Omerta

Chapter 47

         Nick's foot rose up and kicked down harshly against the bench beside us. The sound made me flinch. "He was set up. He had to have been. My father is a lot of things, but to murder an innocent girl...and for what reason? The mustached man is not working for him. That man is fucking with our business that would directly affect my father," he pointed out in his very angry tone. 

"Who would have access to your father's office beside your family?! How would they get the lighter," I pointed out in a raised voice. I couldn't help it. His anger was elevating my nerves.

 "He could've brought it with him to any number of meetings or restaurants he goes to. Someone could've swiped it," he threw his hands up in aggravation. "Ask him then! Ask him to borrow it or something, and see his expression whether he knows he has it or not," I huffed, moving closer to Nick to try and look him in the eye. 

He laughed in my face, but without humor.

        "My father would never crack. Where do you think I get my cold expression from? My father could stab you in the heart, look into your eyes, and with a straight face tell you it wasn't him standing there holding the knife," he ran a hand through his hair. When he swept his inked hand down his set jaw it made the scraping sound of stubble against rough flesh. 

"Honestly, I didn't wanna tell you for this reason, Nico. You won't be able to see things for what they are. I should've just looked into this myself," I shook my head at myself, not him. 

He took the step it took to close the gap between us. 

"You are NOT going to investigate anything on your own, Giada. I'm dead serious," he grabbed my chin and made me look at him. "Why not?! I can't trust anybody else! And nobody's gotten anywhere close to finding evidence as I have. Clearly I'm the only one making this top priority," I slapped his hand away.

        "I've been right there with you! You aren't the only one looking for answers, but the last time you went off on your own, even though you promised me we were in this together, you almost fucking died Giada... You almost died," he took a calming breath after raising his voice at me and finished his last sentence. 

"You'll never go against your family for me, and I'm not asking you to. I just needed to know if the lighter was there, and I promised you an explanation. So here it was."

I turned away from him and rubbed my temples from the fully forming headache I was starting to get. He walked up to my turned back and used my hips to bring me flush against him. "You aren't doing this on your own. If you suspect someone then we'll look into it, but you aren't shutting me outta this," he warned me, low in my ear. 

I turned in his arms until his hands were on my lower back. I had to tip my head back enough to see him. 

        "But it's your family I suspect," I told him outright. "If they're somehow involved with the fire then we've got bigger issues attached to this. I'd wanna find out why, either way. Shady business is going on and whoever is behind it, family or not, is going to be punished how I see fit. And I'm not a merciful man," his eyes were like melted gold, but his gaze was like ice. 

His words caused a shiver down my spine. "I'm afraid," I whispered. I didn't often say that out loud. "I've protected you thus far, haven't I?" he asked.

        "But- but you told me you're always on one side of the gun...what if it's a family member on the trigger and I'm at the barrel. You won't be able to protect me. It's your family," I reminded him. His two hands smoothed my hair out of my face and cupped just below my jaw. 

"I'm going to teach you how to protect yourself. And I'm going to give you one of my guns. I want you to carry it with you," he surprised me by saying. "I don't like guns. And I don't know if I could pull the trigger on a person," I swallowed.