Page 56 of Nico (Belles & Mobsters 2)

He chuckled again, like I just told the funniest joke.

“No, Cara Mia,” he retorted, a gleam in his eyes. “We are moving up the wedding date, not postponing. We are getting married today.”

Tick-tock. Tick-tock.

“W-what?”

“We are getting married today,” he repeated, and it finally sunk into my brain. My eyes just about bulged out of my skull. Was he fucking crazy? Getting married in a week was a ridiculous plan, but today was outright crazy! “Listen, buddy. It is too early for jokes. If you are one of those men with a sick sense of humor first thing in the morning, we can’t get married. Two years would be damn torturous to be married to a morning person.” We stared at each other in silence, while I waited for his reply, an acknowledgment that I was right. When he didn’t respond, I continued, “And how did you get into my house? Sitting there while I slept. That’s just creepy, you know.”

He slowly abandoned his position by the window, his stride slow and deliberate. He moved like a damn wolf stalking its prey. I had the urge to scoot away, but where would I go really? The other side of the bed. Like that would save me.

He sat down onto the bed, his weight shifting the mattress and having my body tilt his way. God, his heat felt amazing. Especially with the cooler temperature that had started. I wanted to absorb his warmth and cuddle up under my covers, then go back to sleep and pretend this conversation didn’t happen.

His big hand came up to cup my face, his palm warming my skin. “We are getting married today.”

“No,” I mumbled. “You said next weekend.”

“Now, I am saying today,” he retorted, a slight agitation in his voice.

“But why?” I mumbled. “I didn’t have a proper discussion with the twins. And we just told Mary yesterday that the wedding is in a week.”

“Call them.” His voice was firm and something told me there would be no changing his mind. “They are awake. And when your girls wake up, we’ll tell them together.”

“Why move the date?” I questioned him. It didn’t make any sense, a week didn’t make a difference.Unless he is moving it on a whim,I thought wryly.

ChapterTwenty-One

NICO

Iwatched Bianca’s eyes widen. There was no changing the date. The fact that Jenna was Benito’s spy and she knew my plan of marrying Bianca, there was no option for delaying this wedding. She had already informed Benito of the wedding being next week.

This wedding had to happen today. I wasn’t taking any chances.

Last night’s admission by Jenna was unexpected. Benito killed Bianca’s husband to get his dirty paws on her. Jenna Palermo was dead, but there was one question I didn’t ask. Whether Benito had William Carter on his radar before or after I went after him. I suspected the answer.

I’d never let Benito get his hands on Bianca or sell her to one of his associates. She was mine. He wanted war; I’d give it to him. I’d burn the motherfucker down and everything he owned, including his son, Marco King. That fucking opportunistic, selfish prick! All Benito saw in Bianca was the money maker she could be for him so the opportunist latched onto it.

To make matters even more interesting, I found out Bianca’s grandfather had a gambling debt with Benito King at Casino Royale, a casino that had been in my family for the past three generations. And guess who facilitated the gambling between Bianca’s ancestor and Benito? My own fucking father.

I was starting to suspect Bianca’s family was part of the fucking Belles arrangement. It would fit the profile - debt owed, her mother was under Benito’s clutches. Benito got greedy and wanted the Catalano connection. The family’s ownership of property on the Amalfi Coast would grant him free movement of flesh.

Using my best hacker in Cassidy Tech, I found the trail of the agreement that Jenna mentioned. Benito was selling Bianca to Vladimir Solonik, a Russian Bratva and a tough motherfucker. He had already made a payment. Ten million dollars. All my intel still showed Benito didn’t know that Bianca was his daughter. The question was how did he expect to get his paws on her property if he sold her to a Russian.

“Wait, how do you know my in-laws are awake already?” It took Bianca a second to process my words. I caught her off guard being here so early. But she was smart, there was no need to answer that question. “You have someone watching them too?” Her eyebrows scrunched. “But why?”

I had them watched because I didn’t trust them nor Bianca not to flee. Besides, with her girls spending so much time with their grandparents, I wanted to ensure they were safe. Now, I’d have to watch them to ensure Benito wouldn’t use them as retribution.

“Hurry up and get ready,” I ordered her. Whether she wanted to or not, we were getting married today. Leonardo had everything prepared. Cassio and Luca were coming too, along with Luciano and his wife and their boy. The latter would be to persuade Bianca that it was possible to raise a family in our circles. Hopefully, Grace wouldn’t bring up the shit that happened between her husband and her. It wasn’t something you brought up in a casual conversation.

I could only imagine Bianca’s face if Grace told her that Luciano put a gun to his wife’s head. She’d take her girls and run.

“Nico, please be reasonable,” Bianca pleaded. “My girls will be terrified. They just met you. They won’t understand why you are suddenly around all the time.”

“Children are adaptable,” I assured her. It was the only way to ensure this plan I have been scheming for the past two years came to fruition. Besides, it would keep her and her girls safe from Benito and Vladimir. “Get ready, and when they wake up, we’ll tell them.”

“I wish I had that money,” she spat out, anger on her face. “I’d shove it down your throat.”

I chuckled at her spirit. The money wouldn’t have saved her, but she didn’t need to know that. “It would seem my wife isn’t a morning person.”

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