Chapter 12 - Pearl

I've spent the last two days being followed.

Two entire days of trying to leave my apartment to meet with Nicolo and not being able to because every time I set foot outside a black car appears.

It always hovers nearly ten feet behind me and if I leave the sidewalk to head into a building, the man driving it gets out and follows me. I should have known that after the visit, he was going to have somebody track me. There's no way that he would let me get out of his clutches that easily.

I feel more like a fool than ever just thinking about it. For a moment, I thought that maybe Nicolo had it all wrong and that if Maxim weren't responsible for my father's death, I would give him a chance to pursue me. I might have let myself succumb to this devilish but freakish handsome man.

But over the last two days, it has become clear to me, that I can't get distracted any longer. I have promised to help bring Maxim down. And now my mind is stronger than ever, it must happen soon. I can't be the foolish girl who thought that a man like Maxim, a Bratva man, who kills his enemies without hesitation, would change the slightest bit for a girl like me. In a weird kind of way, we are more alike than he knows.

Which is why I do my best to avoid the person following me as I walk into the restaurant. I remind myself again, that I should be more grateful to Nicolo for all the training over the last years.

The scent of carne asada fills the room. Bright yellow walls covered in even more decorative tiles than the front entryway greet me as I make my way to one of the red tables in the back.

Nicolo sits at the table behind me, his phone pressed to his ear.

"What's going on?" he asks, keeping his tone light and airy as if he's talking to somebody on the other end of the line instead of me.

I put my purse on the seat beside me and set up my menu, holding it open in front of my face. To anyone else it would look like I'm checking my options, taking my time to decide on my food order.

"He's insane." The words come out in a rush, nearly slurring together. "I don't know what the hell you want me to do about it, but I can't do this. I need to get away from him. He's got men tracking me now. I haven't been able to leave my apartment for two days without somebody at my heels."

"I know there is a storm in the forecast. It's looking like it's going to be a bad one, but there should be some sunshine afterward."

"If being followed wasn't bad enough, I'm pretty sure he's bugged my apartment."

"The bugs have been particularly bad this year. I find that the best way to deal with them is just by lighting them on fire."

"You know what else? He thinks that he's going to force me into marrying him, just because his boss thinks that he should be married. Marry him! Can you believe that? Nicolo, I can't marry him. He killed my fucking father."

"That's great." Nicolo lets out a loud laugh, drawing the attention of those around him, making it look like he's just smirking at something someone said on the other end of the call.

I scan the menu, briefly considering wringing his neck until he sees things from my perspective. Of course, he would find amusement in this because he's not the one who's about to be married off to a psychopath.

"It's not great. He threatened to drag me down the aisle." I hiss into my fist, as if to cover a cough.

"I don't think that's something to worry about."

The menu tips over as I spin around before remembering that I'm not supposed to be interacting with Nicolo. Instead, I look over my shoulder, pretending to search for the bathrooms.

"I don't see how this is a good thing. My life's at risk now."

"I don't think it's quite that serious. It's nothing more than an arrangement. And it should help you."

"You're insane if you think it's going to help me. I can't do this. I'm not going to marry him. He could force me down the aisle at gunpoint, but I won't do it."

"Yeah, you are going to. How else do you get close to somebody?"

"Oh yeah, marrying a psychopath. That's a terrific way to get close to him. Thank you. I hadn't thought of that."

"Keep up the attitude. I'll cut your tongue out. It's pretty hard to be mouthy when you've got no tongue." He snarls.

My heart seizes in my chest as I glance over my shoulder at him before staring back at the menu. I know he would do it. It's not just an empty threat.

But I can't seem to help myself.

"Then have my tongue cut out, still better than becoming his wife!"

"You're going through with this. I'm not going to sit here and argue about it with you."

"You can't be serious. You want me to go through with this?"

"You should want to. After all, this is what you've been working on for years. This is the very promotion that you need to get to where you want to be. I know you're going to kill it."

Groaning, I lean forward and rub my hands over my face before reaching for the glass of ice water the waiter sets in front of me.

He scurries away before I can say anything to him, and it's no surprise nobody wants to deal with the crazy lady in the corner talking to herself.

"Say I go through with this. Are you going to be there to back me up if I need help?"

"Depends on the sacrifice you're willing to make."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"You know what comes with marriage, all the intricacies of it. You know what will be expected of you. Are you willing to commit to that for the sake of revenge? Because if you're not, I'm not willing to back you up. I won't put my men on the line if you're not going to commit."

I roll my bottom lip in my mouth, biting on the dried skin there.

I know what he's talking about. If I go through with the marriage, then I have to share a bed with Maxim. There's a possibility of having children but sleeping with him is definitive. His family won't consider the marriage legitimate unless I do, and I doubt that he'll spend the rest of his life in a marriage without sex.

Well, that might not be the most horrifying thing I've ever thought about doing. The thought of being forced to marry a man I don't love absolutely terrifies me. Pair that with the fact that he killed my father, and when he finds out who I am, I don't know how I'll make it out alive.

"I'll do it," I say, my voice wavering and nearly cracking.

"I always knew you would. You've always done what it takes. You're willing to make the sacrifices that nobody else can. That might be one of the things I admire about you the most."

Somehow that compliment doesn't sit as well as it used to before.

Nicolo gets up, nodding to me as he passes the table before leaving the restaurant.

If marriage is what it takes to kill a monster, then I guess I'm walking down the aisle.