18. Kate

I”m in my back office at work making a cup of tea when I hear the chimes ring, indicating someone has entered the store. Tossing the tea bag into my mug and picking it up, I walk out to greet my customer. I stop short when I see Aria and the man I just met at Lucy and Donovan’s walk in.

Aria’s face lights up when she sees me. ”Oh, hey. I told you I wanted to see the bookshop, and here I am.”

The man, Luca, I think his name is, scans the store and takes another look outside. It appears as if this Luca person is her bodyguard today. I don”t know Aria very well, so when she threads her arm through his and smiles up at him like he”s the center of the world, I”m not sure if it’s her personality or maybe he’s not a bodyguard, but a boyfriend.

His gaze stays on me as he leans over and whispers something to her.

Aria lets out a laugh. ”It”s all right, Luca. She”s like a Muggle. She”s not part of our world.”

I have no clue why he”s concerned about whether or not I”m in their world or not, but I smile. ”Welcome to my shop. Are you browsing or are you looking for something specific?”

”I don”t suppose you have any books on learning Italian? My brother sent me abroad, and I went everywhere except Italy. My parents and Niko speak it fluently, but I’m terrible at it.” She pats her companion on the shoulder. ”Non è così giusto, Luca?”

“Si.” His expression is amused.

I study them for a moment, still not quite sure what the relationship is between the two of them. There are moments when he looks at her like more than just a bodyguard. But then it”s almost as if he schools himself and his expression is unreadable.

I don’t know any Italian, so I don’t know what she said. But I don’t need to know to be able to help her. ”I don”t have a very large foreign language section, but I do have a book or two on learning Italian.”

I set my tea on the counter and show them to the small section of foreign language learning books. They occupy themselves, looking at the books, and I leave them, going back to the counter.

Every now and then, I glance over at them huddled in the corner. His hand is on her lower back as he leans forward and whispers something to her. She lets out a delighted laugh.

As if he knows I”m watching, his gaze turns toward me. Embarrassed at being caught, I turn away, but not before I notice that he”s removed his hand and taken a step away from Aria. Now I suspect there is something going on between them, but it appears it”s supposed to be a secret. I know Niko is highly protective of his sister, but I also believe Luca is very powerful in Italy. I don”t know how the Mafia works, but in my mind, if he is a Mafia king and she”s a Mafia Princess, it seems like that”s the sort of relationship Niko would want for his sister.

But she”s right, I am not a part of their world and I don”t want to be. I”ve seen too much of the grief and devastation that is par for the course in that life. I press my hand over my belly, reminding myself that it”s a good thing that Liam will never know about this baby.

I also recognize that the swell of my belly is now noticeable. Although I”m not sure Aria took notice, I go behind the counter to make sure she doesn”t see that I’m pregnant because I”m still not ready for Elena or Lucy to know. I love them as my friends, but it”s become apparent to me that I”m going to have to avoid them as much as I can in the future, not so much to keep the baby secret because I know that I can”t. Every time I”m around them, I”m reminded of the world they live in and how easily it can encroach into mine. My baby and I can”t be at risk like that.

Aria and Luca browse around the shop, picking up a few more books before they come to checkout.

”This is such a great shop, Kate.” Aria sets her stack of books on the counter.

”Thank you. Were you able to find what you need?”

”Yes, I”d like to get these two Italian books. And then I picked up a couple of little books before Niccolo and Angelica.”

I start ringing the books up. ”How does it feel to be an aunt?”

”Awesome. I”ll be honest, I never thought Niko would get married, much less have babies. Elena has totally changed him.”

”Not totally,” Luca says, and there”s a hint of bitterness in his tone.

Aria shrugs but maintains a smile. I wonder what it is about her that she exudes effervescence and positivity. It”s not like she doesn”t know the things her brother has done. Perhaps it”s just part of her DNA makeup that the glass is always half full. It”s an attitude that I think I once had in life but over the last year has been chipped away at. I”m determined now, especially for the baby’s sake, to find it again.

I put the books in the bag and run Aria”s credit card. I wonder whether she”s on some sort of allowance or if she works. If she works, is it for her brother or does she have a job out in the regular world?

”Are you still interested in opening your own business?” I ask. It”s wrong of me to push her away from a life with her family. At the same time, she should be able to live the life of her choosing, not one dictated by her older brother or a social constraint imposed by the world she lives in.

”I think it would be fun.”

”You think a lot of things would be fun,” Luca says, his eyes shining down on her in a rare expression of affection.

She laughs. ”That is true. The world seems like one big, great adventure, and almost everything I learn about it sounds like fun.”

