Chapter Fifteen
Ella
Ade is awash with contained fury as he watches me sitting squashed between the two large men. I try to tell him with my eyes that it”s okay.
And I truly believe it. Niccolo won”t do anything to me, not while he hasn”t got what he came here for.
”Why do you need whatever it is you think is hidden here? How is it going to make your journey to the top easier?” I ask as the quad bike beside us starts up.
”I don”t just think it is. I know it is,” he replies, looking over his shoulder at me.
Once again, I wonder who told him. Who would betray Tiero”s family?
”As to why I need it… it will help me legitimize my claim.”
”Your claim… to the De Marco empire?”
”Exactly. And you will give it to me,” he states with confidence.
There is no point denying that I know what he”s talking about. I didn”t mask my reaction earlier, and he read the situation accurately.
”I guess we don”t have any other choice, do we?”
”No. It”s no use to you anyway.”
That might be true, yet handing over what we found feels like a betrayal to Tiero… to Mateo, who is the legitimate Don now, despite him being missing.
”Did you have anything to do with Mateo”s disappearance?”
That diabolical laugh is back, and I can”t even begin to describe how much I want to wipe the smug grin off his face.
I fully expect him to say, ”Of course, I did,” without an ounce of remorse. But he doesn”t.
In fact, he doesn”t reply at all.
Does that mean he killed Tiero”s little brother?
My stomach drops.
No!
My throat closes over. Still, I need to know more. I need to hear it from Niccolo himself.
And then what?
What will I do with the knowledge? Avenge Mateo for Tiero”s sake? It”s not my nature, yet I”d want justice.
”Did you k…” I can”t say it.
I swallow the lump that”s firmly lodged in my throat and take a deep breath in.
”Is Mateo dddead?”
I”m sure I”m losing all the blood from my head. I”m light-headed and more than a little nauseated.
Niccolo cocks his head to the side, that grin confidently in place.
His eyes, though?
They”re as cold as the Arctic.
”Some things… you”re better off not knowing,” he says cryptically.
He turns away from me and starts the engine. Signalling to the other guy to go ahead, he eases onto the sand.
My heart aches in a way that makes me want to crumble.
Was that an affirmative to my question? It sure sounded like it.
For a moment, my vision fades in and out. Good thing I”m wedged between two steely bodies or I”d slide right off this quad.
Mateo.
No! He can”t be dead. He just can”t be.
Uh-uh, I refuse to believe it.
Perhaps Niccolo wants me to think that he”s dead, so I give him those documents. That would make more sense.
Should I press him more for answers?
Do I really want to know for sure?
As things stand, I can cling to the hope that Mateo and his wife are alright and enjoying their life. Maybe he”s gathering forces to fight off this coup on the De Marco empire.
Any of those thoughts are better than the alternative of him being…
Yeah, not going there.
I turn my head to check on the other quad bike. We”re back on the beach, driving side by side. It”s another beautiful day in paradise, but it”s lost its shine.
Niccolo Romero is terrorizing what was meant to be one of the best days of my life.
He has to go—pronto!
Ade”s eyes are on me. I”m sure he can sense how forlorn I feel.
God, I love that man!
And it”s in my power to protect him. Niccolo means business. If he doesn”t get what he wants, I”m sure he won”t hesitate to hurt Ade, Rhia, or Lex… or worse, kill them.
Not gonna happen.
I”ll obviously give up what we found yesterday if that means the people who mean the most to me in the entire world are safe and well.
But what if Ade and Lex aren”t on board with that? What if they want to capture these guys?
We”re back at the main beach faster than I would have liked. Niccolo parks the quad bike at the bottom of the stairs. His other goon, who”s still nameless to me at this stage, pulls up a few feet behind us.
The guy behind me, Silas, jumps off first and, without needing to be prompted by Niccolo, stealthily runs up to the house using the cover of the trees.
Fuck! Is he going for Rhia and Lex?
Oh please, let Lex look out the window right now and spot these intruders. But knowing my always horny best friend, he”s probably still preoccupied.
Shit, shit, shit.
I”m perspiring profusely, and too many thoughts swirl in my head.
How am I going to keep everyone safe?
I slide back on the seat to make room for Niccolo to get off the bike.
”What will happen after you get what you want?” I ask when he swings his leg over the machine and his feet land on the sand. My voice is shaky, betraying my nerves, and I loathe that I can”t keep my cool like Ade or Lex.
”As I said earlier, I will leave you to get married. Unless, of course, you”d like me to stay for the party.”
Ade and I huff at the same time at that idea.
Niccolo Romero is the last person I”d want to be there for my nuptials. He”s ruined my special day enough already.
”And can I trust that?” I ask, scolding myself for this silly question as soon as it leaves my mouth. As if he”d tell me otherwise.
He turns his body fully toward me and regards me for long seconds.
”I am many things, but I”m not a liar. You have my word. You give me what I need, and I will leave you, your fiancé, and friends unharmed.”
Strangely, I believe him.
Why, I can”t explain. Niccolo Romero does not inspire confidence in me. Yet, he seems sincere.
My mind is made up.
I want Niccolo Romero and his men gone. And for that to happen, I must prevent Ade and Lex from playing the hero.
Easy, right?