Page 31 of Little Deer
MASSIMO
I makemy way up to my room, where Zeno and Urso have already said all the women, minus Sofia, have officially gathered. We need to talk to them, and I’m the messenger the rest of the men think they won’t kill on sight.
Lucky me.
This is all a fucking mess. Everyone is putting on a determined front, but I know we’re all concerned. The problems just keep coming from every angle, and we don’t have a lot of time to prepare. Which is exactly why we need all the information we can get. Nothing’s too big or too small, and we need Urso and Zeno to get back to work on decoding all of Orlando’s files.
We also need Lucy to tell us what she remembers when she was held. Maybe Leonardo slipped up and told Lucy something we can use.
I don’t like the idea of stressing out Lucy anymore than we already have, but feelings and worries have to be pushed aside. Ialso hope she’s not overwhelmed talking with the women. I don’t think the girls will purposely upset her, but we’re throwing so much at her all at once, I doubt she’s going to be just taking it in stride.
Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised to find her searching every window to see which ones will open so she can slip out with Soren.
Thank God for Nico’s parents obsessive need to be protected. All the windows in this place don’t open, and they’re bulletproof. They weren’t taking any chances. Though I’m still not convinced it was just for their protection, but also to make sure that no one could sneak out.
I’ll just make sure to keep those little tidbits to myself. Don’t need to give Lucy any other reasons to distrust us more than she already has.
I see Zeno and Urso talking quietly outside my room, but they straighten when they see me. “What’s up?” Zeno asks, brow furrowing when he sees my expression.
I tell him what I know. “We’re fucked if we can’t get more information,” I sigh, rubbing at the back of my neck. Tension sits at the base, and I can feel a mild headache starting to form. I rarely get them, but when I do, it fucking sucks. “I’m here to get the women so we can talk. Including Lucy and Kida.”
Zeno and Urso exchange a look. “You sure that’s a good idea so soon?” Urso hedges.
“We don’t have another choice right now.”
“And you really think that letting her hear about assassins and shit is going to make her trust us?” Zeno asks dubiously.
I glare at him. The throbbing in my head worsens. “Do you really think I don’t know that? I don’t want to stress Lucy out anymore, but if we exclude her or her sister, they’re just going to take that as confirmation that we’re up to no good.”
“Or they’re going to make a run for it at the first opportunity.”
“Then we’ll have to make sure all the exits are blocked,” Urso states with a shrug. “But they might surprise us and take it better. Especially if they see the other women are handling it okay. They’re all in there talking and no one is screaming or crying, other than the baby, and I’m taking that as a positive sign.”
I fucking hope so.
“Well, if you’re going to be the scapegoat, I’m heading downstairs,” Zeno says with a sly smile.
“What, worried you’re going to get another bottle to the head?” I taunt. Zeno flips me off. “Both of you need to get back to work on all the stuff you took from Orlando. We need to get into all that as soon as we can. There might be something on there that we can finally use to turn the tide. Every advantage is something we’re going to need before this is over.” Both of them nod. “Okay, I’m going to talk to the women.”
“Put on the charm and you’ll be just fine,” Urso grins. The two of them head off, and I take a deep breath. Why do I feel like I’m walking into a firing squad?
I knock and open the door, stopping just inside when I see all the women sprawled around the room. All but Lucy. Where is she? My eyes zoom in on the partially shut walk-in closet door. Maybe she’s changing?
“What’s up, handsome?” Rori asks, pulling my gaze to her. I take her in, and while the stress is clear on her face, she gives me an easy smile. Ever resilient.
“We need all of you to come down to Nico’s office. We have some new developments and we need to talk things through.”
Everyone goes silent, staring at me. Gia’s face turns fearful, and she rushes off the bed and out the door. Sienna and Rori share a look before they nod and hurry out. That just leavesAmara and Kida, both who are staring at me with a mixture of expressions. Kida is distrustful, suspicious, while Amara is concerned and uncertain. “Is everything okay?” Amara asks as she slowly gets to her feet from her position on the bed.
No, but no need to upset her more. “Everything will be fine,cara mia,” I assure her calmly. It will be, so I’m not lying, but it might take a bit more time than planned. “It’s a lot to talk about so we might as well say it all at once, yes?” She nods slowly.
“Why am I being asked to be there?” Kida asks softly. Her eyes never leave me.
“Because you’re part of this now, and you might as well meet everyone as well. We’re not hiding shit from you, Kida. If we wanted to do that, would I be here?” I keep my tone even, though the throbbing in my head makes me want to snap. She has no reply to that, just watches me. Calculating. “Where’s Lucy?”
“She’s feeding Soren,” Kida finally answers. “I’ll get her.”
“I’ll talk to her,” I say instead, already moving toward the walk-in closet. The last thing I need is Kida telling her they need to run. And from the look on her face when I glance at her over my shoulder, that is exactly what she was planning on doing.
