Page 165 of Madness & Mercy

My fists clench, torn between storming out and crawling back onto his lap like a damn addict. Instead, I push off the desk, my knees still weak, and drag myself toward the door.

Before I leave, his voice follows me, calm and commanding.

“Don’t forget,amore mio—you’remine.”

The words stick to me like chains as I step into the hall, my body still trembling, my mind a mess of frustration, shame, and—fuck me—desire.

This isn’t just reckless anymore… it’sdangerous.

And something tells me there’s no turning back.

CHAPTER 26 – SECRETS

NICO

The second Julian’s gone, I flip the laptop open again. The screen glows, lighting up something I shouldn’t be looking at. Something I’ve returned to more times than I want to admit.

I linger there, scrolling slow, like dragging a finger along the edge of a blade. I know it’s reckless. He’ll find out eventually—Julian’s too sharp, too restless to let secrets lie. And when he does… there’s no telling how he’ll react.

I minimize the page before I can spiral any further, switching over to the surveillance feeds, and there he is: restless, pacing upstairs, peeling his clothes off with no regard for the eyes on him. He throws on a fitted gray shirt, black joggers slung low on his hips, lounging like he owns the place.

I smirk, watching him walk back downstairs and through the backyard doors, stretching out in one of the lawn chairs by the pool, legs sprawled, phone in hand. The screen in front of me flashes with his message.

JULIAN:Stop watching me.

My mouth curves slow.

NICO:Just enjoying the view.

JULIAN:Fuck off. Didn’t you kick me out a minute ago, said you had work to do?

NICO:That’s true. But you’re distracting.

JULIAN:And you’re an asshole.

NICO:How so?

The dots appear. Vanish. Appear again. Then stop.

JULIAN:Never mind.

NICO:Are you mad at me, piccolino? How should I make it up to you?

JULIAN:By leaving me the hell alone.

NICO:As you wish, amore mio.

I close the chat. My smirk lingers. Against my better judgment, I pull up that page again. As hard as I try to ignore it, my gaze sticks to it, burning like a brand.

Not yet.

Butsoon.

I shove the laptop aside and shift my focus to more immediate problems. Silvio and Braga are gone, but that only left us with a bigger target stamped across our backs. Their men are still crawling around like roaches, nosing their way into shipments, poking at trade routes, tailing my people in the streets. We’ve dealt with a few of them already. More will come.

My family comes first.Juliancomes first.

But knowing him, he’ll find a way to throw himself into the fire again, whether I tell him the truth or not. He’s suspicious, and he should be. There’s plenty I’m keeping from him. He doesn’t need any more weight on his shoulders. He deserves, for once in his life, to breathe without blood on his hands.