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The look on his face shifts from one of grief, his eyes sunken and brows pinched together, to one of something else entirely…
Almost like—
Niccolò lets out a long, deep chuckle, and I want to punch him square in his gorgeous mouth.
“You’re not going anywhere, Evelina,” he says as anger claws its way up my throat. “You are not safe, and I am going to protect you whether you like it or not. I won’t repeat my past mistakes. You are staying here. You can try to get out, but you won’t be able to. Don’t waste your time. If I remember right, I bought you.”
“Actually, some random dude bought me…”
“And I went back, and I burnt the money he paid and then paid twice as much on top of that,” he says, his voice deep and throaty. “So. As I was saying. I bought you, Evelina. Just like you requested. And one day, I’ll fucking marry you too.”
He turns and starts to walk down the stairs, calling out over his shoulder, “Good to see you back, little viper. I’ll take what I can get with you.”
He stops and turns to face me. “I prefer you when you’re real with me. I really do. When I can catch a glimpse of who you really are and not when you’re hiding behind a façade. I mean, fuck. I love that you’re bossy and unapologetic. But you can be strong and honest at the same time. You should try it.”
His words are laced with something. A deep, gritty tone.
His dark eyes latch onto mine, and he smiles. “And don’t get it twisted, Ev. I don’t fucking mind having to play dirty, either.”
31
NICCOLÒ
I walk into the old diner called Monty’s, which we’ve frequented for as long as I can remember. The air is stale, like cigarettes and old beer, and it’s not everybody’s cuppa tea, but here on the south side, this is one of the finer establishments that we’ve got an alliance with.
It’s also one of the places our older generation is allowed to smoke inside because Monty, the owner, doesn’t give a fuck about the law in the same way we don’t. Monty and my dad go way back, and I’d like him if it weren’t for the fact that he clearly has some questionable morals.
I sit down in a chair at the head of the long table, and my focus immediately lands on the peeling wallpaper that’s giving way to a yellow-tinged wall. The place is a shit hole. Who am I kidding, and why am I trying to make memories out of nothing?
As the men trickle in, all finding spots at the table, Evelina weighs heavily on my mind. I thought I’d made progress with her. Thought maybe we’d come to an agreement about the fact that I know what’s best for her right now—and what’s best is having protection.
I like that she’s her own woman. I think it’s one of the best parts about her. But damn if she isn’t testing my fucking patience. If I just let her go, I know the people after her would be on her eventually.
And those people are my own fucking family.
It's time to figure out why.
Each of our capos sits at the long table that Monty and his crew have pieced together for us. We’re down a few after a run-in with the cartel a couple weeks back. Gabriel can thank himself for that. Getting into bed with scum like them won’t end well. And Gabriel fucking knew it.
We’ve also got three of our men locked up, so we’re short-staffed, and our capos have been shuffling all over the place, sharing control over the men below them to ensure shit is being handled.
Matteo and Dom walk in, leave spots for Stefano and Pietro, and then sit down on either side of their vacant chairs.
“Ready for this?” Dom asks as Matteo gives me a knowing look.
My brother Matteo is many things, but someone I can count on? Not so much.
He’s got a problem with defying Gabriel because the shit he’s seen and done over his twenty-two years has stuck with him. He’s the baby of the family, aside from Giana, and he’s got a bad habit of acting like it, too.
But he’s my brother.
And most days, I’d do just about anything for him.
“Ready to find out the truth, yeah,” I answer Dom and glance between him and Matteo just as Stefano and Pietro finally grace us with their presence.
Rage rumbles through me, and I have to picture Roy fucking Underwood’s face to not immediately start questioning Stefano like I wanna kill him. I’ll get to take out my rage on Roy tonight. After I’ve got the answers I want and don’t need to use Roy for intel anymore. Have to keep the fucker alive until I get to the bottom of this little charade my family is trying to pull over on the rest of us.
“Sorry we’re late, gentlemen,” Stefano says with a quick nod as he unbuttons his suit jacket.
