One loophole
“It's not like you, Luciano. It's a sign... I am telling you…. Look at you…... Don't you want to give yourself a chance and see what the whole obsession is about?”
“I don't want to know.” Luciano turned around to face James, who was standing behind him. “I am so scared to know. It's not about the dance or how my body is already worked out because of her.” Luciano pauses, with worries written all over his face.
“Then what is going on?”
“I am bothered by the level I get connected with her. At deeper levels, I have never come close, even to myself.
“It was as if we were one. We spoke in our minds. I am running crazy.”
“So, it's true you have feelings for her? How?”
Luciano turned to see Cement and Concrete still at the elevator door on guard.
“Shshhshhh…. Keep quiet. If my uncle finds out something outrageous like those feelings for her, it will make it worse for her.”
“This is not about your uncle Luciano… Don't diverge the question. Look into your heart.
“How did you feel about her? Do you think anything meaningful deep can happen?”
The matchmaking James was on. This was going to be a long night for Luciano.
“Feel...Feel what exactly?” Luciano tried to avoid the question, but in reality, he was running crazy in the head. This can't be happening to me. He thought.
“How could I develop feelings for a woman I just met two hours ago? That is impossible. Something is completely wrong with me.”
“Do you have any desire to strip her naked in bed? You know?”
Yes.
He felt flattered. He found her the most attractive woman he ever thought existed. But that was not the time or the place.
“James... fuck off… Let it go.”
Luciano's private elevator opened, and they both walked in. “What do you think this is, James?
“I am not supposed to be that person, and you know that. I am not supposed to have a heart. I can't lose my rationality. I can't lose my reasoning. I must make tough decisions. And I can't do them with her trembling with my heart, body, and mind all at once.”
“Okay, calm down Luciano… I am asking about the next step, not now. Even if not with her. What do you see in your future?”
“We have had these discussions.…. And my mind hasn't changed…. Yes, I do. I want a different life, to go on a date…. Get married traditionally, not like my mother and father.
“Have kids of mine away from here. I want to dance as I did right now.
“I want to go to school too. But first I should find a way out of here for us. I will only dream of that after the runaway plan has been successful.”
“And by the time you are done with the runaway plan. We will all be dead… right!?”
James turned his gaze away from Luciano with sadness written all over. “Don't worry. I will do my best every day. I will find a safe way, eventually. I won't let you or Zia die.”
The elevator opened with a bang, and James turned up to him before they walked into his penthouse.
“That family… that life you want… must find a bit of you still existing… Stop pushing hard on losing yourself to become that avatar you want everyone to believe.
“You are the nicest person I know. And I want that person to live forever. That nice person wouldn't let an innocent woman he could save die.
“He is going to kill her…. Can you look beyond your attraction to her and your denial and see that she completely needs your help?”
“I CAN'T BE OF HELP RIGHT NOW, THERE IS NOTHING I CAN DO.”
Luciano walked off the elevator to his penthouse. Everything in him now no longer felt happy. It all reminded him of her.
And James made it worse. James walked over to him. “Luciano… Listen, I know how it is to be thrown away. I know how it is to feel you have lost and have been torn apart. But right now, and here, think like Bullet now.
“You will not let your uncle win. There must be a loophole to take him out. We both know this one has something on your uncle.
James was making a point. Something was off.
“He wouldn't have gone this mile for anyone. Women have always been Cement, and Concretes jobs line. But with this one, he came in personally. He threatened you. In front of everyone for her. The Don Mauro I know would never do that.”
No man would not be fascinated by Keirah's beauty. Luciano thought. Not even his uncle.
What Luciano knew for sure was he would let Keirah do whatever she wanted. If she had walked back to him, then when he begged her to stay. He would have done the impossible to save her. If it was his uncle, she chose.
He wouldn't interfere.
He would not hurt himself more by adding to the pain of walking up to them having sex.
Keirah had taken over all his control throughout the time they were together. No, she had been doing it all the time from when they met. It scared the hell out of him, not having a say in allowing her to take control.
The images of their kiss together surrounded him, and then imaginary images of Keirah kissing his uncle flashed in his head. Was his uncle going to kill Keirah after he had satisfied himself with his sexual fantasies?
And finally came the last blow, the imaginary image of her limp body lying on the floor covered by her blood. He didn't know what to say or what to do.
It tempted him to bury all this and go pull her out of whatever she was doing with his uncle, but he could not walk back and try to save her.
He knew the reason. He would put James and Zia's life at stake. He would never bargain their lives over anything.
The moment he would step into his uncle's room demanding Keirah. Would be the moment to gun them down.
They were his biggest weakness and Don Mauro wanted to encourage him to make the first move, so he would do what he had intended to do under the disguise that it would be just a payback.
He wasn't ready to risk their lives. He was almost getting them out.
Keirah was just today's destruction.
And a bigger plan was at stake if he tried anything stupid. He turned back to watch James and felt sad. James was doing all this for him. For his heart and being.
He wanted him to feel again.
Be human again.
Feel alive and loved.
And it was time to turn his humanity off. Just like he did with every other woman he failed to save. Tears nonstop flew down his eyes. It hurt. It hurt so much.