”Well, you should enjoy all the adventures you want.” It”s the closest I can come to telling her not to follow the rules of her brother or Luca, but to do her own thing.

”I”ll do my best.”

”Are you staying here in New Jersey?” I can”t imagine they’d have driven from Manhattan just to come to my little store unless it’s some covert mission where they were sent by Lucy and Donovan to check on me.

”We”ve been staying with Lucy and Donovan. They”ve all been having some big criminal organization summit.” She rolls her eyes.

Luca’s eyes narrow at her as if to tell her not to share so much news. I have to bite my tongue to keep from asking if Liam is part of the summit. I know he”s good friends with Niko and Donovan, but he doesn”t work for them or with them or whatever he did before. He’s part of the Bratva, which Google explained to me was organized crime like the Mafia, but separate from the Mafia.

”Well, I hope you”re enjoying your visit.”

With the innocent glee that comes from youth and money, Aria grins. ”I only do things that I enjoy.”

Luca laughs, and together, they exit my shop. I suppose it”s Niko”s overprotectiveness that has helped her maintain such an innocent and excited view of life. The truth of the matter is I”m not much older than her age-wise, but I feel like I”m a lifetime older in experience.

At the end of the day, I tally all my receipts and feel good about the sales I”ve made. I close up the shop and head home. On the way, I stop at the grocery to pick up some fresh vegetables and fruit to have with my dinner. While I”m there, I decide that I”d also like to have some cookies.

As I come around the endcap to go down the cookie, I run into a wall, a man. ”Oh, excuse me.”

Hands hold onto my arms as if to steady me. “No, it’s my fault.”

I look up into James”s face. ”I should have been watching where I was going. I just barreled around the corner.” I stepped back to give us some space.

”I was just thinking about giving you a call.” His gaze drifts down, stopping at the swell of my belly. He stares at it for a moment, and his lips twitch upward while his brows dip down, giving him a slightly sinister looking smile. ”You gave me the impression that you weren”t married or had a boyfriend.”

Instinctively, I press my hand over my belly and take another step back. ”There is no boyfriend or husband.” In hindsight, though, maybe I should give the impression that there is one. ”But I did fail to mention this.” I rub my hand over my belly.

He laughs affably. ”That”s all right. I”d still be interested in taking you to dinner. Actually, I found a nice restaurant. We could go tonight.”

Really? Does he have some sort of pregnancy fetish? ”That”s very kind of you, but I have plans.”

He shrugs. ”Well, maybe the next time I”m in town.”

I hope that my smile looks friendly and not like a grimace because all of a sudden, I”m a little bit creeped out. ”Maybe next time.”

He nods toward my belly. ”Take care of yourself and that little person you”re carrying.”

”I will.” I stand where I am and watch as he heads up the aisle toward the front of the store. I keep my eye on him until I’m sure that he”s left the premises. He didn”t even buy anything. A wave of fear rolls through me. I wonder if I should call Lucy. But then I”m angry that my world has come to this. I”ve certainly had creepy interactions with men before I ever met Elena and got tangled up in her world.

I finish collecting my items and go to the self-checkout. As I exit the store, I look around because Mafia or no Mafia, it pays to be diligent.

Everything looks normal, so I hurry to my car and get in, locking the doors and heading home. Once I”m in my house and I”ve activated the alarms and the locks, I let out a sigh of relief.

I put away my groceries and then make a dinner of stir-fried vegetables and chicken over brown rice. I pour myself a glass of seltzer water and head to the living room to eat while I watch TV.

As the baking competition show ends and I prepare to go wash my dishes, there”s a knock on my door. I turn off the TV and listen as another more insistent knock sounds. I take my plate to the kitchen as I pull my phone from my pocket, ready to press the button to call 9-1-1.

I look through the peephole and gasp.

Liam.

I step back, resisting the urge to throw open the door. His being here has to mean that something”s gone wrong, but I”m tired of this.

I turn off the alarm and open the door. For a moment, he just stares at me. Then his gaze drifts downward, stopping at my stomach. I step back, closing the door slightly to hide the evidence of the baby.

When he looks back up at me, all semblance of the Liam I had first met and fallen for is gone. He’s gone completely to the dark side.

”Pack a bag. We’re leaving,” he orders.

I shake my head. ”No. I have a life now, Liam. Leave me alone.” I start to push the door shut, but his arm flies out, hitting it and pushing it, and me, back.

”Don”t fuck with me, Kate.” He steps into the house and shuts the door behind him.

“I don’t want to go.”

“Too fucking bad. You’re coming with me even if I have to force you.”