Page 41 of Where the Wicked Reign

“What about having some on hand for entertaining? If friends come by?”

“What friends?”

I started.

That was… unexpected.

She had an enigmatic persona, sure, but that should be enticing to others and draw them to her. Not the opposite. And she was definitely charming, too.

Her trust issues were really fucking deep then if she couldn’t let anybody in even to form friendships. Well, except Levi Knight, but he was a strange one to begin with, so he didn’t really count.

This, with us, letting us into her home, it was only by necessity, because of what had gone down tonight. Shedidn’ttrust us. She was even roping us into this deal so she could test us to see if she could allow herself to form an alliance. An alliance, not a friendship or relationship.

It was really sad. She had to be incredibly lonely.

“You don’t need to offer us anything,” Nico said, cutting through the quiet stillness that had enveloped us at her upsetting revelation.

The fact I cared at all was really strange. Aside from the fact that I didn’t like to entertain deep emotions, I barely knew her.

Nico rose to his feet. “We’ll head out so you can get some much-needed sleep.”

Disappointment flooded me. “Already?” I blurted out, earning looks from the guys.

“It’s almost dawn,” Milo reminded me.

“She needs to be up for work in a couple of hours,” Nico told me.

“Fuck that, I’ll send a couple of my best in to take care of whatever needs doing.”

That earned me even more incredulous looks.

“I don’t need help running my empire,” she told me, clearly unsure about my intentions, not sure what on earth to make of them.

Hell, I didn’t really understand it either.

“This is an extreme circumstance.”

“I’ll be fine. But… thanks.”

“It can’t be known that we’re here or involved with her. Not at this stage,” Nico said.

“Not until she’s told about the marriage deal,” Milo added.

“Santino will want to be the one to tell her. In his own way,” Nico went on.

“He will,” Caterina agreed. “In his own sick way.” She sucked in a breath, trying not to show how much talking about her despicable father impacted her. “I’ll wipe any trace of the three of you from building surveillance and from the surrounding area. No one will know you were here, so long as you ensured you weren’t tailed.”

“We weren’t,” Milo answered, so sure about it.

Well, it was part of his job with Nico to be certain about that sort of thing.

I loved it when he showed his know-how and experience there, it turned me on.

And right now was no exception.

Although, getting excited was more than just that at the moment.

Strangely enough, it washer.The firestorm of a woman right before us. The beautiful nightmare of a woman.

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