by L A Cotton
“She’s better off without me.” I tipped my head back and closed my eyes, swigging my beer.
“Whatever you say, man, but I want it noted that I think you’re making a big fucking mistake.”
“Noted.” My eyes landed on his as I drained the rest of my beer and slammed it down on the table. “I think we’re going to need something stronger.”
The blare of my cell phone cut through the darkness. I scrambled to find it, tapping the nightstand until my fingers grazed the smooth plastic.
“Yeah?” I grumbled, my head pounding.
“Mr. Marchetti, we’ve got a problem.”
At the sound of Maurice’s voice, I bolted upright. “What is it? Is she okay?”
“She’s fine. But there’s been an incident at La Stella, a package.”
“A package?” I was already out of bed, pulling on my clothes, and arming myself with my favorite weapons.
“It was addressed to Nora.”
Fuck.
Fuck.
My fist found the nearest wall. Pain exploded along my knuckles, but I barely felt it, red hot anger flooding every inch of me.
“What is it?”
“Well, that’s the strange thing, sir.” He sucked in a sharp breath. “It appears to be for you.”
“I’m on my way.”
“What should I tell Miss Abato?”
Shit, Nora. She was going to freak the fuck out.
“Nothing, don’t wake her yet.”
“That’s the other thing, Mr. Marchetti,” he hesitated.
“Go on…” My teeth ground together.
“She stayed over at her neighbor’s, Mr. Bianco.”
My stone heart plummeted into my toes.
She stayed over.
Did she fuck him? Let him touch her sinful curves and kiss her pouty lips?
Jealousy threatened to consume me as I imagined the two of them naked, bodies writhing and slick with sweat.
Rein. It. The. Fuck. In.
Just because she stayed over doesn’t mean anything happened.
Who the fuck was I kidding? That’s exactly what it meant.
I grabbed my keys. It was a little after midnight. The streets would be clear enough for me to drive, but I knew my cousins would kick my ass if they knew I’d driven over the limit.
“Yo, asshole,” I banged on Matteo’s door.
“Yeah?” he murmured.
“We need to go.”
“Shit, now?” He sounded disoriented, but I knew it was from sleep and not liquor since he’d stopped after two beers while I’d kept going.
The door swung open revealing a half-naked Matteo. “Where?” He ran a hand down his face.
“Nora got a package at La Stella.”
“Fuck. What’s in it?”
“Maurice didn’t give me the details over the phone. Just said he didn’t think it was for Nora at all.
“If it’s not for Nora then who—oh shit.”
“We need to go, now.”
“Yeah, okay. Just let me grab some clothes.”
Five minutes later, we were climbing into Matt’s truck.
My leg bounced uncontrollably as we left Romany Square and made the short journey to University Hill.
“She’ll be okay. Maurice and his team are there.”
“Nora isn’t there,” I ground out.
“What do you mean, she isn’t there?”
“She stayed over at Luca’s.”
“Shit, cous, that’s rough. I’m sorry.”
I felt his eyes on the side of my face, but I didn’t meet his sympathetic gaze. “You and Nic were right all along,” I muttered.
“I’m not following,” he said.
“You told me she’d slip through my fingers.”
“So fight for her. You’re a Marchetti, E. Fighting’s what we do.”
My eyes flicked to his in a questioning expression.
“Oh, fuck you,” he chuckled. “I can fight.”
My brows hit my hairline as I smirked. “You fight like a girl.”
“I’m a lover, not a fighter.”
“Yeah, you are.” But from where I was sitting, it didn’t seem like such a bad thing to be. He wasn’t harboring all the hate and bitterness I was. Sure, Uncle Michele wasn’t a traitorous lying cunt, but I’d been like this before.
Angry.
Bitter.
Cold.
I was my father’s son, and, deep down, I knew he was the reason I pushed Nora away. Not because of what I did but because of what I was.
A killer.
A cold blooded murderer.
A sinner.
She was too good, too fucking pure for this life. She deserved Prince Charming, not the villain.
She deserved someone like Luca. Someone who would be there and show up. Someone who wouldn’t bring death and destruction and danger to her doorstep.
I scrubbed a hand down my face, wishing Matteo would step on it.
“So, if the parcel’s for you, we have to assume he’s watching you, or has, at the very least, done his homework.”
“I don’t give a shit about me.”
“We can protect Nora.”
“Not the point, Matt, and you know it.” Nora was in this position because of me. Because whoever was fucking with us had some unfinished business all thanks to my father.
After what felt like a lifetime, Matteo finally pulled up outside of La Stella. I leaped from the truck not giving a shit that I was out in the open. I had to get to her. Now.
But Maurice intercepted me before I even reached the stairs. “He left it at the main doors. Security called me when they noticed.”
“They get any footage?” I glanced at the security cameras trained on the entrance to the building.
“Alexi is checking now.”
“Good, let me know the second you hear. Where’s the package?”
“Inside her apartment.”
“She still with Luca?”
He nodded. “How do you want to proceed?”
“Show me the package.”
