Nothing but silence follows, but that’s hardly a shock.
He’s yet to willingly open the door to me.
The only time he has was when I started promising to do things I really shouldn’t have while standing out in the hallway of an apartment building. Thank fuck it’s mostly deserted and the only people who live on this floor wouldn’t bat an eyelid at the levels I’d lowered myself to.
“Nico, it’s Brianna,” I shout like an idiot. “We need to talk.”
Nothing.
“He’s not going to let me in,” I tell Jodie confidently.
“Promise what you did last time,” she says teasingly.
“Umm…” I pause.
“Nico. Please. It’ll be quick.”
“That’s what she said,” Jodie deadpans.
“Seriously?” I bark, but all she does is give me an innocent face and shrug.
“Reinforcements will be here in a minute,” she assures me, checking her phone once more.
“What is that meant to—” My words are cut off as the ding of the lift’s arrival fills the air and voices float down to us.
“Oh look out, the cavalry has arrived,” Jodie teases a beat before Toby rushes around the corner and sweeps her up into his arms.
“Hey Bri,” he says over her shoulder before slamming his lips down on my girl’s and thoroughly distracting her as Theo and Emmie emerge from behind him.
“Ugh, put her down, man. “It’s only been a few hours,” Theo quips, forcing Toby to release Jodie for a bit so he can flip the leader of their group off.
Laughing at Toby, Theo turns his eyes on me.
This guy might only be eighteen, but he oozes power and danger like no one ever had the pleasure of meeting before. And I’m pretty sure he doesn’t even try, it’s just ingrained. Like it’s in his DNA or something. Which it kind of is.
The heir to the entire Cirillo Family.
I guess really, I should be worried if he was anything less than the enigma he is.
“Not opening up?” he asks as if it’s not obvious.
“Nope, are you sure he’s even in there?”
Pulling his phone from his pocket, Theo turns the screen my way.
“He could have left his phone and fucked off out.”
“Could have. But he hasn’t.”
“Right, well. He’s ignoring me. Again. So I’m just going to go and—”
“No,” Jodie cries, ripping her lips from Toby’s, proving to me that she was listening despite having her face half sucked off. “You need to talk to him.”
Suspicious eyes turn on me, and I feel about two feet tall as I stand there, wishing the ground would just swallow me up.
An image of me standing in front of all of them in a classroom at Knight’s Ridge pops into my head and a shudder runs down my spine. Although, none of them are the scary ones. They’ll all give me a free pass, maybe even be supportive during the time they have left there. But the guy on the other side of the door? He’s an entirely different story.
Theo looks between the two of us, his brows knitted together.