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10
Nico
“How’s married life treating you?”
Max smiled as he sat across from Nico. Sighing, he stretched his legs out in front of him, and crossed his ankles. “It’s treating me good. Then again, with Kiana, life is always good.” His gaze tracked around the house, he smiled. “How are things going with you and Vini?”
It would be easy to say everything was fine, but that wouldn’t be the whole story. While he and Vini were trying to get back to normal, there were still some issues lingering in the air. Something would have to give sooner or later.
There was another issue standing in their way and he wasn’t sure how to address it. Sure, he could force the issue, but he didn’t want to take that step. At least, not just yet. She hadn’t been to the club with him yet, and he needed to get her there. Every time he asked her to come with him, she declined. Usually with the excuse that she saw no need for her to go there unless something was going down. But Nico knew better. He had a feeling she still felt others would be judging her. Thinking about that horrible incident months ago. Wondering if she’d lost her hold on Nico.
Not that anyone would say anything out loud to either of them. No. They knew better than to do that. His temper, and Vini’s, was well known in all their circles. However, that didn’t mean the snide looks and low laughter wouldn’t be seen and heard. He wanted Vini by his side at the club, but knew it could be asking for trouble.
Glancing over at Max, he lifted the glass in his hand and took a sip. “I’m still working on getting that woman to forgive me for being so stupid.”
Nodding, Max laughed along with him. “Well, she still likes me, so I’m not taking your side on this. Plus, my wife loves her. So does Big Mama.”
Glaring at his friend, Nico hissed, “Where the fuck does that leave me? Everyone’s gonna abandon me for Vini? Oh, it’s like that now?”
“Yup. In a fucking heartbeat. Big Mama already keeps threatening to come over here to set you two straight. If I were you, I’d move a little faster on getting Vini to her happy place.”
“Damn. Well, that’s one thing I can’t have. You know how that woman is,” he shook his head. Just thinking about Big Mama stomping her way up the walkway made him shiver with dread. Even at her age, she was still a force to be reckoned with.
“Yes, I sure do. But, enough about that. We need to figure out how we’re going to get Diego. I can’t believe that son of a bitch put a hit out on you.”
Nico’s lip curled in disgust. After months of searching, and a lot of dead bodies left in their wake, they’d found out who was responsible for the gunshot to his side. “I can. When all that shit went down, he wasn’t happy with the result. He thought we were cutting him out of too much. There’d been too much grumbling among his soldiers that he was a bitch. They laughed behind his back about him bending over and taking it up the ass.”
When news had gotten back to Diego that Vini was no longer watching Nico’s back, he’d taken his chance. Diego tasked a couple of his best guys with taking Nico out. Too bad they’d failed. Now Diego was in hiding.
“Do you think Vini knows yet?” Max smiled a little as he asked the question.
Nico kicked at his feet. Hard. “Fuck you. You know I’m not going to tell her. Not now anyway. She’d blame herself, which I can’t have her doing.” Mainly because he blamed himself for this entire situation. If he hadn’t shown his ass in the club that night, word wouldn’t have gotten out that Vini was longer by his side. Didn’t matter what he’d said to the room after she’d left. Everyone knew they were on the outs.
Shaking his head, Max gave him a hard look. “Man, don’t do this shit to her again. Listen, I love that little firecracker. She’s my little sister. I don’t want to see her hurt because that shit makes me want to bury bodies in unmarked graves. But with this, I need to tell you; you’re wrong. Keeping her in the dark is what got you two off-track in the first place. She doesn’t like being left on the outside of shit when it comes to you. Plus, pissing her off isn’t good for your health, or mine.”
Hackles rising at Max’s words, Nico gave him a steely look. “Don’t tell me how to handle Vini. She’s my wife.”
Max’s lips thinned and his eyes flashed with fire. “Then fucking act like it. You know her better than I do. Or at least that’s what you keep saying since ‘she’s your wife’ and all that shit. Is Vini the type of woman that’ll stay in the back and let you handle the hard shit on your own? You and I both know she’s not made that way. Stop treating her like she’s gonna fucking break. She’s a goddamn warrior, Nico. We made her into a fucking killing machine. Don’t insult her by thinking of her as anything less.”
Seconds, or maybe minutes, slowly passed in silence as they stared at each other. Both knowing the other one made valid points, even if they didn’t want to admit it out loud. Nico fought against his natural instincts to tell Vini they’d found the person responsible for trying to kill him. Other than the last time months when things had gone down shit creek, he’d never gone on a hunt without her by his side.
Max broke the staring contest first. “Take a picture, it’ll last longer.”
“You’re such a fucking dick.” Nico laughed out loud at their old refrain from their younger years.
“Sure am. Get over it. Anyway, I thought we were watching the game.” Max nodded towards the big screen television against the wall.
“We are. When you quit your bitchin’.”
Max stood. Walking past Nico towards the kitchen, he pushed him hard on the shoulder. “Put on the fucking game before I call the ladies and tell them you’re being mean to me.”
“Why do you always sic your wife on me,” Nico yelled at his friend. “Damn, man. Kiana’s kinda mean when it comes to you and I’m not trying to get on her bad side. And Vini already ordered the pizza, fucker. It should be here any—” the doorbell rang “second.”
Once he closed the door behind the delivery guy, he took the food to the kitchen. They settled down to eat and watch the game, waiting for their wives to return from their shopping trip. As he thought about what to do about Vini, and hunting down Diego, he tuned the game out. His thoughts were filled with ‘what-if’ scenarios. If he didn’t tell her and he went off on his own, there’d be hell to pay. If he did include Vini and something happened to her, it would kill him. And then he’d kill everybody involved, and their families.
Neither choice was a good option.
There was only one thing he was certain of. Keeping Vini in the dark was not an option. Keeping secrets from her is what caused their problems all those months ago. He wasn’t making that mistake again.
