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He shrugs. “To the outside world maybe, but not in this one. Hell, people are kidnapped every day in our line of work, and sometimes this is what happens. I have a friend back home that decided to try and cut another family down a few pegs, so he kidnapped the eldest daughter. Now, they’re married, with their second child on the way, and as far as I can tell, they’re stupidly happy. And the little devil keeps him on his toes, that’s for sure.” He grins and winks at me. “And I have a feeling once you start to come into your own, you’ll do the same to Nico.”
“I’m not that wild,” I assure him.
He snorts. “Dolcezza,every woman has a wild streak in her, and you’ve been repressing yours for a long while. Once you start to let it go, Nico won’t know what hit him.”
I doubt that, but I let the subject drop. “So you think I should marry Nico?”
He cocks his head slightly. “I think if you want to be free you need to have protection,” he says after a moment. “You need to have someone at your back that will protect you when shit hits the fan, because it is going to. Your family is crossing people that won’t take too kindly to being double-crossed, and that means war is coming. You will undoubtedly be caught in the crossfire. But I looked into Nico, and there is a reason he’s so respected, as well as feared by many. He’s young, he’s smart, and he has the numbers and backing of people that will result in you being far safer than if you were out there on your own. At the same time though, if you have even one shred of doubt, do not marry him. Do not let him talk you into something you don’t want. And if that means you come and stay with us for a while and under our protection, without marriage being part of the equation, then so be it.”
“Why are you being so nice to me? Someone you just met?” I ask curiously. “I mean, I’m the woman who was promised to you, and at the same time, you know I won’t be marrying you. You’d technically be in your right to be furious or to force it.”
Alessio shook his head. “I may be a lot of things, but I will never force a woman. And I’ve seen firsthand what happens when people are forced into something they don’t want to be. No one is happy, and people leave. Or, they do something stupid like try to get revenge and go to the enemy. Seeing you with Nico, even yesterday through the computer, you were tired, and I could see your mind whirling, but you weren’t trying to talk to us or sign to me secretly so you could tell me that you needed rescuing. You put your head on his shoulder, closed your eyes, and stayed tight to him. That was the moment I knew you were going to stay here with him. But I wanted to make sure you understood your options.”
I lean back against Nico’s desk and sigh. “I’m so worried I’m going to make a mistake.”
He moves to lean against the desk beside me, not touching me. “And what does your gut tell you?”
“That I need to really think about this before I say yes or no,” I answer immediately.
“Then I think you have your answer. And considering how early in the morning it is, I don’t think it’s bad to take a few more hours before you give an answer.”
I nod. “Thanks, Alessio.” I give him a small smile. “I hope that even after all of this we can be friends at least.”
“Don’t worry,dolcezza,” he replies with a charming grin. “I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other, so friends is going to be a definite. And, well, if you ever decide you want to get out of here and keep your man on his toes, I’m your guy.”
I smile. Maybe this will be okay, but I think he’s right. I need to think about everything. I tell him that, and head for the door. Time to face the man who is probably pissed as hell at me, but maybe Alessio is right and now’s the time to stop being so careful.
CHAPTER32
Nico
I’mon her the moment the door opens. I ignore all the smirks from the men around me, and focus on the woman who looks tired, and confused, but also has a smile on her face. I don’t waste time picking her up into my arms and growling to everyone, “We’ll talk later.” Then I walk away, uncaring if it’s rude or might look badly on the somewhat fragile new alliance I’m building. The only thing that matters to me is the woman in my arms.
I hear some chuckles, and Sofia telling the Caruso family she’ll show them to their rooms, but then I tune them out. I stalk down the hall to the stairs, then take them two at a time. I start to head in the direction of my room, but then change my mind and head toward her room. No, her former room. I already had the staff move all her things out of her bedroom and into mine while she and Sofia were getting ready for our guests. And this way, there is less chance of us being disturbed.
When Gia realizes where we’re going, she gives me a confused look, and then one full of disappointment. I’m sure she thinks I’m going to lock her away in here, but that’s far from the truth. Instead, when we reach it, I set her down, open the door, pull her inside, and lock us both inside. I flip on the light, before I turn to her and level her with a hard look. Her eyes widen slightly when she realizes just how pissed I am. “What the hell did you think you were doing?” I demand through clenched teeth. “Do you realize the danger you put yourself in?”
She gives me a stubborn glare, holding her ground when I start to advance toward her. “I was perfectly safe,” she argues. “Alessio—”
“Alessio is the son of one of the most feared don’s in Europe,” I snap at her. I’m so pissed it’s taking all my willpower to keep from yelling at her. “If he wanted, all he had to do was pull out a gun and shoot you, and this whole fucking thing would be done. Or, if he didn’t want to kill you, he could have just put a gun to your head and gotten you out of here with no issue, and you would have been gone.”
“He wouldn’t have done that,” she snaps back.
“You don’t fucking know that. Do you think that a quick two-minute conversation through a computer and then in person tonight tells you everything you need to know about someone? Don’t be so naive, Giulia. That kind of mistake gets you killed.”
“Well, excuse me for not knowing how this shit works, considering my family kept me isolated for most of my life,” she yells at me, her own temper flaring. “And you wouldn’t have let him come here if you didn’t think it was safe, so don’t you dare try to turn this around on me.”
“I brought his whole family here to keep from getting involved in a war on all fronts because of your fucking family,” I roar at her. Fury, desperation, and a small dose of fear are making everything inside me boil hot and bright. I need her to understand. I want her to realize how dangerous this whole situation is. Because if I lose her…
No, I don’t want to even think about that. It will never happen. She’s mine, and before we’re done with this conversation, she’ll be very clear on that.
“That’s not my fault,” she yells back at me. “And don’t act like you didn’t know they were going to try and talk to me without you. They tried to do it on the call yesterday. You’re letting jealousy cloud your judgment because you don’t want to admit that I have options.”
Fury at her words, and yes, jealousy right along with it, bubble up inside me. I know she’s pushing me, but I don’t fucking care at the moment. “There is no other option,” I snarl at her, stepping closer to her so that we’re only inches apart. She doesn’t retreat and only stares up at me with that stubborn look on her face. “If you think for one moment that you will be with anyone but me—”
“You’ll what?” she interrupts, goading me. “You’ll lock me away in this room again? You’ll tie me to the bed to make sure that I can’t slip away? You’ve done all of that, and you haven’t broken me yet. And you never will. Because we both know that—”
I don’t let her finish that sentence. Instead, I grab her by the upper arms, hoisting her up with little effort, and then turn her so that her back is pressed against the wall by the door. Her eyes widen, but there’s no fear in her eyes. If there was, I’d stop immediately, but no, this time there’s a flash of something else. Excitement? Triumph? Desire? I’m not sure, and honestly at this moment, I can’t bring myself to care. The only thing that matters is making sure she knows just what is about to happen. And who she belongs to.
