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Her fury cuts me off as she pushes up on the balls of her feet and gets in my face. “You wouldn’t fucking dare lay a finger on my brother, Domenico Vitelli. I swear to God I will hunt you down if you so much as breathe in his direction, do you hear me?”
I’ve made grown men piss their pants with little more than a look. But this is Sophie, and traitor or not, her spine is made of pure steel.
Her defiance stirs something in me: a twisted admiration. I am confounded by how I can still feel this much for her, even now while her betrayal is fresh. I force myself to focus on the hurt and rage.
“I assured you Maria and Victoria were safe,” I bite out in an icy voice. “Still, you went behind me and put their lives back at risk. What was it, Sophie? My methods didn’t suit you, or you were just looking for an excuse to push me away so you can keep on living in your fucking black and white box’?”
“Stop being a jackass, Nico,” she shoots back.
“What, you can let a criminal fuck you, but you can’t stand it if he loves you?” I taunt, “You can’t let yourself love him back?”
Her eyes flare a second before her palm flies toward my face, but my reflexes are quick, and I catch it.
“You’re a blind, pig-headed jack-hole. I tried to tell you! I didn’t want to do this. But I did it for Maria and Victoria, and I did it for you, Nico—which, it turns out, was a dumb move.”
“You tried to tell me?” I say as a flicker of uncertainty flits through my brain. “Tell me what? Why the fuck are you even involved in the first place? This has nothing to do with you.”
She scoffs, a sheen of tears appearing in her eyes. She snatches her hand loose, and she turns away from me as if she suddenly can't bear the sight of me.
“Check your fucking phone. Or here’s an even better idea: answer the damn phone next time.”
“But why on earth would you think it was okay to do what you did? To involve Cade of all people? I have a whole army of soldiers here you could call, and Maria has guards in Cozumel.”
She whirls on me. “None of whom I have access to! I don’t even have your brother’s number for Chrissake. And why should I? I’m just the hot piece of ass you’re—”
“That’s enough!” I bark, my voice echoing off the walls. I can’t let her finish that demeaning sentence. “Don’t you ever say that again.”
Eyes blazing, she turns on her heels and storms off through the living room and down the hallway.
“Sophie! Where the hell do you think you’re going?”
“Fuck off, Nico. I don’t ever want to see you again.” Her bedroom door slams shut a moment later.
Then the house is silent, a painful, potent kind of silence. Until George waddles out of the kitchen and starts doing circles around my feet.
“A spitfire with a spine of steel and a ridiculous pet,” I say, shaking my head at him. “She really had me fooled, didn’t she?”
I sigh, pet the duck, then step outside and close the door behind me. I feel heavier as I walk back to my car, like the weight on my shoulders I’ve been carrying for so long has settled back on them.
I hadn’t even realized I’d felt lighter these past few weeks, but the weight is back now. I get in my car and drive off with no particular destination in mind while the standoff with Sophie plays over in my head.
She’d looked so fucking sincere. Angry as hell… but sincere. And hurt. She was crying.
I drive around for what feels like hours but it may have been ten or fifteen minutes, until the thoughts swirling in my head start to coalesce into one simple clause.
Check your fucking phone. Check your fucking phone. Check your fucking phone.
I pull off onto the shoulder of the road and shift the gear into park.
I reach for it from my jacket pocket only to discover it’s not there. I gave it to Dante to call Fredo Batti. Fucking wonderful.
I run my hand down my face and stare at the dark road, playing a game of tug-of-war in my head. But the war’s pointless. I can feel it in my fingers long before I rev the engine. I know the U-turn I’m about to make before I make it. And I can see the short, solar lamp-lit walk to her front step long before I make the trek along it. But let’s face it; that’s where I’m headed.
I may just be the stupidest man on earth. Because I believe her.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Sophie
