19. Chapter Nineteen

I escort Alexis Martin—an abuse survivor—to the door of my office and usher her out while my cell phone vibrates in my pants pocket like it’s auditioning for a spot in the latest sex toy catalog.

It’s been going off for the past five minutes. A few inches toward the center, and the thing would have knocked this audition out of the park, especially with the heat radiating off it. Lately, my cellphone just heats up like a miniature furnace for no good reason.

I close the office door before George can sneak out, then pull out my phone. The moment I answer the phone, I hear a click, then silence.

Oh great. Creepy guy again.Maybe I should let Nico secure my lines instead of stubbornly digging my feet in.

Before I can hang up, though, Maria’s frantic voice comes across the line.

“—won’t listen, Sophie. I’ve told him so many times; I just know he won’t believe me,” she goes on without taking a breath. “He’ll think I’m seeing things again. But now I have to do something.”

“Okay, Maria, I’m listening,” I say as I take a seat in my chair which is still parked next to the sofa where I’d been holding Alexis’s hand for the past half hour. Alexis is a survivor, but sometimes, survival is hard.

“Tell me what’s happening,” I gently prod, assuming she’s referring to Nico’s dismissive attitude.

“I tried leaving you a voicemail yesterday, but your line was all clicks and weird sounds.”

She has my full attention now, although I’m puzzled. I hadn’t received any voicemail.

“Oh? I’m sorry Maria, I didn’t get it. But I’m listening now.”

“I know I’ve been… I’ve been panicky since we got here. And he keeps telling me to calm down. But you know me; I can be impulsive. I have been in the past.”

“I know that, but you’ve also been working really hard on your grounding techniques, so if you’re telling me something’s wrong, I’m going to listen.”

Maria’s journey with anxiety and borderline personality disorder hasn’t been smooth. What she really needs is a solid circle of support and empathy, but for that to happen, she needs to let people in on her diagnosis, starting with Nico. Trouble is, she’s still struggling to accept it herself.

“Talk to me, Maria,” I prompt her again.

Maria exhales, the sound carrying the weight of her fears. “Okay, look, there was this man at the park today. The same man who always seems to pop up wherever Victoria and I are. He didn’t do anything outright, but his gaze, Sophie... it just made my skin crawl.”

“He was watching you? Are you sure he’s not one of Nico’s guards?” Even I have noticed how heavily patrolled my street has become in the past month, so I’m sure Nico would have people looking out for Maria over there.

“No, he’s not one of the guards. I know all of them.”

“Do you think he might have recognized you then?” I roll my chair closer to the desk as another click comes through the line. Is it weird that I never noticed my phone making this odd noise before Nico told me he bugged it, or is Nico’s mild paranoia just rubbing off on me?

“Oh, I’m sure he knows who we are,” Maria whispers. “Besides, he wasn’t looking at me today; he was looking at Victoria.”

Shit.

“I know it sounds crazy, but the look reminded me of Leo—how he’d inspect batches of guns and other weapons. I know that look, Sophie. And today, this man had that same intensity, all while talking on his phone.”

Alright, this doesn’t sound like Maria flying off the deep end.

“Where are you and Victoria now?” I’m already sliding my desk phone closer.

“We’re in a motel—I didn’t feel comfortable staying in the house anymore. After we left the park, I drove us around until I was sure he wasn’t following us. Then I came here and checked us in under different names.”

“Perfect. You’re doing everything right so far,” I reassure her. “Just stay on the line. I’m going to put you on hold and make a few calls, and then I’ll come back to you, okay?”

Her response is a quiet “Okay,” punctuated by a shaky breath that speaks volumes. Despite everything, I can’t help but feel a swell of pride for how far she’s come.

I pick up my office phone and dial Nico’s number. As his phone rings, I attempt to stamp the frisson of excitement that streaks through me. It’s disgusting how keyed up I’ve been since he told me he loves me last night. The man hadn’t even given me a chance to say it back.

