Page 77 of Christmas with the Mafia
I take a deep breath and reply with certainty.
“It’s all good. It will be fine. Nico invited me and he’s a gentleman. It doesn’t matter what his family does; he has no part in that.”
Her reply causes me to wince.
“HE’S IN THE MAFIA FOR CHRIST’S SAKE!”
I feel bad because it’s obvious she is worried about me, but there is something driving away the danger. I should have known the minute the men in black lined the red carpet and shielded him. The way Trent approached me to clear his path and the gun nestling inside his jacket as he draped it around my shivering shoulders. The reverence on the faces of the guests at the party and the guarded booth that kept everyone away.
My heart is heavy as I say with more bravery than I’m feeling inside. “It’s okay, honey, I’ve got this. It’s Christmas after all, the season of goodwill among men and mafia. Nothing will happen, and when the new yearrings in, I’ll head back with a memory to keep me going for the rest of my life.”
“Hide your phone then, and if you are in any danger, call the Feds. In fact, program it in now so you can one-touch the call. I’m worried about you, Reggie.”
My eyes fill with tears because she is probably the only one who is, and my voice shakes as I whisper, “I love you too, Quincy. Merry Christmas, and I’ll, well, I’ll see you in the new year.”
I sign off and with a deep breath head to Google instead, putting in Nico’s name as I search for clarity.
Perhaps she’s wrong; it’s a different Ravera mafia. How we will laugh about this but I don’t know who I am kidding because there he is. Nicholas Ravera, on a yacht, in Saint Tropez, looking impossibly handsome in dark shades as he steps off a private jet and ever present is Trent and the rest of his security detail.
I am screwed in more ways than one, and as I power off the phone and head into the main bedroom, I do what I can to hide my newly discovered knowledge. I put the phone under the bed and turn a foolish blind eye.
Thirty-Nine
NICO
When I headto the library I’m surprised to find Regina missing and Desiree watching me with a smug smile on her face. My blood runs cold as I imagine all kinds of horror as I head to Mom and whisper, “Where is Regina?”
She peers around the room and appears surprised. “I don’t know. Come to think of it, she never made it here. I guess she went to the restroom.”
I waste no time and make my way out of the room, ignoring the smug expression on Desiree’s face as I head off to find her, guessing she is in my bedroom. It’s the only place I can think of her heading to and yet as I open the door, the room is silent and still.
Apprehension grips me as I call her name. “Regina.”
“I’m in here, Nico. I won’t be long.”
The sound of the toilet flushing settles my heart a little, and as the door opens, she groans. “I really hope I’m not coming down with something. I feel a little off-color.”
She does look pale, and my concern pushes away the fear.
“Sit down. I’ll fetch you some water.”
I guide her onto the bed, and she smiles at me weakly. “I’m sorry, Nico, your family must think I’m rude. I just had to get away before I made a fool of myself.”
Her small smile is at odds with her usual brilliant one, and I sit beside her and place my arm around her shoulders, pulling her head onto it as I stroke the back of her neck.
“It’s okay, take it easy, and I’ll make your excuses. It’s been a long day and a lot for you to take in.”
“You are so kind and considerate.”
Her voice shakes, and something tells me there is more to this than sickness.
It was the expression on Desiree’s face as she watched me approach and part of me dies a little inside.
She told her.
Desiree played the trump card and delivered vengeance through fear.
I can only imagine the horror she wrapped the information in and with a deep breath, I face the elephant in the room.
