Tentatively, she places her much smaller hand in his. “H-hi, Santino.”
He lets go of her and says, “I’ll leave you be.”
“We’re going out tomorrow…today. I’m taking my girls shopping.”
“What time?” he asks.
“Around lunch.”
“I’ll have the men ready.” As he walks away, he calls out, “The two of you better get some sleep.”
I place my hand on Nina’s back and ask, “You okay?”
She looks surprised at the question. “Yes. Sorry, when I saw him…I just…”
“I know. It’s going to take some time for you to get used to your new life, and there will be glitches. We’ll work through them as and when they happen.”
“Okay.”
“Just for your peace of mind. None of my men would dare hurt you. Abusing women isn’t something my family tolerates, and byfamily, I mean the Cosa Nostra.”
She nods, then her gaze drifts over my chest. “Santino is right. You need to get some sleep.”
“You too, Nina.”
I nudge her back so she’ll start walking, and as we head to the stairs, I shift my hand to her nape, my thumb brushing over her skin and soft hair behind her ear.
Reaching her bedroom, I let go. “Sleep well,printsesa.” I bend at the waist and press a kiss to the top of her head before walking to my room.
As I turn to shut my door, I see her standing where I left her, looking at me as if she wants to say something.
Gripping the handle, I wait, and as the seconds pass, something changes the air between us until it feels like every particle is vibrating.
Finally, she gives in and whispers, “Simi’s right. You’re our prince. I feel very lucky to have met you, Georgi, and I want you to know…” She swallows on her nerves. “I want you to knowI saw youin the basement. Not the mafia boss. Not my father’s enemy. I think I already knew you were different from all the other men, and that’s why I wanted you to live.”
Her words crawl deep into my heart, warming parts of it I didn’t know were there.
She opens her door, and as she steps into the room, I say, “Nina.” I wait for her to look at me before asking, “Did you show the other men Boris kept in the basement the same care you’ve given me?”
“No.” She shakes her head. “Not even close. I did what was needed to keep them alive. I never talked to them, didn’t loosen their restraints, and didn’t risk my life by giving them water.”
The corner of my mouth lifts. “And no massages?”
“Definitely not.”
I can’t stop a pleased grin from spreading over my face. “Good.”
When she shuts the door, I stare at it for a moment longer before I turn in for the night.
Nina
“Mama,” Simi’s whisper pulls me out of my sleep. “Mama, are you awake?” When I let out a groan and rub my cheek against the pillow, she shakes my shoulder. “Mama, it’s time to wake up. Georgi is waiting. I want to go to the toy store.”
My eyes pop open, and realizing it’s the first morning I’ve been woken by my daughter, I’m hit with a tidal wave of emotions. I sit up, and pulling her into a hug, I pepper her face with kisses. “Are you excited,milo moe?” I ask as I begin to tickle her sides.
“Ahhhh!!!” she screams at the top of her lungs. Just as laughter explodes from her, our bedroom door slams open, and Georgi storms inside.
I freeze while Simi still laughs her little head off, and it only takes a second for Georgi to realize my daughter is not being tortured.
