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Romeo will never know his father.
And, as much as I would like things to be different, his father will never know him.
Because I can never go back to New York.
Lorenzo Marchetti made sure of that.
Chapter4
Nico
Ipunch the bag harder, my frustration building with every hit. I am a man of control and right now, there are so many things out of my control that everything is coming to a head. I am not far from losing my shit completely, and I don’t know what that means for the people around me. Carnage and destruction if I were to guess.
It’s been two weeks since Tony’s visit, and despite me giving him a week to get me the information I wanted, the fucker hasn’t given me anything and, more than that, he has been avoiding me. Hiding behind his job in law enforcement like the coward he is.
I won’t have a problem drawing him out, if need be, or even storming the building where he works, if he doesn’t find her. He thinks that he is protected, but he has no clue who he is actually dealing with. There is a small part of me that is… concerned… I won’t ever find her again and I don’t know what I will do if that happens. Maybe go on a fucking rampage or, I don’t know, contact her family and enlist their help. I don’t want to go that route, but if it means getting extra eyes looking for her, I won’t hesitate. I want Ocean back and I want her back now.
“Fuck,” I shout, hitting the bag harder. I am becoming unhinged. Losing my damn mind over this woman. Yet, she just ran away without a care in the fucking world. Without a second thought, or even confronting me about what my papà told her. Her phone may have been found with papà’s body, but she is smart and resourceful and could have found a way to contact me.
One thing I am certain of is that she is going to regret ever walking away from me. The moment I get her back - and despite my earlier thoughts, Iwillget her back - she will be on lockdown. Locked away in a gilded cage for my eyes and pleasure only. I won’t allow her to go back to her job atBellissima. Or fucking dance for that matter. It will be her punishment. I will be her be all and end all. Will control every aspect of her life even more so than I did before. And though she may hate me, it won’t change a thing. I won’t back down. The shit she went through with her family will be child’s play compared to what I am going to do to her deceitful ass.
“Figlio?” Mamma’s soft voice sounds over the noise of my fists assaulting the bag. Halting my attack, I spin to face her. She stands in the doorway, a frown on her beautiful face as she watches me. My chest heaves as I try to catch my breath and, reaching down, I grab the bottle of water standing on the bench. “What is wrong? You haven’t been yourself since your papà passed,” she asks, concern heavy in her tone.
Swallowing down the cold liquid, I think over her words. She is right, but it’s not for the reasons she thinks. Mamma doesn’t know about Ocean or what my papà did and how he got rid of her. And she has been so caught up in her own grief with his passing, I haven’t had the heart to tell her about his transgressions against me.
Nonetheless, she is in a better, healthier, place now, and though I still have my reservations about telling her, I want her to know about Ocean. She watches me with kind eyes, silently begging me to open up about what is on my mind. I knew there was more than her just missing me when she asked me to come visit this weekend. Knew I should have made an excuse and stayed away from the Hamptons. But, being the good son that I am, I can’t deny my mamma anything.
Huffing under my breath, I shake my head before admitting. “There was a girl.”
She chuckles, moving further into my gym and taking a seat on the couch. “Don’t tell me a woman has brought the great Nico Marchetti to his knees?” Amusement with a hint of disbelief laces her voice.
Laughing, though it’s not humorous at all, I stride to the couch in the corner, dropping down beside her. “Not quite.” I sigh, my jaw clenching when I think about the lying littleTesoro.“She was special…” I trail off, hesitating. She dips her head, her way of telling me to continue. “Before Papà died, he approached her and told her things I had kept hidden from her. Like the marriage arrangement. He wanted me to marry Gianna and I would have. Not because I loved her but because it was expected of me. You know how this life works, Mamma. But Ocean, I wanted her. More than anything. But she listened to Papà’s threats without even talking to me and disappeared. She is gone and no matter how much I search; I can’t find her. It’s like she never existed.” My eyes meet hers as raw honesty laces each of my next words. “I want her back, Mamma. More than I want my next breath, I want her back in my life.”
I drop my eyes, hating the fact that I am being vulnerable, even if it is in front of my mother. She grips my hand, trying to comfort me. My eyes snap up, locking on hers. “Your papà is gone, Figlio. You are no longer bound by his rules. If this girl means so much to you, you will find her. Don’t give up. Especially when it is clear to me that you love her.”
I balk. Swallow. Blink. Love? I don’t think I’m capable of such a thing. I admit that what I feel for Ocean is not normal by any standards, but love? I don’t know about that. I know what I feel is obsession. Ownership. A lust that I have never in my life felt before. She is mine, no matter the current situation or if she thinks otherwise.
Clearing my throat, I stare at my mamma, stating. “I don’t love her.”
Mamma grins, eyeing me knowingly. “Oh Nico, I think if you dig deep enough you just might find that you do.”
***
After the conversation with Mamma, I search out Dante – though I don’t have to look far – finding him in the kitchen hovering over my sister, like she is going to disappear at any minute. Summoning him to my office, we lock ourselves away in there. I would say it’s for business, but that would make me a liar. Don’t get me wrong, there are things about the business we need to discuss. But the main reason for hiding out in here is that I don’t want to see my mother. I don’t want to confront the words she put in my head or my complicated feelings toward Ocean. So instead, I am being a pussy and staying away from her.
“Leo has everything at The Executive Club covered after the little disturbance last night. He thinks they were Bratva spies.” Dante drawls, his eyes never leaving his cell as he reads a message from Leo.
“Have him up security. I want eyes everywhere. They are clearly getting brave again.” I grunt out, swirling the amber liquid in my glass.
He glances up, nodding his agreement. “Done.”
I clear my throat, not wanting to say the next words but knowing I need to. “Dante, you need to be more discreet about your feelings toward Allegra.” His head snaps up, eyes narrowing. I glower back. “At least until I find a way out of the Romano contract.”
He exhales a weary breath. “And when will that be, huh? You have been trying for a year now, Nic, and still haven’t found a way out. Screw the agreement your papà had with them. We will go to war if we must.”
Anger surges through me. Does he really think that I’m not trying? My jaw clenches, annoyance at my best friend heating my veins. “It’s not as simple as that and you know it.” I fire back. “I can’t just go towarwith them. The commission won’t back me over something like this. They will think it trivial. In fact, they will be more inclined to back the Romanos, which means we would have to go to war with not only them, but the other families, too. We don’t have the manpower it would take to do that, right now.”
He glares before running a palm down his face. A weary sigh leaves him, and he just looks exhausted. “You’re right. But if you can’t get out of it, I am warning you now, Nic. I will run. I will take Allegra with me, and we will go somewhere no one can find us. I mean it Nico. I will never let them have her.” His voice tells me he isn’t playing around. He would and I can’t even blame him. If I were in his position, I would do the same.
