Page 54 of Taming Nikki

Leo chuckled as he rubbed his jaw. “I’ll take my chances. Is that all, then?”

I puffed out my cheeks and blew out a heavy breath. This was a big deal. If I survived the week and controlled my temper, I could be free. Papa wouldn’t make the same mistake twice trying to force me to marry someone. I just had to last the week.

“Yes. It’s a deal.” I stuck my hand out, and he took it, shaking it once.

He took his time heading back to the restaurant, but it was a comfortable silence and I wasn’t overly looking forward to dealing with my papa. For all I knew, he would break the deal himself to try and save face.

“Think they’ve killed each other?”

I snorted. “Probably. They get along about as well as me and Bianca do. You have any siblings?” He shook his head, and I nodded. “Makes sense. If you had siblings, you probably would’ve learned the word ‘no’ by now.”

He laughed. It wasn’t a light thing. He didn’t try to hide it behind his hand. For a second, he let me see him without the mask. And he wasn’t half bad.

* * *

I stood outside the door to the restaurant, shaking out my hands.

“Don’t tell me you’re scared?”

“Fuck off, Vitale. You aren’t the only one I pissed off by stealing your car.”

He opened the door and tipped his head inside. “Come on, I’m sure you can take him.”

I smirked and rolled my eyes as I followed him inside. It took a second to let my eyes adjust. Papa and Nino were exactly where we left them, but they were silent, glaring at each other. I glanced between them with a frown.

“What’d I miss?”

Nino pushed to his feet. “Nothing important. You all good?” He cupped my cheeks and scrutinized me. Probably checking to see if Leo hurt me. I smiled at him and he relaxed.

“Yeah. All good. We’ve got an understanding.”

He squinted at Leo for a second before he nodded. “Alright. Then I’ll leave you to it. I’ve got a business to run.” He patted my cheek and kissed my forehead. “See you Sunday.”

I wiggled my fingers as he stalked off to the kitchen. I owed him for standing up for me. He lost business to do it and that was a big deal to me.

Papa was at the door before I could even blink. Disappointment curdled in my belly. I knew he was pissed, but he wasn’t even going to say goodbye. Did Leo tell him I’d be staying with him for a week?

“I guess I’ll see you next week, then?”

He paused, his hand on the doorknob. Sucking in a deep breath, he turned to face me. “It's all I can do right now to let you take the deal, Nicole. If it had been anyone else, the punishment would’ve been a lot more severe. Be happy with what you’ve got.” He strode out without looking back.

I shook my head. I wasn’t surprised, he wasn’t the talk it out type. Even agreeing to this meeting must’ve taken some work from Leo. If he had his way, he would have probably put bars on my windows and locked me in my room until the wedding day. Leo frowned at the door but said nothing.

“Well, I guess that’s that. I need to stop at home to grab some stuff, then off to prison.”

Leo chuckled. “Well behaved for you doesn’t get rid of the sarcasm, does it?”

“Nope!” I popped my lips on the ‘p’ and followed him outside to his car. “Can I drive?”

“Not a chance in hell. Give me my keys.”

I laughed. He’ll give in eventually. I wasn’t that bad… if I didn’t want to be.

Leo gave me time to get my shit together. Packing didn’t take long. Explaining to Gemma that I wouldn’t be home for a little while took longer. She liked to sneak into my room when she had bad dreams and we’d always been close. She cried when I told her how long I’d be gone.

I hugged her close and pressed my lips to the top of her head. “Don’t be sad, it's only a week. We’ll have a sleepover when I get back, okay?”

Her little shoulders shook, and a lump formed in my throat. This was harder than I thought it would be. She was the bright one, always smiling. Seeing her cry hurt. Amara shook her head, a sympathetic look on her face.

---