Page 48 of Hidden Empire

“It’s never too early for it,” I sing-song, floating around him to leave them alone. “See you at lunch?” I ask, looking over my shoulder at Armani.

“I’ll be there,” he agrees. “Don’t deviate from crowds too much if you’re going to be walking around alone.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I sass, rolling my eyes.

“Later, littlest Moretti,” Colton adds as I start walking down the hall. I offer a backward wave without turning around and smile as I hear him chuckle.

Since hearing his confession at the party, I’m beginning to wonder if he and Armani are just friends or not. The cowboy either has a crush on Nico that I haven’t picked up on, a secret relationship with Armani, or one of my other brothers. There are far too many variables to consider, so I’m not confident I know enough to make a guess. Either way, Colton Wyatt wants to marry one of my siblings. I don’t have time to question it, and there really isn’t a reason to. Colton seems great.

With three hours until lunch, I head back to my room and plot.

“You have weapons next,” Remo tells me, guiding me away from the cafeteria and up the path to the same building Armani works in. The air is crispy this afternoon, cool, and refreshing to breathe.

Lunch was quick but nice. I got to see all of my brothers, and I ate a stellar chicken sandwich. Colton sat with us too, which was nice. He’s a funny guy, but he isn’t giving me any hints about who he wants to marry.

I was able to get a lot of strategic planning in before then as well, so the day already feels like it’s turned around.

“It’s knife training and shouldn’t be too intense. Javier Cabrera teaches it.”

“Javi?” I ask, surprised. “Isn’t he a student?”

Remo pauses, arching a brow. “Javi, huh?”

Do. Not. Blush.

My face grows hot, and I’m glad some of my hair conceals it.

God, I’m such a guilty blusher.

“Some girls in cooking were gushing over him,” I say evenly, playing it cool. “I just assumed he’d be a student.”

I’m not sure he believes me, but he doesn’t press either. Remo is good about that, giving me some semblance of privacy in our conversations.

“Well, he’s not,” he informs me, looping his fingers around my arm to continue our walk. “Javi graduated last semester, and he’s twenty-two. Although his family is known for guarding services, but because he’s an heir, he only takes on seriously niche or highly sensitive jobs. Hence the free time to instruct at Empire. He’s a knife specialist, and the old one retired last year. He’ll be a good teacher.”

Well, that’s good to know, at least. One horrid instructor earlier being followed by a very promising one.

“Hopefully, it goes better than my first class,” I joke.

“Yeah, about that,” he begins, giving me a careful look. “Don’t tell Nico about it, if you can avoid it.”

“He doesn’t know?” I ask, surprised. I would have figured that Armani informed them all.

“We decided as a group it was best if he didn’t,” Remo answers honestly.

“You don’t think he’ll handle it well?” I venture.

“You stopped Armani from going to handle it on his own, right?” It’s not a question, though it’s phrased like one. It’s a preface for his point. “If it were Nico… he’d figure out a way to kill her, whether he could wait until the end of the semester or not. Armani might have humiliated her or threatened her, but Nico would have her on a hit list or have her writing a suicide note by the end of the week.”

“Jesus,” I blurt.

It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve heard it, the idea of any of my brothers killing someone is still strange to imagine. To me, they’re the most caring and loving guys. But deep down, I know they can and will kill without mercy. If I’m truly honest with myself, it’s one of the reasons they make me feel so safe.

“Yeah,” Remo agrees. “So, for everyone’s peace of mind, avoid telling him things like that while we’re here.”

Duly noted.

“Got it,” I affirm quickly, slipping into the building as he holds the old wooden door open for me.

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