Would Moreno hurt me?

  Kill me?

  I’ve been around him long enough that I don’t fear him. Maybe I should. I haven’t seen that wicked side of him, but if he is a mafia prince, then he’s bound to have blood on his hands.

  “I’m trying to protect you,” Moreno says with a warning. “If you’re not careful, you’ll end up trusting the wrong men, and they will hurt you. That’s why I have guards accompanying us off the grounds.”

  Moreno clears his throat and is quick to change the subject. “We have another appointment with the therapist this Friday.”

  Great.

  “And you’re expecting me to accompany you again as your wife?” I rub the back of my neck. I’m not the least bit okay with lying about being Nova’s mother.

  How can we help Nova if we’re lying to the therapist?

  “I don’t see another choice,” Moreno says. “Unless you want me to tell her that you’re sick this week or have a migraine. But you’re going to have to come to the next appointment after that.”

  A laugh slips out past my lips at the absurdity of his suggestion. “Or you could try telling her the truth. Not your strong suit, though.”

  He flinches at my remark.

  It looks like I hit a nerve.

  Good. Maybe he’ll consider taking my comments seriously. I don’t want to see Nova strung along when she could be getting whatever help she needs.

  And it’s clear to me, having heard her humming a song and Ariella’s remark that Nova used to speak, I can only surmise that something tragic happened.

  “It’s her mother, isn’t it?”

  “What?” Moreno glances at me as we pull up at the park.

  “The reason that she doesn’t speak anymore. Her mother died and she misses her.”

  He shuts off the engine of the car. “Yes.” He’s a little too quick to answer. Moreno climbs out of the car and opens the back door, unbuckling Nova as he helps her out of her car seat. He grabs a blanket, and she runs off toward the jungle gym.

  “Be careful!” Moreno shouts at Nova.

  She waves him off dismissively.

  I try not to laugh. The smirk is impossible to remove from my face while I grab the picnic lunch in the backseat and follow Moreno onto the grass under a tree for shade.

  We’re well within eyeshot of Nova with a good view of her playing, and we also have three guards spreading out, making sure we’re safe, along with Nova.

  It was weird to have Leone accompany Nova and me to the park when I met Ariella, but this feels even more obtrusive.

  Although we don’t have privacy visually, none of the guards are hovering or lingering over us. We can talk amongst each other without anyone eavesdropping.

  Moreno lays out the blanket while I unpack our lunch and have a seat. With Nova playing and giving us a little time alone, it’s now or never if I’m going to question him about his mafia dealings.

  “So, you’re a mafia prince.”

  He glances up at me, unamused. “You’re not going to let it go.”

  “Well, no. Honestly, I don’t think I can.”

  It’s a big ball that he dropped last night, along with wanting me. However, I’m not sure if that was the alcohol talking or him.

  Does he still want to be with me?

  “It doesn’t come with a crown,” Moreno says. He points to the top of his head.

  “Is that a joke?” I ask. I’m not laughing. I take a bite of one of the sandwiches that we brought. Right now, I’d gladly do anything to cut the tension brewing between us.

  I know that it’s not just me. He feels it too, and acknowledging that feels almost like too much.

  “Mafia gets such a bad rap. We’re not bad guys. Well, most of us,” Moreno says.

  I don’t believe him. I feel like he’s trying to convince me to trust him because I live with him, work for him, and there’s no way out.

  I don’t know why I ask it, but the words come out quicker than I intend. “So, you’ve never killed anyone?”

  28

  MORENO

  What is it with Paige and her twenty questions?

  I need to take control of the conversation and steer it far from what happened last night. Not talking about it is the best option.

  I should never have gone into her bedroom.

  Confessing to being a mafia prince. What the fuck was I thinking?

  Oh, right? I wasn’t thinking.

  I was drunk and hoping Paige would admit that she wanted me as bad as I wanted her.

  What are we, in high school again?

  I take what I want.

  But I won’t force myself on her.

