Page 499 of Sinfully Savage Mafia

“So long as there’s something left to build upon.” His voice is choked and a tiny shiver slithers under my clothes.

“Nico, you’re making me nervous,” I whisper, my fingertips numb from drumming them on the desk.

His lips lift slightly. “You’re a good kid, Lil. You have your whole life ahead of you and it’s gonna be amazing. So much to do and see. Just don’t waste a second of it, okay?”

“You make it sound like you’ve got one foot in the grave and one on a banana peel.” I force out a chuckle even though there’s a nagging sense of dread knotting my gut.

“Nah.” He grins at me, but his lips don’t reach his eyes like they do when he’s really happy or excited. This grin tells a very different story, one that sends chills rippling through my insides. “Listen, do me a favor and just be careful. Always keep your eyes open, Lil. I know you’re smart, but there’s a difference between being book smart and being aware.”

I bite the inside of my mouth. “Nico, what are you getting at?”

He sighs, scrubbing a hand down the front of his face. I peer at him, the pixelated video image making his eyes look heavier than they did only a few minutes ago. His face is drawn, his jaw tight. And how did I not notice the deep worry lines on his forehead before?

“You know Dad and I do everything possible to keep all of you safe, right?”

“Of course! But I don’t understand where this is coming from. A few weeks ago, everything was fine. Why, all of a sudden?—?”

“You just have to trust me. Keep your eyes open, Lil. We’ll talk more when I come into town.”

Ding, ding!

The chime above the front door jingles and I look up from my screen, startled by the intruding sound. “I have to go,” I mutter. “Someone just came in.”

“It’s early, isn’t it?” he says, his eyebrows furrowed.

“It’s fine,” I say quickly. “I love you and I’ll talk to you later, okay?” I click to end the call and hurry around my desk, my pulse hammering hard against my throat.

Something is up and I don’t like it.

I mean, yes, something is usually up. My thoughts trip back to the night of the almost-kidnapping. Could Nico’s alarm have to do with that? He told me it had been taken care of, but maybe that’s what backfired on him. My family is in the trenches of organized crime, so plans gone awry are fairly typical.

My fingers fumble around in my bag until they close around a small tube.

Pepper spray.

I’ve never had to use it, but something about that exchange with Nico has the hairs on the back of my neck standing at attention. I peer at the tiny nozzle.

Just point and spray, right?

How hard can that be?

My pulse throbs as I creep out of the office. Jesus, this is insane! Nico is just being over-the-top protective with all of this.

But even as the words float through my mind, I know my brother, and he doesn’t get ruffled unless there’s a problem.

A big one.

I slip my hand into my pocket, still clutching the pepper spray as I move toward the front entrance. The rescue is in a pretty populated area with lots of lights and people, so that makes me feel somewhat safe…er.

Part of me wants to go and wake up Vito.

I suck in a breath and roll my eyes heavenward.

I definitely let Nico’s worries creep into my head, and now they need to get the heck out.

I had to live this way back home and it was a horrible existence, constantly having to look over my shoulder to see who might be lurking behind me.

One of the reasons I left was because I was tired of craning my neck twenty-four-seven.

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