But things were getting too complicated. Her feelings for Nico were all over the map. The fact that he was a mobster should have sent her running for the hills. River didn’t believe in violence, and she didn’t care much for criminals. The simple fact that he carried a gun should have made her turn her back on Nico and never speak to him again. She certainly never should have gone to dinner with him last night and then allowed him to take her home.
It would have been easy to blame it all on her hormones and the fact that sex with him was amazing. And it was. But River knew it was a lot more complex than that. Her feelings for him had been growing and deepening well before she knew about his real occupation or the fact that he carried a gun. She supposed she maybe just didn’t want to know. She’d certainly seen that rough edge and darkness in his eyes. She knew he was a little bit shady and the fact that he’d been so evasive about his profession from the start should have been more than enough warning.
But River didn’t pay attention to any of the warning signs. She’d ignored all the red flags. She’d let her emotions take the wheel and they had steered her straight into a ditch. Well, her emotions with an assist from her hormones. River liked him. She liked him a lot more than she should have ever let herself like him. As she’d gotten to know him, she’d seen that he was deeper with more complex layers than most guys. She didn’t believe he was a monster. But the simple fact remained that he was a criminal and she didn’t know how to reconcile that in her mind.
It was all a moot point though since, as she kept reminding herself, she would be leaving Italy soon enough. She would be going home and would never see Nico again. So, what did it matter if she spent some time with Nico? Did it matter that she'd made some lifelong memories with a man who would soon head the city's main crime organization? They'd shared some laughs, had some good times, she'd enjoyed his company, and of course, they'd had some life-altering sex. She should be content to leave it at that.
With her mind and emotions churning as hard as they were, River felt like her insides had become a washing machine caught on spin cycle. She walked up the flight of stairs and down the hallway to her apartment. She unlocked the door and stepped inside, immediately freezing on the spot. Her hair stood on end and iceberg-cold fear rushed through her veins. River’s hand was trembling so hard, she dropped her keys. They hit the hardwood floor with a sharp clink and clatter but she left them there, her eyes fixed on the men in her apartment.
“Wh—what are you doing here?” she stammered.
Emiliano sat on her couch, one leg crossed over the other, a vicious but patient smile on his face. Behind him stood two large men. They weren’t as big as the security guards at Nico’s place, but they were big enough. They stared at her with hard expressions, the telltale bulges beneath their jackets telling River they had guns.
“I needed to have a word with you, River,” Emiliano Vittore said from his spot on her sofa.
“I—I think you need to go,” she said.
“Not until we speak,” he said. “Listen, I think we got off on the wrong foot. And for the record, I didn’t mean that whole thing about making you my own. I was angry but that was probably inappropriate. I apologize.”
“Great. Thank you. All’s forgiven,” she said. “Now, can you go?”
“Not quite yet,” he said. “I know you spent last night with Nico Santonelli—”
“What is it with you guys and keeping tabs on me? What? Do you guys get off knowing what I’m doing every minute of the day?” she asked, feeling exasperated.
He chuckled. “It’s, as you Americans like to say, not all about you, River,” he said. “It’s in my interest to keep an eye on Nico and know what he’s doing. It just so happened that you were there while my men were watching.”
River felt her cheeks flush with warmth and an embarrassed knot in her stomach pull so tight, the pain made her flinch. The idea that this man had watched her having sex with Nico was mortifying. She swallowed hard but her mouth was bone dry. Emiliano gave her a knowing grin and a wink telling River that her worst fears had been realized and that he had indeed seen what they were doing on Nico’s back deck.
She ran her fingers through her hair and stiffened her spine though, unwilling to let him see that she was rattled. She sniffed loudly, doing her best to look as if she didn’t care.
“What about it then?” she asked.
“I told you that he is a bad man, right?”
“And I told you that I don’t believe you,” she replied. “That hasn’t changed.”
He shrugged. “I can only tell you what I know. What you choose to do with that information is up to you.”
“Great. So, what is it you want?”
“I want you to do something for me. I want you to deliver a message for me.”
She folded her arms over her chest and frowned at him, her eyes narrowed, her expression dark. River couldn’t believe the nerve of this guy.
“Why would I do you any favors?” she spat.
“Because you care about him,” he replied. “And he’ll want you to pass this on.”
“Get out of my apartment.”
“I assume he told you what he does for a living? Or at least, some version of it?”
“He’s told me enough,” River replied. “He’s also told me about you and your family.”
“I’m sure he has.”
“Get out,” River said, doing her best to sound fierce.