CHAPTER 34
Lake stared at his phone screen for a long moment, the name “Vincent Marchetti” glowing ominously. His boss. rarely called him directly, and when he did, it was never good news. With trembling fingers, Luke answered the
call.
“Boss,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady and respectful. “I wasn’t expecting-”
“Shut up and listen!” Vincent Marchetti’s voice exploded through the speaker so loudly that everyone in the room could hear it. “Who the hell did you provoke tonight?”
Luke’s face went pale. “Boss, I don’t know what you—”
“Don’t play stupid with me!” Marchetti roared. “I just got a call from someone so far up the food chain that I can’t even see them from where I’m standing! They told me that if anyone in my organization–in MY nightclub -disrespects a certain individual, our entire operation is finished!”
“Boss, please, I can explain-”
“Explain what?” Marchetti’s fury was palpable even through the phone. “That you’re trying to destroy everything I’ve built? That you want to see us all dead or in prison?”
Luke’s eyes darted around the room desperately, his mind racing. “There must be some mistake. I only had a few people here tonight. Just some nobody corporate types and—”
“One of those ‘nobody corporate types‘ must be somebody very important,” Marchetti interrupted coldly.‘ Important enough that one phone call has me shaking in my shoes. So I’m asking you one more time—who did you provoke?”
Luke’s gaze fell on Pervis, who stood calmly in the center of the room, watching the scene unfold with mild interest. It couldn’t be him. It was impossible. This well–dressed young man couldn’t possibly be the kind of powerful figure who could threaten their entire criminal organization with a single phone call.
But who else could it be?
“I… I might have had a small disagreement with one of the guests,” Luke admitted weakly.
“A disagreement?” Marchetti’s laugh was bitter and humorless. “Fix it. Fix it right now, Luke, or I swear to God I will personally deliver you to whoever you pissed off. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, boss. Absolutely, boss.”
“And Luke? If I lose everything because you couldn’t keep your hands to yourself for one goddamn night, you’ll wish you’d never been born.”
The call ended with a harsh click, leaving Luke standing in the middle of his private room, surrounded by his men, holding a phone that suddenly felt impossibly heavy.
The silence stretched for several uncomfortable seconds. Luke’s thugs exchanged confused glances, clearly uncertain about what they’d just overheard.
Pervis broke the silence with a voice that was perfectly calm and reasonable. “Can we leave now?”
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CHAPTER 34
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Luke stared at him, his mind working frantically. Was this nobody actually somebody? The timing was too coincidental to ignore. His boss had received a call at the exact moment Luke was threatening this man.
But if he was wrong–if he let Pervis go and it turned out he wasn’t the important figure–Luke would look weak in front of his men. On the other hand, if Pervis really was connected to someone powerful enough to terrify Vincent Marchetti, then continuing to threaten him would be signing his own death warrant.
Luke didn’t dare take that chance.
His face contorted as he forced his expression into something approximating a smile, though it looked more like a grimace. “Of course. There’s been a… misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding,” Pervis repeated flatly.
“Yes!” Luke said quickly, his voice taking on a desperate, placating quality. “Just a simple mix–up. No harm intended. You and the lady are free to go. My apologies for any inconvenience.”
His thugs looked at each other in confusion, clearly not understanding why their boss was suddenly backing down.
“Boss?” one of them asked uncertainly.
“Let them go,” Luke snapped. “Now.”
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
