Waving his hand between himself and Nico, Talent wears an expression that asks,who the fuck are you trying to kid?
“Don’t insult us, Nico,” Talent argues. “Our lives were as good as signed over the day our families met, long before any of us were fucking born. We can’t escape this shit. You tried, and yet, here we are.”
Nico doesn’t deny or confirm the accusation, and his silence is deafening. But there’s only one way out of the mafia, and he wouldn’t be at my birthday party had he succeeded. The truth flashes before him like a marquee: Coppola, through and through.
The grin that shows all of his teeth makes a reappearance, and my blood runs ice-cold.
If the creatures in the dark ever showed themselves, they would look like him.
He’s given my monsters a face.
“I wasn’t sorry to hear about what happened to our friend Phillip Vogel,” Nico says in a tone that doubles as a warning.
Talent doesn’t skip a beat. “Neither was I.”
I never met Phillip before Giovanni got his hands on him. From the bits and pieces I picked up after Inez died and Hush was nearly dismantled, Phillip was another member of the billionaire boys club alongside the Ridges, heir to his father’s fleet of yachts. He used them to run drugs for the Coppolas and dipped into the stash. He got sloppy, got arrested, and turned informant.
Nicolai’s warning is crystal clear.
Don’t get yourself killed like Vogel.
“As much as I’d love to stay and catch up, this isn’t a social visit.” Nicolai leans in and tilts his head to get a good look at me past Wilder and Talent’s barricades. “My cousin Luca likes you.”
It’s as if the floor has been pulled from under my feet, and I’m suspended in thin air waiting for the fall.
“I have a gift for the girl. Luca wanted to bring it himself, but my dad thought it would be a good time to get reacquainted with the old crew.” Nicolai pulls a blue velvet box from his back pocket and holds it between crosses. When no one moves forward to take it, he holds it up to his ear and shakes the box. His eyes shift from Wilder, over to Talent and Lydia, before they finally land on me and stay. “It sounds expensive. Just like you.”
Lydia’s rage is a palpable thing that thickens the air, and even Nicolai Coppola swallows hard as she steps forward. Before she can reach for the box, I lock my hand around her elbow and hope my eyes convey strength and not the oily fear clogging my veins.
Lydia, Talent, and Wilder protect me with their bodies and their words, and I know it’s because I’m young and naïve. They were born into this life, and I wasn’t. But Nicolai can’t go back to his family with tales of my willingness to be guarded like a damsel in distress.
I stretch out a hand, beckoning for the gift. “Give it to me.”
Nico extends the rectangular box out to me, but he swipes it away before I can close my fingers around it. Wilder’s chest audibly rumbles, and Coppola laughs out loud. He shakes the gift box at Wilder like a finger. “They told me to watch out for you, Wild. You’ve got a soft spot for this one, too? That spices things up.”
“No more games, Nico. Give Camilla the gift so we can enjoy the rest of our night in peace.” Lydia’s glass dangles from the tips of her fingers, and I’d almost believe her indifference if it weren’t for how the champagne trembles inside.
“You must be Lydia Montgomery,” Nico says. His tone takes on a serious note. “I heard the unfortunate news about Inez Ricci upon my return. She was important to my uncle Gino, and I cared for him deeply as a child. Your reputation proceeds you, but I have to admit, you’re much more terrifying in person.”
She blows him a kiss.
Nicolai’s fingers brush against mine as he passes the gift box over, and I’m surprised to find out they are as warm as my own. He’s made of flesh and bone, not nightmares and shadow.
“I’m sure we’ll all be seeing a lot of each other.” He bows before leaving, cusping his wrist in his hand behind his back. “Happy Birthday, Megan. Or is it okay if I call you Camilla?”
He doesn’t wait around for me to respond. Nico ambles away alone, just as he arrived, taking the chill from the room as he goes. It’s not until he’s gone, and I can breathe again, that I open the gift box to reveal a diamond and black sapphire necklace.
It’s gorgeous, and I hate it.
A handwritten note inside the box reads,
I saw this and thought of you.
Wear it when we’re together.
Luca Coppola
“Don’t be afraid to talk to me, Cami. That’s what I’m here for.”
