Page 67 of Niccolaio Andretti (The Five Syndicates)
My brain continues to go back and forth between the reasons to and not to allow Niccolaio on the bed when the man in question enters the warehouse, casually whistling an unfamiliar tune. My giant LSAT practice book is on the bed in front of me, and I quickly flip to the next page to hide the list I’ve drawn in the margins:
To (Literally) Sleep with Niccolaio or Not To?
Pros
Cons
1. I’ll stop feeling guilty about him sleeping on the bed.
2. He saved me from bullets (twice), is giving me a place to live, and has been a complete gentleman.
3. I’d end up jumping his bones.
1. He’s the reason I can’t visit Mina.
2. He was the reason I needed saving from bullets (twice), is the reason I’m living in a safe house and blackmailed me into revealing my past.
3. I’d end up jumping his bones.
I stare purposefully at the new LSAT practice page in front of me, but the words end up blurring together. I closed the book with a resigned sigh, since I haven’t glanced at it once in the past three hours anyway.
Instead, I’ve been stuck in my head, juggling my confusion about whether I like or dislike Niccolaio and my anger and frustration at not being able to see Mina. My worry for Mina has been lodged in the back of my mind for the past week, but today it’s at the forefront of my concern.
I was supposed to visit Mina today, but for the second week in a row, I couldn’t. The worst part is I haven’t been able to tell her why I can’t visit her. I just left, like a ghost. Like her mother, her father, and now me. She’s either out of her mind in worry, feeling abandoned, or both.
And that’s killing me.
It’s that thought that reinforces my resolve to stay angry at Niccolaio. Plus, it’s better for everyone if I keep my distance emotionally.
So, when Niccolaio approaches me and opens his mouth to speak, I cut him off with an appropriate amount of attitude, “What do you want? I’m studying.”
“I ha—”
I lift up my book, shake it and interrupt, “Studying.”
“Minka,” he says, firmly this time.
The demanding way he says my name sends shivers down my spine.
I make a production of sighing, pushing away my book, and crossing my arms. I arch a perfectly shaped brow. “Yes?”
“I have something for you.”
“Oh.”
“Oh,” he mocks, a smirk on his face.
I roll my eyes and accept the small box he hands me. Inside of it is a tablet from Black Enterprises.
“What’s this for?” I ask, my eyes widening as I open the box.
“Turn it on.”
I narrow my eyes at him in suspicion before cautiously pressing the “on” button. Niccolaio takes a seat next to me on the bed. I let him grab the tablet from me as soon as it powers on. He presses something on the screen, and a few moments later, Mina’s beautiful face appears on the screen.
My jaw drops. “Mina?!” I turn to Niccolaio. “How?!”
Mina answers for him, her voice an excited screech, “I got a tablet, Minka! A tablet! Can you believe it?”
