Chapter Sixteen

~ Luca ~

This was the farthest thing on the planet I wanted to be doing. I'd rather face a mob war than be on an airplane landing at LaGuardia Airport in New York City.

I especially didn't want Nico here.

I glanced over at him. He was staring out the window as the plane came in for a landing, watching the ground get closer and closer. His hand gripped mine so tightly, his fingers were turning white.

I knew he was scared, but I think it had more to do with what we were facing and less to do with the flight.

It had taken two weeks to get everything set up. I still wasn't fully satisfied by the plan we'd hatched. Vinnie was positive it would work, but I wasn't so sure. Anything could go wrong.

Putting Nico in harm's way even a little bit was something I was having a really hard time dealing with. I didn't care if that harm came from physical or emotional abuse. I didn't like it.

Nico blew out a breath once the wheels of the airplane were on the tarmac. "I don't think I'll ever get used to that."

"You will," I assured him. "It just takes time."

And a lot more trips.

I smiled as I started thinking about all the places I could take Nico. He had spent his entire life in New York City. There was a whole world out there he had yet to experience.

When the plane finally stopped in the executive hangar, Nico and I unbuckled and stood up. I gave a quick nod to Stefano, making sure he knew he needed to be extra vigilant in protecting Nico.

The man nodded back, obviously understanding my silent command.

I liked Stefano. He protected Nico while not over-crowding him. He seemed to understand that there were boundaries he shouldn't cross while protecting Nico at the same time.

If he kept it up, I might have to pay for his honeymoon.

Vinnie and his husband were waiting for us when we disembarked the airplane. I shook both their hands before drawing Nico close to my side. "Is everything in place?"

Vinnie nodded. "We're going to visit that friend of mine first. That detective he knows will be waiting for us so he can talk to Nico."

"And the rest of it?" I asked.

Vinnie's sly grin told me everything I needed to know.

"Everything is in place," Vinnie stated. "We'll be meeting at the Thomas place this evening."

"Cocktail party then?"

Vinnie smirked. "It'll be some kind of party."

Oh, I hoped so.

Vinnie waved toward a black limousine. "We really should go. Jake is waiting for us."

I nodded and then pressed my hand into the small of Nico's back to lead him toward the car. It was a little crammed with Nico, me, Vinnie, his husband, our three bodyguards, and the driver.

Well, Nico and Nicky's bodyguards. The rest of our guards were riding in the vehicles in front and behind our car. We weren't taking any chances. We had a full team of protection.

I smiled as I watched Nico and Nicky getting to know each other. They were chatting away like old friends, talking about different places they had been to in New York City as well as places around the world they'd always fantasized about visiting.

I made note of several of them.

"It's a different world, isn't it?" Vinnie asked casually.

I glanced at him. "What?"

"Being married."

"I've been dreaming about being married to Nico since I was twelve years old. I always knew it would happen. It was just a matter of when." I sighed heavily. "I regret that it took so long."

"Well, you have him now," Vinnie replied. "That's what is important."

It was.

"Maybe while you're in town, we can go to Petrov's club and let Nico meet some of the other mob husbands. It wouldn't hurt to forge some bonds there."

My eyebrows lifted. "Mob husbands?"

Was that a thing?

"My Nicky, Petrov's Eiji, King's Spencer, and Alejandro's Delancy." Vinnie smiled as if he knew a secret that amused him. "The four of them have created quite the little pack of friends. There are a few other members, but none that are in our business."

Vinnie gestured to the two men, whose conversation seemed to have turned animated if their rapid hand gestures were anything to go by. "Nico could do worse in making friends with them."

I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face when I saw the happy smile on Nico's face. Due to his crazy-ass parents, he'd never really had any friends, but he seemed to like Nicky.

I prayed that was a good thing. I'd do anything to keep him happy, even forge bonds with a bunch of mobsters.

When we pulled into the parking garage of a large black glass building, I was honestly surprised. "Your friend works here?"

"Jake owns the building."

Of course he did.

"Ever heard of Jakue D'Amato?" Vinnie asked. "Jake has been a friend for awhile now."

"This is the same guy that had that mess-up with your grandfather?"

Vinnie grinned.

Now I was really interested in meeting with this man.

"Jake and a few of his friends will be attending the cocktail party tonight. They are all pretty big names in the business world. Jakue D'Amato, Lucas Kincaid, and Syros Aetós just to name a few."

My frown was instant. I knew those names. "Why would they be there?"

"Because, while we can handle the less than legal side of business, they can handle the legal side. I thought it would be best to hit Nico's parents from both sides, let them know that they can't do business in either worlds."

"And they all agreed to this?"

The first grimace I had seen since we climbed off the plane crossed Vinnie's face. "Most of their husbands have been through situations like your Nico. Not all the same, but close enough. After everything was explained to them, they all volunteered to help out."

