Boss | Book 1| Complete

~5~

Calliope

What did I get myself into?

We were riding back to the apartment building, the place where I would be staying.

When Luca offered it to me, I nearly cried. The apartment was beautiful, and I had spent all day there, resting and enjoying the luxury of having a roof over my head for the first time in a year.

Never did I imagine that I'd be able to call that place my own. It was hard enough to believe that I had been gifted with gorgeous designer dresses and priceless pieces of jewelry.

I had just taken the most incredible bubble bath when someone sounded the buzzer at the intercom. I had answered nervously, remembering that Luca had told me his men would be dropping a few things by.

A delivery of clothes that cost more than the average person's yearly salary was definitely unexpected. It made me soften almost immediately. I appreciated the effort he was making to ensure I was well taken care of.

What's more, he had the legal documentation for my new identity delivered within hours of my arrival. I took the gesture exactly for what it was: a show of power. But I also understood that meant that for the first time in a long time, I wouldn't have to live life looking over my shoulder.

I could actually relax and enjoy my existence the way I should have been doing for years now. This man's power would act as an invisible set of armor, making me as untouchable as he was.

But I was no fool.

I also understood that agreeing to his lifestyle would put a huge target on my back. A man as powerful as Luca Moretti didn't find success without making a few enemies along the way.

It was a double-edged sword. On the one hand, I would be safer than I'd been in a long time. On the other hand, my life would completely change, danger following me wherever I went.

In the end, the decision hadn't been that hard. I knew just how cold and hard it was out there on the street. Residents looked down at the homeless like they were less than human. Finding even a few scraps of food in the fall and winter months was a rarity and staying warm enough to live until Spring was something entirely out of my control.

At least with the Moretti's, I'd have food, water, shelter, and clothing. I'd have the protection of the most powerful man in the world, and I'd have enough money to make just about anything happen.

I was relieved Luca had respected my wishes and stopped prying into my background. The shadows of my past haunted me every night in my dreams. I didn't want to explain myself to anyone – didn't want to recount the terrible things that had transpired to bring me to this point in my life.

I just wanted to move on...as Raven Moretti.

We pulled up outside the apartment. The driver opened Luca's door for him and stepped aside. I watched him exit the car, his wide shoulders filling the doorway as he turned around to face me. He offered me his hand, his dark eyes silently commanding me.

I took it and let him help me out like I was used to the treatment. It was odd but wonderful at the same time. To be treated like a human being, respected instead of knocked down and abused, was the most incredible thing in the world.

A lot of women took that for granted on a daily basis because they'd never seen the other side of things. They'd never known the darkness or what it was like to be tossed around like a rag doll and told what to do under the threat of a beating or worse...death.

He walked me to the door, stepping in front of me and leaning against it so I wouldn't pass. My breath hitched, and I looked up at him, confused by the action. Was he letting me stay here or what?