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“She knows she can get away with it. And if I weren’t who I really am, she’d be right.”
“She’s lost her damn fucking mind.”
“You have no idea,” I whisper, and something in my tone shuts him up.
“Nova?”
“Don’t. Please don’t ask me. Not this time, Alessio. You don’t want to know, trust me.”
He blows out a breath but says nothing else. I listen to him breathe as I walk into the pool house and lock the door behind me.
“When are you coming home?”
“Not until the wedding. As far as Vigo knows, I’m still taking care of the mess up out here. The truth is, I don’t trust myself around the man any more than you trust yourself around Gia.”
“You’re safer there anyway. If anyone catches wind that Vigo is sick, it will paint a target on his back and yours too.”
“I don’t give a shit about me?—”
“Well, I do, so humor me.”
“Look, I know you’ve been working on things on your end, but I think you need a backup plan. I have a friend who can give you a new identity. I have plenty of money saved.”
“I’m not leaving you, Alessio.”
“I won’t let you marry a fucking monster, Nova,” he snaps.
I wince when I realize I haven’t shared the latest development regarding Vice. I didn’t want to get his hopes up in case it all fell through.
“Funny you should mention that.”
Chapter 16
Vice
Iswirl the amber liquid in my glass before taking a sip, staring at the water as the dark sky finally gives up its battle and lets the rain fall.
I turn at the sound of Turner’s voice. “Sir, your guest is here.”
“Thank you, Turner. Please show her in, and then you may leave.”
“Yes, sir.”
I grin and shake my head. The man changed my diaper and is twice my age. It feels weird when he calls me that. I swallow down the rest of my drink and place it on the coffee table while I wait for Nova to be shown inside.
My stomach clenches with anticipation, a feeling I’m surprised by. I have no idea why I react to her the way I do. Sure, she’s pretty—beautiful even—with her dark hair and her bedroom eyes, but I’ve met dozens of beautiful women before, and none of them have held my attention for longer than asecond.
Sex, to me, has always been just sex. It’s nothing special. It’s not something I’ve ever been overly interested in. I guess that happens when you’re initiated into it the way I was. Having hookers take my virginity at eleven years old was a rite of passage in my father’s eye. It was fucked up, and the whole experience put me off women for years, but it is what it is.
Of course, my lack of interest fueled the rumors about me being gay. I ignored them, knowing my sexuality had nothing to do with my lack of interest. My dick didn’t get hard for men any more than it did for women most days, until Nova. Maybe it was the way she fought so hard to mask her fear or how, despite the fear, she never backed down.
Fuck knows, but her gunning those fuckers down made me want to bend her over my brother’s dead body and cover her in his blood while I fucked her. There isn’t a single person other than my crew that would do what she did for me. I thought I’d met my maker that day. I even made a kind of peace with it because if I was going down, then I was taking Dano and Felix down with me. But then there she was, an avenging angel, intent on making sure I survived to live another day.
I turn at the sound of footsteps and see Nova standing at the edge of the sunken living area, her sock-covered feet making my lips twitch as my eyes move over her ripped jeans and up to her torn Guns and Roses T-shirt. Her makeup is light, and her thick hair is pulled back into a high ponytail, exposing her neck. My eyes are drawn to the smooth, creamy skin that I’m itching to mark up with my teeth.
“Hello, wife.”
“Vice.” She greets me softly, looking somewhat unsure, but shekeeps her head high and shoulders back, making it clear she won’t cower before me.
