Page 16 of Depths of Desire
Nico crosses his arms over his chest. “We opened the door.”
I huff. “And?”
“I cannot be sure that there wasn’t a camera there, but beyond that, the door opening set off an alarm, which means they know someone got off the ship. When they don’t find your body, they’re going to rightly assume it was you, and then they’re going to come looking for you.”
I snort. “They will not.”
“They will,” Nico insists. “You are a loose end. All loose ends must be taken care of. I would search for you if it were me.”
“Not everyone is as anal retentive as you are,” I snarl.
“These people are.” Nico’s confidence is driving me crazy.
“How do you know?” I demand.
“Because you don’t blow up a ship in the middle of the Ligurian Sea if you aren’t fully in control of the situation. Itwas a message to someone, a big message, and they aren’t going to want anyone around who might have information they don’t want to get out.”
Fear strikes my heart, making it pound. He’s right. I want to argue with him. I want to tell him he’s wrong, but I’ve been around too long and seen too much with la famigliato bother. We both know he’s right.
“Then me disappearing makes even more sense. I disappear and they’ll assume I’m dead. It’s a win-win-win for everyone.”
“They will never stop looking for you, and they have serious resources. You know that. You would spend the rest of your days looking over your shoulder.”
He didn’t have to say the rest. I know it. The rest of my days would most likely be less than a week if I was on my own.
I close my eyes. “Fuck,” I mumble. “Fine,” I say as I open my eyes. “I’ll stay, but just until we know more about what’s going on, and you can’t tell anyone that I’m here. Promise me.” I fix a hard glare on him.
Finally, he exhales and straightens. "Agreed. For now." He watches me a second longer, then gestures toward the kitchenette. "There’s food in the fridge. Take what you want. There’s a shower through that door. Towels are inside."
I push to my feet, swaying slightly before catching myself.
"One more thing," I say.
He raises an eyebrow. "Yeah?"
"I need clothes. Dry ones."
His lips twitch. "I’ll see what I can find."
I nod, rubbing my arms, the exhaustion dragging me down again. But at least I still have my passports, tucked safely in the waterproof pouch I wear beneath my clothes. I might be trapped with Nico for now, but I’m not stupid enough to think I’ll stay that way. Because the second I get the chance?
I’m gone.
CHAPTER SIX
Luna disappears into the other room. She moves slowly, stiffly—exhausted, but still on edge. I know that feeling. On edge is my way of life. As a vampire, it is the only way to exist. If the world uncovered my secret, I have no doubt that teams of men would be dispatched to kill all of us.
I returned my focus to the task at hand as I race up the stairs, two at a time. My shoes hit the warehouse floor with a solidthud, thud, thud, the sound barely swallowed by the vast space. The air inside is thick with the scent of motor oil, metal, and fast food. I have spent decades in this place, seen deals made and broken, fortunes exchanged in whispers, and power solidified with the simplest of nods. My family has owned this section of the Genoa waterfront in one manner or another for several human generations, but I’m finding myself growing tired of it. It might be time for a change. To what, I have no idea.
I scan the space for Rinaldo, locating him in the far corner where he’s looking over some paperwork on a clipboard.
"Boss, what’s up?" Rinaldo greets me as I approach. He is a short, tough-looking man whose muscles come from hard labor rather than a gym. His dark eyes always appear serene, but I’veseen him kill a man in seconds by choking the life out of him. Still waters do indeed run deep.
"I need a car,” I say.
He shrugs. "I don’t have anything here at the moment, but no problem, boss."
"I need it to be untraceable," I clarify. "No one can know about this. I don’t want anyone to even know I was here. Are we clear?"
