Page 25 of Nico

“Your safety comes first. It’s non-negotiable, Bianca,” he warned with a drawl. I opened my mouth to argue but he cut me right off. “Now obey me, or I’ll have to spank your ass to put you in line.”

My eyes just about bulged out of my head.

“What the fuck do-” I cut myself off at his threatening gaze.

He took a step forward as if he was ready to follow through with his threat and punish me for my disrespect. Instinctively, I took a step backwards and something in my stomach clenched. This man unsettled me. I kept telling myself it was in a bad way, but I wasn’t so sure.

Wrong, wrong, wrong.This was so damn wrong.

He’s a criminal, Bianca!

My brain shouted at me to be careful, scared out of my ever-loving mind. He was a step too close in the wrong direction. A wrong move would ruin my girls’ life. There was nothing I wouldn’t do to keep them out of Benito King’s reach and radar.

“Okay, glad we got that settled,” he said.

Not by a long shot!But I kept those words to myself. Without another word, he walked out of my house like he owned it, his own bodyguard close behind him.

“I’ll do a parameter check,” Bear broke my stupor of staring after the man that just turned my entire world upside down. “I won’t bother you. I’ll be out front.”

Turning my eyes to him in resignation, I shook my head.

“When you are done doing whatever, just come back in. I’ll have coffee for you, and I’ll make you some cookies.” His eyes darted to all the glass cookie jars full of homemade chocolate chip cookies, and I rolled my eyes. “Stress baking,” I muttered. “I’ll make you a fresh batch to take home to your children.”

He smiled his shark smile, and I turned to my sink, getting straight to work.

Keep enemies close, Bianca.

It was what my mother always said. I intended to follow that advice until I could have them all on a separate continent.

ChapterTen

BIANCA

It had been less than six hours since I last saw Nico Morrelli, and here I was getting ready to see him again. Twice in a day was too much. Damn, twice in a lifetime was too much. I have been thinking through all the possibilities, trying to figure out how to divert the upcoming catastrophe, and I came up with nothing. Zip. Nada!

I baked three dozen homemade chocolate chip cookies and three dozen Christmas cookies. Before Halloween even came knocking at my door! Yet no bright ideas came to mind.

It’s not over yet. I have a week.

I could survive this; just as my mother survived Benito King for the past twenty-six years. I couldn’t let this man see that I was afraid of him. My girls needed me. Running and hiding without money would be impossible.

So here I was in downtown Annapolis meeting Nico Morrelli. As he requested. For a forced dinner date!

Bear pulled in front of the restaurant, uncaring of the traffic jam. I could practically feel his eyes on my back, urging me to go in.

I stood in front of the Lewnes’ Steakhouse, my reflection in the Lily Pulitzer dress staring back at me. My petite frame was too thin, my dark brown hair fell down in loose waves to my shoulders. My brown eyes watched in wonder, amazed how put together my exterior looked to the mess that was brewing inside of me.

Why would Nico Morrelli want to marry me?

It was the question that kept repeating in my mind. Instinctively, I knew the story about the money was bullshit. It wasn’t as if he hurt for money. And he didn’t want me for my looks.

There was absolutely nothing special about my looks - just an ordinary woman with an ordinary life. I didn’t have any real connection to the mafia that people knew about, so I couldn’t offer him any benefits there.

So why?

It was four in the afternoon, but exhaustion lingered heavy on my shoulders. I saw no way out of this arrangement, not without major disruption to the girls’ or their grandparents’ lives. William’s parents have already lost their son; I couldn’t bear to disappear on them. They loved their granddaughters and the twins adored them.

If only I could turn back time and refuse Angie’s invite for lunch.