Chapter 22
Nicole
"I've waited a week, Raffaele, and I've done everything you asked," I whisper, my voice filled with frustration. Showing annoyance only fuels him, but I can't help it anymore.
"Relax, Nicola. Your brother isn't going anywhere." There's a smugness in his voice that's sickening. He loves hearing me this way. "Let us catch up a bit before you start expecting favors from me."
"Just tell me what you need. If it's money, I can get you more. Just let me talk to Gio." My patience is running out, and every second with this man on the phone tightens the knot in my stomach.
He lets out a slow, condescending laugh. "You throw money around so freely these days. How much extra does your billionaire boss pay you to sleep in his bed?"
My teeth clench tightly, and I fight the urge to scream. Don't let him get to you , I remind myself. He wants to provoke you. He feeds off your reactions .
"Tell me what I need to do to talk to Gio, Raffaele," I demand, voice sharp, no longer hiding my impatience. "Enough games. I won't let you keep doing this."
"Do you think of me when you're lying with your boss?" His voice turns sinister, dripping with jealousy and bitterness. "Do you remember all the nights we spent at the compound? Me protecting you, taking care of you? I guess you've found yourself a new man now, someone to fix all your problems."
"You locked us away. You used me, beat me—don't you dare twist this," I snap, my voice shaking with anger.
"I loved you," he counters, as though his version of love could ever excuse what he did to me.
"You loved control, Raffaele. Playing with people like they were pieces on a chessboard, just to satisfy your sick mind." My voice grows bolder with each word, the years of pent-up resentment bubbling to the surface. "All because you never got the respect you craved. You didn't have what it took to climb the ranks of Avvoltoi. And now look at you. Still the same petty thug, angry at the world because of your own failures. You've become a twisted, manipulative—"
"Watch how you speak to me!" Raffaele roars through the receiver, his tone dripping with venom. The sudden outburst catches me off guard, and I instantly regret pushing him too far. Angering him isn't the plan—it could put all of us at risk. But deep down, there's a small, twisted satisfaction in knowing I've hit a nerve.
There's a pause, and I can hear his breathing, heavy and uneven. "I still hold all the cards, Nicola. I have the means to reach out and touch Gio. And you, your billionaire boyfriend... and that cute little—what was his name? Ah, yes. Jaime."
A cold wave of terror washes over me, tightening around my chest like a vice. Jaime. He knows about Jaime . My hands tremble as I grip the phone tighter, trying to keep my composure. My heart pounds in my ears, drowning out everything else.
"Your boyfriend has caused me trouble before," Raffaele continues, his tone casual, almost bored. "I'd be more than happy to leave him in a ditch somewhere. Or maybe I'll just come visit you in the middle of the night while you sleep. Remember that feeling? Waking up to find everyone you love dead beside you?"
"Stop!" My voice is louder than I intend, almost a shout. "This is between us, Raffaele. I just want to speak with Gio. There's no need to drag anyone else into this."
"Fine," he says coolly. "If you really want to help your brother, come back to me. Leave behind this little fantasy life you're living—this new family of yours. They're only in danger because you're around. Come back, and nobody gets hurt. Together, we'll get Gio out of the mess you left him in."
"I'm not doing that," I say through gritted teeth, refusing to let him manipulate me again. "You don't control me anymore, Raffaele."
"No," he says, his voice lowering to a dangerous whisper, "but I can make your life hell."
"I have protection. My deal with the Avvoltoi is still valid." The words come out rushed, desperate. My hands are shaking now, and I can feel the walls closing in around me.
Raffaele's laughter echoes through the line, sending another cold rush of dread down my spine. "As far as you're concerned, Nicola, I am the Avvoltoi. And I don't remember making any deals with Shane or Jaime. Wouldn't want them to just... disappear, would you?"
"You think there would be no consequences for that? A missing billionaire and his child?" I work up the nerve to say. "I doubt your bosses would authorize something that brings that much attention. You're just trying to scare me."
"Maybe you're right. Maybe I just expose that he's sleeping with his nanny, who's funneling money to the mafia. That he's been involved with us before. What will happen to his company and his reputation?"
"What are you talking about?" I question. "What do you know about Shane?"
"I know that you're not the only one keeping secrets," he says, ending with a laugh.
I go quiet, my breath hitching in my throat. This call was a mistake. I thought I could reason with him, but it's worse than I imagined. He's threatening everyone I care about, and I walked right into his trap.
"I'll give you time to think it over," Raffaele says, his voice softening with a false gentleness that sends chills through me. "Call me back when you're ready to make a real deal, Nicola. Goodbye."
The line goes dead. The silence that follows is suffocating. I sit there, frozen, unable to move. How did I let this happen? How did I let him back into my life, back into control?
A cold sweat clings to my skin, and my breath comes in shallow gasps. He knows everything. He's watching me. Watching us .
I crawl out of the closet and back into bed after the phone call, my body heavy with the weight of Raffaele's words. The night stretches endlessly before me as I stare at the ceiling, running over the possible outcomes in my mind. Leaving Shane, leaving Jaime—it feels like the only way to protect them, but it tears me apart. Every scenario I come up with ends in disaster.
Raffaele's threats will hang over me if I stay like a dark cloud. If I leave, I lose everything. There's no way to win here. Money no longer satisfies him, and striking back only risks Gio's life. I could try to reach someone higher in the Avvoltoi, but it's been years since I had contact with any of them. Even if I did reach them, would they care enough to stop Raffaele? The Avvoltoi aren't saints. They'd need a good reason to protect some billionaire and his nephew—assuming they'd even get involved.
