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I freeze, as the realization hits me that he must have seen her interact with me on camera. Shit. I slowly set my fork down, ready to intervene, but Sofia doesn’t look the least bit worried. Instead, she replies, “You told us not to stop her if we saw her. Since she was in disguise, I acted like she was one of my staff.”
His glare deepens. “And you didn’t think that you should have alerted Dante or I? Or you just wanted to see us chasing our tails?”
“And ruin her plan?” Sofia scoffs. “If I had, you’d have caught her far earlier, and you can’t tell me you didn’t enjoy the chase, Nico.”
“She didn’t help me,” I interject, worried that Nico is about to lose his temper with the woman. Nico’s gaze slides to me, and I hold his stare, even though my heart is pounding. “So you can’t punish her for following your orders. Besides, what does it matter now? You caught me, and I lost. So it’s over and done with.”
“It matters because it seems someone needs to be reminded who they work for,” Nico replies, his gaze going back to Sofia. “I should fire you.”
I gasp softly at that threat, but Sofia doesn’t lose her smile. Instead, she replies, “Go ahead. But we both know you don’t want to deal with hiring a new head housekeeper.”
“I’d prefer it to dealing with you,” he tosses back.
She scoffs. “And I keep telling you, you like that I don’t quiver and simper every time you talk. And I make sure things get done around here.”
Before Nico can reply, I quickly interject, “Please, Nico, don’t fire her.”
His gaze comes back to me, assessing. “Why do you care, Gia?” he asks bluntly. “You don’t know her.”
“Because I don’t want to be the reason she loses her job.”
He narrows his eyes at me. “And, you think she’s going to be an ally to help you escape?” There is a bite to his voice.
I lift my chin. “I told you I wouldn’t try and escape again, and I’m a woman of my word,” I remind him tightly. “So, no, it has nothing to do with that. I would think that a man of your intellect would know the benefit of keeping someone like her close. She’s probably also the one who would tell you if something was wrong here before your men.”
“You think that, do you?” His tone suggests that he thinks I’m crazy.
It’s my turn to narrow my eyes at him. “Anyone that puts up with your growly nature surely has a reason. And considering she’s sleeping with your right-hand man, and you haven’t fired or killed her before this, you obviously trust her. So why would you get rid of that? It’s stupidity if you do.”
Sofia eyes me for a moment, approval in her gaze. I don’t even bother looking at Dante. Instead, I focus on Nico, who’s watching me thoughtfully. “I like her,” Sofia announces. “And she’s exactly what you need, Nico. If she was some simpering mouse that fell in line, you would be bored out of your mind. And as for everything else, stop being difficult. Now, I have things to see to, so if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to get back to them.” Then, without waiting for an answer or permission, she saunters back out of the room without a backwards glance.
Nico’s gaze never leaves me. “You’re going to be trouble around here, aren’t you,topolina?” he finally remarks, moving back to his food, clearly done with the discussion.
“If you’re going to be a jerk to your staff, then yeah, probably,” I say with a shrug.
He and Dante share a look, but neither reply to that. No one speaks while we finish eating. When we’re done, Nico sits back and says, “I’m going to give you a choice, Gia.”
I look at him in surprise. “A choice?” I repeat.
He gives a abrupt nod. “You can return to your room for the day, or I can show you to the larger library if you would like to spend your time there for a while.”
I blink at him. “Wait, you have another library?” He smirks but nods again. “I want to go there.”
He looks at Dante who says, “I’ll take her.”
“Fine.” He looks back at me. “I want to trust you as a woman of your word, Gia, and that you won’t try to escape, but until you prove it to me, you will have a guard. Do you understand?”
I swallow down a retort, and instead I nod. The more freedom I get, the more I can bargain with later. “Okay.”
He watches me carefully for another moment, before he says, “Alright. Dante, meet me in my office when you finish.” Then he stands and moves towards me. I remain seated, but when he stops beside my chair, he grips the back of my neck, tilting my head back just enough that he can lean down to take my mouth in a quick hard kiss. “Behave,topolina,” he warns, before releasing me and walking out of the room without a backward glance.
I stare after him, face heating. Suddenly, the library isn’t as interesting as the man walking away. Because I want him to come back and kiss me some more.
CHAPTER18
Nico
“Her family knows she is missing,”Dante announces as soon as he hands me the folder on the De Luca family.
