NICO
I watchedEmilia on the screen laughing with Letty. She seemed so at ease and like a different woman. The transformation was remarkable; her entire body relaxed in a way I'd never seen. Flicking on the sound, her laughter filled my office, and I leaned back in the chair. The sound was melodic, genuine, nothing like the tight smiles and forced pleasantries she'd shown me. Letty was chattering away easily as she always did as she worked, her hands moving with practiced precision. "If you want a friend, you've got one."
Emilia's face changed, and it looked like she was going to cry. Her eyes grew bright, her chin trembling slightly. "If I weren't worried about death by a thousand pins, I would hug you."
"We can wait until after," Letty said as she took a step back, admiring her work. "Are you ready to see?" I needed to look away. This was the basic design of her wedding dress. This wasn't a traditional marriage, but I wanted one superstition to hold up, so I turned off my monitors. Some things should still be sacred, even in an arrangement like ours.
"Nico, you have a minute?" Looked up, and Antonio was standing in the doorway. His expression was serious, troubled.
"For you? Always." He nodded and walked through the door.
He took a seat and leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. "I don't want you to think I'm overstepping, but something's been gnawing at me today." He crossed his leg across his knee and looked up at me. If Antonio came to me with something, there was merit to it. He didn't waste my time with trivialities.
"Anto, you know I trust your opinion." Most men in my position didn't care about others' opinions, but my father had taught me over the years that it took more than one man to run our business properly. Antonio was my right hand, as his father had been to mine; he was also my best friend. The only person who'd tell me the truth, even when I didn't want to hear it.
"I think we need to put a crew on the Carminatti's. There's unrest there now that he's handed over his power to you. I don't think he's going to take this lying down."
"What have you heard? This doesn't just come out of the blue." Resting my elbows on my desk, I waited for his answer. Antonio didn't operate on hunches; he operated on intelligence.
"Nico, think about it, he was a don unaware of who was running his family, now he's a man whose power has been taken away. All his men will still be loyal to him. I doubt he's even told anyone what's happening. He still has the capability of starting a war." His jaw was tight, his hands clenched.
"You're probably right, he's also not going to like me sending his woman packing today." Looking back at the security screens, I nodded. "Let's get organized and have it set up by tonight." He nodded and left my office, already pulling out his phone to make the necessary calls.
Turning my chair, I clicked on the screens again, but I was met with an empty view. The room was vacant, the platform where she'd been standing bare. Shifting the camera, I saw Letty packing up her stuff, but Emilia wasn't anywhere in sight.Reaching for my phone, I saw her walk out of the bathroom dressed in my clothes again. The white shirt hung loosely on her frame, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows.
"Do you only have custom pieces, or do you have stock as well?" Emilia asked Letty as she reached for a book on the table.
"Oh no, I'm fully stocked. You'd look amazing in the clothes I have. You should come by. Maybe sooner rather than later, if you only have that to wear." Letty laughed and walked to the door.
"I'll see if my jailer will let me out." They hugged and said something I couldn't hear, their heads close together like conspirators, and Letty was gone. My men grabbed bags and followed her out.
Her jailer? Is that what she thought of me? Of course it was, who was I fooling? I'd told her that the room was her prison. The words had been deliberate, meant to intimidate. Well, two can play at this game. Reaching for the phone, I made a few calls.
"Well, do you have your dress figured out?" I asked as I walked into Emilia's room. She was sitting on the window seat, leaning up against the wall with her feet tucked under her, wearing my clothes again. The afternoon light caught in her hair, making it shine like dark honey.
"Yes, I think so. Letty will have it finished the day before, and if it needs any alterations, she will do it then." She didn't even look up from the book she was reading. Her focus was absolute, or maybe she was just ignoring me.
"I was wondering if you would accompany me to get you some clothes?" That made her look up. She sat a little straighter and narrowed her eyes at me, suspicious. "My family will be here the day after tomorrow, and I don't think you should be wandering around in my clothes. Also, we have a rehearsal dinner on Thursday that you will need a dress for. I was thinking we could go to Letty's." Waiting for her to answer was slightly infuriating. The silence stretched between us, heavy and tense.
"I'd like that, thank you." She didn't move or smile. Her tone was carefully neutral.
"Are you coming?"
"Oh, you mean now. You could have started with that." She uncrossed her legs and took one step before she stumbled. Moving quickly, I grabbed her before she hit the floor, my hands wrapping around her waist. "My foot's asleep." Her nervous giggle turned me on, and I had to fight the rising of my cock. The sound was breathy, intimate, despite the circumstances.
"Ready?" I filled one word with as much annoyance as I could muster.
"Yes." She stood and walked out of the room ahead of me, her spine straight and defiant.
Forty minutes later, we were in the area of Letty's shop downtown. The streets were busy, pedestrians bundled against the cold. Glancing behind me, my security detail was a few cars back, maintaining their distance but keeping visual, but there was also another vehicle that had fallen into line and hung with us almost the entire way. Black SUV, tinted windows, staying just close enough to track us. "I will drop you off at Letty's and park down the block. It's always a nightmare in front of her building." I take my eyes off the road and look over at Emilia. She's staring out the window, and the direction of her eyes is toward the side mirror. Does she know we're being followed? "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Her reply was quick, which unnerved me. Too quick, too practiced.
"I might not know you well, but the fire I saw in your eyes on the night of the symphony seems to be burning out."
"Not burning out, just refueling." She turned to look at me and smirked. "We're being followed." She said quietly, her voice barely audible over the engine.
"I'm aware." I glanced in the side mirror again, and another large vehicle had pulled up next to us. Flanking us. This was coordinated.
