Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
NICO
ONE YEAR LATER
Isit outside Serenity’s gate, waiting for either her or one of her staff to respond to the intercom.
“May I help you, sir?” a voice asks.
“It’s Nico Pitucco. I’m here to see Serenity.”
“Please hold,” the staff member replies.
A tense pause follows.
“She said she doesn’t want to see you.”
“Tell her I have verified information. Only I can give her.”
I knew getting in wouldn’t be easy, especially after that hotel incident—when she blew a woman’s brains out. That’s why I waited a full year before coming tonight, armed with information she’d want.
The wrought-iron gates swing open. I drive the silver Rolls-Royce Wraith down the paved driveway, my men close behind. Collecting everything I’ve brought for Serenity, I circle the hood and knock firmly on the front door.
Serenity answers, smiling. Shit, does she have a guy over?
If she had, Nolan would’ve told me. Not like that would’ve stopped me from coming over.
Those lips. Glossed red and begging to be wrapped around my cock.
Her hair’s pulled back loose, thick waves secured in a ponytail that sways when she moves.
Those lavender yoga pants? Criminal. Sculpted to her ass like they were poured on.
All that ass has my fingers tingling, ready to own every inch of her body again. Remind her who she belongs to.
Fuck.
The white tee, stretches thin, drawing my eyes to the words scribbled in bold font ‘I believe in throwing hands’.
That she does.
“I told you we couldn’t do this anymore.”
If she really meant that, I wouldn’t have gotten through the gate. Serenity could only stay away from me for so long. And vice versa.
I step past her and peek to the left into the sitting room. “Having a girls’ night, I see. Hello, Melissa, Noré, Nila, Vi, Pera, and Laneesha.”
“He knows all our names. Impressive,” Laneesha nods, lifting her glass filled with red wine.
“Hey Nico,” the rest of the ladies call out.
Serenity turns to face me.
I pull Serenity against my chest. My lips press against the shell of her ear. I can feel her friends staring at us intently.
“Chill with your friends. I have some bets to sort out. I promise to give you the important information later.”
“Later?” she questions.
“Trust when I say I have something you really want.”
I take a step back. And I brought food.” I wiggle the large paper bag in my hand.
“Okay.”
I kiss her forehead before ascending the stairs. Is it presumptuous of me to go to her bedroom and not her office? Yeah, but we’ve been doing this song and dance for so long I know the playbook by heart.
“I thought you stopped fucking him,” Pera says.
“I did,” Serenity whispers.
“I swear that man gets finer every day,” Laneesha says.
I hear them chuckling and slapping hands.
“He and I really need to stay away from each other. I’m kicking it with another guy who seems nice. Hopefully, it will work out.”
“Not a chance, princess. He’s got cold feet,” I mutter under my breath as I continue on.
I won’t let another man get close to her again.
It’s time to up my game with Serenity.
She knows how I feel about her and still refuses to totally trust me again. I thought confronting Chris together in New York and stringing up Fefe at my graduation party brought us closer together. As we get older, it feels like she’s trying to cut me out of her life permanently. I can’t have that.
The night she showed up at my house and we got drunk was another memorable night.
I didn’t want to let her go, but then she admitted to fucking Rod.
I push that thought out of my mind as I stroll into her bedroom, turn on the lights, and close the door behind me.
I place the paper bag on the dresser and hit my earpiece.
“I’m here,” I announce.
“Okay, well get to work,” he chuckles.
I step into the bathroom, flick on the light, turn on the faucet, and shut the door behind me.
The water will hopefully muffle the noise.
I rummage through a few drawers until I locate what I need.
Pulling out the small package, I open it and set it on the counter.
Then I reach into my inner jacket pocket and retrieve a new package identical to the first.
“I’m removing the pills she took to match the original package,” I whisper.
“Exactly,” he confirms.
I pour the tiny pills into a plastic baggie, then tuck the old package and the bag into the inside pocket of my caramel blazer and zip it closed.
“Done.”
“You secured the old pills, right?” Catch asks.
“Yeah, all set,” I say with a smile, disconnecting the earpiece.
Sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands. I slide the new fake package back into the drawer and close it.
Stepping out of the bathroom, I meet a pair of gray eyes.
“Who were you talking to?”
My heart pounds in my throat. If she’d walked in, it would’ve been over for us.
“My cousin.”
She raises an eyebrow. “Which cousin, Ritchie or Catch?”
“Catch,” I answer.
“Catch’s a hot mess. Tell him I said hi.”
“I will,” I promise.
“I brought you a bottle of water.”
