Chapter 29
Aubergine.
When my eyes opened, Nicola was directly in my face. Sleeping like a fucking angel.
His lips were slightly curved. Smug even when dreaming.
Pro. He stayed.
Warmth spread through my chest.
Con. The longer I stayed with him, the more I was going to want.
My smile faded.
Pro. I felt safe with him.
Con. Murdering was in his job description.
I exhaled softly and glanced toward the balcony doors. Judging by the morning light, it couldn’t have been any later than nine or ten.
I tried to quietly slip away, but his arms tightened around me before I made it an inch.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he murmured, eyes still closed.
“I need to pee. Who’s the parasite now, huh?”
He released me with a derisive grunt and rolled onto his back.
When I emerged from the bathroom, Nicola was sitting up in bed, typing something on his phone.
“Everything okay with the empire?” I asked.
“Lorenzo’s making moves, apparently.” He didn’t look up. “In broad daylight.”
“That’s... really ballsy.”
“I told you he was a conniving fucker.” He rubbed a hand down his face, then slowly gave me a once-over.
His gaze settled on the ring resting between my breasts.
“Are you admiring my tits or the ring?”
“Why does one have to happen without the other?” he asked.
I laughed, covering the ring with my hand. “You’re really okay with me wearing it? I feel like I’m one step away from becoming the stalker who steals a lock of your hair and builds a shrine around it.”
One corner of his mouth lifted.
“Wear it outside your clothes.” His eyes lingered on it another second then looked down at his phone. “I like it.”
“Okay...” I hesitated. “But, about Lorenzo—”
“Don’t worry about him." He set his phone aside. "Let’s get dressed, grab a coffee and head to the hospital.”
Oh... dammit.
“Nicky. Listen.” I crawled across the mattress until I was kneeling in front of him. “You were there when I needed you yesterday.”
His expression softened.
“That means more to me than you’ll ever know. But… I know you’re needed over there. I’ll be okay on my own.”
“Abs. I can juggle both. Let me come with you.”
“I promise, I’ll be okay over there.” I smiled at him. “Go to the club. Do your work. I’ll be fine with Dad today.”
He studied me carefully. “I can work remotely.”
“You tried that yesterday and it didn’t go well.” I couldn’t exactly blame his paranoia about having phone calls intercepted or tapped. “Go work.”
He frowned. “Are you sure?”
I nodded. “The thought alone counted for a lot. And, on that same note... I want you to know that even if we did go all the way earlier, I wouldn’t have regretted it.”
He nudged me to lay back and crawled on top of me. “I’ve got five minutes to spare. I could spend it on my hair, or I could change your life.”
“Wow. In five minutes?” I asked wryly. He groaned and dropped his head against my lower belly.
I swallowed as my hands slowly stroked through his black locks. “Hey. Um, if things take a turn for the worst...”
“You’ll call me.” He lifted his head and held out his hand. "Shake on it. If you need me there, I will be.”
Pro. I’m insanely in love with him.
Con. I’m insanely in love with him.
I slipped my hand into his. He smiled and gently tugged until I leaned forward enough for us to kiss.
Then he stood and crossed to the wardrobe.
“I thought of another pro.”
He looked over his shoulder while buttoning a fresh black shirt. “What?”
I love you.
The words reached my tongue before I could stop them. They sat in my throat, so fucking desperate to get out.
Ugh. You’re going to scare him off, Abby.
“Um...” I smiled weakly and gestured to him. “You know how to dress well.”
He chuckled as he stepped into his trousers. “I’d return the compliment, but we both know I’d be lying.”
“Hey. That’s not nice.”
“The orange frog shirt, Aubergine.” He pointed a finger at me. “Burn that fucking thing, and then we’ll talk.”
I laughed and rolled onto my stomach, still absently fiddling with the ring hanging against my chest.
“Nicky?”
“Yeah?”
“Will you remember to text me if you’re going to be gone for a while?” I looked up at him. “Just so I know you’re safe and not being held at gunpoint somewhere."
“I’ll check in. I promise." He re-emerged with a black tie. "And I did say I was sorry about ignoring you that week.”
My head reeled back. “No, you didn’t. You literally said, ’I might have overreacted. A little.’”
“Yeah, well… All water under the bridge now. Soon it’ll just be a story we look back on and laugh about.”
“Oh, my God."
Something seemed to occur to him. He turned back around, pointing at me again.
“Before I forget. Gio will drive you to the hospital. There'll be two people with you at all times. I’ll tell them to wait outside the room so they don’t bother you, your dad, or the staff.”
I sighed, nodded. "Okay."
Nicola.
Aubergine changed into a plain t-shirt and leggings that did absolutely nothing for her figure. I tugged the necklace out and let the ring rest outside the fabric where I wanted it.
Standing in the garage only a few minutes later, we watched Gio open the Mercedes door for her. She looked up at me, smiling softly.
“Bye,” she murmured.
“Keep me updated on your Father,” I heard myself say. She nodded and climbed in.
My chest felt strange, seeing the door close after. Absently, my palm rubbed over my sternum.
By the time I reached my own car, I forced her out of my mind and looked down at my phone.
“You okay, boss?” Johnny glanced at me through the rear view mirror.
Already annoyed, I exhaled slowly through my nostrils.
