Page 61 of Where the Wicked Reign

“And maybe it is with her.”

He shook his head angrily. “You’re just thinking with your dick. You want a piece of her.”

“I thought we weren’t using thepiece ofthing anymore.”

“Well, you’ve said it so much that it’s obviously stuck in my fucking head.”

I took another sip of my drink. “I’m not thinking with my beautiful dick. I’m just looking at the whole picture. The bottom line is, yes, do your due diligence when it comes to her, but stop making your paranoia and disdain toward her so obvious, or it’s gonna come between you and Nico. Christ, the way things are going, it’s going to come between all of us. We have an operation to carry out, all four of us together. We need to be on the same page. There’s your danger right there if we’re not, Milo.”

My words finally hit home, and he sucked in a breath and slowed his pacing. “Right, the mission… on the same page,” he started murmuring to himself. He mussed up his hair with another rough shove of his fingers through it. “Nico’s on edge. Going into this operation with him like that, it’s far from ideal. It’s—”

“Dangerous. Yeah, I’ve got it, big boy.”

“You didn’t get the job done earlier.”

“Acting as their pimp, you mean?”

“That’s not what it is.”

I grinned. “I know. I’m just messing with you.”

“And you think now is a good time to do that?”

I blew out a breath. “I’m trying to cool you down, Milo.” I downed the rest of my vodka, then placed it on my circular end table. “Besides, we were talking shop earlier. It got in the way. But we did get them to partner together on the op. Although, judging by the state of Nico, it’s clear that something needs to give beforehand.” Movement on the laptop screen caught my eye, and I jolted in surprise as I saw the door to the viewing room open and Caterina walk on in. “What the hell?”

“What’s wrong?” Milo asked.

I gestured at the laptop. “Nico has a visitor.”

He spun toward the laptop, his eyes wide when he took her in.

There she was, locking the door behind her, Nico’s head shooting up from where he was sitting in one of the crimson armchairs smoking away.

She was clad in a black three-quarter length wool coat done up all the way with a pair of studded high-heeled boots. Her hair was pulled up in a sexy, messy, high ponytail.

Milo turned the volume up.

I went to protest, to tell him that he was infringing too much and verging on going crazy with this whole thing, but the voices reverberating through the room pulled me up short.

“What are you doing here? Did something happen? Did Santino—”

“No. Everything is fine.”

“Then what—”

“I can’t trust you.”

“Okay?”

“I mean, yet. I can’t trust you yet. But I’m willing to try. This op… it’s not just me needing assistance or trying to trap the three of you and force your loyalty. It’s actually me trying to give some trust, to make a compromise, I guess, so this upcoming marriage isn’t a complete nightmare for all four of us.”

“If it helps, you’re not the only one with intense trust issues. Milo really doesn’t trust you.”He smirked at her.“Yet.”

I glared out at Milo, who just lifted a shoulder.

“It’s his job not to. I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

“That’s very magnanimous of you.”

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