Chapter 22
RILEY
If I thought Lucy D’Amico was intimidating before I walked into the parlor with her, I don’t have words to describe her now.
She poured me a glass of lovely white wine and sipped at her own while giving me blunt, detailed answers to every question I asked.
Even when I cringed away from the answers, she kept talking.
I could do nothing but listen. She told me the things Nick used to do, back when he was an enforcer alongside Bruno, the blood he has on his hands.
Her gaze was unwavering as she described things that, in turn, made me question how the Nick I know could possibly be the same person.
We’ve been sitting in silence for a few minutes now, my well of curiosity good and dry, my head spinning in a way that has nothing to do with the alcohol I’ve had tonight.
I knew Nick had connections.
He’s a billionaire, for fuck’s sake. He’s CEO of the largest private stock trading and investment firm in the entire country. Obviously he has connections.
I just thought they were, like, money connections.
It didn’t cross my mind that he could have mafia connections.
But Lucy has no reason to lie to me—hell, even if she did, I don’t think anyone who’s not actually involved in that sort of thing could come up with half the stuff she told me about Nick’s life.
It’s… it should be terrifying. It is terrifying, but it also doesn’t feel quite real.
It’s like looking at a car crash in a photo.
Real and scary and painful, but not happening to me.
I let out a shaky breath and bring my wine glass up to my lips, taking slow, measured sips.
“You’re taking this better than expected,” Lucy muses, running one manicured nail over the rim of her own glass.
I laugh awkwardly, having absolutely no idea what to say in response. She’s so polished and put together, unshakeably confident, whereas I feel so out of place it aches. Does Nick expect me to have a backbone like her someday?
Even a miracle couldn’t make that happen. She’s a different breed.
“So. You know now.” She sets her glass down and leans back in her chair, eyes laser-focused on my face, watching for every micro-expression. “What are your plans with Nicky, now that you do?”
A million different answers race through my mind; platitudes and uncertainty and empty promises all falling flat. I take a deep breath, realizing that my only option is to be honest. She gave me the truth to my questions.
I should offer her the same in return.
“I can’t imagine a life without Nick anymore,” I say, my voice quiet in the lavish sitting room. “Even with all of this. He—I’ve never cared about anyone the way I care about him. I don’t want to care about anyone else like this.”
Lucy hums, sounding pleased with my answer, and I drop my eyes to the richly patterned rug beneath my feet, scratching my nails lightly against the damask fabric of the couch before continuing.
“I think I love him.”
The admission pours out of me in a whisper, leaving me both raw and elated at hearing the words out loud. I’ve hardly let myself think of them since the realization first came to me, and it makes it feel all the more real now. I haven’t even told Taylor.
The edge of Lucy’s cool demeanor softens just enough for me to notice, the polite smile she’s been wearing all night melting into something more honest. She uncrosses her legs, picking her wine glass up and taking another casual sip.
“Have you told him?” she asks.
A heat rises over my cheeks as I shake my head. “I wanted to be sure he was serious about me.”
Her smile is almost professional this time, not removed, but not personal, either.
“Good.” She sets her glass back down with a snap before pinning me in place with a stern look. “You should be sure of your own feelings before you say anything. I love my boys more than life itself. It would be a shame for something to happen to you if Nicky winds up hurt. Understood?”
I’ve never been on the receiving end of the whole meet-the-parents warning talk before, but I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t have been half as unsettling coming from anyone other than Lucy D’Amico.
I have a sneaking suspicion she knows about a hundred ways to kill me and dispose of the body.
It’s fucking terrifying, especially knowing that I’m expected to just answer her like that’s a normal thing to say to someone.
“Yes, ma’am,” I say, swallowing nervously. “I’m planning on waiting for the right moment. Or, I guess, whenever feels right.”
Lucy nods, and the threatening aura that shadowed her lifts like a veil. Her smile comes easier this time, and I only barely hold back a sigh of relief.
“You should go find him and talk to him,” she suggests, nodding her chin toward the door with a small grin. “He’s a nervous wreck by now, no doubt.”
A disbelieving laugh falls from my lips before I can stop it.
“Sorry, I just… I’ve never seen Nick nervous about anything before.”
“He’s good at hiding it, but I know my son,” she says, a tinge of fondness in her tone. “He’s never brought anyone home before. He’s certainly never told anyone about the family. You must be important to him for him to go through with all of this for you. Trust me, Riley, he’s nervous.”
