“Like Leo’s fiancé Lanza? Jeez. He once told me he and his dad went to live in San Francisco for a while, probably with that family. Looks like they’re good friends. I can’t imagine why Leo would be so stupid to ruin their relationship when it’s so strong, get us in the crosshairs of these people.”
Nicky’s lips pursed. “I don’t know how to feel about that.”
“What?”
“I mean this whole living under the protection of the Mob when they themselves are a threat.”
“It’s so confusing.” Like every other thing in my life.
“It so doesn’t help when they look like that.” She chuckled. “You know that movie when that tall, man candy Mafia boss kidnapped that girl and gave her a year to love him or whatever?”
“You mean the soft porno you’ve rubbed one off to like a million times instead of dating any of the hot college guys you meet every day, yeah, I know it,” I sneered.
She made a face. “That’s beside the point. I mean if he was a troll, she wouldn’t have fallen for him, you know? It’s the same with the Bellomos. The way they look makes you, I don’t know, wanna trust them even if you know you shouldn’t.”
Probably true. But in my case, I hadn’t even seen my psycho, and I was... “Do you think he is a troll?”
“Who cares about that creep right now? Please.” Her brows hitched. Then her face lightened when she saw my grimace. “Let’s keep our villain interest domestic, shall we?”
She meant it as a joke, but WTF? “Jesus Christ. Don’t say you have a crush on Abel Magwitch.” I’d be over the moon if she finally decided to give boys a try. Normal, mundane, boring nerds or hot athletes from college or the cute redhead barista with the freckles she worked with, not the dangerous Mafioso with the stalker son and murdered wife.
One fucked up Baldi sister was enough.
“Abel Magwitch was a troll. Tino Bellomo isn’t,” she countered.
“Tino?”
“That’s his street name,” she said, all smug now.
“How the hell do you know these things?”
“I did some digging, so what?”
I gaped at her. “You know that’s what Leo, the boy who stalked me because he had a crush on me, said in his defense.”
“When a boy does it, it’s creepy. When a girl does it, it’s cute.”
“Nicky! That’s sexist and deranged.”
“Whatever, Sis. Have you seen the dude? He makes smart girls do stupid things.” She shrugged and sauntered out of the room, giggling.
Great. My sister, too, was a stalker.
I had to agree with the last part of what she said, though. Sebastiano—Tino— Bellomo was so sexy it was confusing and dangerous.
Just like he was.
Chapter 21
Lina
Thunder vibrated in my bones, plucking my heart out of my chest. Lightning illuminated against the windows, which, despite how beautiful the drawings on them were, looked so spooky now.
A freaking thunderstorm on the first night at a new house that looked like a Gothic church. Great. How the hell was I supposed to sleep in this horror show?
I huffed as I kicked the sheets off me. Then I went over to Nicky’s room. Carefully, I opened her door and peeked in. Her snoring yelled over the thunder. How could she be deep in sleep in that weather?
I hated to wake her up now, so I just wheeled back and decided to wait downstairs until the storm was over.
The halls were silent and dark, and the storm seemed louder outside the vast entrance. Maybe I should just find the kitchen and make myself some chamomile tea. I hoped Don Bellomo wouldn’t mind. He did say to feel free to behave as if this place was our home.
He’d shown us around and introduced us to the helping staff, but there was no one up this late, and I was totally lost. I must have taken the wrong turn. No way the kitchen was in this part of the mansion where there was nothing but rooms with closed doors.
“Where the hell am I?” My shoulders slumped as I had no choice but to return to my room, the only place I knew how to go back to, and ask for a freaking map in the morning.
The thunder boomed when I turned around, and I hit something hard in the dark. I gasped, looking up, and blue eyes were staring at me. “Ahhhh!”
“Are you going to scream every time you see me?”
“Shut the f…front door. God, Don Bellomo, you scared the hell out of me. One more of those and my heart is gonna stop for real. Please don’t do this again.”
“Do what?”
“Sneak up on me like this?”
“I’ve never snuck up on you, young lady. I heard someone walking in my house in the middle of the night and went down to check. But I understand why you could be so…shaken.”
Lightning cracked the sky, and I could see he was, damn, only in his pants. His torso was completely naked, and he had bedroom hair.
I stared, my heart that was about to cease beating a second ago racing. He had more tattoos on his arms. A full sleeve on one, and a big angel on the other arm. There was a phrase on his broad chest, but I couldn’t make out the letters in the dark. No ink on his abs. I’d never seen a real eight pack before. Who was I kidding? Not even a real six pack. Was that what I hit when I spun? Sebastiano Bellomo’s firm, toned eight pack?
“Angelina?”
I yanked my head up. “Huh?”
“Did you hear what I said?”
No, I’d been busy ogling. “I’m sorry I didn’t catch the last thing.”
“What are you doing up in the middle of the night?”
My gaze trailed down his pecs and back on those abs. “Yeah, that, I…” I squeezed my eyes shut and jutted a thumb at the windows. “The storm.”
“You’re afraid of thunderstorms?”
So much. “I just hate the sound.” Another boom of thunder made me jump, proving me a liar.
He chuckled. “What do you normally do to get back to sleep when you just hate the sound?”
I bit my lip. “I cuddle with Nicky if she’s up, but she’s fast asleep. A hot drink helps or I just put some music on and play with it. I didn’t want to wake anybody up with my music, so I went down to find the kitchen, but I got lost…”
He grabbed my hand. “Come with me.”
I stifled a yelp. Uninvited touches, even the simplest as handshakes or friendly hugs from either boys or girls, agitated me, especially after yesterday.
Except with this man.
Every time he held my hand, it didn’t bother me at all. It was rather comforting than annoying. The warmth from his grasp soothed me like a balm. So protective. So…daddy like. In the nice, lovely, caring way I’d seen with my friends at school. Not my daddy.
He only let go of my hand when he turned on the kitchen lights, and I mourned the loss of his touch.
When he spun around, I saw the gun in the back of his pants. Holy shit. He took it out and put it on the counter before he reached for the upper cabinets, his muscles flexing and stretching. He got out a mug and a glass. “What do you like to drink? Herbal tea? Regular tea?” He asked as he put water in the kettle.
“No, please. I’ll do it.” I hurried toward him to take the kettle from his hand.