Page 7 of Taming Nikki

Piero’s eyes grew wide. “What knife?”

ChapterFour

LEO

Thanks to Nicole’sidea of sticking her youngest sister in the middle of Frankie and Amara, they seemed to be getting along. The mothers were conversing now too. Everything seemed on track, ‌but I was too distracted to care much. Nicole’s presence felt like it took over the whole yard, and once she left, it seemed dull and lifeless without her. She was an enigma, and I had a thing for puzzles.

I made my way across the yard to meet with Morelli. He was fielding offers at the other end of the yard, but he stepped away to talk to me at my approach.

“Vitale.” He slid his gaze towards the table where Amara and Frankie were still chatting. “Looks like things are on track.”

“So far, despite the earlier interruption.”

Morelli looked more than a little irritated. “I apologize for that. Nicole has never felt the need for tact. She’s very protective of the younger two.”

“Seems like she doesn’t want to be here.”

His lip twitched as he held back a scowl. “She thinks if she’s brazen enough, she’ll get out of her responsibility to the family.”

“Is it working?”

I felt the anger radiating off of him. Apparently, it was working in her favor so far. I knew a lot of the Cosa Nostra wouldn’t want to put up with that behavior, but given her bloodline and Morelli’s fortune, I was surprised people didn’t try and look past it.

Morelli turned the conversation onto the deal. We’d be working closely together while we went through the transition, which meant I’d be visiting here more often than I’d like. I’d probably bring Frankie just to keep up appearances, though I was interested in seeing more of Nicole.

She was gone less than twenty minutes before she was back in the yard, drawing the attention of everyone around her. Given her nature, I wasn’t surprised about the dirty looks some people gave her before they turned away to ignore her. I listened to Morelli as I tracked her crossing the yard. She stepped up to a group of men close to us.

Her next move shocked me. I watched her pull a small baggie out of her purse, handing it discreetly over to the man in front of her. No one else noticed. The only reason that I did was because I was staring. I frowned. Since when are Morelli’s daughters drug dealers?

I watched Nicole move easily around the yard. She approached people for quick conversations before moving on. She neared the exit when she stepped up to another man with a smile. She spoke to him for a moment before putting her hands on his chest and kissing his cheek. Irritation blasted through me until I noticed her slip another baggie into the man’s chest pocket as she pulled away. She was fucking smooth, I’d give her that.

“Do your daughters work for you?”

I interrupted him, but I honestly didn’t care. If Frankie married Amara, and she was on the streets dealing, that could cause issues.

Morelli snorted. “No. They aren’t anywhere near my business. They’re women.”

I tracked Nicole as she moved back towards the head table. Either Morelli was lying or he wasn’t aware that Nicole was dealing. He excused himself when the don of another family waved him down and I headed back to the head table.

I didn’t want to call her out just yet. I was more interested in what she was selling and where than embarrassing her in front of her family.

“Are you following me?”

She hadn’t even bothered to turn around when she spoke to me. She yanked the knife out of the table and tucked it back into the sheath strapped to her thigh. Then she turned to face me. I hadn’t noticed the sheath before andfuck me,that was hot.

I pushed a hand into my pocket, nursing my drink. I was going for casual. It usually put people at ease, but it seemed to bother her. Her eyes narrowed as she regarded me.

“Thought you were needed elsewhere?”

She pursed her lips, her eyes studying me as she shrugged. “I was. Now I’m needed somewhere else. Have a nice evening, Frankie’s cousin.” She brushed past me, wiggling her fingers.

“Aren’t you supposed to be a part of this thing?”

She snorted, glancing over her shoulder. “You must not have heard. I’m the last person anyone would want to make a deal for.” She left it at that and strutted into the house.

I frowned. The more I found out about Nicole Morelli, the more questions I had. After she left, I checked in with Aunt Carlotta before I stepped inside to make a call.

“I need you to look someone up for me.”

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