My fingers tightened on my phone, the threat to my family a dark shadow sweeping through me and demanding the need for retribution. “Was anyone hurt? And do they know who planted it?”
“Max and Lil were caught in the blast. From what Tony said, their injuries are surface. We should have news on who attacked us within the hour. You’re staying there for a few more days?”
“Two. But I can come back now.”
“No,” Marco growled. “Not yet. Do what you can from there.”
Follow the chatter and look for money exchanging hands.That was what Marco meant, and I was damn good at it. I would do my part from the Caribbean and find those fuckers who dared to harm any within the family.
“Keep me posted.”
“I will.” I hung up then slipped my phone back into my pocket. On the horizon, dense, dark clouds moved closer, casting shadows on the beach where I stood. Lightning strobed in the sky, not quite daring to reach for the earth a second time. That explained why I was the only person out there. Rain beat down on the crashing waves in the distance as the wind picked up, howling over the angry landscape.
The change happened in minutes and would have rendered my conversation with my brother impossible to hear. The wind hurdled sea spray as my mind rolled with questions about the connection between Mia and Dante and whether they could be involved in what had happened outside of the club. My gut told me that such a connection existed, and whatever it was, the hidden truth of whether we could trust the Verretti family or if they were plotting our destruction would reveal itself.
I tracked the progression of the approaching storm and the streaks of lightning that pierced the dark clouds. Jagged bolts stabbed the horizon. Electricity charged the air, adding to the sense of impending danger. Sea spray misted over me, and the taste and scent of rain permeated my every breath. I wanted to stay on the shoreline longer, tempting the fates. But the sting of sand from the howling wind forced me to head back and watch the storm from the lanai.
I turned and stopped short, staring at the barrel of a 9mm pointed at my chest from two feet away. Long black hair tangled in the wind, partially obscuring the woman’s face, but if I had any doubt who it was, it left with the flash of violet eyes. Mia Tucci hadn’t wanted to be found, but she was standing next to me.
CHAPTER THREE
MIA
The wind howled, and lightning strobed in the distance, followed immediately by the sharp clap of thunder. Silvery light danced over Nico’s chiseled features, highlighting an angular jaw that could have cut glass. His pictures hadn’t done him justice—even the ones I’d hidden beneath the floorboard that I’d loosened under my bed. I’d even created a full-blown fantasy over the years, with Nico as my knight in shining armor, a man who loved me unconditionally—me, the one nobody thought twice about unless they wanted to use me for their gain. I took another second to study him. The images I coveted, stolen from my father’s reports, had failed to accurately account for how his flashing dark eyes, his alluringly crooked grin, or the faint dimple on his left cheek would affect me in person.
I stood opposite him, my legs shoulder-width apart, steadily aiming my gun at him. Exhaustion weighed heavily on me as sand pelted and stung my exposed arms, helping to keep me awake and focused. “Hello, Nico.” I studied him from behind my weapon.
His hands were in his pockets, and he appeared relaxed and unthreatened. Nico was the quiet one in the family. Fiercely loyal but brutal, just like the rest of the members of the Five Families. I had a deal to broker specifically with him—my life depended on it.
“Mia.”
“I need a favor.” There was no reason to dance around the issue.
Nico’s gaze hardened and dropped from mine to the Glock then back again. “And the gun is supposed to make me more amiable to your request?”
“It’s just a precaution.” I hoped with every fiber of my being that he would honor my gesture of good faith from a month before, when I’d alerted Summer that the Amato family had entered Chicago and was after her. I knew them and what they would have done if they’d gotten their hands on her. It wouldn’t have been pretty, and I didn’t wish that even on my worst enemies.
One thing I did know, thanks to my habit of sneaking into Dad’s office and reading his PI files at three in the morning, was that was that Summer—an employee of Luc’s California firm whom he’d brought to Chicago when he joined the family as the new Brambilla boss—had been protected. The Chicago Mafia hadn’t been aware of the danger waiting in the wings, and I’d managed to warn her in the tiny window of time available. Could they have saved her? Possibly, but I’d risked so much to make sure she did. “The families owe me.”
“You mean Luc owes you.”
I narrowed my eyes, trying to keep a clear line of sight amidst my hair, which tangled around my face in the wind. I raised my voice, battling the weather. “I know how things work with the families, so no, I mean you.”
Nico smirked, and I knew I would need a show of faith to get him to see me as more than an enemy.Here goes nothing. I lowered the gun to my side, unwilling to set it down and hoping that was enough for him. “Can we talk?”
A moment passed before he notched his head toward the boardwalk. I backed up one step then another. When he maneuvered to my left side and took my arm, I let him, too stunned by the jolt of electricity at his touch to attempt to shake him off. It was a concession—at least that was what I told myself.
I gripped my gun in my right hand but kept it trained on the ground. If he tried to take it from me, I would fight him. I refused to think that there was a chance he could overpower me. I had to tell myself that I would shoot him if he tried. I wasn’t taking any chances. Too much was at stake, and I had to remain one step ahead of everyone.
Trusting him even that much was a risk, and I hoped he didn’t cross me. I would shoot him if I had to. I’d been backed into that proverbial corner for so long that I barely remembered what it was like to feel any way other than desperate.
I’d dressed for the hot weather typical of the island, not expecting the chill from the storm, and goose bumps dotted my exposed arms. Heat radiated from Nico’s body, which helped suppress a full-body shiver from overtaking mine.
The sky continued to darken as the thick clouds moved overhead, the crack and boom of thunder almost instantaneously following lightning strobing across the sky. The scent of rain permeated the air. I hurried my steps, and Nico matched my speed. The house wasn’t far as the first fat raindrops fell, splashing us and the worn boardwalk. We dashed up the steps at a pace that left me breathless.
I hadn’t slept in a long time. Since dawn, I’d hidden just out of reach of camera range on the outskirt of the estate where I’d learned Nico was staying, waiting for my opportunity. It’d come when he’d gone to the beach for a short walk before the storm struck and lightning had damaged one of the electrical boxes, keeping his guards busy. My fingers tingled from the rush of adrenaline suddenly coursing through me as we reached the edge of the patio and an infinity pool that took up a large portion of the outdoor living.
As we skirted around the rippling water of the dark-blue pool, Nico indicated for me to take one of the seats under the overhang just before the sliders that led into the house.I guess we’re staying outside. I settled onto a cushioned patio chair, my back angled to the rear corner of the space, protected against someone coming up behind me. I hadn’t noticed anyone else in residence other than security walking the perimeter, but it was better to be safe.