Clearing my throat, I returned to the present, shaking my head to clear the memory. In truth, my love for Bianca had only continued to grow over the years. I had paramours, of course. Ones who understood that my heart belonged to someone else, and that I could never truly be theirs. Katia, one of the dancers in a club I owned in Brooklyn, had been my favorite. I’d cherished her and deeply appreciated her friendship. I’d paid for hercollege, and once she received her accounting degree, I allowed her to take over the books at several of my clubs and businesses, ensuring she could provide for her future.
Our romantic relationship eventually cooled as my power grew and I focused on eliminating Victor’s organization completely. But Katia would always remain a valued friend and an integral part of the Caruso family.
A knock sounded on my office door, pulling me from the musings as I called, “Come in!”
“It’s Leo,” Nick said, holding his phone to his ear. “John and Simon have a meeting scheduled with Alexis and Bianca at ten a.m. where they plan to force her to turn over the flash drive. Once they realize she encrypted it, they’ll kidnap her and torture her until she decrypts it for them.”
“Fuck,” I rasped, standing and calling the number that had recently dialed my phone. Lifting it to my ear, I waited for Bianca to answer.
“Hello?”
“We’re out of time, stella,” I said, closing my eyes at the fact that I would have to rush things more than I’d previously thought. “John and Simon will use your ten a.m. meeting to force Alexis into captivity until she supplies the information they want. You can’t stay there any longer, Bianca. I’m sorry.”
Silence crackled through the phone until I heard her deep sigh. “Okay. I was just updating Alexis on our conversation. I’ll...I’ll marry you, Michael. As long as you take care of Alexis, I’ll do whatever you want. Please, we have to keep her safe.”
Closing my eyes, I fully accepted the knowledge that Bianca was finallymine. Not under the circumstances I wanted, and not the way I’d ever imagined for us, but our long, winding path had finally come to its fated conclusion.
“I’m honored to protect you, mia. Tell Victor’s men you’re taking a walk, and meet Nick at the deli on the corner five blocks south of your home.”
“Okay. We’ll be there as soon as we can.”
“Be safe and call me if anything seems suspicious.”
The phone clicked off and I sighed, throwing it on the desk and rubbing my eyes.
“I’ll retrieve them safely,” Nick said. “And then you can assign someone to guard Alexis.”
“I’m assigning you to guard her, Nick,” I said, immediately understanding the order would make him furious.
Nick’s mouth fell open. “No, Michael, you need me here by your side! We have several men who can guard her—”
“I only trust you,” I said, hardening my gaze. I hated pulling the power card with Nick, but he was stubborn, and we didn’t have time to argue. “We should only have to shield her for a few months, maybe less.”
“A few months?” he asked incredulously.
“She has information that many people want, including me. This is why I need you to do the job, Nick. Not only do I want you to protect her, but I want you to gain her trust. I want the information on that flash drive—the information in herhead. It’s the key to me taking down the last of Rossi’s empire. I want you to earn her trust and get that information for me.”
Nick licked his lips as he contemplated. “I’m not really the friendly type, Michael, in case you haven’t noticed.”
I smirked as I observed him. Nick had always been quiet and imposing, since he was tall and broadly built. He’d been diagnosed with dyslexia and developmental language disorder as a child, and had been a quiet, shy kid. But he’d been smart, and had fought through the impairments to perform quite well in school. When I’d offered to pay for his college, pride had shone in his eyes at my inherent belief in him. After finishingcollege and visiting Italy, he’d grown into a stoic, confident man, but I knew he preferred solitude to being sequestered with anyone, much less the daughter of his boss’s rival.
“You’re perfectly nice and kind, Nick, and I want you to be that way toward Alexis. I don’t want her harmed.”
“Why are you going out of your way to protect Rossi’s wife and daughter?” he asked, frustration in his voice.
Sighing, I rubbed my forehead, annoyed at the headache that was forming. “Bianca and I have a history I’ve never told you about. I know I’ve told you that I’m fond of her, and I admire her for putting up with Victor, but there’s more to our history.”
“Like what?”
“We don’t have time for that now. Let’s just say that I proposed to Bianca once before and botched the shit out of it. I don’t plan to fuck it up this time.”
Nick’s eyes grew wide. “Wait, what? How long have you known her?”
“Too long for her not to be mine,” I said, my eyes narrowing with purpose. “And now, she will be. I need you to go pick them up so I can work on finding an officiant who’s available on short notice. Please don’t fight me on this, Nick. We need to be united.”
Nick straightened his spine. “I don’t always understand you, Michael, but I trust you and have your back. If you want me to protect Alexis and earn her trust, I will.”
Rising, I walked around the desk and shook his hand. “You make me proud, son. I never had a son of my own, but you’ve always been one to me. I hope you know that.”
