulted. You would’ve dragged his family into the street and let the men watch. But instead-” He gestured vaguely toward the door Isabella had taken. “You bring his sister here. To our table. To your bed, maybe?” His grin cut sharp. “Don’t tell me the great Dante Moretti has gone soft.”
Dante finally turned. His gaze was unreadable. “What do you want, Luca?”
“What do I want?” Luca’s smirk widened. “Answers. The debt was mine. The deal was mine. And you-” He pointed his fingers toward Dante, “you interfered. You stole my collateral.”
Dante’s voice was cold. “Collateral? She’s not a shipment of weapons, Luca. She’s a person.”
“Oh, please.” Luca stood now, pushing his chair back with a scrape that echoed through the room. He stepped closer, lowering his voice. “Don’t start pretending you’ve suddenly grown a conscience. You took her for a reason. And I want to know why.”
Dante didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he turned his back to Luca, walking toward the tall windows. His reflection stared back at him.
Luca’s voice followed him. “You want to punish me? Fine. But don’t act like this is about protecting her. You’re using her to get to me.”
Dante stopped, shoulders tense. “Maybe I’m saving her from your carelessness.”
Luca’s smirk flickered. “Careless?”
“You lent Marco money you knew he couldn’t repay,” Dante said, still facing the window. “That wasn’t business, it was bait. And bait draws sharks.”
Luca’s eyes narrowed. “And you think you’re the fisherman?”
“I think,” Dante said evenly, “that you have no idea what you’re doing.”
The room stilled. For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Luca chuckled softly, the sound low, unsettling. “Always so dramatic. But tell me, Dante, if I’m the reckless one, then why do you look so rattled?”
Before Dante could respond, another voice broke the tension.
“Boss, we have a problem.”
Both men turned as Matteo stepped into the room. His presence was sharp, his movements precise, but his eyes carried weight. He glanced once at Luca, then fixed on Dante.
