Page 18 of Sacred Sin

The opposite of love wasn’t hate. It was indifference. Gio knew that.

Unfortunately, so did Nicolette.

Neither of them understood that they were failing miserably.

Niki pulled the blanket tighter around herself and turned toward the window again.

Gio’s fingers tightened on the steering wheel.

I sighed.

Twelve years.

Twelve goddamn years.

And somehow we were right back where we’d started.

I had no idea where things would go from here. I felt caught between a storm and a hurricane with these two, and while the lines had been drawn for battle a long time ago, I wasn’t the same person I’d been before. Despite being the gentler of the two of us, I was still a Dom.

Had Niki not been a relic of my heart opening to first love, I’d be alongside Gio, wearing the mask of indifference.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t.

She was the first girl I’d ever loved, the first person I’d ever imagined building a future with. Time had changed all of us, but seeing her again made twelve years disappear in an instant.

That was the problem.

My heart remembered her far better than my head did.

After finding the marks on Niki’s body left by her abusive father, I’d all but chained myself to Gio’s side to keep him from doing something I knew he’d regret. After school, we’d left Niki in the care of Gio’s mother, who had the Vitale doctor they kept on hand for their soldiers take a look at her.

I never pushed for more answers or information than Niki wanted to give because Niki had endured more hard knocks than anyone her age ever should have, and I’d felt the need to shower her with love and affection. Besides, that was the beauty of the dynamic between the three of us. I pushed when it came to personal care and Gio pushed everything else.

Now here she was, very much like that time so long ago, her eyes looking, but not seeing. What I wouldn’t give to know what was going on in that head of hers right now. I’d imagined finding her a thousand different ways. At an airport. In a grocery store. Walking down a crowded street. In every version, she’d smile when she saw us. In every version, Gio would be angry for about five minutes before dragging her into a hug and pretending he wasn’t happy.

Sometimes she came back to Sicily on her own. Sometimes she called one of us from another country and asked for help. Once, after too much whiskey, I’d even imagined spotting her in the audience at one of the clubs and following her through the crowd before she disappeared again.

In every version, there were tears. There were explanations. There was yelling. There was forgiveness.

What there wasn’t, was fear.

Nicolette had never been afraid of us.

She’d challenged Gio when everyone else stepped aside. She’d climbed into my lap when she wanted comfort and into his when she wanted a fight. She’d always known exactly where she belonged.

The woman sitting in the backseat looked at us like we were strangers she wasn’t entirely sure she could trust.

That hurt more than I cared to admit.

None of my fantasies included death threats, panic attacks, or Gio finding her in my bed.

And then she’d just called me up one day and fallen back into our laps. Into our lives.

Our current situation was far from the image I’d imagined all these years, though. I should have told Gio up front where I was going, or at least told him why I was staying in New York. The way he’d found us would set the reunion back, perhaps by months. Someone had to keep that dream alive and it had always been me.

I tore my eyes from the rearview and pulled out my phone as Gio got on the highway. “I’m ready. What do you need me to do?”

“I’ve arranged accommodations for the dancers and the crew, and for the use of the space. You’ll need to create a schedule for the security team and have Vincenzo’s restaurants closest to the hotel and the performance hall create a credit system for all the dancers and staff. Make sure to let him know he may need to increase his staff during certain hours to accommodate the food orders. You’ll have to speak with Sergei first, as it may be easier to bring in lunches during their breaks and they will have dietary considerations that Vinnie will need to know in advance. Work on that schedule to ensure we can meet all their needs. The last thing I want is some vainglorious prima anything bitching about what she or he is missing.”