Mateo.
No! He can't be dead. He just can't be.
Uh-uh, I refuse to believe it.
Perhaps Niccolo wants me to think that he's dead, so I give him those documents. That would make more sense.
Should I press him more for answers?
Do I really want to know for sure?
As things stand, I can cling to the hope that Mateo and his wife are alright and enjoying their life. Maybe he's gathering forces to fight off this coup on the De Marco empire.
Any of those thoughts are better than the alternative of him being…
Yeah, not going there.
I turn my head to check on the other quad bike. We're back on the beach, driving side by side. It's another beautiful day in paradise, but it's lost its shine.
Niccolo Romero is terrorizing what was meant to be one of the best days of my life.
He has to go—pronto!
Ade's eyes are on me. I'm sure he can sense how forlorn I feel.
God, I love that man!
And it's in my power to protect him. Niccolo means business. If he doesn't get what he wants, I'm sure he won't hesitate to hurt Ade, Rhia, or Lex… or worse, kill them.
Not gonna happen.
I'll obviously give up what we found yesterday if that means the people who mean the most to me in the entire world are safe and well.
But what if Ade and Lex aren't on board with that? What if they want to capture these guys?
We're back at the main beach faster than I would have liked. Niccolo parks the quad bike at the bottom of the stairs. His other goon, who's still nameless to me at this stage, pulls up a few feet behind us.
The guy behind me, Silas, jumps off first and, without needing to be prompted by Niccolo, stealthily runs up to the house using the cover of the trees.
Fuck! Is he going for Rhia and Lex?
Oh please, let Lex look out the window right now and spot these intruders. But knowing my always horny best friend, he's probably still preoccupied.
Shit, shit, shit.
I'm perspiring profusely, and too many thoughts swirl in my head.
How am I going to keep everyone safe?
I slide back on the seat to make room for Niccolo to get off the bike.
"What will happen after you get what you want?" I ask when he swings his leg over the machine and his feet land on the sand. My voice is shaky, betraying my nerves, and I loathe that I can't keep my cool like Ade or Lex.
"As I said earlier, I will leave you to get married. Unless, of course, you'd like me to stay for the party."
Ade and I huff at the same time at that idea.
Niccolo Romero is the last person I'd want to be there for my nuptials. He's ruined my special day enough already.
