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None of us say anything.
“We also found a photo ofNataliewhen she was four with her parents. We can’t tell if it’s the same woman in that back room or not because she’s...well, four.” Uncle Ricky places a tablet on the table with an old image on the screen.
I know that little girl isn’t the same one on our jet. The parents were holding the little girl in between them. The little girl was smiling, too, but I could tell her eyes were shaped differently, and she didn’t have the slightest hint of a dimple.
Not one of us speaks, swigging our drinks.
Swapping the girls out? It was a genius plan. Heartless. Twisted. But still genius. Cesare Violante is known to be a cunning, manipulative man. One of the smartest bosses. He put a lot of thought into keeping this girl hidden. Right in plain fucking sight. Could the girl laying in our back room right now be Anya Liu? Assuming the identity of a dead six-year-old? I almost couldn’t believe it. But then I remember she killed three of my men. And she put up one hell of a fight tonight. She fucking held a gun to my head just a few hours ago. She’s clearly trained. Suddenly, I’m reminded of the shiner on my face. I rub my left cheek.
“Did she give that to you?” Enzo asks with a shit-eating grin, then sips his drink.
“Fuck off.” I shake my head, laughing.
I finish my drink, appreciating the warm liquid, before getting up and heading to the backroom. No one says anything to me. For some reason, I needed eyes on her to stay calm.
So, she isn’t an assassin or spy, but that doesn’t mean she’s not an enemy. As I watch her sleep, I contemplate what to do with her. We could keep her as a hostage. We could use her as collateral against the Outfit or as a trade for some territory from the Triad. I wasn’t actually considering any of that. I knew, in the back of my mind, what I wanted to do. Fate’s decided that. And you don’t mess with fate.
Chapter Eleven
Natalie
Holy shit,my head hurts.What happened last night?I’ve never had a hangover like this.My head is actually throbbing.Did I do drugs?Or—fuck,was I drugged?I groan. I’m laying on my stomach as I feel around my bed. Why is it so hot? Feeling around some more with my hand, I freeze.Is this a man’s chest?Am I laying on a man’s chest?
Then the memories assault me. The explosion, Nico, the two men standing over me. Someone speaking Mandarin.Fuck!They got me! I have to get out of here. I try to get up, but my head and body say that’s not an option. Strong arms wrap around me, and I’m pulled into his scent. Deep ocean and mahogany. It’s him. I know it’s him without even seeing him.
I’m calm for a second, then I panic again. Shit,hehas me as a hostage, and I’m sharing a bed with him. I feel around to make sure I’m not hallucinating. Definitely him. His broad, muscular chest.
“Like what you feel?”
He finally speaks up, and I can hear his smile. I freeze, pull my hand back, and close my eyes.
I open one eye and take in the room. Then the other eye. I try to lift my head up, but the weight of the pain immediately takes me back down, my eyes close again.
“Hey, hey,” he says gently, his voice devoid of emotion, “don’t get up too fast. You took a pretty bad hit to the head.”
“Oh god,” I grumble as I try to lean back to get some distance between the two of us. Once I’m on my back and my head settles on a pillow, I open my eyes and look over beside me.
Two dark eyes stare back at me. One of them is swelling as bruising forms around it. I smile a little, knowing it’s from me. My eyes can’t help but wander down his tattooed neck and broad chest, which is, unfortunately, covered by a T-shirt.
“What happened? What am I doing here?” I get the words out in a whisper.
Everything hurts.
He doesn’t answer right away. He just lays there like he’s deep in thought, thinking about his next move or words.
I stare back, grimacing. “Am I a hostage?”
“No, you’re not a hostage,” he answers.
That doesn’t reassure me in the slightest. I look down and notice I’m in a T-shirt and boxer shorts.
“Where are my clothes?” I ask, looking around to take in the large room.
A gorgeous fireplace sat in the room with lounge chairs and a coffee table in front of it.
“They were ruined,” Nico says, like he’s bored.
“You undressed me?”