That actually lessoned some of my stress. Not all of it, mind you, but some of it.

Once we parked, we waited until out guards made sure the area was secure, and then climbed out and walked to the elevator. There was a very large man waiting for us at the elevator.

I grabbed Nico and pulled him to my side.

"Good afternoon, Fred," Vinnie stated. "Is everything ready for us?"

"Yes, sir," Fred replied. "Mr. D'Amato is waiting for you in the lab."

"Excellent," Vinnie replied. "I assume Jake is okay with Nicky and Nico's bodyguards accompany us?"

"Of course, sir."

I followed Vinnie into the elevator. It got a little crowded when the others climbed in as well.

Nico grew a little quiet and plastered himself to my side, showing how nervous he was. I wanted to reassure him that nothing bad would happen to him, but now was not the time.

I didn't pay attention to what floor we ended up on, but I knew we were pretty high up considering the view out the windows. I could see the roofs of several other buildings.

Fred led us down the hallway to a large door. There was a dark haired woman in a skirt suit waiting for us. She swiped something against the scanner on the wall next to the door, and then pulled the door open.

When we stepped inside, another man was waiting for us.

"Jake," Vinnie called out as he walked over to shake his hand. "Thank you for agreeing to this." He turned and gestured to me. "This is Luca Sabatino and his husband Nico."

I shook his hand. "It's nice to meet you."

Jake smiled at me before his eyes darted to Vinnie. "He understands the deal?"

Vinnie nodded. "One tracker in exchanged for one favor to be named later."

"Good." Jake was all smiles now. "Norris."

"Sir." A man with thick glasses and a lab coat came out of a room in the back. He had a small tray in his hand.

"This is Dr. Norris Teller," Jake explained. "He's the man that invented these little trackers."

From the way the man edged closer to Jake, I got the feeling he didn't want to shake my hand. I smiled and nodded him instead. "Dr. Teller." I brought Nico around in front of me. "This is my husband, Nico. He's the one getting the tracker."

Dr. Teller relaxed almost instantly, telling me that it wasn't being a mobster that frightened him about me. It was being a larger man.

Someone had hurt this man.

"Does it hurt?"

I glanced down at Nico when he spoke.

"Oh, no, I'd never do anything to cause someone pain." Dr. Teller said quickly. "I have this stuff that numbs the area. You might feel a little pressure, but that's all."

The doctor set the tray down on the counter and sat in one of the rolling stools before gesturing to a chair. "Come, sit. It'll only take a couple of minutes."

"It's easy, Nico," Nicky said. He held out his hand and pointed to one specific spot. "I have one myself."

Nico reached out and rubbed the spot Nicky had shown him. His brow knit together. "It really doesn't hurt?"

"Not a bit," Nicky replied.

When Nico glanced at me, I smiled and nodded at him. "Go ahead, cuore mio. I'll be right here with you."

Nico sat down in the chair Norris had indicated and placed his hand on the counter. I walked over to stand behind him, resting my hands on his shoulders as I intently watched every move Dr. Teller made.

I know everyone had said it was easy, but I was surprised when Dr. Teller spread a bandage across the small incision he'd made five minutes later. It had been quick and painless. I knew this because Nico turned and beamed up at me.

"You okay?"

He nodded quickly.

I smiled down at him. "Good."

Jake handed me a small tablet. "This has the tracker app on it. If anything happens to your husband, you can find him on this as long as he is within five hundred miles. It will also read his vital statistics like heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature so that those searching for Nico can tell what kind of condition he is in."

"Thank you." It felt like a lifeline.

I slid it into the inner pocket of my suit, close to my heart and then looked at Jake. "Any favor at any time. If I can help, just give me a call." I handed him one of my business cards. "I'm serious, call me if you have a favor. You are helping me keep my husband safe. That means the world to me."

"I get it, man," Jake said. "We do anything for them."

Truer words had never been spoken.

"So, we'll see you tonight," Jake said. "We can't wait for the show to begin."

"Yeah, Vinnie said you and a few others were going to be there tonight." I was still confused by that. "Can I ask why?"

"Did Vinnie tell you that his grandfather and I tangled once upon a time?"

"He mentioned it."

"Before Jai's parents sold him to Carlos, they sold him to me. When none of that panned out to them, they tried to get me to divorce Jai and marry the woman he thought was his sister. They abused him, starved him, took all of his money, and any time that he didn't toe the line, the man he'd grown up with as his father went over to his place and beat the crap out of him. If it wasn't for my friends, I never would have been able to get him away from them."

" Porca troia , why did you not kill them?"

I would have skinned them while they screamed.

Jake shrugged. "That's not my style. I prefer that they be alive to enjoy their hell."

Yeah, I could see that. Killing them would end them, but it wouldn't make them suffer more than a few minutes. Keeping them alive could draw their suffering out for years.

Maybe I needed to think about that.