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Like a fucking fool, every fucking night, I come here and watch her sleep. During the dark hours of the morning, I sneak in with groceries, the ones I know she likes to cook with, and then I sneak out before she wakes.
She has Nico wrapped around her little finger. Every night when I come, I smell the amazing food she cooks for him, and my heart pounds in time with my stomach rumbles. My food doesn’t taste the same anymore, and I grit my teeth when the burn of my whiskey runs down my throat as I try to dull the ache I have in my chest. It has been there for weeks, and it is showing no signs of leaving.
Nico loves to taunt me with tales of their friendship, the way she smiles when cooking, or the way she laughs at a TV show they’re watching. If he wasn’t my best soldier, I would stab his eyes out for even looking at her. The fact that she is here laughing with him makes my blood boil. Did Leo and I even mean anything to her? I shake my head at myself and my thoughts. I was stupid for even thinking she was any different.
Even after death, Angelina’s actions haunt me. Leo hasn’t had a dry night since the incident, and I no longer have a fucking home. Her drugged-up antics ruined everything. But she was merely a puppet. Dominic the puppeteer. Pulling the strings, using her to get to me, and he fucking succeeded. That alone makes me livid.
My teeth grind as I crack my knuckles, the desire I have to drain his body of any life now thicker than ever. My team and I have shown no mercy. As soon as the incident happened, and I knew Little Red was okay, I scoured the city removing every lifeline he had. All his associates now know we mean business, and while we have ended a few, many have been forthcoming with information, and we have used that to our advantage.
We have drained his bank accounts, we have stolen and sold all his assets. Allure and all his other clubs are now mere shells, everything removed, and the city closing them down for demolition. Sebastian and I are buying the property for mere dimes, since Dominic hasn’t resurfaced to claim them.
But no matter what we have done, it isn’t enough, because wherever he is, he is still breathing. I dream of how I am going to end him. Whether it be by gun, knife, or my bare hands. The craving I have to get my hands on him is only surpassed by the craving I have for Little Red.
I want her. I want her back in my home and in my life, but I can’t. It is too dangerous for me and too dangerous for Leo to have a liar around after what we’ve experienced with one. Running my hand through my hair, frustrated at my constant push and pull for her, I see the sun starting to poke through the closed curtains. I know I need to go, but I am not ready to leave her yet.
Again, I look through her medical files. Something I do every night when I am here. Nico tells me her daily physio is going well and she nearly has all her strength back in her arm. He ensures she eats and keeps a positive mindset. Given that she didn’t have a lot of body strength to start with, I am not surprised she is doing well. I continue flicking through the pages until I get to the one I am looking for. Her psych evaluation. I wanted everything checked out. I wanted no more surprises. My eyes continue to flick through the typed words until I get to where the notes are about her lump in her breast. Her thoughts on why she was scared to get the lump checked and why. “I didn’t want the drugs. They would kill me before I die. I wanted to live first.”
The memory of the time we talked most of the night and her telling me about how drugs affected her mother is also vivid in my mind. I know it was tough, so I am not surprised she didn’t want to be the same.
A small tap at the door interrupts my reading. Nico is standing there, peering in and flicking his head back to motion for me to leave before she wakes. I snarl at him. The fact that he even knows what time she wakes up makes me wonder; if I wasn’t sitting here, would he be?
He puts his hands up in mock surrender and backs away. I am a bastard; I know that, and I have been a total asshole to all my men since she has been here.
Turning back to look over at her, I see her body move, and I freeze, watching her, before I silently stand, placing her files down on the chair and quietly walking out of the room.
I strut down the hallway and into the kitchen, where I find Nico preparing a morning coffee.
“Want one boss?” he asks, already knowing the answer.
“No,” I reply. “How has she been?” I ask him. It is the same question I ask him every morning.
“Doing well. Although she is starting to talk about what she will do when she leaves here,” he says, raising an eyebrow at me.
Leaves here? The thought of her leaving hadn’t entered my mind. I take a big breath to steady myself. She is going to leave me?
I watch as Nico shoves off the kitchen bench and walks to the refrigerator to grab some milk. Looking inside, I immediately wish I hadn’t. I see the large tiramisu staring at me from the bright white shelf. I scrub my hands down my face to erase the image, as it makes me miss her even more.
“I told her she should open an Italian dessert bar or perhaps work with kids. I know her and Leo got along really well, so I thought she would be good at it.” He wanders back to his coffee.
“Of course she should. She should do both!” I say like it all makes perfect sense, although I need to rub my chest due to the twist in my heart at the thought of her with other kids and not Leo. “Why is she talking to you about this?” I ask, eyeing him. I feel like the two of them are getting too comfortable with each other. Nico jerks back at my comment.
“Why do you think?”
“Explain,” I grit out to him, not liking his tone and not sure I want to hear what he is about to say.
“She cries herself to sleep every night. Does that make you feel better? Yes, she laughs at the TV shows and cooks YOUR favorite meals, but she's not okay. What did you think would happen when you left her in the hospital after ripping her heart out when she just woke up from major surgery? What the hell do want from her?” Nico says, exasperated, and I clench my hands by my sides, the urge to punch him running rampant through me.
Nico looks at me like I am stupid and crazy, and I am both, I know I am, but she lied to me. Although the more I think about it, the less upset I become because worry for her, my love for her, tries to take over.
“She will be awake soon,” Nico says, taking a sip of his coffee, reminding me I need to leave.
I nod. “Call me with anything,” I tell him with a nod.
“Sure thing, boss.” I begin to walk away and out the door.
I need to get my shit together. I need to find and kill Dominic and then I can sort out what to do with Little Red.
Because even though I miss her, I am still not sure if I can trust her.
