Page 135 of Where the Wicked Reign

Levi:Just heard from the pain in your ass, Nico, that you’re marrying the dangerous motherfucker? What’s going on? Are you in trouble, Rina? Truth, sweetheart.

Caterina:It’s a long, complicated story. Arranged marriage, business alliance, that sort of thing. The sort of thing I’d thought I’d escaped. But here I am. Don’t worry, though, it’s mutually beneficial and I’m handling it. I promise. Concentrate on your own mission, but call on me if you need anything. I want this victory for you. I want you at peace after all these years and I know that ending Lynch is the way to that for you.

Levi:I trust in you, so if you say you’re handling it, I accept that. Still, call on me if things go south, or you need a steadfast ally in your corner. I’ve got this mission handled, but thank you. FYI, he ordered me away from you, so beware of that, a worrying attempt to control you. Be careful.

We’d left it at that, but I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Nico’s actions.

It made me sick.

I’d given him my trust. Hell, I’d given myself over to him, Milo, and Julian that night.

I’d thought we were in a good place.

Solid.

Honestly, I needed us to be with what was coming.

But now there was this stain on it all.

Not telling me about something this major that Levi was involved in? It was unfathomable. I understood why Levi hadn’t. He was in the thick of it, getting close to the goal he’d had for years of ending that fucker. He had tunnel vision right now, and he was focused on the immediate.

For Nico, it was a completely different thing, though.

He fucking knew that I didn’t give my trust easily.

The fact that I had to him, and knowing he’d done this, it made me feel like a fucking fool.

More than that… it hurt. It fuckinghurt.

The three of them didn’t keep secrets from one another, so Julian and Milo had to know about it as well.

And they’d just sat there and—

The door flew open and Julian walked in, looking nervous and swinging his head every which way outside, before locking the door behind him and coming to me, urgency radiating off him. “Got your text. What are you doing here? To say it’s dangerous right now is an understatement. The place is filled with MarchettiandLeone personnel and—”

“I’m well aware. I know exactly who is here. I also know whoisn’there.”

My gaze drifted to the red lipstick mark on the collar of his white shirt, tarnishing the rest of his impeccable appearance from his sharp Brioni suit to his perfectly styled dirty-blonde hair.

“No,” he said, quickly, noticing where my gaze had wandered to. “It’s not what you think. One of the strippers tried to give me a lap dance, and I declined, then she tried to kiss me and as I shifted, she got the collar of my shirt instead.”

Before I could absorb that, let alone get a word out, he read me well like he did with everyone and told me assuredly, “It’s not a sham. This thing developing between the four of us is very real.Despitewhat you may—or may not have—found out about a certain other thing happening tonight.”

So he did know.

Of course he did.

All three of them knew.

Clanging sounded behind me and I turned just as Milo suddenly threw open the door I’d come in through and stepped inside. His focus went to Julian. “You came in through the main way? Why? We’re trying not to draw attention to the fact that Caterina is here. Come the fuck on, Sunshine.”

“So if we’d both escaped out through the back alley access, that wouldn’t have drawn attention?” Julian challenged.

Milo blew out a breath. “Fine. Fuck.” He came to me and looked me over with a whole lot of concern. “You texted that you were here, and it worried the hell out of me. Why? Why would you risk coming here, of all places, tonight?”

“I needed to discuss something with Nico.” I glared between the two of them. “When he gets back from his meeting with Levi, of course.”

Julian scrubbed his hand over his face. “Yep, she definitely knows.”

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