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Sebastian brushed a piece of lint off his suit. “That’s it? I expected something more . . . climatic.”
I gave my head a shake, but I couldn’t respond because my breath caught in my chest and my veins turned to ice.
“Never mind. Here it comes,” he said with a sigh.
Nico’s car came to a stop in the middle of the street. He got out, slammed his door, and strode toward us with a blank mask. He was the don now, but something all Nico flickered in his eyes. Volatile depths that made my chest clench.
Sebastian got to his feet. “Glad to see you finally show up.”
I cringed at his words, but before I could even blink, Nico reached Sebastian, pulled his gun out of the back of his waistband, and backhanded him with it so hard he fell back two steps.
Sebastian froze with his head cocked to the side. “You know,” he said, wiping the blood off his lip with the back of his hand. “I’m taking this a little personally.”
Calmly and without a word, Nico pointed his gun at Sebastian’s head. My heart froze over, and I jumped to my feet and stood in front of him. “Nico, stop!”
“Get in the car,” he said, keeping his gaze on Sebastian.
“No,” I breathed. “This had nothing to do with him.”
His burning eyes finally met mine. “Did you let him in my club?”
I blinked. “What?”
“Did you let him into my goddamn club!”
I took a step back and bumped into Sebastian. I’d never heard Nico so angry, and my heart tried to flee from my chest.
“N-no,” I stuttered. “Why would I do that?” Awareness settled over me. He thought I was having an affair with Sebastian? “It’s nothing like that at all, I swear. Please, let me explain,” I begged. One glance toward the kids at the park showed they were all staring at us, wide-eyed.
Sebastian pushed me out of his way and stepped toward Nico until the barrel of his gun pressed against his forehead. All his playfulness disappeared; nothing but darkness leaked into his gaze. “She wouldn’t need any of your money to run away with me, Russo. Nor to sit in some shitty ass neighborhood for an hour.”
Luca’s car pulled up behind Nico’s, and I said a quick prayer that he would talk some sense into Nico. My husband and Sebastian stared at each other. My blood drummed louder in my ears until it was all I could hear.
“Nico—”
His gaze coasted to me. It was cold enough to freeze me to my spot. “Get. In. The. Car.”
“Please don’t kill him.”
His jaw ticked. ?
??If I have to say it again, he’s dead.”
With nausea churning in my stomach, I walked toward his car. As I put my back toward them, a shiver ran down my spine, every nerve anticipating a gunshot to cut through the air.
A few cars idled in the street, not being able to get past Nico’s Audi taking up both lanes. I climbed in and shut the door, closeting myself in the scent of leather and him. They exchanged more words. Words that appeared to be calm and reasonable. Just as relief crept in, Nico backhanded him with his gun again. Annoyance flared in Sebastian’s eyes as he spit out a mouthful of blood. Luca grabbed Sebastian’s arm and pushed him toward his car.
Nico walked across the street. He still wore jeans and a grease-stained white t-shirt. I wished he hadn’t. I could deal with the don in a black suit, but this Nico intimidated me. He had so much more to take away.
He got in and shut the door. Thick tension rolled off him, sucking all the air out of the small space. His fist tightened and released before he put the car in drive and headed down the street. The atmosphere was hostile; one tiny spark and it would explode. It took five minutes to gain the courage to say anything.
“Nico—”
“Don’t say another fucking word to me right now, Elena,” he snapped.
Something grabbed my heart and ripped it into two pieces.
After what I had done, I didn’t have it in me to defy him. Nothing but tire noise, the outside sounds of the city, and my painful heartbeats filled the car. All I wanted was to go home, press my face into his chest, and apologize. To promise I would never keep anything from him ever again.
