But the coughing grows worse until I hear Zeta’s voice, beseeching her husband to calm down and not wake the children. The coughs move further away, but the shadow under the door remains.
Quickly laying Amadeo back down, I grab a spare blanket and throw it around my shoulders before darting into the closet. I barely manage to pull the louvered door closed before someone enters. Two sets of male footsteps. The lamp turns on. “Do you smell peaches?” Nico asks.Oh Dio!He smells my shampoo.
My heart is pounding so loudly, I’m certain they’ll hear it as I watch them through the slats. Nico shifts his attention to the children, his eyes reminding me more of black smoke than slate in the lamplight. He doesn’t smile, but there’s a softness in his expression that makes my chest tingle in an odd way.
“You don’t have to protect me from him like when we were boys, you know,” Dante murmurs, joining his brother by the cribs.
“I’ll always protect you… even when you cause me nothing but grief,” Nico replies, lifting Amadeo. The little boy is wide awake but not the slightest bit fussy, recognizing his father and content in his powerful arms.
“He’s like a miniature version of you. Except a chunky monkey and without the scar.”
“Uncle Dante is a shit-stirring asshole,"Nico tells his son, and I have to smother giggles while my belly flips.
Dante leans over to pick up Lucia, who’s still blissfully asleep. “For rugrats, they’re cute.”
“Rugrats?” Nico repeats, offended, and I’m offended by the term, too, once I understand it.
“I don’t see Margareta in her,” Dante continues. “Probably for the best,principessa.Your mother might’ve drowned you at birth to spite your father.”
“Dante.”
I shiver at the horrible implication of Dante’s words and the murderous fury in Nico’s tone, but Dante is unbothered. “So, are you going to tell me why you apparently threatened our captains earlier tonight since I missed the meeting?”
“No, that’s what happens when you miss things. Youmissthem,” Nico answers, lifting the bag with the twins’ things and heading toward the door. Maybe I’ll be able to breathe again soon.
“What about Mrs. Esposito? Did you have a little talk with her as intended? I can handle her instead if you want.”
Esposito? The one new piece of information Gia had tonight regarding my sister involved someone with that name.
Nico shakes his head. “You killing Maddalena’s foster mother won’t help matters.”
Foster mother? My sister, Maddalena? Nico knows her?! Against my will, a small gasp escapes me.
Both men were headed toward the door, but they spin as one at the sound, their bodies rigid and alert. “Is there a rat in that closet?” Dante asks menacingly, pulling his gun.
My stomach drops, certain I’m about to be shot, but Nico uses his free hand to lower his brother’s gun. “Not a rat, Dante. Just a little sneak.”
Before I can blink, he opens the closet door.“Mi dispiace, signori,"I whisper, clutching the blanket tightly to hide the fact I'm wearing his t-shirt.
“You’re apologizing quite a bit today. Maybe you need more than lines and detention for discipline.” My eyes grow wide, zipping up to meet Nico’s. What does he mean? And why do I feel sinfully curious to find out? "Let's start with you repeating a few rules of mine…" My entire body burns with humiliation and a strange sort of excitement when he rasps, "No sneaking around. Say it, Matilde."
"No sneaking around."
"You will not lie to or steal from me." Dante is smirking at me, but Nico doesn't care. "You will repeat it, Matilde."
"I will not lie to or steal from you," I echo, squirming with embarrassment at this ludicrous situation.
"Good. Now the last one… I will obey all of Nico's rules."
"I will obey all of sir's rules."
His eye twitches, and he jerks his chin toward the door. “Go to bed, Matilde.”
I flee without arguing, chased out of the room by Dante’s laughter and Nico irritably muttering ‘peaches’ under his breath.
9
Nico
