Page 48 of Isle of Seduction
Proving to me we just work.
And I might believe him.
Three hours later, we’re calling it a day when Nico, who’s always with me, receives a phone call. His shoulders bunch up with every word his interlocutor says on the other end of the line, his face turning grim.
He hangs up.
“Someone else died.”
* * *
We only get the report the next day.
I watch as Andrea cooks the all’arrabbiata pasta when Nico enters the house, looking like clouds have settled on his shoulders. He keeps shifting his lip piercing with his tongue, a clear tell to his nervous energy.
Andrea hands me a glass of sparkling water with lime, like we’re some sort of domesticated couple. We are, and that thought should not make me want to shimmy with delight.
Nico throws a closed manilla folder on the counter. No recognition sparks behind Andrea’s eyes when he takes the photograph out of the envelope to inspect it before turning back to his brother and asking for the identity of the corpse.
I don’t want to see a dead person just before dinner, but I was born and raised by killers, this shouldn’t impact my routine.
I walk to Andrea and my hand moves up to my mouth to muffle a scream I keep lodged in my throat.
I guess I was wrong.
Concern fleets behind Andrea’s eyes as he looks at me. “You knew them?”
I nod, incapable of finding the words.
Her name was Mia and last time I saw her, she had a cute pixie haircut and was full of life. It was three years ago, on my very last night in London. After breaking up with my boyfriend at the time, Louis, I had spent my last night in London in the arms of this woman. She was funny and her skin was soft, but except our names and bodily fluids, we didn’t exchange much.
Andrea and Nico watch me patiently, but I feel their curiosity burning behind the words unsaid. “Her name was Mia, and we were lovers. Only for a night.”
The sight of her vacant eyes and lifeless body on the cold concrete floor makes me feel sick. More than the previous body. Maybe because she was the last person I’ve had sex with, before what happened with Andrea. Maybe because now I know for sure it’s personal.
It doesn’t matter. What matters is that she’s dead and the monster who killed her roams free. My gut sours where rage blooms in tandem with sorrow.
I’m being targeted. Or maybe Andrea is. These two murders are linked to me, and therefore to him. Addams is too fucking clean to have absolutely nothing to do with it, but until someone close to him talks, I can’t prove shit.
It could also be Carmichael’s doing. A revenge for how I humiliated him. Or Mayor Lewis, who might be onto Andrea and how ambitious my man is, how he’s eyeing the position with hunger. Or literally anyone we’ve ever been in contact with who’s not in this room. Both Andrea and I have more enemies than we can count on our hands, with how much information we have on everyone on both legal and illegal sides of the chessboard.
Andrea says nothing and nods. I’m glad he doesn’t get into the primal part of his man-child brain and tries to claim my past as well as my present. It’s a little piece of maturity I was not expecting from him. Maybe I should give him more credit. I was also not expecting our heart-to-heart conversation last night, and now I feel even more raw.
“Confirms our suspicion. Someone’s after us. Nico, don’t let her leave your sight.”
“If you think you can prevent me from living my life, you got another thing coming, Capaldi.”
He takes my jaw in his hand and it’s the first time I see him so passionate.
That’s not true. When he almost killed Carmichael for insulting me, he had that same crazed look and violent energy buzzing around him that fed my own. It’s so potent I can almost taste it on my tongue. And it tastes like the only thing I’ll ever need.
“You’re in danger. Those cards, they’re addressed to you, not me. Nico stays with you, at all times.”
“I’m not some meek wife you can control. I was born and raised in this life, so I can defend myself without you and without Nico.”
Nico only leaves me when I’m at Rouge, and I’m certain he’s not happy about tagging along all day with me. He has better things to do with his time.
“I won’t compromise on your safety,” he says while advancing on me once again. It’s like he hasn’t understood yet that no matter how much he tries to intimidate me, I’ll never bow down from a fight. If anything, it makes me want to fight more.