“Death is.” I merge onto the highway.
A weight settles alongside us in the car and the silence feels heavy. She’ll see through my lie. I know it. But I don’t want to have the discussion about the flowers. Not yet.
“Sergio,” she finally says once we pull through the gates of my house. “Is there something about the flowers that I should know?”
I park the car, kill the engine. I climb out and the front door of the house opens as Natalie steps out of the car.
She looks at Eric and the man standing beside him, then at me.
“What’s going on?”
I meet her worried gaze, shift my attention to opening the back door, lifting Pepper out and setting her on the ground. The dog’s too old to hop out of the car on her own. “Let’s get her settled.” I take a step toward the house but she puts a hand on my arm.
“Sergio?”
I take a deep breath in, turn to her. “I don’t think the flowers were left by accident.”
15
NATALIE
“What are you talking about?”
I’m forcing in every breath I take, trying to stay calm.
“Let’s go in,” Sergio says, his eyes dark on mine when he takes my arm and walks us up the stairs to the front door.
I glance over my shoulder at the tall iron gates in the distance.
“In, Natalie. Now.”
“Are we in danger?” I ask, Pepper loping beside us.
He doesn’t answer but greets the men when we get inside. “Natalie, you know Eric. This is Ricco.”
I glance at Ricco. He’s big, kind of brutish looking, and he nods at me in greeting. I shift my gaze back to Sergio.
He’s watching me, and I know he’s weighing his words. “Ricco’s going to keep an eye on you while you’re at school.”
I pull my arm free, step backward. Pepper’s fur brushes against the backs of my legs. “What the hell does that mean?”
“Another man will be stationed at your house.”
“What—”
“What that means is I intend to keep you safe.” He turns to the men. “Eric, there’s a bag of dog food in the trunk. I need you to get that. I’ll meet you in the study in a few minutes.”
“Wait,” I start, but the two simply do as they’re told and Sergio turns to me, and all of a sudden, he looks different. Bigger. Scarier.
“Nat.” He takes my arm again.
“I told you I don’t like being called that.” But it doesn’t matter. I don’t care what he calls me right now.
“Come on,” he says, tipping his head to the side, forcing a smile that doesn’t quite make it. “Let’s get you a drink.”
“I don’t want a drink,” I snap, freeing my arm again. Or I try to, at least.
“Natalie.”