  “Well, have you ever killed anyone?” Paige asks me again when I haven’t answered her quickly enough. “Or is silence your admission of guilt?” She tilts her head just slightly.

  I reach out and brush a strand of hair behind her ear, tucking it back.

  A part of me expects her to pull away or flinch.

  Paige doesn’t.

  Instead, she leans in and exhales a soft sigh. “I am truly sorry about the ring.”

  I withdraw my hand and land it back in my lap. If I focus on eating, then at least I won’t say anything I regret. I open a bottle of water and shove it against my lips.

  Maybe my silence will encourage her to elaborate, to speak, to explain why the hell she felt it necessary to snoop through my drawers and steal my dead wife’s ring.

  If I’m not careful, I’ll finish the entire bottle of water before I take a bite of my sandwich.

  “I wish I could explain it all to you so that you’d realize I’m not a thief. I’m just trying to do the right thing,” she says.

  My eyes narrow and twitch. I close the lid on the water bottle.

  “Are you going to say anything?” Paige asks.

  At least the conversation isn’t about me being a mafia prince anymore.

  I focus on my lunch, having a bite, smiling through closed lips, and I point at my mouth.

  “Convenient,” she mutters under her breath.

  I open the bottle of water and take a swig while she eats small bites of her sandwich. It’s nothing fancy, but I also wasn’t planning on having a picnic lunch before the idea was thrown at me like a water balloon. There was no getting out of the way of the impending splash.

  “I don’t know how you’re trying to do the right thing unless you spell it out for me,” I say. Maybe if I clarify that I have no idea why she’d steal from me, she’ll elaborate. “Is it because of Ariella?”

  It’s a stab in the dark.

  Her brow furrows. “Why would you think that?” Paige takes a swig of her water before screwing the lid back on the bottle.

  “Seems like she’d ask for dirt on me,” I say with a shrug.

  I’m trying to fathom a reasonable excuse for what she did, except I can’t find one. No one else in the Ricci home would steal from me. No one is stupid enough to betray me.

  Except for Nova.

  Aww, fuck me.

  “It has nothing to do with Ariella,” Paige says. Her voice is soft and calm, and her gaze is locked on mine.

  My stomach does somersaults. I can’t take another bite, and I put the remainder of my uneaten meal back into the plastic baggie.

  “You’re covering for Nova.”

  I’m an idiot for not seeing it sooner.

  I didn’t want to see it.

  Paige’s gaze falls to her lap, and she undoes the lid on her water and brings it back to her lips.

  Silence.

  “Please, tell me you’re not covering for my daughter.” Honestly, I don’t know which is worse: Nova stole her mother’s ring or that Paige lied to me to protect my daughter.

  “You wanted someone to blame,” Paige says and glances at the jungle gym.

  Nova is climbing the rope ladder, clutching it as she makes it to the top.

  My girl seems to have no fear. Impossible, considering all that she’s been through. It’s like she’s channeling her silence and mutism into something else.

  Bravery?

  In a matter of weeks, since meeting Paige, I don’t even recognize Nova.

  Physically, of course, she’s the same little girl who is my daughter. But she’s trying new things, coming out of her shell, no longer hiding and avoiding me.

  Paige is good for Nova.

  “I’m sorry I doubted you and accused you of stealing from me.” An apology is the least that I owe her. I’m lucky she hasn’t already quit.

  Paige offers me a warm smile. “Well, I was wearing the ring.”

  “Yes.” I nod slowly. “And why were you wearing it?”

  “I spoke with Nova and asked her to turn the ring over to me. Once I had it in my possession, I didn’t want to lose it. I planned on returning it to you the next morning when I saw you.”

  Her story sounds plausible. “You didn’t plan on me coming into your bedroom.”

  “Precisely. I never meant to hurt you, and I know that Nova has been through so much already. I didn’t want your anger directed at her. We talked and she won’t be stealing anything again.”

  “She talked to you?”

