Chapter 16
SEBASTIAN
Nico wants to call the police immediately.
I can see it on his face before he says the words.
The second he steps back out onto the porch after a quick first pass through Val’s entryway, his whole body is tight with the kind of anger that needs a target.
He looks at Val sitting in the car, pale and rigid behind the windshield, then back at me.
“We should report it,” he says.
Val gets out of the car before I can answer.
“No,” she says firmly. “The police can’t do anything. What are we going to tell them, that I know my ex broke in because a pillow was out of place?”
Nico turns toward her. “Val.”
“I said no.”
There’s enough force in her voice to stop both of us.
Nico takes one step toward her and reins himself in before he crowds her.
“Your front door was open and you know you locked it,” he reminds her. “Someone was inside your house, even if they didn’t take anything.”
“I know that.”
“Then we call the police.”
“No.” She says it again, flatter this time. “They’ll come out here, write down that nothing’s missing, ask if I’m sure I locked the door, and leave. That’s all they’ll do.”
Nico opens his mouth to argue, but I cut in first.
“She’s right.”
Both of them look at me. Nico’s expression darkens immediately.
“We have to do something,” he says.
“You know what will happen if we call the police,” Val says to him, and I hear an edge. They share some kind of understanding that I’m not in on.
I can’t prove it, but I think this is about her ex. If she’s afraid to involve the police, he must be even more complicated than I thought.
Either way, she’s right. The police would walk through, find no forced entry, no theft, no immediate signs of violence, and write this off as a nuisance call from a woman too rattled to trust her own memory. They might phrase it more politely, but they wouldn’t do a damn thing.
And that’s before you factor in the less official reason I don’t bring police into situations unless I absolutely have to. Nico knows that, too. I can see it in the set of his jaw.
Val looks between us and lets out a bitter laugh. “Great. Glad we all agree I’m on my own.”
“You’re not on your own,” Nico says immediately.
“No?” She gestures toward the house. “Because it really feels like it.”
I step in before the whole thing tips into another useless argument. “The only thing that matters right now is making sure the house is clear.”
That lands cleanly enough to redirect them both.
I look at Val. “Did you touch anything besides the door?”
“I walked into the living room and kitchen.”
“That’s it?”
She nods once.
“Good.”
Nico exhales through his nose. “I’ll go through the house.”
“No,” I say.
His eyes cut to me. “Excuse me?”
“I’ll do it.”
Val watches both of us, tension pulled so tight through her body I can practically feel it from where I’m standing. She doesn’t need this turning into a pissing contest.
Nico folds his arms. “And why exactly are you better suited?”
Because I know what to look for. If her ex really did break in, he may have planted cameras. In situations like this, it’s not about what a person took, it’s about what they left behind. I’m far better suited for that kind of search. I don’t say all of that.
“You know exactly why.”
Val goes very still at that.
Nico stares at me for a second, furious but smart enough to hear the truth in it. “Fine.”
I look at Val. “You stay here with him.”
Her mouth tightens like she wants to argue on principle, but the fight seems to drain before it reaches her voice. “Okay.”
I head into the house alone. Under different circumstances, I might take a moment to look around and get a read on her personality from her décor. This isn’t a social call, though.
Everything looks normal enough, but that’s often the point. Men who want to terrify women without leaving clean evidence rarely break things unless they’re stupid, emotional, or both.
I close the door behind me and stand still for a few seconds, listening. The good news is, there’s definitely no one else here. He’s not lurking in a corner, waiting to attack her.
Still, I move room by room to confirm there’s no threat.
I start with the entryway. The lock on the door isn’t damaged, and there are no pry marks on the frame. He either picked the lock or found her spare key. Neither option inspires much confidence.
The rest of the house is so tidy it almost looks staged.
I don’t dwell on what that says about Val.
I’m not here to judge her choices, I’m just here to find what’s out of place.
I check her computers for any hardware that shouldn’t be there.
They’d be easy enough to hack. I’ll recommend she replace them right away, just to be safe.
I comb the bookshelf carefully and find nothing concerning. She doesn’t keep any random tchotchkes, so any camera would have to go in a book. There’s no sign of one.
Upstairs, I scan her bedroom slowly. Smoke detector, air vent, lamps, charger blocks, closet corners, the undersides of her nightstands and dresser. Nothing.
It doesn’t make sense. What was this asshole’s endgame? I shouldn’t be so frustrated about not finding bugs, but the clean sweep doesn’t give me any peace of mind. He came here for a reason, and we’re no closer to knowing what it was.
