All Chapters of Falling for the Enemy : Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

I should have known it was coming.The feeling had been gnawing at me for weeks—an anxious weight in my chest, pressing down harder every time my mother’s voice dropped to a whisper over the phone, every time I caught the worried glances she threw my way when she thought I wasn’t looking.But tonight, it all clicked.I stood frozen in the doorway of our tiny living room, my breath trapped in my throat as I listened.“She doesn’t know,” my mother said, voice shaking. “And she can’t find out, Matthew. Not now.”My father’s voice was a murmur, too low for me to make out the words, but I could hear the tension in them. It didn’t matter what he was saying—I already knew.This wasn’t just about money anymore.It was about me.About Luca.I gripped the edge of the doorframe, my knuckles white.For months, I’d tried to ignore the reality of our situation. I had convinced myself that if I just focused on school, kept my head down, and stayed invisible at Ridgecrest Academy, then maybe—just may

I knew Luca was going to do something reckless the second I saw his hands clench into fists. His whole body had tensed like a coil wound too tight, ready to snap.And when Luca Russo snapped?People got hurt.I wasn’t worried about myself—at least, not physically. No, the real danger was Luca getting tangled up in something he shouldn’t.Something I never wanted him to be a part of.I could see the storm brewing in his eyes, and I knew I had to stop it.“Luca,” I whispered.His jaw was so tight I thought his teeth might crack. He was pissed. Not at me, but at the situation. At my father’s debts, at the men who had shown up at my house.At the fact that I hadn’t told him sooner.He inhaled sharply, his thumb brushing over my cheek—gentle, despite the fury radiating off him. “You should have told me.”I swallowed hard. “What could you have done?”His lips parted, but I could see the truth in his eyes. He didn’t know. And that? That made him even angrier.Luca was used to control. Used t

I had made a mistake.A huge, terrifying, Luca-sized mistake.Because I should have known the second I told him everything, he wouldn’t just sit back and let it happen.I had seen the way his whole body went rigid as I spoke. I had felt the tension crackling off him like a storm ready to break.And now?Now, I could feel it in the way he was too calm.That was the most terrifying thing of all.Luca wasn’t yelling. He wasn’t throwing things or storming around in a rage.He was just… still.Like a bomb waiting to detonate.I swallowed hard.“You cannot go after them.” My voice was firm, even though my hands were shaking.Luca, leaning against the wall of my dorm room, simply tilted his head. “And why is that?”I exhaled sharply. “Because these aren’t just some stupid high school bullies, Luca! They’re dangerous men—”“So am I.”I froze.His voice had been soft, almost casual. But the weight behind it sent shivers down my spine.And the worst part?I knew he wasn’t lying.Luca Russo was

I didn’t sleep.I couldn’t sleep.Luca had told me to go inside, but the second I shut my door, I knew he wasn’t going to let this go. I knew, without a doubt, that he was going to do something reckless.And I hated that I couldn’t stop him.Hated that a part of me didn’t want to stop him.Because even though I was scared—terrified, really—of what this all meant, there was something about Luca’s anger that made me feel safe.I wrapped my arms around my knees, staring out my window.Midnight had come and gone.No messages.No calls.I should have gone after him.I should have followed him down that hall and demanded he tell me what the hell he was planning.Instead, I let him walk away.A sharp knock at my door had me bolting upright.I froze.Then I slowly got up and crept toward it, heart hammering.Another knock. Louder this time.“Who is it?” My voice was barely above a whisper.“Me.”My stomach dropped.I yanked the door open.Luca stood there, soaked. His hoodie was drenched, rai

My hands shook as I stared at the screen.The words blurred together, but they still burned into my brain.You should have stayed invisible.My stomach twisted. My chest felt tight, like I couldn’t get enough air.Luca ripped the phone from my hands before I could react. His jaw clenched so tight I thought it might break, his entire body going still.And then—He exploded.“Fucking hell.” His voice was raw, furious. He shot up from the bed, pacing the room like a caged animal, one hand in his hair, the other still gripping my phone so tightly his knuckles turned white.I just sat there, frozen.Because I knew this moment.I’d lived it before.Only last time, I hadn’t had anyone pacing the room, fists clenched in anger on my behalf.Last time, I’d been alone.Luca spun back toward me. “Has this happened before?”I hesitated.His eyes flashed. “Sienna.”I swallowed, fingers digging into the blanket beneath me. “Not exactly.”His nostrils flared. “Not exactly?”I pulled my knees up to my