Page 43 of Did My Heart Love Till Now?

She stepped around and nestled herself next to me on the bench. She twisted her body toward me, giggling. “I never see you here except at Mass.” She reached for my tie, straightening and securing it back in place.

“Yeah, well I felt like praying might be the right thing to do right now.”

“And what sin have you committed this time?” She rested her hand on my thigh.

I rolled my eyes, smirking. “All of them.”

“I can't say I'm surprised really. After all, youneverbehave.” She winked, circling my leg with her thumb.

“Never.” I snorted.

She did not know my game, but I had hers figured out. At least I thought I did at the time. She gulped and withdrew her hand. She appeared too nervous to be near me any longer. Clearing her throat quietly, she stood.

“Well, I will leave you to pray and do whatever it is that you came to do.” She sped toward a side exit that led to the church offices. Martina volunteered there, though I was not sure why. It was a miracle neither of us erupted into the flames even being in such a holy place.

Laughing to myself, I focused my gaze back toward the front of the church as I stepped out of the pew and strode to the altar, coming to a stop before the steps. I slid my hands in my pockets, looking up at the picturesque stained-glass windows.

“What am I even doing here?” My barely audible tone was troubled but soon interrupted by a vibration inside my jacket pocket. Digging it out, I glanced at the caller ID. Private number.

Yeah?

Meet me at the dock tonight at six minutes past midnight. The voice was almost too muffled to understand. I have the money.

The phone went dead. I drew it away from my ear, arching a brow. What money? As if I did not already have enough to deal with, I now had to deal with whatever money too. I did not know how much money or what the money was even for.

In my new world, respect was earned not given. Even though there was a certain fear among the family about my relation to my father, it was evident I was very young for a crime boss and little threat to them at this point. I had yet to understand how I would prove myself to them without murdering someone in front of them to set the standard of the admiration I expected.

Just as I swiveled around to leave a masculine silhouette appeared in the main doorway. The sun shone behind them, and I could not tell who it was. They were marching directly toward me, so I crossed my arms over my chest, waiting.

There were few places in this city that were off limits for any sort of rival family violence. Places of worship were at the top of the list. Though we always had weapons in church, we were not permitted to use them. It was a law even the worst abided by.

The door closed slowly behind the shadowy figure. The moment my eyes adjusted I realized it was Nick Barone. I reached for my pistol in case he tried anything. Though he helped me with Sofia once, it did not mean I could trust him.

When he saw me reach for my weapon, he held his hands out to the side and flashed his palms toward me, showing me he was unarmed. I let go of the handle and crossed my arms as he came to a stop in front of me.

“What the fuck happened to you?” I murmured as I smirked at his injuries.

“Don't worry about it.” He rolled his eyes.

I lifted my hand, stroking my jaw. “How did you find me?”

“A little bird of course.”

“Of course.” I folded my arms over my chest. “Is Sofia okay?”

My eyes widened when he closed his, remaining silent. A surge of anger rushed through my veins instantly. “WHAT—” I glanced around, lowering my tone to barely above a whisper when I saw at least ten other people had shown up to pray, “—happened?”

“I only came to tell you to be careful.” He sighed, darting his eyes around before taking a step closer. “There is a rat in both our families, and I haven't figured out who it is yet.”

“What the fuck do you mean?” I hissed. “A rat?”

He pointed to his face. “Well, I certainly didn't tell my father about you and my sister, and I got a rude welcome when I returned home.”

“You know by being here and speaking to me, you're risking death then.”

He nodded once. “You and I have one common concern and as much as I hate you—”

Pursing my lips, I gnawed the inside of my cheek as I slid my hands in my pockets.

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