Chapter 16 #2
"Me too." She yawns dramatically, proving her point. "Can we stay one more day? Please? I wanna show Bruno my other bunnies."
"We'll see." I stand, pulling back the covers. "Right now, you need sleep."
"But—"
"Tomorrow," I interrupt, lifting her into the bed, "we're going somewhere really nice. It's a surprise."
"A surprise?" She clutches Sir Floppington tighter. "Is it the zoo? You said we could go to the zoo."
"Maybe." I tuck the blanket around her, smoothing the fabric over her small body. "But only if you close your eyes and go to sleep."
She squeezes them shut immediately. Dramatically. Her lashes flutter against her cheeks.
I lean down to kiss her forehead. My heart cracks open, raw and bleeding.
I would burn the world for you.
The thought surprises me with its violence. I've never considered myself capable of destruction. But watching Jack kneel beside her today, watching him try to take her from me—
I understand, suddenly, why people do terrible things.
Lily's breathing evens out within minutes. The exhaustion of the day finally catching up to her. I stay frozen at her bedside, watching her chest rise and fall, counting each breath like it might be the last.
Find me after Lily falls asleep.
Nico's words echo in my skull. A command, not a request. Because Nico Sartori doesn't ask for things. He takes them.
I should be angry about that.
I should be a lot of things.
Instead, I stand on shaky legs and move toward the door, leaving my daughter safe in this castle of monsters, to go find the biggest monster of them all.
And ask him why he's saving me.
The hallway stretches out in front of me, empty and silent except for my own breathing. I pull out my phone, thumbs hovering over the screen.
Where are you?
I hit send before I can overthink it.
The door swings open before the message even shows as delivered.
Nico stands there, filling the doorframe. His eyes lock onto mine, and for a moment neither of us moves. He's changed into a black t-shirt that stretches across his shoulders, and his hair is slightly damp. Fresh from a shower, apparently.
Great. Now I'm thinking about showers.
He takes a step forward, clearly intending to enter his room.
"No." The word comes out sharper than I intended. "Somewhere else. Not here."
One dark eyebrow rises. The corner of his mouth twitches in what might be amusement on anyone else. "Worried about memories?"
Don't think about the towel. Don't think about the water droplets on his chest. Don't think about—
"Something like that," I manage.
"The towel wasn't that low."
It was exactly that low, and we both know it.
Under normal circumstances, I'd fire something back.
Something about his ego or his apparent need to remind me he has abs.
But tonight, my daughter is sleeping in a room down the hall after her father grabbed me in public.
Tonight, I'm staying in this compound because my own mother sold us out.
Tonight, I don't have it in me to play.
"You're my boss," I say flatly.
Something shifts in his expression. The smirk fades. He studies me for a long moment, then nods once.
"Follow me."
He moves past me without waiting for a response, and I fall into step behind him.
The living room is empty. Nico crosses to a bar cart I hadn't noticed before, tucked into the corner near the fireplace.
"I need a drink."
The words leave my mouth before I can filter them. Nico pauses, bottle in hand, and turns to look at me.
"You don't drink."
"How do you know that?"
"You didn't touch the wine at dinner."
Of course he noticed. The man probably knows my blood type by now.
"I don't drink," I confirm. "Usually. Tonight I need one."
He doesn't argue. Doesn't ask questions. Just pours amber liquid into a crystal glass and holds it out to me.
Our fingers brush when I take it. His skin is warm. I ignore the way my pulse skips and bring the glass to my lips.
The whiskey burns going down. I drain half of it in one swallow, then the rest, like it's water. Like I'm dying of thirst and this is the only oasis for miles.
It hits my empty stomach like fire. My eyes water. I don't care.
Nico watches me with that unreadable expression. He doesn't pour himself anything. Just stands there, arms crossed, waiting.
I set the empty glass on the coffee table. The crystal makes a sharp sound.
"We need to talk."
"Clearly."
I sink onto the leather couch, suddenly exhausted. The adrenaline that's been carrying me since the playground finally drains away, leaving me hollow. My arm still aches where Jack grabbed me. I can still see Lily's confused little face, her refusal to leave me.
Mommy will be alone.
My four-year-old protected me today. My four-year-old shouldn't have to protect anyone.
"Dante was following us." It's not a question.
Nico doesn't deny it. "Yes."
"Before Jack showed up. You knew something was wrong."
A muscle ticks in his jaw. "I knew enough."
"Enough to have me watched."
"Enough to make sure you were safe."
The words hang between us. He says them like they're obvious. Like of course he assigned someone to tail me and my daughter. Like that's a perfectly normal thing bosses do for their temporary housekeepers.
"Why?" My voice comes out rougher than I intended. The whiskey is warming my blood, loosening something in my chest. "Why do you care what happens to me?"
Nico is silent for a long moment. Then he moves, lowering himself into the armchair across from me. His elbows rest on his knees, hands clasped between them. This close, I can see the faint scars on his knuckles. Old wounds, long healed.
"You saved my mother's life."
"That's not an answer."
His dark eyes meet mine. "It's the only one I have."
Liar, I think. But I'm too tired to push. Too tired for games.
"Jack knows where I live," I say instead. "My mother told him. And now he's threatening custody, and I can't—" My voice breaks. I swallow hard, force myself to continue. "I can't lose her. She's everything. She's the only good thing I ever did."
Nico's expression doesn't change. But something in his posture shifts, like a predator scenting blood.
"Tell me about the debt."
My stomach drops.