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Nova
I pull my damp hair over my shoulder and finish my last bite of chicken, rice, and sweet potatoes.
To my horror, Riley asked Inez to make us a hardy dinner, filled with sugar-sustaining foods.
She has to know why. I may never show my face in the kitchen again. I get mildly embarrassed in front of Gigi, but she also has never shown restraint or judgment in any area of her life, so it’s not a big deal to her. Inez has been with Gigi for so long she probably isn’t fazed by much, but I can’t help but feel mortified that she knows I needed a solid meal because of my sexual activity with Riley.
Of course, he isn’t embarrassed. He even greeted her with a shit-eating grin at the door when it was delivered. Men. I cowered in the corner of the couch, unable to show my face from under the blanket.
“I ate. I feel fine now.” The heat of the shower, a must after all we did, finished me off and sent my sugar plummeting. I felt sick and faint, and Riley blamed himself for my predicament, even after I told him I was a willing and able participant, and this could not be blamed on him. He swore never to push me like that in the future—to which I protested in my weak state that he isn’t allowed to make such a promise because I loved every second of it and will want a do-over once a week at the very least for the rest of my life.
“Now, I’ll tell you.”
“Finally.” I roll my eyes, even though I secretly love the way he takes care of me.
He carries my plate to the kitchen and rinses it in the sink before putting it in the dishwasher. “Marina was engaged to a foot soldier, who works for her father.” He has to explain what that means in Mafia terms to me. “They kept it secret, knowing her father wouldn’t approve, but he found out and murdered her fiancé in front of her to prove a point.”
I gasp and cup my gaping mouth. “I thought stuff like that only happened in the movies.”
He shakes his head. “There is a dark part that is as real as any movie. I learned that from Sebastian and from when I was younger through some of my father’s shadier business ventures.”
“Your dad is—”
“No. But he’s been known to take a handout from them during campaign season in the past.”
“Oh.” I sip some of my wine.
He pets Itty-bitty on the head on his way back to the dining table. We let them roam freely while we ate.
“Anyway. Marina was furious with her father. Their relationship had always been tumultuous, especially after the Sebastian incident, but this was unforgivable in her eyes. She must have truly loved him.” He shakes his head. “Shocking for a woman who seemed incapable of love at all.”
“Why did she want to see you?” I ask.
“She wanted to make amends for what happened with Sebastian and what she did to me and Ainsley. She said she gets it now and understands love.”
“Did she seem sincere?”
He plays with the stem of his wine glass. Red for him. White for me. “She did. She wanted me to know I’m not a target to her family, either, because the information she’s giving the Feds will take him and his entire operation down.”
“Holy shit. She’s turning on her dad?”
He nods and sips more wine. “If anyone can do it, it’s her.”
“And you believed her when she said you’re not a target?”
“I’d only be a target if she wanted me gone.”
Anger churns inside me at the power she has. “I hate her.”
“I’m no fan. Trust me. She admitted I was a target for a while, just so she could toy with me. She assumed I was in witness protection and couldn’t be found, but the idea of the chase excited her and kept her going for a long time. Then she fell for Luca, and I didn’t matter anymore. She found her ‘purpose in life,’ as she called it.”
“And then her father killed him in front of her.” How can I be sad for a woman who tortured Riley in so many ways, forcing him into hiding?
“She’s getting revenge. It’s their way it seems, and she’s determined. She said the only thing better than killing her father herself is to take him and his organization down.”
“Do you think she could kill her own father?” The loss of mine sent me into a self-deprecating, toxic relationship.