13. Nic

13

NIC

I stare at the phone in my hand. A torrent of feelings threatens to burn me to ash. The emotions take me by surprise with their intensity. I'm not usually one to lose my cool so easily.

It’s not just anger at her lying to me that has me on edge.

I can see why no one has loved you.

I’m shocked at how her words hit me. What do I care what she says about me? But I do. Those words rip through my chest.

Of course, I’m no better, calling her a child.

I run a hand through my hair, trying to rein in my temper. Logically, I know Ava would have ensured the phone was untraceable. She seems to care for Bella and she’s a D’Amato now. She knows the risks. She’d have insured Bella could use it safely.

A pang of guilt hits me, but I push it aside. I can't afford to let emotions cloud my judgment right now.

Sitting at the kitchen table, I turn the phone over in my hands. This small device holds the key to our escape. It should fill me with relief, but instead, I feel a strange reluctance. I’m forced to consider my anger and reluctance aren’t about Bella’s lie, but instead about leaving this place.

I glance out the window at the snow-covered landscape. The cabin has become a sanctuary of sorts, a place where time seems to stand still. Here, I'm not Niccolo Nardone, Mafia underboss. I'm just a man, recuperating with a woman who's shown me more kindness than I deserve.

The thought of leaving this bubble we've created unsettles me more than it should. I stare at the phone in my hand, my thumb hovering over the power button. Calling Max and setting our escape in motion fills me with an unexpected sense of loss. I've grown accustomed to Bella's presence, her gentle care, and the quiet moments we've shared.

Christ, what's wrong with me? I'm not some lovesick teenager. I'm Niccolo Nardone, for fuck's sake. I don't do emotional attachments.

I shake my head to clear these thoughts. I need to make the call to Max, to set things in motion.

I dial Max's number, putting the phone on speaker to combat the static from the storm raging outside.

"Nic?" Max's voice crackles through the speaker. "Jesus Christ, where the hell have you been?"

"It's a long story," I reply, rubbing my temples.

"You had me worried sick," Max says, his tone a mix of relief and frustration. "I expected to hear from you sooner than this.”

“Yeah, well, I’m calling now.” I can save the details about my being at death’s door for later. “Have you learned anything about who might be behind the attempt on our lives?”

“After you called me, I got a call from Gino asking me if I’d heard from you.”

My jaw tightens. I know Max is in my corner, but he works for my father, a man you don’t cross. “What did you tell him?”

“I told him no and asked why. He said something just happened in Chicago. He told me to return to New York.”

My brow furrows, wondering why my father would want Max back in New York. He knew Max and I were friends, but Max runs the business in Las Vegas. I run things under my father in New York.

"Did he say why?" I ask.

"No specifics," Max replies, “but it made it easy for me to follow through on your request.”

“Any idea on the hit attempt?”

“Your father is blaming Rinella.”

It makes sense and yet, it doesn’t. “I don’t see Rinella coming after me. He wanted this deal.”

"I know," Max agrees. "But Gino's convinced that Rinella double-crossed him. He's demanding the Outfit do something about it."

An unsettling feeling makes a home in the pit of my stomach.

“Rinella seemed genuinely shocked when Gino accused him. Apparently, the D’Amato Family is demanding answers from him as well."

Another reason it doesn’t make sense that Rinella would be behind our attack. "Has my father presented any evidence?"

"Nothing concrete, but you know how he is. He doesn't need evidence to start a war."

Fucking hell. I can totally see my father using this situation to get a foot into Chicago.

I wonder if the D’Amatos might be behind this as a means to help Ava save Bella from marrying my father, but don’t see them risking her life if saving her was the goal.

“Nic, there’s something off about all this.”

"What makes you say that?"

“I think the real reason Gino wanted me back in New York was to keep me close. He knows we're tight. He probably figured you'd reach out to me for help if you were in trouble."

I let out a bitter laugh. "Like he really cares. He'd be happy with me dead."

There's a pause on the other end of the line before Max speaks again, his voice low and serious. "That may be the point."

A chill runs down my spine as the implications of what he's saying sink in. My father, wanting me dead? It's not entirely surprising, given our history, but to actually hear it spoken aloud…

Panic rises. “What about Gia and the kids?”

"Gia's okay for now. But when I visited her, she told me Gino had also come by, asking about you.”

If my father ordered the hit and it’s gone wrong, it makes sense that he’d bring Max back and go see Gia, the only two people in the world I trust. Fuck!

“But she’s okay?”

“Physically, yes, but… Christ, Nic, she said Gino threatened to take your niece, Daniella, away from her if she lied about hearing from you. He implied that he’d sell her."

The world tilts on its axis. My little niece, Daniella. Just a child. Innocent. And my father… I feel sick, but that’s quickly quelled by rage.

"I'll kill him," I spit out, my voice trembling with fury. "I swear to God, Max, I'll end him for this."

"Nic, listen to me," Max says urgently. "You can't do anything rash. We need to think this through. Gino is clever and he’s got loyal men.”

I know Max is right, but the rage coursing through my veins makes it hard to think clearly. All I can see is Daniella's sweet face, and the thought of her in danger because of me… because I didn’t eliminate the danger sooner.

“I don’t give a shit. He’s not selling my four-year-old niece to those fucking perverts in his Society.” God, I think I’m going to throw up.

“I know you’ve had concerns, as I have, that he’s gone into trafficking. I’ve been asking about the deal with Rinella, and I think it’s about transporting women and children.”

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

"Remember that charity he started? The one for 'at-risk youth'? Word is, it's just a front, a way for him to access vulnerable kids."

I’m no saint. I’m happy to break the law for a buck. But not like that. Not by selling people.

“Tell me you’re doing something to protect Gia and the kids. Tell me you’re keeping your word to her mother.”

“I am. I’ll die before Gino gets his hands on her, but… Nic… this is fucked up.”

“I’m going to kill him.”

“Okay, and what about?—”

“I’ll kill his perverted men too. Gino wants a war? Well, I’ll give him one.”

“I’m not one hundred percent sure Gino is the one behind the attempt on your life. It’s just that his actions suggest he’s more concerned with keeping tabs on me and Gia than Rinella, except for attempts to get a direct deal with The Outfit.”

“Doesn’t matter whether he tried to kill me. It’s time for him to go.” But the more I think about it, the more I’m sure my father sent me to Chicago to retrieve Bella with plans to have me killed. Away from home, it would be easier to blame someone else. And if Bella died too, oh, well.

I suppose I should be flattered that my father sees me as a threat. If only he knew the truth. How I’ve talked myself out of killing him for years. Well, no more. As soon as the snow clears, I’m heading to New York. I’m going to make sure that I’m the last person he sees before the life drains from his body.