See, she thought about me. I wouldn’t tell her I have drinks for us in the bag.
“Thanks,” I say, twisting the cap and chugging half the contents in the bottle.
“Are your friends still here?” I ask.
“Yeah.”
I shrug off my backpack. “You’re good; I’ve got to sort out these bets.”
Her eyes light up. “I can help.”
She has always been fascinated by the gambling side of my family’s enterprise, though her father strictly forbids her from getting involved in his gambling operations.
“Okay, I’ll wait for you,” I tell her as I remove my laptop from my backpack.
She smirks, then darts out of the room.
“You have no idea, baby. You’re so mine. I’ll never let you go,” I mutter under my breath.
I shed my clothes, leaving on my undershirt and boxers, and drape them over the plush gold armless chair beside the bed.
Her master suite feels more like a cozy apartment, complete with a sofa by the window and a sleek glass coffee table.
I set our meal and laptop on the table, then flick the TV to the sports channel.
Glancing at the screen, I casually drift toward the minibar on my left.
Being away from Serenity is eating me alive. I’m tired of the games and her hatred for me. I pour three fingers of whiskey into a lowball crystal glass.
Sure, I hate her guts for fucking Rod. But a part of me loves the ground she walks on. And I just can’t let her move on with another man. That’s why I’m taking this bold step to chain her to me forever.
Serenity saunters in. “Congratulations, Mr. Mafia boss.” She grins.
I sit back, smiling. “Thank you.”
Wish she could’ve come to my ceremony two months ago when I became a made man. If she had Nico and Natalia would’ve asked when we’re getting married. I’d like to take things one step at a time with Serenity.
She removes our food from the bag, unzips the hot pouch, and places our containers on the table. “Smells like my favorite meal.”
“Yup, it is.”
“Someone’s trying to get on my good side.”
“I just wanted to bring you your favorite meal,” I tell her.
She removes the lid and glides a fork through the cheese, sauce, and pasta. The look on her face as she savors the flavors on her tongue reminds me of the face she makes after she comes.
Serenity peeks at me. “Don’t think I forgot you said you have something for me. If you think I won’t put you out, you're mistaken.”
“What I have is worth the wait. Now, do you want to help enter the bets or what?”
A smile curves those beautiful lips. She takes the laptop off the table and places it in her lap. “I remember what to do.”
One of the rare times she came to my house, I explained how I enter the bets. We use fake team names, but the bettors’ names are real.
She’s always been the woman I wanted by my side. Losing her is my fault and mine alone.
Things are going to be different. I’ll admit that I want her back in my life. I’ll apologize, of course.
I’ll do whatever it takes to get her back. But first, I have a confession.
I take a sip of my whiskey.
“Serenity, the night you were at the hotel with Alvin…”
She cuts her eyes at me. “That was fucked up, Nico.”
“He flirted and behaved like the perfect gentleman when you met him because he was hired to do so.”
Serenity doesn’t meet my gaze. She stares into the distance, listening.
“My enemy sent him to take you out. It seems he planned to fuck you first, then attempt to kill you.”
“Did you get off on watching me kiss him and almost suck his dick?” she whispers.
My brows bunch together. “You know I didn’t,” I bite out.
She cocks her head to the side, peering at me. “If he wasn’t sent by your enemy, would you have killed him?”
“Baby, we’ll never know.”
Of course I would’ve killed him.
“Shit, I just wanted to fuck him. I wasn’t trying to make him my man,” she huffs.
“I get you believe if you fuck other men that will lesson our connection.” I brush my knuckles along her cheek. “That can never happen.”
“Who’s this enemy?” she asks.
“Auttoro out of Maryland. He stiffed me on a deal. So I burned down several of his warehouses. That’s why he sent John to kill the woman I love.”
“John,” she says aloud, ignoring the last part of my statement.
I wasn’t going to tell her the real enemy’s name. Aleksandr Novikoff, who’s our mutual enemy. The Bratva boss who’s working with Ettore.
If she looked into Auttoro, she’d find he was a mafia boss in Maryland. I killed him for doing business with Aleksandr. He was a casualty of war.
She unexpectedly falls into my arms. “Why didn’t your enemy go after your other women?”
“What other women? Anyone with eyes can see I only spend time with one woman.”
“Thank you for coming to my rescue again, Nico. Even though if you would’ve told me in advance, we could’ve tortured him together.”
I kiss her forehead. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
She remains in my embrace a little longer before popping up and returning to her meal.
A smirk lifts my lips as I take another sip of my whiskey and watch sports highlights.
“Great, Nick got me again,” I mutter.