I stopped walking toward my car to wrap Dax up in a hug. I was so thankful for my cousin.
“I couldn't have done any of this without you,” I replied.
Dax grinned and squeezed me tighter. “I'm really glad you came to LA. I couldn't imagine not being a part of Viviana's life and watching you become a mom. You're my best friend. I'm just...happy.”
I pulled away and smiled, feeling emboldened about starting this new journey, a little of the old mixed in with my new life.
But a bullet piercing through the air stopped me in my tracks. Blood splattered out of a gaping wound in Dax's chest, littering my face with droplets. His face flashed with shock, then morphed into blank emptiness. “No!” I screamed as I wrapped my arms around his body and helped him to the ground. I looked in the direction of where the bullet came from but only saw scattering pedestrians running for their lives.
I wiped Dax's cheek. “Someone call an ambulance!” I screamed. He smiled a little, his eyes glossy as he looked at me. I sobbed and pressed my palm to the wound in his chest to try and stop the bleeding, but I didn't know what I was actually doing. “No. No. Dax. Stay with me.”
His lips worked to say something, mouthing the word love.
“I love you. Please stay with me,” I cried out. “I love you, Dax. You're my best friend. You have to stay to watch Viviana grow up.”
My cousin died in my arms, and a part of me died along with him.
Chapter Eight
The police called it a random act of violence. They said he was a victim of a faceless crime. They had no leads. No information about his shooter.
I became a hollow shell of the girl I once was. Always looking over my shoulder, having groceries delivered to my apartment because I was terrified to go outside of my apartment building. Every time I looked at the parking lot I wanted to vomit. What if Nico sent someone to kill me? I wasn't sure if we should leave or stay.
The loss of my cousin hit me hard. I could barely eat, and every time I closed my eyes to sleep, I saw his face. I saw his limp body on the concrete. I felt his life leave every single night. It was torturous. I tried to be strong for my daughter. I knew she could sense that something was wrong. And my heart broke every time she cried out for Dax. She didn't understand why he was gone, and I couldn't explain to a baby that he was never coming back.
It wasn't until a month after Dax's funeral that the weird things started happening. A rose on my doorstep was the first sign that something was wrong.
A few days later, a cracked, framed photo of me.
A week after that, a baby onesie ripped to shreds.
I called the police, but they didn't take it seriously. They claimed that someone was just trying to prank me, and since nothing had happened, I couldn't really do anything about it. I was convinced that this was related to Dax's murder, but no one wanted to believe me. I felt like I was losing my mind.
“Mama,” Viviana said while nuzzling my neck. She was refusing to sleep, and I couldn't seem to turn my brain off either. I was terrified, unsure what to do and feeling more alone than I'd ever felt. The police weren't any help, and the items kept showing up.
A cut-up pacifier.
Rose petals.
A broken cocktail glass.
Hair that looked suspiciously like mine.
“Mama!” Viviana said again. I bounced her while walking over to the window. Looking outside in the dark night, I saw a figure standing there and looking straight up at me.
My heart dropped.
I stopped breathing.
I knew who it was.
He'd finally come for me. He killed my cousin. He was leaving things on my doorstep.
I closed the blinds and started to shake.
There was only one way to get out of this. One way to survive. Once again, I had to do everything in my power to save my daughter.
I packed all of my daughter's belongings into a massive suitcase and grabbed a couple of outfits, my toiletries, and any necessary items for me.
I had to run. Again.
But this time, I was running back.
I clenched my fist while walking up to the bouncer. I'd driven for the last four days, stopping only to stay at secluded motels and to feed and change Viviana. She was exhausted and fussy, screaming her head off as I marched up to the doors to Satin Sheets.
It seemed like ages ago that I was here, and standing on the doorstep with my daughter in my arms felt like a mistake, but I didn't know what else to do.
My stalker was alive, and he was after me. He killed my cousin and I worried what he was going to do to my daughter. The police weren't much help, and I was afraid to tell them about my stalker, and how my crime boss baby daddy handled the situation. Or at least I thought he handled it.
I'd been living my life fearing Nico, but maybe it was Bradley I should have been worried about all this time.
“Lady, you can't bring a screaming baby in here. You don't meet dress code, and I doubt you're on the list,” the bouncer said while looking me up and down. Tears glistened in my eyes and I tried to be strong for my baby, who was now crying harder. I needed to find a hotel for the night.
“I need to see Nico Mariano,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
The bouncer, with his beefy exterior and piercing blue eyes laughed, like I'd told him a joke. “You and everyone else. Next!”
I didn't move. “Please. My name is Lydia Love, and this is his daughter. I'm in danger.” It took a good chunk out of my pride and self-preservation to say that, but I kept my spine straight.
“Mr. Mariano doesn't have any kids.”
“Not any he knows about. Please just tell him Lydia Love is here,” I begged.
The bouncer must have seen something in my expression because his demeanor softened a fraction. “Lydia Love?” he asked as I dug through my diaper bag for a juice box for Viviana.
“Yes. Please. If he doesn't want to see me, I'll leave. I promise. I know your boss is very busy. I just really need to speak to him. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't an emergency.”
He clenched his jaw. “You do look like you haven't slept in a week and bringing a baby here is pretty drastic. Hold on just a minute,” he said before pressing an index finger to his earpiece and talking to whoever was on the other side of his radio. I slumped my shoulders in relief and Viviana started sucking down the juice box like it was God's gift to man. I knew I'd regret the sugar later with her sleep schedule, but she was already completely off from our last-minute road trip.
The bouncer's brows lifted in shock. “Come inside, Miss Love. Mr. Mariano will speak with you immediately.”
My chest tightened with anxiety, but it was too late to back out now. There was only one person who could save me, and it was Nico.
Chapter Nine
Nico Mariano sat at his desk, hands folded in front of him, eyes trained on me. He hadn't said a word since I was guided to his upstairs office. The time apart had changed him, hardened him. He looked deadlier than before, but he was still impossible to resist. His strong jaw, soft hair, and rough beard enticed me in ways that were inappropriate for the situation.
Viviana was sitting in my lap, hyper as hell and chewing on a toy. Slobber dripped down her chin as she happily played, unaware that we were in the lion's den. Despite the crazy few weeks we'd had, she seemed perfectly at ease. I knew in my gut that babies had a sixth sense about these things. If she wasn't screaming her head off, maybe there was hope.