Page 60 of Lethal Infatuation

I ran my fingers through his hair, getting lost in the dark colour of the soft strands. "We're more alike than I would've ever imagined," he murmured. A yawn escaped me and my eyes got a little teary. "However, I think we'll have to cut this conversation short and continue it when you're not exhausted."

"I'm fine, we can talk right now." I yawned again, making Nicolas give me a bored look. "Okay, maybe I'm a little tired."

"A little? You came thrice in the span of two hours. I thinkyou're more than just alittletired." My jaw fell slack and I pinched his earlobe. "What? I'm being honest."

"And I understand that, I really do, but for the love of Christ, have some decorum."

"You squirted in my mouth, Gabriella. The last thing we should be talking about right now isdecorum." I tugged on his hair, making him grunt, which was soon replaced with a deep laughter.

"That's enough."

"My apologies." He placed a hand on his chest. "I should get going." I frowned, looking at him with clear disapproval on my face. "What's wrong,mikrí petaloúda?"

"I thought you were staying the night," I said softy, preparing myself for rejection.

"Is that what you want?"

Is it? I've never allowed any man to sleep over before, so this would be the first time experiencing it. "Yes. I want you to stay."

"Then I'll stay." He sat upright, moving directly next to me. "Now, is it time to take off these atrocious face masks yet?"

"Yes." I laughed. "You call it atrocious now, but you'll learn to love it."

TWENTY FOUR

"There'll be a drop off tonight at an abandoned building in Szold Place," Ares said as I glanced at him.

"You're sure?" I asked. "Something about this doesn't make sense. They've been covering their tracks for the past three weeks, and suddenly, today, the location for their next drug deal lands in our laps?"

"That's the thing. I'm not sure about it, and my gut is telling me that this is a set up, but that's why we'll be prepared."

"Antonio Freeman doesn't strike me as the kind of man who'd have any slip ups. If we're going to approach them tonight, we need to ensure we're covered from all angles." I crossed my arms, staring at the whiteboard in front of me.

"We still don't know who he's working with," Ares sighed, picking his phone up from the desk and clicking the side button to unlock it.

"I don't think he's working with someone,I think he's working for someone. This drug trafficking syndicate has more to it than what meets the eye."

Ares' eyes flickered back to me as he squeezed the cellular device in his hand. "That's been one of my theories, too. Antonio might have some power in New York, but he's not the one in charge of this operation."

I nodded, tugging on my tie. "He doesn't seem low level, either. Based off his movements for the last week, he seems to be somewhere in the middle." Ares didn't say anything else. "What time is the drop?"

"Midnight."

I opened my eyes, squinting as the sunlight streamed through the cream curtains. I blinked slowly, breathing through my nose.

For the first time sincethatnight, I didn't have any nightmares. But the dream I had definitely evoked all of those negative emotions and had me feeling unsettled. The dream consisted of the events that led up to the moment I got shot.

I turned over, staring at Gabriella's angelic face while she slept so peacefully, and that's when the other problem gnawed on my conscience.

I needed to protect her. I needed to keep her safe. And knowing that she could potentially be a target because of me was fucking me up. I didn't even know how to tell her, I didn't know if I could share that information with her.

It seemed to me like Freeman knew my every move, but I didn't know anything about him. I knew he'd come looking for me again, once the word spread that he hadn't killed me that night.

Gabriella stirred slightly and turned her body in my direction before slowly opening her eyes. "Good morning." I smiled at her, running my thumb over her deep dimple.

"Good morning," she responded sleepily, burying her face in my chest. I chuckled softly, holding the back of her head. I rested the side of my cheek against her hair. Christ, even her hair smelleddelectable.

There was this overwhelming urge to protect her, to keep her safe. If they planned on using her as leverage, I'd lose the last shred of sanity I had left and it would end in bloodshed.

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