Page 16 of The Fall of a Promise

“What could someone possibly stand to benefit with you...”

I couldn’t even say the words. My stomach feels like it’s filled with lead.

“A lot of things, bambina,” Cesare answers. “For starters, you’d be a widow. Open to making newalliances.”

“That would never work. We’d never work with anyone who’s responsible for this,” I retort.

“Fuck,” Nico mutters at his screen before slamming the laptop shut. “This thing keeps taking me around in circles around the globe. I can’t pinpoint where it was sent from. I need more power.”

“Keep trying,” I tell my husband. “Jimmy, a hundred million is a lot of money to turn down.”

“I know. But I have enough. There’s no amount of money for me to give up honor.” He stands taller.

I note to have Kai wire him that exact amount.

“So, what happens if he turns down the job?” I ask no one in particular.

“They could go to someone else,” Dom pipes up.

“Or offer Jimmy more money,” Cesare adds.

“Or both,” Jimmy says.

“Is there a deadline to accept or finish the job?” I question.

“No, but the standard is twenty-four hours,” Jimmy answers.

* * *

The minute I pass through the threshold of my childhood bedroom, I release a breath, but I can’t relax. After Jimmy shared thenewswith us, we came back inside so Nico could work on an actual computer—something about the hard drive or RAM being better. I have no idea. He spent the last few hours trying to trace the message. Papa finally forced us to take a break, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s working on it for the rest of the night.

The issues with my husband have, unsurprisingly, not fixed themselves. And on top of that, someone was trying to kill him.Over my dead body.The questions still remains: why wouldthey want to make an enemy of me if they want something? Is there something we’re all missing?

As I’m reaching for one of Nico’s T-shirts to sleep in, he finally speaks up, and every bit of tension I was able to release comes back tenfold.

“Are you ready to talk?”

His smooth, deep voice breaks the silence.

I pause, closing my eyes and silently cursing before turning around and crossing my arms. “Are you ready to listen?”

“I’ve already heard it, Anya. It’s the same conversation. We’re at a point now where something’s gotta give. We need to figure it out.”

My face contorts as if I’ve just eaten a lemon.

“I take that as a no.” I huff before storming off into the ensuite bathroom.

I throw my clothes down and turn the knob on the tub a little harder than necessary and aggressively dump the lavender scented bubbles into it. The room immediately fills with the calming aroma as I tie up my hair and let the water run. I wait to hear the bedroom door slam, which would signal Nico walking out, but the sound never comes.

He’s right. Somethingdoeshave to give. But our problems seem so stupid now compared to what might be coming. Besides, I’ve already tried to compromise. The next step is to just give in. If I continue to give in now, it’s only going to get worse later. I want to make Nico’s life easier. I want to make his family—no, our family—proud. However, I spent my entire life hiding my identity, and I feel like I’ve suddenly been ripped open and put on display like some science experiment.

I fire up my iPad and realize I forgot to grab the bottle of white wine I left earlier on the bar cart, knowing I’d need it tonight. Shoot. I don’t want to walk back out there, not quite ready to face my husband.

I’m a coward, I know. He just makes me so mad.

I strip out of my clothes and scan through my iPad when an idea comes to me.I shouldn’t, I think to myself, biting my lip. But my evil half wins.

Opening up several apps on my device, I settle into the hot water, allowing the heat and lavender aroma to do their jobs. I log in using Nico’s credentials. As I’m finishing up, there’s a soft knock at the door. I jump so hard I damn near drop the tablet into the tub. Without waiting for my answer, Nico enters the bathroom in nothing but black boxer briefs and the bottle of wine I set aside with two glasses. I lock the iPad and toss it onto the rug on the floor.

---