“He was the one who warned us.” Nicky raised his hand to correct himself. “He warnedme. He stopped me on the street just now and told me everything, including the place they plan to attack.”
“He…” I found myself staring into those eyes—the eyes that meant so much to me yesterday. Then I glanced at Cesare. “You said he did all this to fuck with us.”
“He asked us to lie to you about that,” Cesare replied.
“His proposal was genuine,” Leo chimed in. “His father and brothers planned to hijack your marriage to rob you of your inheritance and ruin you to get revenge on your father.”
“Romeo left to protect you,” Cesare told me. “He wanted to stop you from choosing him because he knew it would mean the end of you.”
“And now this.” Leo turned back to his desk. “He’s taking one hell of a risk telling us. If anyone finds out, it’s his ass.”
“I really don’t think he cares anymore,” Nicky replied. “He’s doing it for you, Gia. He would give his life for you.”
My heart twisted even more. Romeo! I knew he didn’t just drop his proposal because he wasn’t serious. I knew he had a good heart.
What I wouldn’t give to see him again! He turned out to be so much better than I ever dreamed. Now I probably never would see him or get to thank him for what he did for me.
Nicky pointed to a map of Manhattan spread out on the desk. “We can plant our guys here and here. If we do it early enough, they can even get the jump on the Neccis before the attack.”
“Okay. Do it. Do whatever you have to do.” Leo laid his hand on Nicky’s shoulder. Nicky nodded to him and turned around.
He gave me a significant look and then walked out without even brushing my shoulder. So that was it. He came back on the job, not because of me, but out of sheer loyalty to the family. Of course, he did. What else would he do if someone warned him about an attack like this?
“I’ll see you both later,” Cesare added. “I have to make a few phone calls.”
He walked over to me, kissed me on the cheek, and left. The door shut behind him, and I was alone with Leo.
He started shuffling papers on his desk and checking his laptop. “Are you okay, Princess? You’ve been crying. Is anything wrong?”
I inhaled a shaky breath. “I’ve made a decision about which of these suitors I’m going to marry.”
He looked up in surprise. “You have? Which one have you chosen?”
“None of them. I’m not going to get married.”
He blinked once and opened his mouth.
“I know what you’re going to say. You’re going to say I need to consolidate Papa’s empire with an allied family and have an heir that will eventually take over our combined alliance, but I can’t do it. I…” I shut my eyes and dug deep for the will to get through with this. “I have feelings for all of you—you, Cesare, Romeo… and Nicky.”
“Nicky!”
“Yes, Nicky,” I declared. “I can’t choose between you, and I’m not going to. I’ll run the family alone if I have to, but I can’t hurt or push any of you away. I couldn’t hurt any of you by marrying someone else.”
He stared at me in shock for a second, and then his shoulders relaxed. He let out a long sigh. “I understand, Princess.”
Now it was my turn to blink in shock. “You do?”
“Of course. I knew you loved Cesare, and I saw you starting to fall for Romeo. I didn’t know about you and Nicky, but now that I do know, I can see how you would have feelings for him too.”
“But… aren’t you going to tell me that I have to get married? Isn’t that your job—to make sure I marry the right person?”
“No, Princess. My job is to take care of you and to do whatever is best for you. If the right person is no one, then that’s what’s best for you, isn’t it?”
I opened my mouth to argue, but I couldn’t get the words out. Whatever I was expecting from his reaction, it sure as hell wasn’t this.
He walked around the desk and placed both hands on my shoulders. He bent down and kissed me on the forehead. “You know I’ll support whatever you decide is right for you. If you decide to run the family on your own, I’ll serve you as your consigliere for as long as you want me to.”
I could barely get my voice to work. “Really? You would really do that?”