Page 19 of The Mafia's Captive

My mind flashes to the gun she pulled on me. “A pain in the ass.”

“Interesting. Is she here at the Palazzo? I’m curious to see her.”

“No. She’s with me.”

There's silence. A couple of beats later, he says, “You like to keep your cards to your chest, don’t you?”

“You could say that.” I don’t want to talk about Corina to Nico any longer. Even though he was thousands of miles away, he can read me more than anyone I know, including my other siblings, so I change the subject. “When I come back, we should have a family meeting. It’s long overdue.”

“Should we? I have stuff to do.”

“Like what?”

“Stuff.”

He was being evasive, but whatever he had planned would be trumped by the meeting. It’s important. “I don’t care. Postpone it.”

“You know, you can be a little anal sometimes.”

“Tell Rico and Gio as well.”

He groans and then cuts the call. I don’t want to hold the meeting as much as him, but it has to be done, especially if I’m successful here. I want to make sure we are all on the same page before we strike. And to that end, I make a call to Sal. “How are things there,” I ask as soon as he answers.

“Going on smoothly. Your brother is here.”

“Yeah, I’ve just spoken to him. Treat him well and make sure he doesn’t get into trouble.”

“Sure thing, boss.”

“Do you have it?”

“What?”

“The thing I ordered you to get.”

“Oh right. I have it.”

“Great. Send the document.” A few minutes after I end the call, my phone chimes. It’s the document from Sal. And it confirms all my suspicions. Gio is right about Corina. I have to keep her close.

7

Iwake up in the middle of the night. The lights are out, even though I specifically remember leaving them on after crashing on the bed. Through the sleep fog, I notice I’m not alone. Lying next to me is a large man breathing quietly. The moonlight streaming in provides enough light for me to make out his features. He looks so calm and unassuming in sleep. There is something about him that makes me want to lean in and plant kisses on his forehead, nose, and cheek. As the fog clears, I remember who he was. He’s the reason I’m in Rio and not back home in my tiny apartment. He’s a monster. I need to remember that the next time I want to kiss him.

As my eyes adjust to the darkness, I take in the vast room, trying to make out the shapes until I spot a couch on one end. Why didn’t he sleep there? He probably chose the bed just to push my buttons. I glance back at him. He’s still sleeping peacefully. Slowly, I sit up and lift the sheets as delicately as possible. Making sure he can’t hear me, I slide one leg towards the end of the bed until it reaches the floor. I check again and he’s still asleep. Another slight movement and I will be out of the bed. I shift my other leg and out of nowhere, his hand snakes across my waist and pulls me back.

“Where are you going?” he mumbles. His eyes are still closed.

“You’re awake?” My voice sounds a little more strained than I want it to be.

“You woke me up.”

I scramble for something to say. “I need a glass of water.”

“No, you don’t.” He strengthens his grip. “Sleep.”

I lie back, feeling defeated. It’s not as if I want to escape. I just don’t want to sleep next to him. I stare at the ceiling, trying to think of a way to get out of his iron grip. I decide to go with honesty. “Can I sleep on the couch?”

“No.”

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