I'm lost in these thoughts when a soft tap comes at my door.
"You awake?" Shane's voice is gentle, barely above a whisper. It's early, the sun not yet risen, and I freeze, not wanting to face him. I'm afraid he'll see through me—sense that something is terribly wrong. So I remain silent.
A few moments later, my phone buzzes with a text from him:
Leaving early. Sorry if I came off dismissive last night. I want to see you, but we don't need to talk until you're ready. Take care.
The message is kind, but it cuts through me all the same. He's giving me space, being patient, but I don't deserve his understanding. I'm dragging him into a world that could ruin him, and the guilt gnaws at me.
Sleep continues to evade me, so I give up and get out of bed, slipping into the kitchen an hour before anyone else is awake. I move through the motions of preparing Jaime's breakfast, but my mind is distant. I feel restless, my hands shaking slightly as I crack eggs into a bowl. I tell myself I need to make this morning special. I need to see Jaime's smile today—it's the only thing that might make me feel less like I'm drowning.
I prepare his favorite: French toast with whipped cream, blueberries, and crispy bacon. It's a treat I usually reserve for weekends, but today… today, I need it. I need to know I can do something right. The kitchen smells sweet and warm as the toast sizzles on the pan, and I try to focus on the small joy of cooking for him.
Jaime bounds downstairs, his face lighting up when he sees the spread on the table. "What's special about today?" he asks, grinning from ear to ear.
I force a smile. "Just wanted to do something nice for you," I say softly, brushing his hair back as he takes his seat.
"Thanks, Nicole!" He digs into his plate, clearly delighted by the surprise.
I watch him as he eats, my heart aching with every bite he takes. He looks so much like Gio when he was young—so full of life, so innocent. I failed Gio, and the weight of that failure sits like a stone in my chest. I won't fail Jaime. He's already lost so much, and I refuse to let him lose more because of me.
As he finishes, I kiss him on the forehead before he heads out the door, running excitedly down the walkway to the waiting car. I watch him climb in, his face pressed against the window as he waves to me. I wave back, forcing a smile until the car disappears down the street.
As soon as the door clicks shut behind me, the weight of everything crashes down. I lean back against the door, my body sliding down until I sit on the floor, knees pulled to my chest. Tears blur my vision, and I can't hold them back any longer.
The sobs come, quiet but relentless, as I bury my face in my hands. Raffaele's threats, the danger to Gio, the risk to Shane and Jaime—it's all too much. I've dragged them into a nightmare they don't even know exists, and now it's only a matter of time before the darkness catches up to them. To us.
"I can't lose them too," I whisper to myself, the tears continuing to fall.
As I sit there against the door, the sobs quiet to soft, shaky breaths, but the weight of everything still presses down, suffocating me. I can't stay here anymore. Raffaele's threats are real, and the longer I stay, the greater the danger I bring to Shane and Jaime. They don't deserve this—none of it.
Wiping my eyes, I push myself up from the floor. Every step feels heavy as I make my way to the bedroom. I open the closet, staring blankly at the clothes hanging there, the life I've built around me. It all feels like a facade now. I had let myself believe I could leave my past behind, but I was wrong. The mafia's reach is far, and the past... it never lets go.
With trembling hands, I pull a suitcase from the top shelf, drag it down, and open it on the bed. I start throwing clothes in, not paying attention to what I pack—just grabbing things quickly. Tears blur my vision again as I stuff the suitcase, but I keep going, trying to ignore the lump growing in my throat.
My mother's voice echoes in my mind, something she had said when I was young, just before everything fell apart. She warned about trusting people outside the family . Never get too close to anyone who isn't one of us . I had been so naive back then, thinking I could break free, that I could love someone from outside the life we knew. A lesson I learned when I told her about how little Fredo asked me to be his girlfriend. "His parents are good people, and they'll ask questions about who their son is dating," she'd warned me.
I should have listened , I say to myself.
I choke on a sob as I throw the last piece of clothing into the suitcase. I should have known better than to get close to Shane and Jaime.
Now, the only way to protect them is to leave.
I sit down at the small desk by the window, pulling out a piece of paper. My hand trembles as I pick up a pen. How do I even begin to say goodbye? What do you tell a six-year-old who has come to trust you, to care for you, when you're about to abandon him?
Tears spill onto the paper as I write:
Dear Jaime,
I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I have to go, but I love you so much. I hope you'll remember me always. You're such a special boy, and I will never forget you. Please be strong, and know that this isn't your fault. None of this is your fault.
Love, Nicole.
I can't write more.
I fold the note and leave it on his pillow.
Shane comes to my mind. It's too much—too final. I wouldn't know what to say anyway. How do I tell him that I love him, but I'm leaving to keep him safe? That I've brought him and Jaime this close to danger?
I zip up the suitcase and take one last look around the room. It feels empty now, like a part of me is being left behind here. I can't let myself think about it too long, or I'll break completely.
I grab my suitcase and slip quietly down the stairs, making sure I don't wake anyone. The house is eerily silent, the only sound my footsteps echoing softly as I head for the front door.
I pause briefly as my hand grasps the doorknob, hesitation holding me back. It's wrong to leave like this, I know it. But I also know I don't have a choice—maybe I never did. My only priority is to protect them. I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and finally pull the door open. Stepping out into the cool air, I hear the door click shut behind me, sealing the irreversible decision I've made. From this moment on, there's no turning back.