I know that bringing me here was Nick’s way of showing me he’s serious about us, but hearing it from his mom makes it feel all the more real. Bolstered by that thought, I smile and stand, smoothing my skirt back down.
“Thank you, Mrs. D’Amico.”
“Lucy,” she corrects me with an arched brow. “You’re family now.”
God, isn’t that a thought?
“Can I ask you something before I go?”
Her brow raises slightly as she nods. “Go on.”
As much as I don’t want to sour any sort of relationship I may be forming with her, I can’t ignore the nagging feeling at the back of my mind over the way Nick’s brother Bruno looks at me. “It doesn’t seem that Bruno approves of my relationship with Nick.”
She stares at me for a moment, her gaze neutral, before she lets out a small sigh.
“It doesn’t matter what he does or doesn’t like. We have a code in our family that he must abide by and if he doesn’t… well, then unfortunately, he will have to face the consequences. Don’t worry, now… go on before Nick comes looking for you.”
A small smile stretches over my lips as I step out of the parlor and head back toward the dining room. Walking down the sparklingly clean halls alone is less daunting than I expect it to be, the soft click of my heels against the hardwood makes me feel kind of powerful.
As I get closer to the dining room, low, angry voices echo down the hall.
I recognize Nick’s voice easily, even if I can’t fully make out what he’s saying, and my blood goes cold when I hear Bruno’s furious response.
“I’m not the only one who doesn’t like how much time you’re spending up her skirt,” Bruno spits, hushed and angry. “Get rid of her before something unfortunate happens.”
If I were thinking straight, I’d stop in my tracks. Two separate threats should be enough to get me to hightail it out of here, right?
Instead, all I can think of is Nick.
Bruno sounds pissed, like he’s seconds away from getting physical, and while I’m sure Nick can handle himself—especially after everything I just heard from Lucy—I can’t help but feel a protective instinct rise in my gut.
Without hesitating, I walk past the alcove they’re standing in like I didn’t hear a word and do a fake double take just before I pass them.
“Nick!” I chirp, wrapping my fingers around his wrist just before it can whip up to punch Bruno in the jaw and tugging him out of the alcove like nothing’s wrong. “I thought you’d still be in the dining room.”
“Bruno and I were just having a discussion,” Nick says stiffly, glaring at his brother.
If you call Bruno threatening, not so underhandedly, to get rid of me a discussion, sure.
“Right, sorry to break up the reunion,” I say, shooting Bruno a fake smile before turning my attention back to Nick. “Can we talk?”
He shoots his brother one more dark look before stepping away, pulling me down the hallway along with him. “The garden’s nice this time of night. Private.”
I let him take my hand and tug me down seemingly endless hallways until we reach the back door. It opens into an expansive garden, perfectly groomed shrubs and blooming, fragrant flowers edging the pathways that wind through it. Crickets chirp and birds coo through the dusk.
Nick’s shoulders lose some of their tension as soon as the door closes behind us, and he leads me toward an outcropping of flowering vines that twist between high trellises. When we’re far enough away from the house, he stops me, squeezing my hand in his as he turns to face me.
“How’d it go?” he asks, blue-gray eyes flitting over my face.
Now that Lucy’s pointed it out, it’s like noticing his nerves is easy. I reach up and cup his face with one palm, both to center myself and soothe him.
“She told me everything,” I murmur. “I thought she was joking at first, but she was pretty… descriptive.”
Nick winces just slightly, a soft laugh falling from his lips. “Yeah, she’s got a way with words.”
I chuckle in agreement.
“Thank you for trusting me.” Pulling him down to rest our foreheads together, I toy with the hair at the nape of his neck. “Is that why you wanted me to come tonight?”
Nick reaches up to tug my hand free of his hair, twining our fingers together as he stares into my eyes.
“I’ve never brought anyone home, never trusted anyone enough.
I’m sure Ma told you that.” I nod, and Nick smiles softly, squeezing my hands and taking a deep breath like he’s steadying himself.
“You matter to me, Riley. I wanted you to know the truth of who I am, who I was, no matter what. Now that you do, the ball’s in your court, Princess. ”
My heart trips over itself at the open trust shining in those steely eyes, and hope blooms bright in my chest.
“What do you mean?” I ask, whispering the words in the scant space between us.