Page 48 of Nico

“We won’t be able to get out,” I told him, tilting my chin towards the vehicles surrounding him. Practically the entire right lane was blocked by vehicles, surrounding his car.

“They are my men.”

“Oh.”

I slid into the vehicle and reached for the seatbelt as Nico went around to the driver’s side. I tracked his every move, studying him. He moved gracefully and confidently. It didn’t surprise me, but he fascinated me despite everything.

He got behind the wheel and roared the car to life.

“What kind of car is this?” I asked him, breaking the silence.

“Aston Martin Vantage.”

“Seriously?” Jesus, this was my dad’s dream car. And Grandpa Carter’s.

“I wouldn’t joke about it.”

My eyes skimmed over the luxury car. “Gosh, my dad would have gone nuts,” I mumbled. “He loved cars but the Aston Martin was his dream. William’s dad too.”

Thinking about Dad always made me sad. I missed him; the simple talks and things we did together. He was truly the best father a girl could wish for and learning he wasn’t my biological dad when he passed away made him even a bigger hero in my book.

“He liked cars?” Nico asked never taking his eyes off the road, driving smoothly through the city.

“He liked a lot of things,” I smiled wistfully. “Cars, boats, hiking, fishing. Though tinkering with cars was his favorite.”

“Sounds like a great guy.”

“The best,” I murmured, glancing out the window. Dad and Grandma were my entire world growing up. They more than made up for the absence of Mom. I just wished my mother didn’t have to give up so much. Though maybe, I could somehow use this marriage with Nico Morrelli to help her.

One thing I learned in my life was that hope was a bitch. But it was what kept us going. At least that was what my dad always said.

God, I missed him. I missed our hiking trips through the mountains; I missed our time at the gun range, sitting in the garage chatting about our dreams and big plans, the smell of the rain drifting through the open garage door. There was something so comforting about the sound of the raindrops against the pavement and the fresh cool breeze sweeping through the big bay while I handed him tools and watched the gray skies.

Nico’s eyes reminded me of those gray skies.

Never lose hope, Sunshine.Dad’s voice was clear as day.

It has been lonely since he passed away. I loved William, but I never told him what I discovered. To this day, I wasn’t sure why. Then I found out about his infidelity, and I pulled away even further.

Maybe our little glass house shattered even before he got really sick and he took money from Nico Morrelli.

“What about you?” I asked him, glancing his way. “How long have you been… ummm, a mobster?”

He chuckled, actually chuckled. “For a long time.”

“There is a school for mobsters?” I teased.

“Well, if you think Harvard Business is a school for mobsters.”

“Wow.” I couldn’t help but be impressed. I knew he was smart, you’d have to be in order to be the big crime boss. “How old were you when you took over your… umm, business?”

“That’s putting it eloquently,” he commented. “I took over Cassidy business at twenty-one and the Morrelli business at twenty.”

Holy shit! When I turned twenty, my only goal was surviving college and the next party I’d attend. “Well, you are kind of putting me to shame. I barely finished college. I changed my major three times and none of them were that exciting.”

He raised his eyebrow. “Maybe you just didn’t find the right major.”

I shrugged. “Maybe. I think I just enjoyed messing around the kitchen and doing stuff with my dad. If I had siblings, I’d probably be the aunt that always feeds everyone.”