Because she’s not getting away from me. Not ever again.
I shake my head to clear it, but it doesn’t work. I’ve never been this feral over a woman before. But something about that night—something about Sophia—makes me feel like an animal. It feels like there’s a hive of bees buzzing around in my brain, like I can’t relax until I know where she is. Until she’s withme.
I check one street and she’s not there. I stalk up and down it, peering into the alley, but there’s nothing. She must have crossed the street.
Panic rises in my chest, making it feel tight. If she slips away from me…
At least I know what name she’s going by now. Maybe that was the reason I couldn’t find her before. If she’s really officially changed her name, it would make my search efforts pointless.
Besides, Chicago is a huge city, and I had other responsibilities. I couldn’t put my whole life on hold to find a woman I’d been with for only one night, no matter how much I wanted to.
Why I’m so messed up about a pixie cop? No idea.
I tell myself it’s because she might be undercover. Because she might be trolling for information, wanting to take down my empire. She’s my enemy.
But somewhere deep in my chest, I know it’s more. I’m ignoring it, but I know it’s there, like the tick that burrowed in the back of my neck when I was a kid.
I nearly knock over Nico when I bump into him. He’s standing in one of the alleys, bracing himself on the brick with one hand.
“Luca,” he breathes, his voice slurred around the edges. “Just the man I needed to see.”
I wrinkle my nose. He smells like tequila and weed.
“Nice of you to show up. I’m busy, I’ll talk to you later,” I say quickly, pushing past him, but he grabs my arm, nearly falling over as he does it.
“Busy,” he mumbles. “Busy taking care ofmyfight.”
I let out a long breath. “Nico, this is not the time.”
“I think it is.” He stands up slightly straighter, swaying only slightly.
I want to roll my eyes. I want to push him over and move past him, keep looking for Sophia. But Nico will tell Father then I’ll have that to deal with. The old man is pushing seventy, but he’s sharp as a tack. He just can’t do the physical part of this job anymore.
He loves Nico, loves him more than he ever loved me, but he knows I’m the right choice to take over the empire. He may be maudlin, but he’s not stupid.
And Nico hates it. Hates me.
“You don’t want to mess with me right now,” I say in a low voice, unable to control my anger. I’d planned on placating him, but what came out of my mouth was pure venom. “Just go home and sleep it off.”
“Go home? This is my fight.”
I glare at him. “The fight’s over, Nico. You fucking missed it.”
He blinks. “Oh. Well, I can still do the books.”
“You can barely stand. Don’t be an idiot.”
He straightens his shoulders, eyes focusing more on my face instead of just staring in his stupor. “Don’t call me that.”
“Ididn’t?—”
Nico swings at me.
He misses, of course, goes wide, and I step backward. He has to catch himself to keep from falling over.
“Go home,” I bark, and Nico looks up at me with pure hatred in his eyes.
I don’t say another word, trying to shake it off and looking for Sophia. I stalk down the street, probably looking like I want to kill someone. The people streaming out of the building after the fight give me a wide berth.