What kind of man does this?
Someone who feeds on power and control. Someone who gets off on psychologically torturing a partner. He’s a sick fuck. I’m starting to piece together what she went through with her ex, and it makes her personality so much clearer. Control was a luxury to her. Now it’s her greatest commodity.
I walk back outside and find them where I left them. Val sits in the passenger seat with the door open, elbows on her knees, staring at the pavement. Nico leans against the hood, scanning the neighborhood. They both look up when I step off the porch.
“Well?” Nico asks.
“I didn’t find anything.”
Val’s shoulders tense. “Are you sure?” Her voice is hoarse.
“No cameras, no bugs, no one still inside.” I stop beside the open passenger door and look directly at her.
She shuts her eyes for one second, and the relief on her face is so tangled up with fresh fear it almost looks like pain.
“Thank God.” She exhales.
“But I don’t think you should stay here.” I hold her gaze. “I think you should stay with me. You’ll be a lot safer there.”
Nico pushes off the hood. “Isn’t that convenient,” he spits.
“I’m not leaving my home.” Val’s eyes go wide. “That’s what he wants.”
“What if he comes back?” I press. “What if he attacks you when you’re alone? Either you stay with me, or I’m moving in here for the foreseeable future.”
The fight comes back into her face at once.
“You don’t get to decide that,” she shoots back.
“As the father of your unborn child, yes, I do get a say in your physical safety. You shouldn’t be alone right now.”
Nico steps to the other side of the door, leaning over to look at Val.
“She can stay with me,” he says, glaring at me. “I agree it’s not safe for you to stay here alone, Val. As much as I hate agreeing with Sebastian right now, I’m not going to risk that asshole hurting you.”
“So no one cares what I think?” she snaps, pushing to her feet and rounding the side of the car.
“Val.” Nico sighs wearily. “Of course I care what you think. But I can’t stomach the idea of Adrian in your home. Or anywhere in the same state as you. You need to be somewhere you feel safe.”
“I’m not going to feel safe anywhere,” she mutters darkly.
“My home has top of the line security,” I remind them both. “A staffed security gate, cameras all over the property. No one would bother you there. They wouldn’t even get the chance to get close.”
I don’t mention the armed men who patrol the mansion at all hours, ready to intervene at a moment’s notice. She’s been through enough tonight.
“I don’t like it.” Nico shakes his head. “You two barely know each other.”
I have to bite my tongue to stop myself from reminding him that we know each other far better than he thinks. I’m already in enough hot water with him. Best not to push it.
“Maybe you’re right,” I concede. “But that’s my baby growing inside her. I have every right to ensure its safety and the safety of its mother.”
Nico sighs and stares me down. I stare right back, daring him to argue. We both know I’m right. That baby is my heir and deserves the highest level of protection I can provide. I shouldn’t have let Val walk out of my office in the first place.
Nico breaks the standoff first, turning to Val.
“He’s right,” he reluctantly admits. “Pack a bag.”
“No,” she repeats. “This isn’t happening. I’m not moving in with you.”
“It’s just temporary, Val. I’ll make sure someone is monitoring your house at all times in case your ex comes back. Once we’re satisfied the threat has been neutralized, you’re welcome to move back in and go on about your life. If that’s what you want.”
“Of course it’s what I’m going to want,” she nearly spits at me.
“Great,” I say, a flat smile fixed on my face. “Then we’re in agreement. Now go pack so we can get out of here. I’ve had to move around all my meetings this afternoon.”
“Poor you,” she grumbles, slamming her door shut and making her way toward the house. Nico and I follow in silence.
He doesn’t say another word about her staying with me. No matter how pissed he is right now, he knows I won’t let anything happen to her. He knows my home is a fortress and it really is the safest place for her. Somewhere deep down, he even knows I would never intentionally hurt either of them.
He and I sit on her couch while we wait, as far apart as physically possible. She stomps around upstairs, dragging the process out longer than necessary. I can’t help but chuckle. Both Moretti siblings are stubborn as mules.
“This is decent of you,” he finally mutters. “Probably the very least you can do, all things considered.”
“I appreciate that.” I nod without looking at him. “Sounds like her ex was a real piece of work.”
He sighs. “You don’t know the half of it. When you find him, let me throw the first punch.”
“I can’t make any promises. I’d like to have a few words with him myself.”
He cracks a wry smile, and I know that whatever bad blood sat between us is forgiven. We stay there until Val’s ready to go, then I have her follow me back to my mansion.