Ever.
Luca muttered something to the man on the phone. A quick, “Yeah, all right.” Then, he set it down on the small table beside the loveseat at the foot of the bed. She thought he hung it up, but apparently, he just put it on speakerphone.
“She there?” Naz asked.
Penny swallowed hard, giving Luca a look.
He only shrugged back.
Damn.
“I’m here,” she said.
Naz took a second.
And then another.
“You dumped the files?”
Penny glanced Luca’s way, but he watched the dark screen of the television like he couldn’t get the image out of his head of the reporter discussing the thousands of files—she knew it was horrifying. The images and videos of her abuse ranged from simple scenes of grooming to totally debasing acts.
Had he seen some?
It was an unfortunate by-product of her choice. Innocent people would have to be affected—and subjected—to the dark reality in the world. She was sorry for that. Regret was a whole other matter entirely.
“I had someone else dump the files,” Penny told Naz. “Yes.”
Had he wanted a different answer?
Penny didn’t care to ask.
“I’ve essentially plastered Allegra’s history and the things she would rather hide where everyone can see,” Penny said. “I’ve ruined any chance of her soon-to-be husband continuing his political career beyond what he has. I’m sure the consensus among his team is no comment, and I assume Allegra’s side of things will be the same. Let them lick their wounds while they plan a funeral for her father. It gives me some time to get ahead.”
Luca let out a hard breath. “Well ...”
“Yeah,” Naz muttered in reply on the phone.
Penny never said this would be easy.
None of it.
“We miss you, Penny,” Naz said suddenly. “I hope you know that.”
Luca gave her a small smile. She couldn’t help but do the same back when she replied to the man on the phone, “I know, and when this is all over ...”
She stopped herself from saying more.
Naz chuckled, saying, “Yeah, when this is all over.”
Things would be different.
She needed that.
14.
Luca
PENNY dropped a single duffle bag to the couch when the call clicked off with Naz. Luca dipped his chin in the direction of the bag, asking, “Did you get everything you needed?”
“Well, I didn’t bring anything I don’t need.”
Smartass.
He liked it, though.
Penny shrugged and ripped open the zipper on the bag to show him what was inside. Other than the pack for the dismantled sniper rifle she’d been using the night before, she hadn’t been traveling with more. He gave the items at the top of the bag a cursory glance; it wasn’t anything particularly interesting and everything that he expected.
Bands of cash.
Clothes.
Knives.
He suspected there were probably a couple of guns at the bottom, and whatever else Penny might need to get by.
“I had more,” she said, pulling the zipper closed again, “just in case. But I don’t really need it. Dumped it on the way back here.”
“As long as you’re satisfied.”
She gave him a second look.
Fuck.
Maybe Luca hadn’t tempered his tone enough to hide the anxious note lingering in his words.
“You didn’t think I would come back,” she said.
Luca sighed. “You really don’t give me many reasons to assume otherwise.”
“That’s fair.”
But here she was.
And they had bigger things to deal with. Even Luca knew that. His hurt feelings and anything else that might get in the way and complicate shit could wait a while. He was fine with that.
“And consider before you make another phone call,” Penny said, pointing at the phone he had left sitting where he put it on speakerphone earlier, “that if Allegra or anyone else from her side of things manages to connect you to me right now, we are one step away from Naz, Roz, or—”
“I don’t need the reminder. And I think we’re safe.”
Penny arched a brow. “Maybe, but still ... I take enough risks.”
But not with them, he knew. Hell, she ran away to become an assassin just to protect them. Luca didn’t think it was the right time to point that out, however.
But that gave him another thought.
“All these years, huh?”
Penny had been reaching for the handles of the duffle bag, but froze mid-grab. Her bright stare darted upward, slamming into his when she asked, “What are you talking about?”
“Naz’s father knew for all these years. Where you were, I mean. What happened. Cross knew all of it because he orchestrated it.”
A slow, steady stream of air left Penny’s parted lips, but otherwise, she gave nothing away. Even when she replied, “It’s not him I have to worry about here. He just signed a paper once—cleared up the details, so to speak. The rest was me.”
“You don’t think he has influence with one of the organizations currently hunting you down right now considering he was the one who brought you to The League?”
Penny’s jaw flexed. “They’re not the same as The Elite. Regardless of what they’re doing right now, they’re not the same even if their goal is a similar one.”
“Your point?”
“They’re the least of my worries. Like my ex-boss.”
“Are you sure about that?”
Because he thought they might be the only real threat left when it came to her safety. She had already severely wounded The Elite as an organization—their hired dogs on Penny’s trail were probably about as useless as the people in control of their leashes at the moment. The League was not the same. And the only connection between her and them that could be helpful was Cross Donati. He figured that was an important detail.
“Are we done talking?” Penny asked, snatching up the duffle bag. “Because if so, we need to go. No point in staying here longer than we need to. The city is buzzing right now.”
Luca heard what she didn’t say. “I know a place we could go for a couple of days, or whatever you need.”
Far away from city lights.
“What I need,” Penny muttered, “is time to let things work.”
“What things?”
Her answer?
“Everything, Luca.”
He wasn’t surprised.
“We’ll need a car,” he called at her retreating back while he gathered his few possessions left in the room.
“And I bet you can get that figured out, too. Right?”
“Maybe.”
Penny winked over her shoulder where she waited by the hotel room’s door. “That’s why I need you, Luca.”
Right.
That was why.
WITH A LITTLE TIME and inspiration, Luca could figure anything out or make shit work. Some might say he was resourceful, but he thought it was a lot simpler than that. Habit bred obsession, in his case, and he was a product of exactly that. He didn’t like unanswered questions, of any kind, so he had taught himself how to find the answer to problems no matter the issue.