  “Well, no.” Paige purses her lips. “I spoke with her, but she understood what she did was wrong. Now that I’ve answered your questions, I want you to answer mine. How long have you been a mafia prince?”

  I shake my head and wag my finger at her. “That’s not how this works.”

  I’m not answering her questions.

  “Why not?” She pouts.

  I’m not sure whether she’s emphasizing her discontent, or it comes naturally, but it’s freaking adorable.

  My body reacts, my cock stirring in my trousers.

  “Nova!” I wave at my daughter and gesture for her to come join us.

  Paige scrunches her nose like a little kid, and I try not to laugh. Nova is rubbing off on Paige as much as Paige is on Nova. It’s endearing, mostly.

  Nova flies down the slide and stumbles, tripping over her feet. She waits for a second, realizing she isn’t hurt, and then stands and finishes her sprint over to us.

  “Come have lunch,” I say.

  Paige stares at me.

  She probably knows what I’m doing—avoiding the conversation that she wants to have. Like I told her, that’s not how this works. I’m not going to answer her questions about the mafia. Certainly not out in public, and not while she could be wearing a wire.

  I trust Paige, but that doesn’t mean someone else might not have gotten to her before we met.

  It’s a leap for sure, but not everyone can be trusted, and she was brought into the family and hired as my daughter’s nanny. She doesn’t need to know anything about the business or my position in it.

  Nova plops herself down between us, and I unwrap a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for her from a plastic baggie.

  She sits crisscross and quietly munches on her lunch. Not that I expect her to speak. I’ve grown accustomed to her silence. That’s not to say that I don’t want her to speak. I’m not a monster. But if she did start talking about what happened, I’m not sure how to deal with it, the trauma, any of what she may have witnessed.

  “Is that good?” I smile weakly at Nova.

  She glances up with wide eyes and takes another bite. She’s got strawberry jelly on her fingers and a smidgeon on her cheek.

  Thankfully, I remembered an extra pack of wipes and many napkins to help clean her up before leaving.

  Bang!

  Bang!

  Bang!

  Nova bursts into tears and jumps into Paige’s lap.

  Shit.

  29

  PAIGE

  Several firecrackers are shot off, and one of the guards rushes over, gun drawn at a bunch of teenagers behind a tree.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Moreno jumps up to deescalate the situation before it gets even more out of hand.

  Bruno, the guard, puts the safety back on and shoves the gun under his jacket, hidden from view.

  Does he carry that everywhere with him? Maybe I should have expected it. He is a guard, but shouldn’t he still recognize the difference between a firecracker and a gunshot?

  Nova is curled in my arms, sobbing.

  Gently, I rub her back as she clings to me with sticky fingers from her peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I seem to be wearing the jelly as much as Nova.

  Moreno reams out the guard before approaching us. He squats and I hear his knees crack. “Hey, Nova.” His voice is soft and soothing as he tries to get her attention.

  She’s buried her face in my neck and doesn’t so much as glance up at her father.

  “Maybe give her a few minutes,” I offer as a suggestion. She’s worked up and needs a little time to calm down.

  He’s fuming under his breath and stands, stalking over toward the guard who lost his cool.

  Nova peeks for a second to witness her father’s wrath, directed at the guard.

  “Hey. Do you want to go to the toy store?” I ask, hoping to draw her attention back to me.

  She emits a loud sigh and glances up with wide eyes. Nova gives a faint nod before cuddling me again, her arms tight around my chest.

  “I’m sorry about that back there,” Moreno says as he opens the glass door. The bell on the door jingles.

  I carry Nova into the store, her arms tight around my neck.

  “It’s safe in here,” I assure her. “How about I put you down and let you walk around and pick out a toy?”

  I probably should have spoken to Moreno about my offer for her to buy a present before stepping into the shop, but what did he expect? You can’t bring a kid into a toy store and leave empty-handed.

  Certainly not a four-year-old.

  Besides, after the picnic we just endured, I don’t think he’ll say no.

