‘Cini, listen to me,’I said as I sat both of us down on the edge of the massive bed that filled the majority of the primary bedroom. We had always maintained that the less she knew about our plans the better, but now it felt like the only way to get her to understand me.‘We could run away, yes. We’ve thought about that probably a thousand times since getting out of prison. Butthe only problem is that it’s like putting a band aid on a bullet wound. If we don’t fix the problem at the root then it’s just temporary. Especially now that you exhibit omega traits.’
‘He’s right,’Nico chimed in, joining in on our conversation as he crouched in front of her, his hand on her knee.‘If we run away without making sure your father can’t chase us, then we run the risk of having to look over our shoulder for the rest of our lives.’
I glared at him, my head buzzing from having so many voices inside of it at once. I was sure that I’d go insane once Ranieri and Dante decided to join the fray.
“Mango?” Ranieri asked from the window seat where he’d been posted up trying to argue with me for the last half-hour as he glanced between the three of us with a confused look.
It was a dumb word to use, but somehow I just knew it was going to stick, so I nodded at him with a grimace.
“Great,” the alpha huffed as he crossed his arms over his chest and slumped against the window, clearly not enjoying being left out of the conversation.
Cini’s frown was deep and it was obvious that she didn’t fully agree with our explanation as she covered her face with her hands and let out a shuddering breath.‘Something doesn’t feel right. I can’t really explain it but it feels like this is a trap.’
That gave me some pause. When Dr. Stedmeyer was explaining to us that Cini’s brain capabilities were evolving at such a fast rate he had made an off-handed comment that he wasn’t sure what sort of abilities she may have, if any at all.
Could her fears be a part of that?
I shook off the thought and cupped her face in my hands before pressing a soft, reassuring kiss to her lips.‘Even if it is a trap, your alphas have gotten out of worse situations before.’
Cini didn’t seem convinced, but I was in a time crunch.
“Fine, Nic, you get your way. You’re with me. Ranieri you’ll stay here and support us through a wire. Dante,” I called and a moment later the massive alpha appeared in the doorway. We would have to talk about how the man still seemed to hover just out of sight until he had permission to enter a room, but that could come later. “Your job is to stick by Cini like glue. Just in case.”
Dante gave me one firm nod.
“I wish you would have told me you wanted a wire before you buttoned up your shirts,” Ranieri grumbled as he got up and dug around underneath the bed for a moment before pulling up a silver case.
“All right,” he said, holding up the medical tape that was inside. “Who’s first?”
The mansion that Amante’s potential business partner was staying at was massive. It hulked, almost ominously, over us like it could gobble us right up, SUV and all. It also looked out of place on the island due to its English estate style.
“Wow,” Nico whistled as we pulled into the driveway, his eyes locked onto the massive structure. “Do you think he’s compensating for something?”
“Focus on the job at hand, gentlemen, and not the size of his… house,” Ranieri’s voice crackled in our ears.
“How’s Cini doing?” I asked as I parked alongside one of the other dark SUVs that must have belonged to Mr. R’s own security team. A house this massive would need a security team.
“Fine. She’s got Dante distracting her with a game of cards in the living room,” Ranieri answered distractedly.
“Good, let’s keep it that way. We get in, find out what he wants for Amante’s partnership, and then we get out. Easy peasy.”
Nico slanted a look in my direction. “I think you might have just jinxed us.”
“Shut up,” I grumbled as we approached the massive front porch together.
The sun was just beginning to set, soon it would be dark and I was already itching to get back to the house so I could press my nose into Cini’s neck and make her moan.
‘Kinky,’Nico commented dryly in my head.
‘Get out of my head unless I invite you in, asshole,’I scolded, shutting down my end of the bond.
“Spoilsport,” Nico said out loud, sounding hurt as he raised a fist to knock on the door.
“Mango?” Ranieri asked on the other end of the line.
Nico shot me a pout. “Uh-huh. Elio doesn’t want me to have any fun.”
I rolled my eyes at that before straightening as the door suddenly opened and an older man dressed in a butler’s uniform stood ready to greet us.
