Chapter 17 #2
“No.” It’s immediate. Fierce. “No,” he repeats, “I don’t want you to go. But it would be selfish of me to push you into staying.”
“What do you mean push me into staying?”
Nico leans against the desk. His shoulders droop. “Sofia. I know it can’t be easy for you, staying here. And I don’t want to put you through even more than you have been already.”
I drop his hand. “Do you want me to go?”
Part of my mind shifts gears, contemplating plane tickets and mad-dashes across the country and days, weeks, months of tending to my broken heart again.
“No.” It’s sadder this time. “I don’t want you to go. At all. But how could you want to stay? Knowing what my… father did? Knowing that if not for me, you wouldn’t have been dragged into it at all?”
“That’s not true.”
He cocks his head. One eyebrow raises. “Isn’t it?”
“Fine. Part of it is,” I concede. “The part in high school. Yes. But now? I got myself into it. I’m the one who started investigating that case. I would have been in danger regardless of your involvement.”
“But it was my father, Sofia.” His voice rises. “My father. He did that to you. How can you ever forgive me for—”
Cutting himself off, Nico strides across the room to the window.
He puts his hands on the windowsill as he looks outside.
After a long pause, he adds, “I know it’s all ruined, Soph.
I don’t blame you for it. Not for a second.
This is all on me. And as much as I want you here, as much as I… Shit. I don’t deserve a second chance.”
Oh, Nico.
I walk over to him and put my hand on his arm. Side by side, we both stare out the window at the buzz of traffic outside. “It’s not your fault.”
He turns to me, stricken. “It was my father, Soph. How can you ever forgive—”
Tears well up in my eyes. “There’s nothing to forgive.”
“How can you say that?”
I take both his hands and face him. “What if it was my mom? My aunt? My old boss? Would you blame me for what they did? When you know without question that I had nothing to do with it?”
“I wouldn’t blame you,” he replies quickly. “But it’s different. You were almost killed. And before that… I didn’t believe you. And I hate myself for it.” His gaze moves across my face. Alarm wides his eyes. “Ah, Soph. Don’t cry.”
“Don’t hate yourself. Please.” I wrap my arms around him. “Don’t ever say that. Ever. You’re a good man, Nico Parisi. You are not your father. You’re you. Smart. Brave. You protect the people you care about fiercely. You’re annoyingly stubborn at times, but so am I. You’re amazing, Nico. And I…”
My heart jumps.
Hope flickers across his features. “You what?”
“I still want that second chance, Nico.” Tears spill down my cheeks, but Nico brushes them away. “I forgave you for what happened when we were just kids. And now, there’s nothing to forgive. You protected me. You stood up for me. You didn’t do anything to apologize for.”
Nico’s gaze burns into mine. Emotion works in his eyes. “You would still give me another chance?”
I sniff. “If you still want it.”
“Soph.” He hugs me to him. His heart pounds against mine. “I do. More than anything.”
I lean back and frame his face with my hands. “Then let’s work through this together. Okay?”
“Okay.” He nods. “Okay.”
As we look at each other, something hot and intense moves between us. Frissons of electricity sizzle wherever we touch. His erection thickens, going hard against my belly. Then he kisses me gently on the lips. “How long did you say that casserole had to cook?”
I look at my watch. “About twenty minutes now.”
A genuine smile lifts his lips. Desire heats his gaze. “So. Enough time to take you into the bedroom, it sounds like.”
My core squeezes. “I could turn the oven down to give us some more time.”
“Perfect.” Nico sweeps me into his arms, one beneath my knees, the other behind my back. Then he jogs towards the kitchen as I clutch his neck. “The more time, the better.”
I stretch to kiss his cheek. “Did I mention how much I like being carried by you?”
He looks down to give me a wolfish grin. “Oh, I know.”
“Sofia, wake up.”
A big hand grips my shoulder and shakes it gently, but firmly.
“Soph.” It’s low. Almost inaudible. “I need you to wake up now.”
My brain still wants to cling to sleep, to the lingering memories of a dream where Nico and I are in New Zealand, sharing a romantic dinner while we gaze out at the majestic snow-tipped mountains.
Nico is gazing into my eyes, something so much deeper than affection within.
He’s just about to tell me something important. I can feel it.
So, no. I don’t want to wake up yet. I want to hear what he’s about to say.
“Soph.” The hand on my shoulder shakes harder this time. “Wake up. Now. Someone’s inside.”
The last part jerks me awake.
Someone’s inside? The condo? And I’m assuming he doesn’t mean us?
I sit up quickly, blinking while my eyes try to adjust to the darkness. “What? Who? Where?”
“Shhh.” Nico hugs me against him and speaks close to my ear. “There are three people inside the condo. The interior cameras alerted me.”
