“Yes, she is.”

“I can’t throw her out. She comes here all the time to party. I haven’t seen her since that night. I usually stay in the back.”

I nodded, a lump forming in my throat. Luca took my chin between his thumb and index finger, forcing me to meet his eyes. “There’s only you, Aria.” He glanced at his watch, then pulled back. “I really need to go now. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He turned and strode through the crowd that parted for him. Matteo followed after him and Gianna stepped up beside me. “That asshole.”

“Who?” I said distractedly. Grace had disappeared from the VIP area.

“Matteo. The guy has the nerve to tell me not to dance with other men. What is he? My owner. Fuck him.” She paused. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” I whispered. “Let’s go to the bar.” Romero and Cesare fell into step behind us but I turned around to them, feeling on edge. “Can you watch us from afar? You’re driving me crazy.” Without a word they separated and took positions in corners of the club. I released a breath and settled on a barstool.

I ordered two new Gin & Tonics and took a deep gulp from the cool liquid, trying to relax. Gianna jiggled her leg. “You can go dancing,” I told her, but she shook her head and bobbed her head to the music. “In a few minutes. You look pale.”

“I’m okay,” I said, my eyes searching the club for a sign of Grace, but she seemed to have vanished into thin air. There were too many people on the dance floor to find her anyway.

“I really need to go to the restroom,” Gianna said after a while. Her Gin & Tonic was almost gone.

“I need to sit for a few more minutes.”

Gianna gave me a worried look but then she slipped away and Cesare followed at a safe distance.

I put my head in my palm, taking a deep breath. An arm bumped against mine, startling me. I drew back as a man with long blond hair leaned against the counter beside me. He reached past me for a straw. His jacket brushed my breast and I leaned even further back, and glanced away, uncomfortable with the look he was giving me.

“What’s your name?” he shouted.

I tried to ignore him. Something about him was seriously giving me the creeps. I took a sip from my drink and tried to pretend I was busy searching for someone. The man kept leering at me with an ugly smile on his unshaven face. “Are you waiting for someone?”

I turned away, really trying to ignore him and not make a big deal out of this. If I started freaking out, Romero would come over and make a scene. Maybe he was already on his way. My vision started to blur and my stomach gave a lurch. I took another sip from my drink but it didn’t help. I slid off the stool but my legs were shaky and I felt dizzy. I grabbed the counter behind me. Suddenly, the man’s mouth was at my ear, his stale-cigarette breath on my face. “I’m going to fuck your tight ass. I’ll make you scream, bitch.” His grip on my arm was crushing as he tried to drag me away from the bar. My eyes found Romero who was steering toward me, hand under his jacket where his gun and knife were. Impatient by our slow progress, my attacker wrapped an arm around me like a loving boyfriend ready to help his drunk girlfriend out of the club. “I’ll fuck you like an animal. I’ll fuck you bloody, cunt,” he rasped into my ear. I stared at him, my limbs feeling heavy, my mouth like it was filled with cotton. I’d heard those exact words not too long ago.

I forced my lips into a smile. “You are a dead man.”

Confusion flickered across the man’s face a second before it contorted in agony. He released me and my legs gave away, but Cesare caught me, his arm replacing that of the man. My eyes darted around for Gianna. She hovered beside Cesare, face drawn in worry. Romero was close behind my attacker, his knife buried in the man’s upper thigh. “You will follow us. If you try to run, you’ll die.”

“Take her drink,” Cesare said to Gianna. “But don’t drink.”

Cesare half carried me toward the back of the club and down a flight of stairs. He shouldered open a door and we walked into a sort of office. Matteo rose from his chair. “What’s going on?”

“Probably roofies,” Romero said, giving the man he was holding a good shake.

“I’ll get Luca,” Matteo said with a twisted smile. He walked through another door and a moment later Luca stalked into the room, as tall and impressive as ever. I hung in Cesare’s grasp, my face half pressed against his chest. Luca’s eyes narrowed, then flitted between me and my attacker.

“What happened?” he snarled.

Suddenly he was in front of me, lifting me into his arm. My head lolled against his chest as I gazed up at him. He put me down on the couch. Gianna knelt beside me, gripping my hand. “What’s happening to her?” she cried.

“Roofies,” Romero said again. “This sick fuck was trying to drag her outside.”

Luca drew himself up before my attacker. “You put Roofies in my wife’s drink, Rick?”

Luca knew that man? Confusion flickered in my hazy mind.

“Wife! I didn’t know she was yours. I didn’t. I swear!” The man’s lower lip was trembling.

Luca pushed away Romero’s hand and curled his fingers around the handle of the knife still buried in Rick’s leg. He twisted and the man screamed. Romero held him upright by the arms. “What did you plan to do to her once you had her outside?”

“Nothing!” the man cried.

“Nothing? So if my men hadn’t stopped you, you would have just dropped her off at a hospital?” Luca’s voice was pleasant, calm, his face devoid of emotion.

Gianna’s grip on my hand was painful. I swallowed and cleared my throat. “I’ll fuck your tight ass,” I whispered.

Luca’s head whirled around, then he was at my side, his face so close to mine, I could have kissed him. Maybe it was the Roofies but I really wanted to kiss him senseless in that moment, wanted to rip his shirt off, wanted to...

“What did you say, Aria?”

“I’ll fuck your tight ass. I’ll make you scream, bitch. I’ll fuck you bloody, cunt. That’s what he said to me.” Luca stared into my eyes, a muscle in his jaw working. Before he could move, Gianna had leaped to her feet and flew at Rick. She hit his face and kicked his groin, and struggled ferociously against Matteo’s grip as he dragged her away from Rick.

“You will die!” she screamed.

Luca straightened and she stopped moving.

“Let me go,” she hissed.

“You promise to behave?” Matteo asked with an amused smile.

She nodded, her stare fixed on Rick. Matteo dropped his arms and she straightened her clothes. “They will make you bleed,” she said coldly. “And I hope they will rape your ugly ass with that broomstick over there.”

“Gianna,” I rasped. She came over to me and sank down on the edge of the couch, taking my hand again.

Matteo didn’t take his eyes off her. “I’ll make him pay, Gianna.”

“No,” Luca said firmly. Rick looked ready to burst from relief. “He’s my responsibility.” Matteo and Luca exchanged a long look, then Matteo nodded.

Luca brought his face close to Rick’s. “You wanted to fuck my wife? Wanted to make her scream?” His voice tore through my growing dizziness and sent a shiver down my back. I was glad it wasn’t directed at me. I’d been scared of Luca before, but never had he sounded anything like this. Rick shook his head frantically. “No, please.”