“You need to go,” she growled.
“River, I have to insist—”
“If you tell me you insist on me doing something one more time, I’m going to stab you with something. I’m not going to lock myself away in your fortress, Nico. I’m going to enjoy the time I have left and you’re not going to stop me,” she roared.
“River—”
“Get out of my house,” she snapped.
He reached for her hand, but she recoiled and then jumped to her feet. River darted over and grabbed her phone and held it up, pointing it at him like a weapon.
“Get out, Nico. If you don’t, I’m calling the police and they’ll make you leave,” she hissed.
Nico frowned and growled to himself. The last thing he needed was to get mixed up with the cops. Yeah, his dad had some of them on his payroll but not all of them. Some wanted nothing more than to lock him up and throw away the key for crimes that were real… and some they made up. Nico didn't get along with the cops in the city and knew they'd detain him just to be assholes and make his life difficult.
And with the Vittores gearing up to make a move, sitting in a cell and cooling his heels until they got around to letting him go because they couldn’t charge him with anything, he couldn’t afford to be taken off the board. His father would never forgive him for it. He got to his feet and started for the door but stopped and turned back to her.
“River, please,” he said.
“Get out!” she roared. “Besides, it’s not like we both don’t know you have guys following me around the city. I’m sure they’ll be able to step in if something happens. Right, Nico?”
He opened his mouth to reply then closed it again. There was nothing he could say to that because it was true. He had a pair of his best men tailing her.
“I’m not going to apologize for wanting to keep you safe,” he said.
“I wouldn’t need to be protected if you hadn’t drawn me into this shit with you and Emiliano,” she huffed. “This isn’t my problem.”
“You’re right, it’s not. And I will apologize for that all day,” he replied. “But fair or not, you’re in the middle of it now and I’m not going to say I’m sorry for doing what I have to do to keep anything from happening to you.”
“Get out, Nico.”
“Be reasonable—”
She made a very pointed show of dialing a few numbers on the phone. “Last chance. Get the hell out or I’m calling the police.”
His blood felt like it was on fire and the anger within him was rising like a dark tide. He wasn’t angry with her though. He was angry with himself for letting this situation get as out of control as it had gotten. It was his fault. But there was nothing he could do other than what he was doing now. Which he didn’t think was enough. Not by half. He’d have to do more just to make sure River was safe because that was all that mattered to him. She was all that mattered to him.
“Please, River. Be safe. Stay out of—”
“Get out of here, Nico.”
He blew out a loud, frustrated breath then turned and opened the door. With one last look behind him, he walked out of her apartment and slammed the door behind him. Nico stomped down the hallway, a black rage consuming him from the inside. He wanted to put this situation with Emiliano to bed once and for all and spend the rest of River’s time in Venice with her. He knew if the danger passed, they’d be able to patch things up and spend the rest of her time making more memories together.
And that was all that he wanted. To spend whatever time they had left together… together. As he stepped out into the sunshine of the day, Nico silently vowed to himself that he was going to do everything in his power to make that happen.
14
River growled in frustration and had to keep herself from throwing her cell phone across the room. She’d been on the phone with the airline for the last hour, desperately trying to get them to bump up her reservation. She wanted to get out of town as quickly as possible but found herself running into brick wall after brick wall with everybody she’d been transferred to telling her there was no way to leave earlier.
“There has to be something you can do,” River almost shouted into the phone. “My life is in danger if I stay here.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am,” the woman on the other end of the line said. “There are no earlier flights I can book you on.”
“This is ridiculous. I need to get out of here. I need to get home.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am. I truly am.”
River grunted and disconnected the call. She didn’t think the woman sounded sorry at all. The wood floor beneath her creaked as she paced back and forth, her skin prickling with goosebumps and a knot pulled tight in her belly. The conversation she’d had—first with Emiliano, then with Nico—had put her on edge. She’d never felt like she was in danger. Never once in her life. And she didn’t know if she truly was in danger now.