My heart rockets to quadruple speed. “Inside? But… how? The alarms—”
“I don’t know,” he whispers. “None of the alarms on the exterior doors or windows were disturbed. But I always set the living room cameras to detect motion at night. Just in case. And—” He glances at his phone, lying face-up on the bed. “There are three men. They just set off the sensor.”
“Oh, God.” Fear courses through me.
I thought it was over. I thought we were safe.
“I need to go out there.” Nico reaches into his nightside table and pulls out two guns. He checks the ammo on both, then hands one to me. “Get in the closet. Don’t move until I come get you. If you see anyone else… shoot them.”
“Nico.” My voice shakes. “Just lock the door. Stay in here. Call the cops.”
“No.” He slides off the bed silently. Then he takes my free hand and pulls me towards the closet. “Don’t call anyone yet.”
“But—”
Nico carefully opens the closet door and pushes me inside. Then he hands me his phone. “Watch the cameras. If I go down, call 911. And Knight. But otherwise—”
“If you go down?” Horrified, I gape at him. “Nico, no.”
“I won’t.” His eyes flash. “I’m ninety-nine percent sure, at least. Now.” He kisses me hard on the lips. “Stay here. Please. I can’t have you hurt.”
Then he backs away from the closet and shuts the door. Darkness engulfs me.
Instinct demands I run after him. Beg him not to do this. To barricade himself in the bedroom with me until help comes.
Unless the intruders can find their way in, of course. And then we end up trapped in the bedroom with three possibly armed intruders.
Are they armed?
Duh. They broke into the condo. People don’t do that unless they have nefarious purposes. Do you think they came with water guns?
And Nico’s out there, one to their three. Or there could even be more.
I know he’s trained. I know Nico goes to the shooting range in the Fox one of the several Nico put throughout the condo so I wouldn’t be scared if I got up in the middle of the night.
Flattening myself against the wall, I inch my way towards the living room. I strain my ears to catch the sound of something—anything—the scuff of a shoe on the floor, a whispered voice, the soft thwack of a fist hitting flesh.
But again, there’s nothing.
So hold my breath and keep moving.
It’s not until I reach the entrance to the living room that I see them.
Three men, just as Nico said. One is peering into the dining room, his gun dully glinting in the moonlight streaming through the windows. A second is looking inside the coat closet. And the third is over by the sliding patio doors, looking out to the terrace.
The man by the closet turns around first. He jerks his head towards the hallway that leads to the bedrooms. My heart skips, but thankfully, he doesn’t see me.
In a low tone, he says, “Everything’s clear out here. They’re obviously both sleeping.”
The man by the patio doors comes over to join him. “We’ll do one room at a time. This guy’s former military, so he might have some skills. We don’t want to underestimate him.”
The man looking into the dining room joins their small huddle. “He was probably some grunt. We can take him. And once we do, the woman will be easy.”
Fear expands inside me so quickly there’s no room for anything else.
Despite it, I’m doubly glad I came out to help.
But what do I do? Take a shot now? Try to pick off two before they realize what’s happening?
What about Nico, though? Where is he? I know he’s still in here—
Like a ghost summoned from another realm, Nico comes flying out of the dining room, a blur of shadow and movement.
He leaps at the huddle of men, his arms and legs a blur.
I see a fist fly out. A leg.
Something snaps. A wavering shriek of pain follows.
One of the men collapses to the ground
Nico spins and attacks the next one. It’s dark, but not too dark to watch the whip of his leg as it collides with patio-man’s stomach.
The man lets out a loud gasp. Then he doubles over.
Nico punches him in the throat.
The second man goes down.
The third raises his gun and snaps, “Stop! Or I’ll fucking shoot!”
I leave the hallway to enter the living room. The gun shakes in my hand, but I force it steady.
Nico faces the gunman. “No. You won’t.”
Nico’s Sig is still held low by his leg. Because he’s worried about being shot if he lifts it? Or he has a different idea entirely?
I could sneak up behind the man. Put my gun to his head.
I could help. Give Nico the opening to incapacitate him.
Or I could screw up Nico’s plan and we could both end up dead because I didn’t listen to instructions.
What do I do?
Nico stares at the man unflinchingly. “How about this? You put your gun down. And then I won’t have to kill you.”
Nico’s opponent snorts. “You might be good with your hands. But against a gun, they’re useless.”
I creep forward another few feet, well into the living room. I raise my weapon.
Nico doesn’t notice me. His focus is wholly on the man standing in front of him.
“Oh, but you’re wrong,” Nico says. “Maybe for an average man. But.” He grins. “I was Delta. And trust me, my hands are far deadlier than that gun.”