Page 106 of Where the Wicked Reign

Nico:Update.

Nico:Did you determine why she was meeting with that trash?

“It’s Nico,” I told her.

“Asking you to report in for a status update?”

“The deal wasn’t for me to report at all, unless something happened that required intervention. Like this shithead tonight.”

“I see.”

“Yeah, Nico didn’t want me telling him what was happening with you, so long as there were no issues, because he’s trying to keep his word to give you space. Knowing what’s going on with every detail of your life doesn’t exactly see to that, or help him to keep to the promise. But he also couldn’t just leave you without some sort of watchful eye.”

“A loophole.”

I winced. “Yeah.”

“I’m fine with it.” She chuckled. “This is actually a big improvement for Nico, a huge step forward. And I know it’s hard for him to step back like this after we connected.”

“Missed us, hmm?” I said, reading between the lines.

A coy smile spread over her luscious lips, the imprint of which I could still feel on mine. “Could be.”

I chuckled. “Good to know.”

She pushed off the wall and straightened out her blazer and skirt. “Well, I should get going. I need to be atLusterin twenty minutes.”

“Right, you have some up-and-coming rock band playing there tonight.”

“Alt-rock, but yeah.”

“I don’t really think of liverockwhere a nightclub’s concerned.”

“I’m mixing things up a little to broaden the club’s current clientele, doing a test, rolling out a few of these as theme nights at first.”

“Innovative.”

“To an extent. Can’t afford for things to get stale.”

Her whole life was basically turning the tables on the status quo, just like she had done when she’d shed the shackles of the Leone Family and gone out on her own. Subverting expectations all over the place. And, damn, she was even doing that with me and I was somebody who didn’t change much, nor care for it. Except in the case of our plans against the three families, where it was most definitely needed. I preferred to remain entrenched in routine and cemented procedure, set in my ways.

My phone buzzed in my hand. “That’s my cue to get going, too.”

“Gonna follow me when you think I’m not looking?”

“Count on it,bellezza,” I said, grinning. “Deep in the shadows for the rest of the night.”

“Sounds good.” She shifted her weight a little awkwardly. “Tonight turned out to be a lot more interesting than I’d imagined.” She gestured between us. “This part in a very good way.”

“Interestingdoesn’t begin to cover it.” I reached out and stroked her hair. “Call meMilofrom now on, okay?”

“Okay,” she said, her eyes bright.

I leaned in and kissed the top of her head in an intimate gesture that took me aback.

Other than Julian, I’d never gone there like that with anyone. I swallowed hard as I drew back and managed to tell her steadily, “Have a good night atLuster.”

“Thank you,” she said, smiling out at me, her eyes sparkling, obviously having liked that.

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