I followed Maurice up to Nora’s apartment. My eyes narrowed as I passed Luca’s door. What I really wanted was to kick the fucking thing down and punish her for ever thinking she could pull that shit on me. But I knew better, and I knew Nora would only dig her heels in all the more if I went off at the deep end all because she’d done what I’d been doing week in and week out.
But those women meant nothing, they were a means to an end. Luca was different. He had boyfriend potential.
I forced myself to take a deep breath and follow Maurice into Nora’s apartment.
“It’s right over here.” He led me to the breakfast counter.
The small box was nondescript except for a hand scrawled label with Nora’s address on.
“Here.” Maurice handed me a latex glove and I pulled it on, carefully opening the lid.
“What the fuck is that?” I peered inside, paling when I realized what I was staring at. “That’s Gino’s chain.”
Now I could get a better look, I would recognize the heavy gold chain anywhere. The dried blood caked on the chain links confirmed it.
“Who is this motherfucker?” I hissed.
“What shall I do with it, sir?”
“Call our guys at local PD and have them run it for prints. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”
“I’ll make sure it gets into the right hands.”
“Thanks.”
“And Miss Abato?”
“I’ll deal with Nora.”
Matteo appeared just then. “Well…”
“He sent me a souvenir.”
The blood drained from his face. “Please tell me there were no body parts.”
“Gino’s blood encrusted gold chain.”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah. I’ll be right back.” I stormed past him, but Matteo caught my arm.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?”
“She needs to know.”
And I
needed her here, where I could keep my eye on her.
“She’s going to be pissed.” Matt grimaced.
“I can handle it.” But as I said the words, I wasn’t sure of anything anymore.
I was supposed to want to be out there, hunting him. Not resting until he was six feet under with a bullet hole through his skull. But all I could think about was getting Nora out of Luca’s apartment and away from here, to somewhere safe. Somewhere the fucker couldn’t walk right up to the door and leave her little packages.
“It’s your death sentence,” Matteo mumbled as I walked away. It was almost one in the morning. They would be sleeping, hopefully not together because I wasn’t ready to see that. It was bad enough collecting her from his apartment as it was.
I rapped my knuckles on the door and waited. When no one answered, I added a little force behind it.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Luca grimaced at the sight of me.
“I need to speak to Nora.”
“She’s sleeping. It’s the middle of the fucking night.”
“It’s an emergency.”
“An emergency? What kind of emergency?” He had the gall to stare me down. “Because from where I’m standing it looks like the guy who continually hurts her wants to hurt her again. Well, I got—”
“Enzo?”
Relief slammed into me, but then I saw what she was wearing and all the anger and jealousy I felt hit me like a tsunami.
“There’s something we need to deal with,” I said, barely able to look at her. Her long smooth legs peeking out from under a t-shirt.
His fucking t-shirt. Unless all of a sudden, she wore a man’s size.
“I’ll be across the hall,” I said, spinning on my heel.
Luca started trying to comfort her, insisting she didn’t need to follow my orders all the time. But I didn’t stick around to hear the rest. Visions of her in his clothes were seared into the backs of my eyes.
And I hated it.
I hated it so fucking much.
But it wasn’t the hatred that caught me off guard. It was the regret. Thick, sludgy regret that slithered through me like a poisonous snake, coiling around my heart and threatening to squeeze the life right out of it.
I stormed back into her apartment and waited. Matteo didn’t say a word, scrolling his phone, no doubt keeping Nicco in the loop.
A minute later, I felt her enter the room.
“What is it, what’s wrong?” she asked.
“We’ve got a problem.” I didn’t meet her eyes.
“Enzo, look at me.” I was powerless against her soft command, turning around to look at her. She was dressed, at least. “What. Happened?”
“Whoever is doing this… he knows you’re here.”
“What?”
“I’ll just be…” Matteo left us alone.
“He must have been watching me, watching us.” The words were like sandpaper against my throat. “He sent something to you… something for me.”
“Oh my God.” She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. “H-he was here?”
“He didn’t get inside the building, but he left the package at the front door.”
“What was in it?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“What was in it, Enzo?” She bit out, and I flinched.
“Gino’s gold chain. The guy I was working with in Providence… the guy he… killed.”
“Jesus,” she breathed, and before I knew what was happening, she marched toward me and threw her arms around me. “I’m so sorry this is happening to you.”
I stood there dumbfounded. I’d expected her to be angry, to scream and yell and blame me… I hadn’t expected this.
“You can hug me back, you know,” she chuckled softly, and I gingerly wrapped my arms around her, burying my face in the crook of her neck.
God, she felt good pressed up against me, holding me. I wanted to stay there forever, secreted away from all the shit circling me. But all too soon, she pulled away, tucking her wild curls behind her ear.
“Sorry,” a slow blush spread up her neck and into her cheeks, “I just—”
“It’s okay.”
Something flashed in her eyes, but there was a knock at the door, and Maurice came inside. “We pulled the security footage.”
“And?”
He grimaced. “You should probably come and take a look at it.”
“Okay. Stay here with Nora. I need to call Nicco and Uncle Toni.”
“Already handled.”
