THREE
Nico
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
“I suggest you stop that,” I yelled, looking at my rearview mirror with annoyance.
The thumps immediately stopped, so my unexpected hostage had clearly heard me.
Good.
I was pissed at this entire situation, and her irritating racket wasn’t fucking helping.
People trapped in trunks could be very noisy.
The family had cars specifically equipped to eliminate this problem, but my personal vehicle wasn’t one of them. And as I drove, I considered again how I found myself in this incredibly fucked situation.
The Genovese family and their antics was something I expected and something I could handle.
The woman who was currently getting acquainted with the interior of my trunk?
Another matter altogether.
She’d been impossible to miss when she’d walked through the door of Carlo’s.
After all, she’d looked utterly terrified, but that wasn’t the only reason she hadn’t belonged.
No, she’d stuck out like a flame on the darkest night, an innocent, naive babe in the woods stumbling into a lion’s den.
She fit every cliché I could imagine.
Sweet, innocent, sheltered.
And in entirely the wrong place.
Knowing that hadn’t been enough to make me look away. Even still, I couldn’t quite decide what drew me to her.
She was average height, five four, maybe five five, with silky-looking brown skin, full, pouty lips that screamed sin, and abundant curves that made my palms itch with the desire to touch them.
I usually went for tall blondes, so this short, curvy black girl with big, innocent eyes shouldn’t have merited a second look.
But I hadn’t been able to take my eyes off her, and I fucking hated that reaction.
I hated it so much I’d been on the verge of having her tossed out on her sexy ass. But my curiosity had gotten the better of me when her friend had sauntered over to her.
They were an odd couple, the friend a bit older and much more at ease in the environment. But there was a camaraderie between the two women, and I could admit my curiosity was piqued.
Which said something.
Between trying to keep the Genovese at bay, keep the family in line, and keep the boss off my ass, nothing much caught my attention these days.
After she’d walked in, I’d listened to my cousin with half an ear, the rest of me focused on the girl.
And for a split second we had locked eyes.
Her terror had been palpable.
She’d looked at me like I was a fucking monster.
So she was a smart girl, something else I could see behind the fear in those big, doe eyes.
But not smart enough to get the fuck out of Carlo’s while she had the chance.
Which was how I found myself in this shit.
The drive passed in a blur, and when I made it to my garage, I turned off the car, but didn’t get out immediately.
Instead I waited, strumming the steering wheel in a steady rhythm that couldn’t have been more different than my chaotic thoughts.
I knew what needed to be done.
Just as I knew I wouldn’t do it.
I let out a deep breath, my decision made.
Sitting here wouldn’t fix it, so I opened the car door and stepped out.
I took a moment to look at the matte gray paint and chrome wheels. Cars were one of the few indulgences I allowed myself, and this was one of my favorites.
Too bad it would have to go.
My clothes and shoes would also have to go. After that would come the decontamination process to get the blood off me.
But even knowing all the steps I needed to take, I still hadn’t moved. Instead, my mind was turning over my problem.
My little doe had looked at me like I was a monster. I would use that to my advantage and hope that she was smart enough to cooperate.
I opened the trunk, and only a split second elapsed before she lunged at me.
The part of me that wasn’t fucking irritated was impressed with the speed with which she moved.
She was not a small woman, but she moved fast and launched at me with force.
I took half a step back, mostly to brace myself. That was the right call because she had surprising force when she crashed into my chest. I locked my arms around her soft curves.
“Let me go!” she yelled, twisting in my grip.
She bent one of her arms and jabbed me with her sharp elbow.
Her blows were solid, but her effort wasn’t getting the effect she wanted.
So she tried harder, and despite myself I laughed.
She froze, looking almost offended.
“Are you laughing at me?” she asked, her voice trembling with fear—and anger. I didn’t answer, and she wasted no time recovering. She bent her arm as best she could, clearly prepared to attack.
My innocent little captive was amusing, but I’d had enough. I loosened my grip, but before she could react, I closed my fingers around her throat and squeezed.
Her heartbeat was strong against my fingertips, and I felt the way her pulse went erratic.
In a split second, everything changed. Almost immediately she went stiff, and her wide eyes were lasered on mine.
I resisted the urge to smile.
“I’m not laughing at you, bellissima. And I would really recommend you not hit me anymore,” I said.
My voice was quiet, but she got my message loud and clear.
She flinched and her eyes widened slightly. She was even more afraid than she had been just moments before.
To my shock, I reacted to the change in her.
People’s fear, their tears, even their anger didn’t stir me.
But this woman did, and I had no fucking idea what to do with that.
So I ignored it completely and refocused on her.
“Let me go,” she said.
“No,” I responded.
“Then…?” she asked, letting the question dangle.
But even though she didn’t finish the question, I knew exactly what she wanted to know.
“What will I do with you?” I finished.
She nodded, seeming almost afraid to acknowledge the question but unable to ignore it.
I kept my fingers on her neck, her pulse beating strong against my palm.
“Isn’t that the question?” I responded.
She stayed silent, but I filled the moment
“Do you know what I should do with you?” I asked.
She froze again, her eyes wide, and then she slowly shook her head no.
“I should put a bullet in your brain, throw you in the trunk, and incinerate you right along with this car,” I said.
Her pulse sped, her fear undeniable.
But underneath all that, there was fire too.
She dropped her hands, which had been wrapped around my forearm, her body still stiff but her eyes brave.
I’d seen this before. Not often, but I recognized it nonetheless.
She was afraid. Terrified. But despite that, she was resolved to be brave.
She thought this was the end, and even though she said nothing, I could see her promise to me—her promise to herself—that she wouldn’t beg.
I loosened my hold on her.
“But I won’t,” I finally said.
She didn’t look relieved.
“Whatever you’re thinking of doing, don’t,” I said.
“I’m not thinking of doing?—”
I cut her off. “Don’t lie. You are. You think I’m going to spare you, and you’re trying to figure out how you can use that to your advantage.”
“I’m not?—”
“Shut up and listen. You should be dead, and if you give me any trouble, you will be,” I said.
“I—”
“Shut the fuck up!” I snapped when she opened her mouth again.
She slammed her mouth closed and thinned her full lips.
When she was quiet, and I was certain she was terrified enough to stay that way, I nodded my approval.
“Now strip,” I said.