I missed Gio. My sweet, quiet Gio.
I trusted him as much as I trusted Michael. I knew he’d look out for her.
So now I was stuck with a younger, overeager driver.
I ignored the question and jut my chin toward the windshield. “Let’s get going.”
The club was already being set up for the day.
Waiters and waitresses drifted between tables, resetting chairs, polishing glasses, and preparing for the evening crowd. The sharp scent of industrial cleaner hung in the air, burning the back of my throat as I crossed the floor.
And... bleach.
It reminded me of Aubergine in her hazmat suit. I paused and I glanced at my watch.
Barely twenty minutes had passed since I saw her. Was that too soon to check in?
… Probably.
As I started toward the staircase, someone straightened at the sight of me in my peripheral. A blonde waitress. New. She offered a quick, professional smile as our eyes met.
I slowed my pace. “New?”
“Yes, sir.”
I glanced at the name tag pinned neatly to her black button-up. Olivia.
“Settling in?”
“Yes, sir.”
I gave a single nod before continuing upstairs. Michael hired a few new people recently. If he said they were vetted, I trusted him.
I tried to put both her and Aubergine out of my mind before I reached the landing.
My office door was already open. Michael stood inside with Vince and another capo, Carlo. None of them looked particularly cheerful. Wonderful.
“We’ve got two problems,” Michael said immediately.
I unbuttoned my suit jacket as I walked behind my desk.
“Good morning to you, too.”
He remained unimpressed. “Our merchandise is disappearing.”
I paused before sitting. “Disappearing?”
“Intercepted.”
I lowered myself into the chair, resting my hands on the armrests. “How many?”
Michael slid a manila folder across the desk. “Four shipments.”
I flipped it open and thumbed through. Different dates. Different routes. Different crews.
We intentionally randomized every route to avoid creating a pattern. My eyes traced the highlighted roads across the maps before I looked back up. “Aside from the capos, who knew about these locations?”
Vince folded his arms. “The drivers. Warehouse supervisors.”
“Hm.” I studied the reports again. “And nobody got a good look at them?”
“The guys all said the same thing,” Vince replied. “Men in ski masks. Black clothing. Carrying ARs.”
Like a militia. That didn’t sound right. And the Ferraros always bragged about their namesake. It was one of their more irritating qualities.
I leaned back in my chair. “Why steal merchandise?”
No one answered. Vince looked between us and held his hands out. “Am I going to get laughed at for guessing the fucking obvious here? Money, right?”
I shook my head. “No.”
I tapped one of the reports with my finger. “It’s more like someone’s taunting us. Those trucks aren’t carrying millions. Five or six grand at most.”
Hardly worth the effort. I turned to another page.
“There’s something else,” Michael said.
I kept reading until the silence stretched a little too long. When I looked up, Michael was exchanging a glance with Vince.
“It’s about Aubergine’s kidnapping.”
The muscles in my jaw tightened. “What about it?”
“I watched the security footage again.” He circled behind my desk and pulled the footage onto my monitor. “She wasn’t downstairs for more than a few minutes.”
“So?” I frowned at the screen. “Ferraros come through this club all the time. Any one of them could’ve seen Aubergine and reported back to Lorenzo.”
“Except nothing happened between you two downstairs.” His eyes lifted to mine. “I mean, you made an idiot of yourself coming down to intervene.”
Vince smirked. When my eyes snapped toward him, he immediately cleared his throat and looked away.
Michael continued. “...But you didn’t kiss her. You barely even touched her.”
He paused the footage as Aubergine stepped into the office. I was standing right behind her.
“The first time anyone could’ve connected the two of you as anything more than acquaintances was after she went upstairs.”
My fingers became still against the folder. I rose and went to the office window, stuffing my hands in my pocket and felt an itching for a cigarette. “So you’re saying, the person who tipped off the Ferraros had to be in the VIP lounge.”
"Looks that way."
I gazed out over the club floor. “You think this room’s bugged.”
“I’ve already swept it.” Michael shook his head. “Nothing.”
I watched as employees hurried between tables. Bartenders stocked liquor.
The new blonde waitress laughed quietly at something another server said before carrying a stack of glasses toward the bar.
Completely ordinary.
After a long moment, Michael finally spoke. “Either the office is compromised, or someone inside this organization is talking.”
I glanced at him over my shoulder. “It’s entirely possible.”
Michael frowned. “You don’t think so?”
“I didn’t say that.” I gestured toward the folder on my desk. “If Lorenzo convinces us there’s a rat, we would tear this organization apart for him while he keeps attacking from the outside.”
Pretty fucking brilliant, actually. I looked back at Michael.
“Review the camera footage. Go back further.”
“How far?”
“Start a week before Aubergine ever stepped foot in this club. Have Thomas help you. I want you to watch every entrance, every exit, every unfamiliar face. If something doesn’t fit, I want to know.”
“We’ll get started.” Everyone filed out, Michael shut the office door.
My phone buzzed when I returned to my desk. I glanced down. Just business. Not Aubergine.
I stared at the screen for another second before opening a new text under her number.
ME: Made it to work. Only got shot at once.
I sent it. A grin tugged at the corner of my mouth and I struggled to school it back.
Nicola, you’re fucking hilarious.