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He puts the phone to his chest to muffle the sounds, “Sophie—
“Now!”
He rolls onto his back, and immediately, I spring up and start to gather my clothes. I pull on my pants, stuff my wet panties into the back pocket then snap on my bra.
But what happens next shocks me. Whatever Nico heard on the phone wasn’t good. He disconnects the call, swears colorfully in Italian, and then swipes his T-shirt from the floor, pulling it on in one smooth move.
Then Nico pins me with cold, assessing eyes. “Who is Cade Quinn?”
Aw shit. It suddenly feels like a bucket of ice has been dumped right on my head.
I swallow the lump in my throat, my mind swinging from boiling rage two seconds ago to chilling fear now.
“Cade’s like my big brother, Nico,” I explain. “We grew up together. His father was club Prez before he died, and my dad was his VP and his best friend—”
“I didn’t ask about your relationship with him, I asked you who the fuck Cade Quinn is.”
He knows. I’m pretty sure that’s what the phone call was about. He just wants to know if I’ll lie to him. I decide the truth is the best bet to come out of this in one piece.
“He’s an FBI agent,” I whisper.
Nico nods, continuing in that strange, flat tone, “Which division?”
“Organized crime—specifically, human trafficking,” I whisper, my shoulders slumping under the burden of that revelation.
“Organized crime. Isn’t that fucking fantastic?” He smiles coldly, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
“Nico—”
“Talk about a loose cannon,” he mutters, shaking his head. He grabs his jacket and goes to the door. Hand poised on the handle, he pauses as if debating, then looks back at me. “You,” he points to me, “had better get the hell out of Harmony right now and keep your mouth shut.”
“Leave? Nico, what are you talking about?”
“Can you fucking do that or not, Sophie?”
And then I grasp his meaning. Or at least I think I do, because of the pain that blooms in my chest. “Hell no! You expect me to leave my family because you, because you what…” I trail off in disbelief, unable to articulate how profoundly evil this is.
He keeps his steady gaze on me as if waiting for a coherent answer.
“Nico. You can’t possibly do that. I know you can’t.”
“Don’t presume to know what I can or can’t do, Sophie. I’d rather not, but I will hurt you if you get in the way.”
Nico has a wild, haunted look in his eyes. Anger blazes in the blue depths, but also there’s regret and guilt warring in them. But I can’t get beyond the fact that he’d think about hurting Cade and my family. My grieving family. After we gave him an outlet for his own grief and guilt.
“If I get in the way of what, you fucking monster? You expect me to turn my back on my family like Leo did and let you wipe them out? Because you hate a man’s line of work!”
He sighs, “Sophie, I’m not someone you hide things from. Why didn’t you tell me who Cade was.”
I throw my hand up, “Oh, I don’t know. Let’s see, maybe because I wanted him alive?”
He says nothing, a muscle ticking in his jaw, “I can’t protect you if you stay here.”
“Well, I’m not moving an inch. Do your fucking worst, Lucifer.”
He nods, then pulls the door open.
Suddenly I don’t want him to go. I want to throw myself at him. To make him see that Cade is not a threat. “Nico—”
