Page 46 of Corrupt Vows

“Why?”

“Your father asked to speak with me.”

“Oh.”

“And I thought you might want to talk to Camilla.”

I almost trip as unease steals through me.

“What? Why would I—?”

“I saw the way you looked at her yesterday.”

When I can’t figure out what to say, I respond with a lameoh. A smile tugs at his lips as he opens the passenger door for me.

Guilt builds in my chest. I haven’t given Camilla more than a passing thought since I saw her yesterday, but maybe she’ll forgive me with all the chaos I’ve been through. I swallow and settle into the passenger seat. Nico shuts the door and walks around the front of the car.

A man sits in the truck parked in front of us with his arms crossed over his chest and sunglasses over his eyes. Another man watches us from a few parking spots over. A woman with a vaguely familiar face drops into the vehicle on the other side.

“Are they yours?” I ask. He follows my gaze to the woman.

“No,principessa. They’re yours.”

“What?”

“They’ve been following you for a week already.”

I blink and scan the area.

He backs the vehicle out of the parking spot and shifts into drive before I find anything else out of the ordinary. Several emotions flip through me, but I’m not sure which one wins, so I settle on neutrality.

“How many?” I ask.

“How many did you see?” he quips.

I sigh and rub my temples as a headache forms.

“How many names do I need to learn?”

“Only Marcello’s.”

“Right, Marcello.” The guy on the bench. “And how many faces do I need to be familiar with? You know, so I don’t hit the emergency button on one of your own men.”

“You should know that already.”

The fury in his tone stabs deep into my chest. I resist the urge to curl my shoulders and turn to meet his gaze head on instead.

Fear thrums through me, and even though I’m always aware of his size, his anger makes him seem bigger. My palms sweat.

“How am I supposed to know that?” I ask, even though I know it’s stupid to poke the bear.

“By being aware of your fucking surroundings,” he snarls.

I jerk away from him even though he hasn’t lifted his hands from the wheel.

“And what am I looking for, exactly? Weren’t you the one who said I should only watchyou? Aren’tyouthe only danger to me?”

I know it’s a low blow. It doesn’t even make sense. He said those words to me yesterday, and we’re talking about things that started last week.

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