AllFreeNovel
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I breathe out. That frightens me. The cold and matter-of-fact way he says that with a side helping of deadly. “He said he wanted something back, but I don’t know what. And he had a scar. And an accent.” I point to my face to show where it was on the guy’s.
“Mexican? South American? Russian? Help me out.”
“Not Russian. But maybe one of the other two.” I look at him. Shrug. “I’m not an expert, and all this is disconcerting.”
“Y’think?” He rubs a hand over his beard. The expression in those tiger eyes is dark, brooding, and concerned. It sends a jolt of something sharp through me. “Please fucking tell me you’re more than disconcerted.”
“You know I am, Nicolo. And you know I hate all of this.”
“Yeah. I do.”
When his phone rings, I almost breathe a sigh of relief. He answers, “Abruzzi.”
There’s silence as he shoots me a glance so black I shiver, and then he marches off to his kitchen, where things bump and click. I hear the glug of liquid pouring.
I flop on his sofa because what am I meant to do? Run? Fight him? I could. I could stomp my foot and demand to go back home. Okay, I don’t know whether he’d let me, but I could absolutely fight him and look for the first opportunity to run.
Running is beyond dumb. Even I know that. Running from him to danger is stupid. Running away from Dallas?
Nicolo would drive me to the airport.
But I don’t want to go home. Maybe somewhere else. The East Coast sounds nice and far right now. Somewhere like Connecticut, Maine, Rhode Island, or New York.
From the kitchen comes the smoke of his voice, which grows louder as he comes over to me. In one hand is a glass of pale golden liquid, held loose, and in the other he has his phone to his ear. I can’t read the expression on his handsome face.
“She’s safe, Morgan,” he says.
I jerk, staring at him, coming forward in my seat. Nerves tingle in my fingertips. Dad?
“Yeah.” Nicolo takes a swallow. “I like her . . . I don’t give a fuck what you think or don’t. She’s here and under my protection . . . absolutely.”
Did . . . did he just tell my father he doesn’t give a fuck? Christ, Dad’s going to send some kind of army.
Then Nicolo holds out his phone to me.
With trembling fingers, I take it.
“Dad?”
Silence meets me.
Then he clears his throat. “Avah, come home. Now.”
“No.”
“Dan told me about this . . . enforcer. I’ll set you up with someone higher up here, a good match, a family alliance that would make sense and the son is your age.”
I roll my eyes. “No. My life is mine.”
He goes silent again.
“Well then. . . just know if anything happens, Avah, I’ll kill this guy.”
“Good luck with that.”
My dad suddenly barks out a laugh. “That’s what he said.” He pauses again. “Look, honey, I don’t want you messing with these things.”
“Nicolo or some guy who’s stalking me?”