Like it didn’t matter because he already knew I’d fallen for him too? Cocky jerk.

Although maybe if I wasn’t bawling my eyes out I might have had the presence of mind to say it back. I still can’t believe I did that, though. I think it was the shock. Must be. I’m way tougher than that.

After Nico’s phone rings off the third time, I decide to stop calling.

He’s a busy man. He might be my… what?Boyfriend? Whatever. Still, he’s the don of the Chicago Outfit. He doesn’t need a lovesick woman calling him in the middle of… an arms deal? A mob war?

“Be my strength,fiammetta,” I whisper to myself, channeling what I imagine Nico might say.

I’m about to call Cade when a sudden wave of caution makes me pause. Acting purely on impulse, I grab my purse and fish out Nico’s burner phone, and then I dial Cade’s number from it. Thankfully, he answers on the second ring.

“So, remember how you looove doing me favors?” I start off in my sweetest voice as soon as he picks up, prepared to lay it on thick. Cade is a sucker for that shit.

He snorts, then retorts drily, “I remember how you love asking me for impossible favors, Soph.”

“Great,” I smile, then let a hint of urgency bleed into my next words. “Because, see that favor we talked about a few weeks ago? About the woman and child in trouble? Well, it turns out I’m going to need it after all.”

“Really?” The hesitation in his voice tells me there may be a problem.

“Are you not in the neighborhood?” I ask, praying he’s not too far away. For all I know, the guy could be in Siberia right now.

“No, I’m not. I’m in Mexico.”

“Oh, thank fuck! Is this fate or what? You’re exactly where I need you!”

“What do you mean, Soph?”

“You are an absolute lifesaver, Cade.” My sweet, sucking-up tone is back in full force. “Maria is in Mexico right now. So, how do you feel about making a quick trip to Cozumel?”

Silence stretches on the line for what feels like an eternity. “You mean the island off the coast, on the other side of the country?”

“Yep, the very one. Like I said, it’s practically next door to you.”

He lets out a huff, somewhere between disbelief and resignation. “When?”

“Um… right now, actually.” I bite my lip and pray. It’s entirely possible both Maria and I are overreacting, but when it comes to the safety of a four-year-old, I’m not taking any chances.

Cade’s silence stretches out again, and I can almost picture him weighing his options. I have a feeling he’s not in Mexico on a pleasure trip, so this might take a little extra persuasion. Fortunately, I’m very convincing when I want to be.

“What the hell, Sophie,” he grumbles. “I’m bang in the middle of something here. I don’t have time to save damsels in distress.”

“Funny, I thought that was exactly what you did. Look, some unsavory guy has been stalking her for days, and today, he was looking at the kid like he was checking out merchandise, all the while communicating with another party.” I wait a beat before delivering the killing blow. “Cade, she’s four.”

“Fuuuck,” he swears softly. There is a long pause, and then he sighs. “You really know how to corner a guy to get what you want, don’t you, Soph?”

I can’t help chuckling. “It’s a talent.”

He sighs again—it’s purely for dramatic emphasis at this point. I’ve got him, and we both know it. “Text me the address.”

“Aye, aye, Captain.”

“And Soph,” he snaps as I start to take the phone away from my ear. “You’re going to owe me big time for this. Like fucking concierge service and a five-star breakfast in bed the next time I crash at your place.”

“So, like extra blankets on the couch and a breakfast sandwich from McDonalds?”

“Precisely.”

“Then you’ve got a deal.”

After giving him details of the number to ring me back on, I hang up the burner phone and pick up my cell phone.

“Alright, Maria. I’m sending you a number. Text the motel’s address to it, and then just stay put. My friend, the one I mentioned before, is on his way. He’ll fly you and Victoria back personally and make sure you’re safe with people who’ll protect you until Nico can sort this creep out.”

“Thank you, Sophie, but…” Maria’s voice wavers.

