AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Nico
Idrag my ass out of bed, wincing as I throw my legs over the side. The pain is fucking crippling, but I refuse to fill the prescription they gave me. In my line of work, you need to be aware of everything around you at all times. The last thing I need is to be operating in some kind of a hazy fog today of all days.
I squint at the clock on my nightstand and let out a groan. It’s already ten o’clock. By the time I got out of the hospital, it was around two in the morning. Dad dropped me off and offered to stay here, but I sent him home. It’s more important that he’s with Mom and Lily. I can take care of myself. I have my trusty bat along with an assortment of handguns. You know, just in case. Never can tell when you’ll need one, not that I’ve used any of them to do harm to an actual person. I’ve been trained for years, but never had a reason to plug anyone.
Until now. There are people who don’t think I deserve my role in this family, that I got it by default because of my father and grandfather. I didn’t earn this position, even though I earned plenty of money for all of the naysayers rooting against me.
They aren’t concerned with the money. They want to see the blood on my hands. That’s what would qualify me for my role as an underboss in their eyes. Being a legacy doesn’t hold much water, and I know it’s only a matter of time before I need to prove myself to these goons.
I rub my aching temples. Jesus, I’ve never had a hangover that gave me a headache like this. But deep down I know it’s stress more than anything else. Stress, and whatever the fuck shit I spouted to Shaye last night in the hospital. They doped me up pretty good from what the nurses told me, but I know exactly what came out of my mouth, and I meant every word. But I don’t know if I was coherent enough that Shaye understood what I was saying.
I stagger into the bathroom, cringing with each step, and start the shower while I brush my teeth. Shaye’s face flashes in front of my eyes, her expressive blue eyes, soft blonde waves with the pink-dyed tips, her pouty lips…the ones I want wrapped around my now-throbbing cock… A groan escapes my mouth as I hobble to the sink. Christ, I don’t have time to jerk off to that choice fantasy right now. I’ve got bigger issues to deal with, like finding out who the hell mauled me last night.
I brush my teeth, shower, and throw on some clothes. Since my Range Rover was smashed beyond repair, I grab the keys to my Audi R8. I can’t hang around here like a sitting duck. I need to figure out who the hell steamrolled me last night and why.
My phone pings with a text just as I walk out the door. I look down, expecting it to be the notification about my driver, but it’s a text from Max.
I rub the back of my stiff neck. What the hell would my best friend do if he found out that I’m about to negotiate a job for his arch rival?
I’m pretty sure that betrayal is a gross understatement, punishable exclusively by machete.
Best friend or not.
I slide into the driver’s seat and pull the door closed. The engine roars to life once I press the button on the dashboard.
The time has come to move on. For me, anyway. Before Grandpa passed away, he went through his whole plan with me, what would happen once I take over the family down the line. He always kept me under his wing, always made sure everyone knew who I was and how successful I’d become. Let’s just say I have a lot of friends now, and Dad wants me to start flexing my muscles to remind them of everything I bring to the table.
The Orianis are floundering right now without Grandpa around. He’d always kept a watch over them…maybe to keep them in line…and maybe now they’re trying to get shit in order since they’re on their own now. Tony has only Max to rely on, so he must be shitting bricks about the future of his family. Maybe that’s what the dinner in Atlantic City was about. Strategizing about their livelihood and trying to figure out how not to wind up at the bottom of the East River since he’s got no protection.
I pull up to the curb outside of the club, maneuver the car into an empty space, and slide out. I grab my key ring from my pocket and unlock the front door, flipping on a light switch so I don’t crash into any of the tables and chairs that have been moved so the floor could be cleaned after what was evidently a pretty crazy night.
I shoot off a quick text to Max letting him know he can come in around two this afternoon to prep for tonight’s A-lister event. Rocco should be here any minute, and I don’t need Max showing up unannounced during this meeting.
I grab a bottle of water from the fridge in my office, twist off the cap, and take a long gulp before collapsing into my chair. So much plagues my mind on a daily basis when I really only want to think about one thing.
Will I ever get the chance to be happy? I mean, really happy, not just the bullshit happy façade I put on for random strangers. Because who in my position wouldn’t be genuinely happy with this existence?
But they don’t know the truth, and while the truth is supposed to set you free, my truth will get me strung up by the balls and dangled over the side of a building.
I love running my own show, but I’m damn tired of this life. I want it all, and I’m not willing to sacrifice for it anymore. I tried to battle these crazy thoughts, especially since Grandpa saw so much potential in me. I wanted him to be proud and to have faith that I could carry on his legacy, and he’d probably be rolling around in his grave if he knew what was stewing in my mind right now.
You have a lot of responsibilities, Nico.
I know it. Mom, Dad, Lily…they’re all counting on me to do the right thing for the family. I need to protect them and their interests. It can’t be about me and what I want. That’s not how this works. It’s only about the family. It’s always been that way.
But if I want to be with Shaye, I’d have to give it all up and walk away.
Except that’s not an option. I’m stuck on the inside with no available exits.
“Fuck!” I slam a hand on my desk, scattering papers over the surface. I know what’s expected of me, and as much as I want to run away from it all, I can’t. Not yet. Not unless—
“Good morning to you, too, Nico.” Rocco appears in the doorway holding two cups of coffee. “Figured you could use this after the night you had, yeah?”
I scrub a hand over my face. “Thanks.” I grasp the hot cup he holds out, my brow furrowing. “How did you find out?”
Rocco drops into the chair in front of my desk. “You know, shit gets around pretty fast. It’s a real bitch that the SUV got away. Cocksucker.”
I take a small sip of coffee. He wouldn’t have poisoned it. Not yet, anyway. He needs me. But I’d sure like to know who told him it was an SUV that plowed into me. Especially since I was alone on the road. I don’t trust this guy, and I hate like hell that I have to work with him.
