Page 52 of Taming Nikki

I could see the whites in his eyes. They were so wide. “Nicole!”

“I said no. He knows what he did. You want an explanation? Ask him.” I gestured to Leo with my chin. He said nothing and his face never changed. I felt the anger boiling again, but I did my best to keep my head. It wasn’t like I could steal his car twice.

“This–This… I’ve made allotments for you, Nicole. Your mother hid you away then dropped you off when she tired of parenting, so I went easy on you. I let you be because I was too soft. And this is how you repay me?”

“Oh go fuck yourself, Vince. It’s not like she’s been living in the lap of luxury. The way your wife and kids treat her, I’m surprised she didn’t do something like this sooner.”

I gaped at Nino. He was supposed to stay quiet. It was what he did. It was why this place was neutral. But apparently, he was taking my side.

“You stay out of this! You’ve enabled this behavior for far too long! I have half a mind to ban her from seeing you!”

“Fucking try it!”

They screamed at each other, completely ignoring me and Leo. I shifted and gave him my full attention. He still hadn’t spoken, had no reaction other than to raise an eyebrow at me. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of speaking first. He’d have to cave eventually.

He tipped his head toward the door. “Come take a walk with me.”

His voice was calm and even. He showed no outward signs of even being angry, but I wasn’t stupid enough to go somewhere alone with him. He probably wanted to kill me out of view of Nino.

“Not a chance. I don’t have a death wish.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have taken my car then. Come on. I just want to talk to you.”

I pursed my lips and watched him stand and head toward the door. He looked back at me expectantly. I weighed my options. I could sit here listening to Papa and Nino tear each other apart, or I could suck it up and apologize for what I did. I sighed, pushing to my feet, and followed him outside. Mikey stood by the cars and tossed me my shoes while trying really hard not to laugh. I leaned against the restaurant as I tugged them on and Leo waited patiently, his hands stuffed into his pockets. The casual act still put me on edge, though, so I was hesitant to follow him.

Once I finally fell into step beside him, he spoke.

“I’m sorry.”

I whipped my head around with a frown. “What?”

“I said I’m sorry. Your uncle is right. We signed that deal knowing exactly who you are. I shouldn’t have tried to demand otherwise. After watching your papa with Viola, I was on the offensive to ensure you never acted that way.”

I huffed out a laugh. This was not going the way I thought it would, and I wasn’t sure how to react.

“I’m not stupid enough to act like she does. She’s got nothing to lose. Papa doesn’t believe in divorce.” I frowned, eyes on my feet as we moved down the sidewalk. “I’m sorry too. I overreacted. I shouldn’t have stolen your car.”

He huffed out a small chuckle, but stayed silent for a while. It was nice out, a light breeze making the heat not so overwhelming and the trees shaded the sidewalk so we were out of the sun. I knew his cousins were behind us. I saw them follow when we left the restaurant, but they stayed far enough back that it was almost like we were alone.

“So, are you leading me to a quiet place to kill me now?”

He licked his lips and looked at me out of the corner of his eye. “Thought about it.”

“But?”

He raised his eyebrows at me and smirked when I narrowed my eyes at him. “But I thought I’d offer you a deal instead.”

I paused, crossing my arms as I regarded him. “What kind of deal?”

He stepped up to me, which forced me to tip my chin to look him in the eye. I thought he’d be angry, the walk would at minimum be a dressing down, though I hadn’t discounted him trying to hurt me. He didn’t even look irritated, just thoughtful.

“I want a week.”

I shot him a confused look.

“One week where you aren’t fighting me every second of the day. If you still can’t stand me at the end of the week, I’ll take you out of the deal.”

ChapterTwenty-Four

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