“Out with it. We don’t hold back, remember?”

“Nico,” she confesses. “He’s going to be furious—”

“I’ll handle Nico,” I assure her, a hint of amusement in my tone. Not long ago, I would have been quick to assume he was an arrogant prick who couldn’t see reason. But now? I smile, and my heart does this happy flip-flop thing in my chest.

Ugh, don’t you dare start thinking about knights in shining armor… or shining Armani.

“It’ll be fine,” I reassure her, just as a knock sounds on my office door.

“Mrs. O’Brian is here for her appointment,” Eva tells me as she opens the door and pokes her head in.

I nod and motion for Eva to send her in.

“We’ll talk soon, Maria. And everything is going to be okay,” I hang up as the elderly Mrs. O’Brian ambles into the room, pushing her walker in front of her.

When I finally glance up at the clock again, its already dark. It’s awfully late for me, considering it’s a Tuesday, but I decided to stay back to finish long-neglected tasks.

Just as I’m about to shut everything down for the night, my burner phone buzzes to life.

“We’re touching down at O’Hare in ten,” Cades voice comes through, brisk and all business. “Our connection to Carlsbad is scheduled for tonight, but we’re not waiting around at the airport, especially if Maria and the kid have already been declared dead. So, we’ll camp at your place until it’s time to go. Smokey happens to be in Chicago, too, so he’ll return with us. Fang and Razor will be meeting us at Carlsbad airport—just as a precaution.”

Hearing the names of Fang, Razor, and Smokey, each ready to leap into action, sends a ripple through my chest. They’re all bending over backward for someone they’ve never even met, and all because I asked.

“Have I mentioned you’re the best big brother in the entire universe, Cade?” I tease, but I do mean it. He’s the best.

Cade grumbles, “If I get in trouble for this, I’m putting the blame on you, Soph.” He’s trying to sound stern, but I can hear the smile in his voice.

I grin, “Trouble sees you and runs screaming Cade, so I don’t see how you can get in it.” As much as I love the guy, the difference between him and the other criminals he tries to blend in with is the badge he wears and the fact that his actions are “for the greater good.”

“Speaking of trouble, Soph, what about that piece of shit guy—”

“Cade,” I interject, a note of warning in my voice.

His sigh is heavy with disdain. “Vitelli,” he finally spits, though it sounds more like a curse.

“Nico,” I gently correct.

There’s a pause. “You sound like you’re still involved with him.”

“He’s... been around. Doing some… therapy, even.” I bite my lip to keep the smile out of my voice.

Cade’s knowing growl is almost tangible through the phone. “Yeah, he’s ‘doing’ the therapist alright. As long as you understand, I have picked out an unmarked grave just for him, and I’m waiting for the second he steps a toe out of line with you, Sophie.”

I roll my eyes. “Whatever, Cade.”

Hanging up, I let out a sigh. My life, for better or worse, is entangled with bad men who walk the line between danger and protection, yet everything good in my life seems to revolve around them.

I look around to find George trying to hide behind the bookshelf, and I can’t help but smile. “You know they wouldn’t actually eat you, right?” At my words, he waddles over and hops onto the sofa, settling in with a contented quack. I think that’s an ‘okay.’

Dragging a hand down my face, I decide to try Nico again. Once again it rings off. This time, I leave him a message.

“It’s me,” I start after the beep, “Something came up with our mutual friend. I’m not sure how you’ll feel about what I did, but I had to do something, Nico. I’m open to suggestions here. We can talk about it when you call me back.”

I feel like I should say something more. ‘I miss you’? ‘I can’t wait to see you’? ‘By the way, I love you too?’

Ugh, I’m pathetic.

I hang up the phone.

Fortunately, I don’t have time to obsess over it. I grab my purse, finagle George into his carrier with a quick pet and a handful of treats—along with whispered promises of better days for him, then head home to wait for Cade and Maria.