Page 101 of Charity's Redemption

“You’d think it’d have survival stamped all across it and would rat him out the moment she got a chance.”

I rifled through Luca’s bathroom drawers, searching for a pin.

Nico sat on the edge of the soaker tub, his forearms resting on his thighs. “You were in dire straits once when you took over for your brother. Did you think about telling the police, your father even, to save your ass?”

I snorted. “No. You owned the police, and my father was just one man against a legion. Besides, I enjoyed what I started doing…”

There had been a black void in my life after my childhood incident with Brad. The Morenos gave me an opportunity of a lifetime, and I flourished for the first time since I could remember. Although I was none too pleased with the circumstances that brought me to it, I wouldn’t change it for the world.

“Just imagine how she feels. He’s a sitting US Senator. I’m sure she has the same thought process. She just needs the right person to come along and help her. The police aren’t it.”

I fitted the wig over my head, careful to avoid the goose egg still swollen there. “Am I supposed to be that person?” I winced as my fingers brushed the wound. “Am I supposed to help her and kill the man she defended at the same time?”

“You do what you feel you need to do. Maybe the act of killing him sets her free on its own. Have you ever thought of that?”

No, I hadn’t. I honestly didn’t want to think about another ‘rescue’ mission. I was conducting my own—kill one man to save me, myself, and I, then everyone else came next. If I didn’t survive, no one else would.

“I guess when he’s dead, we’ll see if she’s too far gone. How about that?”

Nico stood and adjusted his suit jacket, buttoning it back in place. “No one is a lost cause.”

I don’t know what it is about that move alone, but for some reason, it sends my heart into a craze.

“I bought you something.”

“You did? Should I be worried?” I smiled as I watched him leave the bathroom. His back disappeared into the bedroom as I placed my last pin in my wig. I wasn’t used to gifts from them, or gifts in general. In fact, I think the last gift I received was from Max.

I caught a black shadow out of the corner of my eye moving towards me, which had my heart pang in my chest.

Nico emerged from the darkness holding a black attire bag by the hanger.

“What’s this?” I grabbed the side of the bag as he unzipped it, revealing a small black velvet dress with a cowl neckline and a side pleat. I moved the tiny dress out and flipped it around, displaying the lace straps that zigzagged across the back and tied at the base of the spine.

“Adams insisted you wear something revealing, and I told him that wouldn’t be a problem.”

My mouth gaped open like a broken hinge. Revealing was an understatement.

Any sort of movement would have me exposing myself for any and all to see. Now I was grateful we were having dinner at his place instead of going to a club.

“Well, you certainly know how to pick them, don’t you?”

Nico hung the dress on the back of the door. “He might just keel over after seeing you in this. You won’t even have to do the heavy lifting.”

“That’s genius.” I pointed my finger in the air as if I shouted eureka. “I should have poisoned him instead of going through all this trouble.”

He stepped towards me and pushed a lock of blonde hair out of my eyes. “We all know you wouldn’t get nearly as much enjoyment from that as if you were to do it by hand.”

I smiled. “You know me so well.”

“All I know is if I want to get you something for Valentine’s Day, it better be someone strapped to a table and ready for you to take his heart out with a knife.”

I wrapped my arms around his neck and laid kisses along his jawline. “There’s no better way to speak to my heart than to let me cut one out of another.”

He chuckled. “I wish I shared your enthusiasm.”

“I can teach you,” I whispered in his ear.

Loosening his tie, I pulled it off from around his neck and dropped it on the floor. I didn’t care that it was probably a hundred-dollar piece of material. I just wanted to touch his smooth chest.

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