The Virgin and Her Bodyguard

Chapter 1

Chapter One

LUCA

I had to learn to cut ties a long time ago. It was easy for me since I grew up alone. The first time I was sent to a foster home, I was too young to remember. But after the first five or six, they all blended together. By the time I was sixteen, I was living in a warehouse by the water and running errands for Vitaly’s family.

His father and uncle took me off the streets and gave me a way to make money. Sure, it wasn’t the most legal way to earn a living, but what I was doing on my own was going to get me killed. The life they gave me came with protection and in turn, I offered my loyalty.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Vitaly asks me when I toss my bag into the trunk of the car.

“I’m more worried about not being there to save your ass,” I tell him, and I see the grin he likes to hide from the rest of the world.

“Keep yourself safe, brother,” he says and pulls me in for a tight hug.

We grew up together in this world, and there’s no one I trust more. But he made the decision to start a life with Pru, and that turned everything upside down. When I step back, I glance over at Nolia saying goodbye to Pru and for the first time since all of this started, I understand his motivation.

When Nolia showed up at the restaurant, I took one look at her, and it felt like getting punched in the gut. I knew of her, but I’d never seen her before tonight. Her father works as the head groundskeeper for Pru’s father, and she works right alongside him.

“We need to go,” I tell her, and she nods as Pru wipes away her tears. I have the urge to do that myself, but I don’t.

“I’ll see you soon,” Pru tells her and then cuts her eyes to mine. “Guard her with your life.”

I nod once at Pru before opening the car door for Nolia to get in.

“I’ll get word to you as soon as I can,” I tell Vitaly as he pulls Pru into his arms.

“The sooner the better,” Pru calls out before I get in the car and drive out of the underground parking garage.

Nolia is silent for a long time, but then I realize she’s in her head, and I can practically feel the anxiety coming off of her.

“You live with your father on the grounds, right?” I ask, even though I know the answer. I need her to talk so she relaxes.

“Yes, he's got a cottage there with a small guest room. I stay with him a few days a week, and sometimes I stay with my elderly aunt in the city.”

“Does Renzo Benecci know about her?” The mention of his name makes her body stiffen, but I know if she gets these feelings out in the open, then she can get through this faster. At least that’s how it works with me.

“I’m sure he does. She’s my father’s sister and much older than him. She doesn’t have any other family, so I help take care of her.”

“You pay for the live-in nurse, right?”

Nolia seems surprised that I know this information. Knowing this kind of thing is my job.

“Yes,” she says and cocks her head to the side. “You did your homework.”

“I had a little time.” I shrug like it’s not a big deal. “What do you think it will take to get your father to agree to leave?”

She lets out a long sigh as she considers this.

This is the whole reason for this plan. I’m pretending to defect from Vitaly’s organization so I can join Renzo Benecci’s crew. This way I can keep an eye on Nolia while she gets her father out of there. If Renzo finds out that Nolia helped Pru escape and he can’t get to Nolia, he’ll use her father to get his revenge.

Renzo was the head of his establishment, but after Vitaly cut out his tongue, his second in command is calling the shots. Renzo is still there, but he can’t exactly give orders quite yet. I’m probably the last person he wants to see coming through his doors. My hope is he’s dumb enough to believe I’d leave Vitaly but smart enough to know I’m a useful soldier.

“He doesn’t see what Renzo was doing to Pru. Or what he was going to do to her by marrying her off to Eduardo.” She sighs again like she’s got the weight of the world on her shoulders. “And he won’t listen to me.”

“I commend his loyalty.”

“That’s all that matters to you people.” She crosses her arms over her chest like she’s angry. “It’s all about loyalty and respect, but none of you stop and think about what it does to the people around you.”

“You’re including me with this assessment?” I glance over at her, and she bites her bottom lip in thought.

“I don’t know yet. I guess I’ll have to see for myself.”

“You will,” I say with conviction. “Tell me about his second in command, Marco.”

“Are you saying you don’t know where he sleeps every night of the week?” She’s relaxed a little and I get the feeling she’s teasing me.

“I didn’t say that. I’m curious what your perspective is. You obviously see things that others don’t, and that’s what I can’t find on a computer.”

She thinks it over and then shrugs. “He brings women to the house. I don’t know if anyone realizes it, but I work on the outskirts of the house. I’m in the gardens and around the fences all day, so I know the exits, even the ones they think are secret.”

“Good to know.” I like that she knows a way out in case things go south.

“Marco is the one in charge of security, so he’s got access to the cameras. If I could have gotten Pru out another way, I would have, but he would have seen it. When he wants to bring in someone to warm his bed, he can control the feed or erase time on the recordings. I’ve heard other people talking about missing time at the exact moment I saw him sneaking someone in.”

“Anything else?”

She swallows hard, and then I feel her eyes on me. “The women he brings over don’t always leave. If you know what I mean.”

I nod once because I can imagine. I’ve known of men like that in this organization, and I’ve taken out a few of them on my own.

“I want you to have this,” I say as I reach in my pocket and take out a pen.

“What for?” She takes it from me and looks it over like it’s going to sprout legs.

“Click the top,” I tell her.

When she does, my phone vibrates, and the screen flashes once. It’s subtle enough that if someone saw my phone do it, they might think they imagined it.

“Anytime you need me, you click the pen and I’ll be there,” I say and then make the last turn for Renzo Benecci’s estate.

I’m pleased when she holds it close to her chest. “How long do you think this will take?”

I pull up to the iron gates, and up ahead I see two guards walking toward us.

“As long as it takes to keep you safe,” I say and then slide my hand over the space between us and grab her thigh. The bare skin below her shorts is warm and soft. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”