  “Keep an eye on her,” Moreno says as I step into the small shop.

  I wasn’t planning on abandoning Nova.

  He heads outside, and by the looks of it, he’s giving hell to the guard who pulled his gun.

  Good.

  Nova slips her hand in mine, and I walk her farther inside the store so that she doesn’t see her father screaming at the guard. She’s been through enough today.

  One trauma at a time.

  She tugs on my hand and pulls me to follow her down the stuffed animal aisle.

  She has an entire collection of stuffed toys back at home. The kid could seriously run a zoo, but she doesn’t have any trouble finding a baby gorilla on the shelf. She points at it as it’s out of her reach, and I quickly glance at the price tag before handing it to her.

  Even if Moreno doesn’t agree to pay for it, I’ll buy Nova the present with my stipend. I have a few dollars, and the kid is deserving.

  “Can I?” Nova asks, her voice soft. I barely hear her, but the fact she’s asking me a question and speaking has my heart pitter-pattering in my chest.

  I don’t want to make a big deal out of it. The last thing I want is for her to clam up and become silent because of my stupidity.

  “Of course,” I say, as if her speaking for the first time since we’ve been together isn’t a life-changing event.

  For her, maybe it isn’t. If Ariella was right and Nova used to speak, she’s probably dying to unload whatever is going on, and I’ll be there for her every step of the way.

  She squeezes my hand and clutches the baby gorilla to her chest. The kid isn’t parting with it, and the shop owner is super sweet and understanding, offering to cut off the tags carefully while letting Nova hold the toy in her arms.

  “Thank you,” I say.

  “Anything for Mr. Ricci,” the woman says.

  “You know Moreno?”

  “Yes, of course. His family has been through so much. It’s good to see he’s moving on. You make a beautiful family.”

  I open my mouth to correct her but think better of it. “Thank you,” I say. While I don’t want to start any rumors, I also don’t need to explain to this stranger that I’m Nova’s nanny, either.

  Nova opts to hold her new friend tight in her arms instead of putting it in a bag.

  Hopefully, Moreno is done shouting at the young guard. The last thing I want is to scare Nova again. She’s finally all smiles, and the fear from earlier seems to have been forgotten.

  Nova clings to her new toy while we step outside into the sun.

  The blanket and picnic have already been cleaned up, and Moreno is waiting outside alone.

  Where are the guards?

  I glance around briefly but don’t see any of them. Maybe he told them to leave and head back to the cabin?

  Moreno bends down to Nova’s level as we approach. “I see you made a new friend.” He offers her a reassuring smile, but she doesn’t speak.

  I almost feel like I imagined her voice, her soft words that spilled past her lips.

  But I know it wasn’t a daydream.

  I’ll have to tell Moreno, but not now. Not in front of Nova. I don’t want to make her uncomfortable or have her feel that she can’t trust me.

  Am I betraying her by confiding in Moreno?

  I’m exhausted, and Nova can barely keep her eyes open as I read her a bedtime story. Her gorilla is tucked under her arm. Beside her, are six other plush friends joining her in bed tonight.

  Every night, it’s a new toy plus her favorite giraffe, which is still beside her, tucked under the covers.

  Her eyes keep fluttering closed, and as soon as I turn the page, she wakes herself back up.

  The kid doesn’t want to sleep. She’s fighting it with every ounce of strength within her.

  Her father hasn’t come in to tuck her into bed yet. He usually comes by late, after she’s asleep and he’s done working.

  But Dante gave him the day off.

  I half expect that he’ll come in during her bedtime ritual and join us, but he hasn’t yet.

  What’s keeping him?

  Nova sighs softly and pats my arm.

  I glance from the book to the little girl with a pouting bottom lip jutting out.

  “I don’t want to sleep,” Nova whispers.

  Again, I try not to hide my surprise or my overzealous joy that she’s speaking with me. “What’s wrong?” I ask. My voice is soft and gentle, calm.

 

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