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I tell her all about my visit from Adrian Rossi. As expected, she panics.
“You need to leave that city,” Lucia states. “I told you it was a bad idea to remain right under their noses.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I say resolutely. “That’s not why I called you. I need you to take a little trip for me, Lucia. You’re long overdue for a visit to Mama’s sister in Brazil.”
Lucia falls quiet for several seconds.
“What about you? Will you be coming with me on this visit?”
“I need to find out what’s going on.”
“You can’t keep doing this, Rory! You can’t keep running head-first into the line of fire for me. Even now, I’m much safer than you.”
“New York isn’t safe.”
“I said safer,” she retorts. “Come with me to Brazil. We’ll both be safe.”
“No,” I tell her, clenching my jaw.
Leaving will only give them more incentive to follow us. One of us has to stay.
“Lucia, please stop arguing with me. I’m your elder sister. I have to protect you.”
She mumbles a couple of choice words in Italian under her breath, calling me a bull-headed martyr or something along those lines.
I sigh softly. “I love you, okay? Book that flight as soon as I hang up.”
“I will,” she says in agreement. “Be safe, sorella.”
“Bye, amore.”
The call ends, and I’ve finally stopped shaking enough to get a clear grasp on the situation. Now that I know my sister will at least be safe, I can think clearly. I still don’t know why a member of the outfit strolled into my office on a Wednesday morning. And I won’t know unless I try to gather information.
That being said, information gathering will have to wait. Lia pops her head into the office to inform me that my meeting with the Senator’s wife can’t be pushed back. So, I put all my energy into getting through with it and the rest of the day as well.
As soon as I leave work, I’m heading home. I still don’t have a plan. But the thing is, I don’t need one. When I get home, he’s already there, leaning against the wall beside my front door. A part of me knew he would be here. He’s covered in shadows, literally and figuratively.
My heart skips a beat at the sight of his tall, lean figure. His short, dark hair perfectly frames his chiseled features. Like always, his expression is closed off, blank, like a robot. He’s clad in a sleek black shirt that accentuates his muscled arms.
Nico’s face possesses a rugged handsomeness that some people would describe as otherworldly. But I describe it as unnerving. I haven’t seen him in nearly ten years.
I forgot how stifling my hatred of him is. I hate him so much I forget how to breathe at the sight of him. And yet, he looks like he couldn’t care less about my emotions. He looks at me like I’m nothing at all.
CHAPTER 4
NICO
Ialmost talked myself out of coming here.
I rationalized that it would be just as effective sending either Vlad or Danny to come here. All they had to do was drag her to her father’s compound. Once she was there, I would have figured out exactly how to speak to her. But I knew deep down that wasn’t true. She would never give either of them the time of the day. And judging by the expression on her face, she’s about to tell me to fuck off as well.
I haven’t seen Aurora Maranzano in ten years. In some ways, she’s utterly, devastatingly unchanged. And yet, there are some things that have changed. She walks toward me with an air of confidence, her captivating brown eyes sharper than before. I know without her even standing close to me, that her eyes have flecks of green in them. It’s something nearly everyone would miss, but I spent the better part of my teenage years staring into those eyes. I know them well.
Her figure boasts alluring curves that are impossible for me to ignore. There’s a white fur coat hanging on her shoulders. I wonder if it’s real fur or a high-quality fake. Underneath she’s wearing a striking emerald-green suit, with a sleek skirt that stops just above her knees, hugging her form elegantly. The color accentuates her features, complimenting her wavy brown hair, which cascades down her back.
Honestly, in the time since I last saw her, she’s only grown even more painfully beautiful. Which is unfortunate. Extremely fucking unfortunate.
She walks right past me, stopping in front of the door. She’s by my side now, and the smell of her perfume washes over me. Coconut and roses. It’s just how I remember it. I arch an eyebrow when she doesn’t even look at me. She simply inputs the code into the keypad and enters. She’s pretending I’m not even here.
