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“Will I finally get to meet Nikolai?” Matteo has talked to me about him often, but he’s been staying in the city. I think he looks at him like a little brother.
“Yes, but just know he can be a dick.” Matteo places me on my feet before he stands.
“He’s eighteen?” I’m curious to meet a boy Matteo has had a hand in raising. Nikolai's life has been a hard one, from what Matteo has told me.
“Barely.” Matteo lets out a frustrated breath, and I know it’s over raising Nikolai.
We tell Emma our goodbyes before we’re off to the city. I’m going to have my first sonogram, and Riley and I might take a peek into planning Matteo’s and my wedding. A few months ago, the thought of a wedding dress made me want to vomit.
Now there is only excitement, but I told Matteo I didn’t want to get married until things started to settle. He wasn’t too pleased about that until I told him it was important to me. A wedding wasn’t a dream of mine, but now it is. With a new outlook, it can change what you want. Everything has changed for me.
“This place is fancy,” I say as we step onto the elevator from the bottom floor of the parking garage. The condo building reminds me of a castle; it’s shiny and new. “If I touch something, it will smudge.”
“Smudge away.” Matteo pulls me into his side, hitting the button for the top floor. “I haven't done much with the place. I use it for showering and sleeping. It can be easier to crash here some nights rather than make the drive back out to the estate.”
“I don’t like when you stay out here,” I admit. I don’t want him to use this as a place to avoid me.
"I haven't done so since you made that clear, rabbit. You only have to tell me.” He leans down and drops a kiss on the tip of my nose, making me smile like a giant goofball. Even if his men are around, Matteo is affectionate toward me. I love that he doesn’t give a shit who sees.
“I know.” I’m getting better at telling him how I feel. I laugh now when I think back to our fight in the kitchen. He couldn't understand why I was so upset. The elevator dings, the doors sliding open right into an entryway.
Sal steps off first before giving a nod that we can follow. “Wow,” Riley says. I can hear her audibly swallow.
“Can we close those curtains?” I ask. The whole left wall that opens into a giant living room has glass windows that stretch from floor to ceiling. It’s an incredible view, but Riley is terrified of heights. Sal grabs a remote, closing them for us.
“What fucking time is it?" We all turn at the sound of a deep, gruff voice coming down the hallway. It has a hint of a Russian accent, I think.
“It’s noon. Were you out again all night?” Matteo asks.
As the figure draws closer, I can see how tall he is. Tattoos run up and down his arms. His hair is black as night and tousled, but when his eyes finally meet mine, they’re striking. They’re a bright ice blue.
“You!” Nikolai stands up straighter, his attention directed at my sister. Riley lets out a small squeak, and her eyes widen. Sal shifts to stand in front of her. How the hell would they know each other?
“Nikolai.” Matteo steps forward.
“Sal, move,” Nikolai orders him, drawing closer to him.
“Can’t do that.” Sal doesn’t budge. His job is already to keep an eye on Riley and me.
“What is wrong with you?” Matteo places his hand on Nikolai’s shoulder to stop him from doing anything.
“That's her. She was the one who triggered the fire alarm.” Oh crap. Nikolai must have been there that night at the club.
Riley had pulled the fire alarm after she witnessed me go into Matteo’s office and not come back out. She got worried that something bad was happening to me. She tried to go in, but no one would let her close to his door. In a panic, she pulled the fire alarm. It worked. We both got away.
Matteo leans into Nikolai. “I don’t give a shit.”
“Tell Sal to fucking move.” Nikolai’s whole body is rigid. Any sleep that had lingered is gone. I step back to be closer to my sister, taking her hand. She leans into me, a petrified look on her face.
“Nikolai,” Matteo half-growls.
“Tell him.” Nikolai isn’t backing down. The two of them are standing toe to toe.
“It’s his job to keep her safe.”
“I want to see her.” It’s quiet for a long moment.
“Sal,” Matteo says. He steps to the side revealing my sister. “She is Mona’s sister. That puts her under my protection. Are we understood?”