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He takes my hand in his, hauling me out of the bed. His eyes are completely devoid of emotion now. I hate it when he gets like this, turns into an unfeeling robot.
“Listen to me. I want to go to your room and lock the doors. Don’t let anyone in except me, understand?” he asks.
I shake my head, my thoughts zeroing in on one thing and one thing only.
“Where’s Lucia? Where’s my sister?” I ask, fear pounding through my chest.
“She should already be on her way to your room as well,” he replies. “The two of you stay there.”
“Okay,” I nod. “Where are you going?”
He doesn’t reply, his expression hard.
“Nico,” I breathe. “Don’t go.”
I’m not sure why, but I have a really bad feeling. His eyes fall shut right before he presses a kiss to my forehead.
“I have to. But you know I’ll come back to you. I always do,” he murmurs.
He leads me out of the room and into the arms of one of the numerous guards in the house, and then he leaves, heading out of the mansion. I keep telling myself that everything will be okay. The compound is safe, with maximum security. I just need to get to my sister, and it’ll all be fine.
In the end, I never made it to my bedroom. The guard escorting me was killed and I was stolen from right beneath my father’s nose. Darkness claimed me as I was taken away from my home.
My only consolation was that when my eyes finally opened, Lucia was right beside me. My sister was bound the same way I was. And Nico was nowhere in sight.
CHAPTER 16
NICO
Ihaven’t made a lot of mistakes in my life. But letting her go that night was one of them. I should have stayed beside her. I should have never left her alone. And I should have done everything to prevent the eventual consequences of my actions.
Aurora blames me for breaking her. And maybe I was responsible. But I also can’t forgive her for taking away my chance to put her together.
She pulls away first. She’s great at doing that. For a second, I just stare at her, feeling like I’m underwater, like it’s only the two of us in existence. And then that bubble shatters and the sound of applause in the church reaches me. Aurora stares at me with accusation in her eyes and I remember one of her conditions. Our kiss was meant to be a simple one. That was anything but simple. It was longing personified.
Unfortunately for her, it was mutual.
“That was the last time you get to kiss me,” she whispers.
Despite the dull ache in my chest and the need pulsing within me, the urge to kiss her again, I smile.
“I really need you to stop lying to yourself, mi vida,” I say softly.
What I despise the most is how much of a liar she’s become over the past ten years. She’s adept at muddying the truth of her actions and feelings, even to herself.
Thirty minutes after my inauguration as Don, I realize my wife is missing. It’s such a foreign concept to me, the idea of a wife, a family, albeit a fake one. The ballroom where our wedding reception is occurring is opulent, with crystal chandeliers, grand décor, and impeccable service. The wedding planner I hired certainly did her best, and everything looks perfect.
The one thing that isn’t perfect, is the fact that my wife is nowhere to be seen. She disappeared soon after Sebastian proclaimed me as the new Don. He’s been surprisingly pliant, performing his de facto father-of-the-bride duties without effort. He even managed a smile for the pictures. I have a feeling he’s planning something, but I can’t really be bothered by that at the moment. The last time I saw Aurora, she was talking to Camila in a corner, doing her best to act like she doesn’t despise this entire show.
I excuse myself from a conversation with Barco, one of our head enforcers who controls the gambling rings, in order to seek out Vlad. He appears as soon as I step away, and the look on his face tells me he already knows what I want to ask.
“She stepped outside a couple of minutes ago, boss,” he informs me. “Said she needed some air.”
“You let her go alone?” I ask, uncomfortable with the idea of her being out of sight.
They might smile and congratulate me, offer their best wishes, and say how glad that are that I’ve claimed my rightful position. But at the end of the day, this is a pit full of vipers and snakes who wouldn’t hesitate to drag me down given half the chance.
“Danny’s with her, of course,” Vlad states.
