Page 70 of Triplets for the Mafia Prince

“Oh, sweetie, I miss you too. Won’t you please let me help you come home?”

“When I can, I’ll come visit. I promise.”

I end the call feeling lighter than I have in days. Ava's warm and loving voice helped chase away my feelings of isolation.

Rolling onto my back on the bed, I clutch the burner phone to my chest. For the first time since leaving Chicago, I feel anchored again. No matter what happens with Nic or his father, I have options. Ava and Matteo's door is always open to me. Their protection means I'll never have to return to my father's control.

I sit up and tuck the phone back exactly where I found it. The restlessness that's been plaguing me has settled into something calmer. I may be stuck in this apartment for now, but it's temporary. I have people who care about me.

The click of the front door lock sends my heart racing. I quickly check that everything is exactly as I left it. Nic's footsteps approach the bedroom, and I try to act natural, grabbing the college brochure that I left on my bedside table.

“Everything okay?” he asks when he enters.

“Yep. Just resting. Being stuck at home takes a lot of energy.” I wince, hating how whiny I sound.

He gives me a sympathetic smile. “It will be over soon.”

“Do you have any news?”

He shrugs. “Things are developing.”

Why won’t he tell me what he’s planning?

He opens his drawer and pulls out the phone. I hold my breath, wondering why he’s retrieving it. Does he know I used it?

“What happened to your other phone?” I ask, hoping I don’t give myself away.

“Tossed it.” His face darkens as he opens the phone. He looks up at me. "You used the phone."

My mouth goes dry. "I just?—”

"What the fuck were you thinking?" His voice slices through me. "Do you have any idea of the risk you just took?"

I rise from the bed. "I only called Ava. She won't tell anyone?—"

"You don't know that!“ His voice echoes through the room, and I want to cower but fight the impulse. "One call could give away our location. One traced connection could get us killed."

“It’s a burner?—”

“Your sister is a Rinella. She could tell your father?—”

“She promised she wouldn’t say anything to anyone.”

“And you believe her?” He says it with a tone that suggests I’m an idiot.

“Yes, I do!” I think about how I told her I trusted him, and I do, but right now, I think he’s a jerk.

“Her phone could be tapped?—”

“No way. Her family wouldn’t allow that.”

“The D’Amatos could be the ones tracking, knowing you could call.”

I refuse to believe that, even though it could be true, I suppose.

Tears sting my eyes. "I needed to talk to someone. I've been stuck here alone?—”

"Better stuck and alive than dead because you can’t handle a little boredom." He shakes his head, his expression making me feel like a child being reprimanded. "I thought you understood what's at stake. I thought I could trust you."

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