“Thank you.”
“The boss is sending more guys. We’ll double security on both exits and put more guys outside Nora’s—”
“Whoa, wait a second. You think he’ll come back?” The blood drained from her face once more.
I wanted to reach out and touch her, comfort her the way she had comforted me. But I didn’t know how. I didn’t know…
“We can’t take any risks,” I said thickly. Glancing away so she wouldn’t see the emotion in my eyes.
Jesus, he knew she lived here.
It changed everything.
“Maurice will stay right here with you okay?” I finally went to her and cupped the back of her neck, staring down at her. “I’ll be as quick as I can.”
“Okay.” She swallowed, but I saw the trust glitter in her eyes. After everything, Nora still trusted me to keep her safe.
Yet, it was knowing me, being someone important to me, that had put her in harm’s way.
My hand lingered on her neck, the urge to kiss her so fucking overpowering that I immediately released her and stepped away.
She misread the action, hurt flashing in her eyes. “I’m going to get some coffee,” she said. “Looks like it’s going to be a long night.”
I gave her a small nod…
And then I got the hell out of there.
Chapter 24
Nora
I made a fresh pot of coffee while we waited for Enzo to reappear.
Maurice made himself scarce, blending into the shadows in the corner of the living room. But Matteo didn’t give me space. He perched at the counter, graciously accepting a mug of coffee from me.
“Nice t-shirt.” His brow arched, and I let out a heavy sigh.
“It’s not what you think.”
“And what do you think I think?”
“Matt…”
“So, you’re telling me, you didn’t spend the night bumping uglies with your—”
A loud bang at the door startled us.
“What the hell?” Matteo mumbled.
“Stay back.” Maurice withdrew his pistol. “I’ll get it.” But the second he checked the peephole; he holstered his gun. “It’s Mr. Bianco.”
“Jesus, the guy doesn’t know when to quit, does he?”
I shot Matteo a scathing look. “Let him in, Maurice.” Maurice glanced at Matteo and I let out an exasperated breath. “It’s my apartment and unless I’m mistaken, I am not a prisoner here, so please answer the door for Mr. Bianco.”
Maurice answered the door and stepped back.
“I’m sorry,” Luca rushed out as I approached. “I know you told me to stay away, but I’m over there worrying, dreaming up all these crazy scenarios in my head, and I—”
“Luca, breathe.” I chuckled but it came out strained. “I’m okay.”
“I can see that.” His cheeks burned. “Matteo.” He gave him a stiff nod.
“I’d say it’s good to see you again, but I’m loyal to my cousin so—”
“Matt!”
“What?” He shrugged. “You should probably wrap this up before Enzo comes back.”
Fuck my life.
Why did this have to be happening?
All I’d wanted was to have dinner with a friend, and now I was stuck between a rock and a hard place again.
“Matteo’s right, you should go,” I said. “It’s late and the crisis is averted. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?” I started to close the door, but Luca’s hand f
lew out, stopping it.
“I suggest you back the fuck up.” Enzo growled from down the hall. A shiver ran through me at the sheer anger in his voice. But there was something else there too, under the surface.
Something that sounded a lot like possessiveness.
“Me?” Luca balked. “If I recall correctly, it wasn’t your apartment Nora spent the night at.”
A gasp slipped from my lips, anger flooding. “You should go, Luca. Now!”
“Shit, Nora.” He ran a hand down his face. “I didn’t mean—”
“Just go. Maurice, please escort Luca back to his apartment.” I stepped aside letting my bodyguard usher Luca away. His eyes pleaded with me, but I didn’t concede. I was still too shocked he’d said that.
Enzo came closer, anger radiating off him. But he didn’t berate me… he didn’t say anything. Just stalked past me and disappeared into my apartment.
With a heavy heart, I followed him inside. Everything was such a mess, and this, it was my fault.
Enzo was discussing something with Maurice and Matteo. They looked over, but I disappeared into my bedroom, shedding the t-shirt Luca had let me borrow and pulling on my ‘let’s avocuddle’ t-shirt and some pajama shorts.
When I went back into the living room, Matteo and Maurice were gone.
“Where is everyone?” I asked.
But Enzo didn’t hear me, his dark gaze drinking in the sight of me. When his eyes landed on my t-shirt, an amused smirk tipped the corner of his mouth.
“What?”
“You are so fucking weird.”
“Gee, thanks.” I went over to the coffee machine, needing to distract myself from his intense stare.
I set about making a fresh pot and waited. I didn’t feel him move behind me until his hands slid around my waist.
“Is it true?” he whispered, so quietly I almost missed it.
“Is what true?” I sucked in a harsh breath as he pulled me closer to his chest. His mouth dipped to my ear.
“Did you sleep with him, Gattina. Did you let him fuck you?”
“It doesn’t matter,” I said, my eyes fluttering closed as he breathed against the curve of my neck.
“It matters. You know it does.”
“The last time I checked, you didn’t want me.” The words cut me deep.
“There isn’t a single second of the day when I don’t want you, Gattina. But it doesn’t change the fact I shouldn’t want you.”