CHAPTER XLVI

I slammed the front door shut, the echo reverberating through the house like a thunderclap. My mother and uncle jumped at the sound. Mom stood there, brown eyes wide and filled with concern. I hated that our life put that expression on her face, a constant reminder of what I did.

My men and I stormed past her, my heart pounding with frustration. I shoved my door open, the wood slamming against the wall with a violent crack, and marched straight to the bar. I grabbed the whiskey bottle and five glasses, knowing my uncle would follow me.

"Nico, what the hell happened?" Uncle Alessandro gasped, breathless as if he had sprinted to catch up with me.

"Shut the door," I snapped to no one in particular.

He shut the door, sealing us in. I poured the dark liquid into the glasses. Grabbing my own glass, I downed the whiskey in one go, the burn igniting a fire within me.

"We were ambushed, and I lost eight of my men!" I roared, the room spinning around me as anger coursed through my veins.

"What? How did they know?" Shock etched into my uncle's features as he sank into the chair by my desk.

"We have a rat," Matteo interjected as he leaned against the wall, flipping his knife open and closed.

"Fucking hell," Alessandro muttered, his brow furrowed. "Do you know who it could be?"

I shook my head, frustration boiling within me. How could anyone betray me? They had to know the monster I would unleash upon anyone who dared cross me. They were signing their own death sentence.

"And the shipment?" Alessandro pressed.

"It’s still intact," Luca responded. "But the men who tried to take the truck blew themselves up. They had bombs strapped to their jackets," he continued.

They would rather die than face me, which meant whoever was pulling their strings was someone I had underestimated. The thought twisted my gut. My home was compromised. In a sudden moment of clarity, I shifted my gaze from the window and made my way to the safe in the wall behind my desk, where I kept my bug detector.

"What are—" Lo began, but I held up my fingers to my lips, silencing him.

I activated the device, starting at the door and sweeping it across the room. The red light blinked erratically as I approached the bookshelf. Setting the detector down, I grabbed the eagle figurine my mother gave me as a teenager, inspecting it closely. My heart sank when I noticed the back looked like it had been tampered with. I pried it open, and a small black device, no bigger than a Cheerio, stared back at me.

I turned to face my men, holding the device up. I tossed it into one of the untouched glasses, watching it sink beneath the whiskey.

"What the fuck?" Lo hissed.

"Who has access to this room besides us?" my uncle asked.

"The maids, but I doubt any of them would have the guts to go against me." Gloria and the rest of the employees had been with me for years and I considered them family.

"Nico, we need to regroup," my uncle said.

I ran my hands down my face and sighed. "I want the entire house scanned for bugs and hidden cameras. We can’t take any chances."

They nodded in agreement, and then I turned to Luca. "I need you to sift through the security footage and see who’s been in and out of my office since the first convoy was ambushed."

“On it,” Luca stated.

The room was stagnant with tension, each of us bracing ourselves for the fight ahead. We weren’t just hunting down a rat but preparing for war.

But right now, I needed my angel.

* * *

WINTER

Mya and I jumped in our seats as the front door slammed shut, the sound echoing through the living room like a gunshot. Nico's footsteps were heavy and deliberate, each step resonating with his barely contained rage.

Mya rubbed Aurelio’s back soothingly as he sat on her lap, trying to calm him. "Let’s get you ready for bed," she said. Mya lifted him into her arms and glanced down at me. "Just give him a minute," she murmured.

"You can always sleep with us. He may need the space tonight," she added.

I nodded and smiled, the knot in my stomach tightening.

Mya pressed a kiss to Aurelio's forehead, whispering goodnight to me before leaving the room.

Serafina was sitting on the recliner, her hands wringing together anxiously, and she offered me a wry smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

"Do you think everything is okay?" I ventured.

"No, Winter," she began, her tone solemn. “What you must understand about this life with Nico is that it will never be normal. I know you love him, but love isn’t always enough." Her lips turned downward, a shadow of sadness crossing her face.

"I understand," I replied quietly, turning my gaze away from her.

She gave my hand a reassuring squeeze that felt both comforting and heavy with the truth. "But I see the way he is with you. He’s different around you. There’s a softness in his eyes that I've never seen in him before when he looks at you; how you manage to brighten a room even in the darkest moments means something."

A small smile crept onto my face as I looked back at her.

"You are his salvation, even when he doesn't believe he deserves it. He carries so much anger and hate for his past," she continued.

"I can’t save him," I commented. "All I can do is love him and hope it will be enough."

Serafina's eyes softened, and she cupped my cheek. "You are the angel who knows exactly how to keep him calm, to help him rein in that anger. That is how you will save him."

I didn’t know how to respond to that, and we sat in silence until we both retreated to our rooms for the night.

I paused in the hall, caught between the door to Nico's bedroom and the room he gave me. Just then, Demon spotted me and padded over, his tail wagging. I bent to ruffle the thick fur beneath his big ol' head. "Come on, boy," I urged, rising to my feet, and he followed me into my room.

I closed the door behind me, sealing myself away from the unknown. Slipping into my flannel shorts and shirt, I crawled under the covers and switched off the lamp beside the bed.

"Come on," I called, patting the bed. Demon leaped up beside me, settling at the bottom of the bed near my feet. I gave him one last affectionate pat on the head, then lay my head on the pillow, turning to face the window. The moonlight seeped through the gap in the window shades, casting a glow across the room.

I tucked my hands beneath my pillow, willing myself to sleep, but my mind drifted to Nico. I worried about him, wondering if his anger might one day consume him if he were to turn away from me and never look back.

I never imagined I could love someone so intensely, yet here I was, terrified that he might see that love as a betrayal when he learned the truth about who I was.

Sleep began to pull me under when my door creaked open, and a sharp breath caught in my throat. Light spilled into the room from the hallway, illuminating a towering shadow I recognized all too well.

The bed dipped under his weight, but I kept my eyes closed, allowing the moment to linger. Soft fingers trailed down my cheek, and I opened my eyes.

I met Nico's gaze, his once-bright blue eyes dimmed by the day's burdens. "Hi," I whispered.

His shoulders slumped, releasing a tension I didn't realize he carried, as if he had found solace in my presence amidst the madness surrounding him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice low and raw.

I sat up, and Demon jumped off the bed with a grunt and wandered out of the room. "I wasn't sure if you wanted me around. You seemed really upset when you came home," I admitted.

His harsh worry lines gave way to a warm smile that ignited a flicker of hope within me. "I always want you around, Angel. You're my peace to my chaos," he professed.

I studied his face closely. "Are you okay?"

"I will be," he replied, reaching for my hand, his thumb brushing small circles around my wrist. The simple touch sent a shiver through me, grounding me in this moment. "Come to bed with me," he pleaded, the vulnerability in his voice pulling at my heart.

"Okay." I wanted to show him he was worthy of love and that he deserved to feel cherished and safe. I wanted to taste his soul when we kissed; I wanted to bind our fates together.