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This girl, I don’t even know or trust. I see the secrets in her ocean-blue eyes. What is she hiding? Shoving my hand through my hair, I tug at the dark strands in frustration as I try to talk myself down.
She is just a woman. A fucking dancer, no less. She takes her clothes off for money. That’s beneath you, Nico. You are a fucking king and will marry a queen. Not some stripper that every rich asshole in New York is getting a good look at every night of the week.
I chant the words in my head, hoping I can make myself believe them and end this weird infatuation with her. But deep down, I know it’s pointless. I can feel it in the way my bloodheats with possession every time I even so much as think about her. I laugh, though arguably none of this bullshit is humorous.
With that one interaction, she fascinated me,enrapturedme. And until I have had a taste, I don’t think I will be able to just walk away or let this go. Logically, I know that I need to get as far away from her as I can. But that doesn’t change the fact that, for the first time in my life, a woman has made me feel something other than pleasure and that has never happened. What that something is, I am not sure, but for research, I should maybe find out.
My door is shoved open, startling me from my thoughts. Dante steps in, his breathing harsh. My eyes narrow in annoyance, but he ignores it, grunting out, “We have a problem.”
My spine snaps straight; my body fills with tension. My eyes shift to the window as I grip the edge of my desk. Did something happen to Ocean? Did some motherfucker put their hands on her? Who am I going to have to kill? These are the first thoughts that race through my mind, and I hate that I am so distracted by her.
“Not her.” he rolls his amused-filled eyes. I relax back in my chair, jerking my head for him to continue. “The Russians. Somehow, they found out about our coke shipment. The one that came in tonight. All of our soldiers are dead.” He blows out a weary breath. “Well apart from Luigi. He is the only one that got out of there alive. He called me. Confirmed it was the Bratva that hit us.”
My fists and jaw clench. Red-hot rage thrums in my veins, burning up my body with the need for revenge. But the news of the Bratva killing my men is not the only thing causing the anger. It’s the girl. While I was here, obsessing over and distracted by fucking Ocean, my warehouse and men were getting shot up by the fucking Russians. My jaw ticks. Thisconfirms what I already know. I need to get my shit together and thoughts away from the girl. And fast.
Exhaling a breath, I try to calm myself down and get my head straight. Pinning Dante with a serious look, I speak. “Where is Luigi right now? And does my father know?”
“He has a minor wound on his stomach where a bullet grazed him. The doctor is patching him up. And yes, Lorenzo is aware of what happened.” He tells me all this, his voice cool, calm, like we didn’t just lose a dozen men and millions of dollars. His rationality is one of the reasons I will make him my underboss when the time comes. Dante, just like me, knows how to keep his shit together, no matter the situation.Your shit’s not together right now,a voice in my head taunts, but I shove it aside so I can take care of more urgent matters. Like myfuckingbusiness.
I nod, pushing out of my seat. “Take me to my papà.”
***
“How the fuck did this happen?” my papà’s fist hits his desk in anger. We are at his home in the Hamptons. My childhood home and the estate where my mamma and sister both still live. It is secluded, the grounds patrolled by guards twenty-four-seven. The estate is so protected, it would be harder to break into than Fort Knox. Which is perfect considering the two women I love most in the world live here.
Dante had anticipated that I would want to see my papà immediately after breaking the news about the Russians. He had already contacted our pilot, Hansen, to fuel up the Marchetti helicopter. Within the hour we were up in the air and on our way.
“We have a rat.” Giuseppe Greco, Papà’s consigliere and long-time friend mutters as he blows smoke out of his mouth from the cigar he is smoking.
I nod. “It makes sense. How else would they know about the shipment? The exact location it was going to? It’s our smallest warehouse. One we only acquired recently. Giuseppe is right. We have a traitorortraitors within our organization.”
Papà blows out a breath, falling back in his seat. With narrowed eyes, he looks at me. “Find them. I want names within twenty-four hours.” His tone leaves no room for argument. Though he needn’t worry. I will have what he wants in less than the time he asked for.
I nod. “Of course.”
“We cannot allow this to happen again. It makes us look weak.” He roars through clenched teeth.
I stand, Dante following suit. “Agreed and it won’t,” I say, though I can’t guarantee it. “Now, it’s late. Dante and I will stay the night,” I tell him, because what is the point in flying back to the city at three a.m. when I can sleep for a couple of hours in my childhood bedroom. Dante can take the guest room and Hansen can bunk in one of the guardhouses. “Tomorrow we will get to work. Find the rat and make them pay.”
His eyes gleam with satisfaction, no doubt at my mention of revenge. “Very well. Your mamma will be happy to see you. She was just telling me at dinner how you don’t come to visit her anymore. She misses you,” he grunts.
I chuckle, shaking my head at the absurdity of my mother missing me. No matter how old I get, or how much blood I have on my hands, in my mamma’s eyes, I will always be her little boy.
***
“Ohfiglio mio. Mi sei mancato.”I've missed you.My mamma says, her sweet voice soft as tears fill her eyes.
Smiling, I pull her into a hug. “I've missed you too, Mamma.”
She slaps my chest, staring up at me with a smile on her face. “Don’t leave it so long next time,” she admonishes.
“I won’t. Promise.” I press a kiss to her head, then move further into the kitchen where I find my sister and Dante already at the food-filled breakfast table. They sit opposite each other in silence, staring at one another. My gaze flicks between them and I frown when I find something on both their faces that I can’t quite decipher. They haven’t noticed me yet, so I pause, watching them for a long beat. I don’t know what I am looking for but there is something… Hmm. Interesting. Shaking my head, I make a mental note to ask Dante about all this later.
Clearing my throat, I grin as two sets of eyes snap at me. Rounding the table, I drop a kiss to my sister’s hair, before taking the seat beside her. “Hey, Sis,” I grunt, the smell of coffee and bacon hitting my nostrils and making my mouth water. Christ, I didn’t realize I was so hungry.
“Hey, Nic. Nice of you to visit us.” My sister's voice is full of sarcasm.
My brows raise at her insolence, but she knows that she is one of the only people in the world that I would allow to get away with speaking to me like that. “Some of us have work to do, Allegra.”
