Deadly Devotion

Chapter 4

   Chiara

Another bouquet of Tulips sat on my nightstand, and I smiled as the scent reached my nose. Sitting up in bed, I stretched my sore limbs before getting up, stifling another yawn. Reaching for my robe, I tightened it around my waist, bending down to smell the tulips again. The petals felt soft under my skin, the scent so strong it almost didn't feel real.

I headed for the ensuite bathroom, brushing my teeth before hopping in the shower. I was supposed to call Jenna earlier, but I overslept due to my lovely husband overexerting my energy levels the night before. I made a mental note to call her as soon as I got ready.

I was enjoying the hot water on my skin when all of a sudden, a bout of dizziness darkened my vision. I held on to the wall, placing my forehead on the cool tile and trying to take some deep breaths. I could feel a headache building behind my eyes, the tickle in my throat that I thought was gone coming back with a vengeance.

A few minutes passed by with me standing still under the shower, until I finally managed to finish washing up and got out as fast as I could without slipping. Putting on some comfortable clothes, I went downstairs and into the kitchen for some breakfast.

“Good morning, ma'am.” The chef, a man in his late fifties, greeted me with a smile. “What can I get for you?”

“Anything,” I said, plopping down on one of the stools by the bar. “I think my blood sugar dropped, so anything you have, I'll take.”

The chef nodded eagerly, getting me a plate of pancakes with extra caramel syrup. He was about to pour me some black coffee when I stopped him, clearing my throat again.

“Actually, can I have some tea instead? My throat hurts.”

“Of course.”

He put the kettle on, opening a huge shelf stacked with a million and one jar of teas. Picking one out, he scooped a few spoonfuls of herbs into a tea strainer, dunking it into the hot water. Adding some honey, he passed me the mug, and I almost burned my tongue as I chugged it all.

“Thank you,” I said after a while.

“I hope you enjoyed it.”

“The pancakes were delicious.” I glanced at my empty plate, eyeing the string of syrup left behind. I must have been more hungry than I thought.

Heading back upstairs, I popped two painkillers for my headache, reaching for my phone to finally call Jenna.

Jenna's idea of some light shopping included the entirety of the shopping district, two malls,  and endless designer stores. By the time she decided to give us a break, my feet were blistering from my heels and my toes had been numb for hours.

Her guards lined the bags neatly in the trunk of her car before following us to a new sushi restaurant she had been dying to try. We settled in, enjoying the soft music and the hushed conversations around us. The restaurant was big and airy, long glass windows letting the sunlight in. The staff, we had learned, were all from Japanese descent, despite the place looking like a french villa.

“I'm so hungry,” Jenna whined, sitting back in her chair as she watched the waitress leave with our orders.

“Yeah, if you didn't drag us all around Chicago for four hours, maybe we could have eaten earlier.”

“Oh, shut up.” She rolled her eyes at me, taking a drink of her water. “You had fun.”

“Sure, that's what we'll call it.” I nodded.

“So, how are things with you and Nico?” Jenna wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. “Did you have fun on your honeymoon?”

I laughed, her exaggerated wink making her look ridiculous despite her classy look. “Yes, Jen. I had a lot of fun.”

“Oh come on,” she whined again. “You have to give me more than that. You're not talking to your mother here.”

“I'm well aware.”

“How is he in bed?” She leaned forward and whispered. “Is he as good as the rumors say?”

“Better.” I smirked, stifling a laugh at her shocked look.

“No way!” She shook her head, laughing lightly. “I totally thought they were a bunch of bullshit.”

“Me too, but I'm so happy to be proven wrong in this regard.”

“Tell me about it,” she said with a giggle.

Our food arrived just then, four plates of sushi lined up between us. Jenna had ordered anything that sounded good to her, determined to try everything she could. Robbie didn't like seafood, so it was rare that she got to enjoy it.

“Did he happen to figure out his numbers yet? She asked after a few minutes of silence, stealing a few glances at me between bites.

“What numbers?” I lowered my chopsticks, taking a sip of water to lessen the burn of the wasabi.

“Robbie told me he found a few discrepancies while looking through Nico’s numbers. He ran them by his accountants and they confirmed something was fishy.”

“He didn't tell me.” I tilted my head slightly, my mind reeling with this new information. “Someone has been skimming off the top?”

“That's what it looks like. The oddities go back more than a few months.” Jenna grabbed a California roll, popping it in her mouth.

“Could it have been Luca?” His name brought on an onslaught of terrible memories to the forefront of my mind, and I closed my eyes against the images flashing behind my lids.

“That's what Robbie thought at first, but when Nico told him to check if the numbers went back to normal after his death, he said they didn't.”

“Maybe someone figured it out before Robbie could and decided to keep the scam going.”

“Could be,” she hummed thoughtfully, tapping her chopsticks on her lips. “By the way, what's the deal with that Lorenzo guy?”

“Nico’s cousin.” I sighed, rolling my shoulders back to relieve some of the tension building in my muscles. “He came over the night we landed.”

“Seriously?” Jenna scoffed. “He couldn't wait till morning? So tacky.”

“He had a bone to pick with Nico for marrying me. Apparently I'm not good enough for him.”

“Fuck him, what does he know anyway?” Jenna sounded offended on my behalf, her eyes narrowed in anger.

I let out an obnoxious snort, slapping a hand on my mouth when the people next to us turned to look at me. “He might not know anything, but whatever he's doing is causing a lot of stress for Nico.” I took another sip of water. “He thinks he hides it so well but I can see right through him.”

“I'm sure whatever it is, you both can handle it.”

“I hope so,” I whispered, a sense of foreboding slithered through my veins.

After what felt like forever, Jenna had finally had her full of sushi. We parted ways after a long hug, promising to get together again as soon as possible. I headed to my car, my driver waiting for me by the door, when the buzzing of my phone in my purse made me stop. I reached for it, pulling it out and checking the incoming texts. They were from an unknown number, a few pictures snapped from far away enough not to catch the target's attention. I recognised Nico immediately, his bright blue eyes shining through the screen. 

Anger swirled through me, setting my nerves on fire. Forwarding the pictures to one of my contacts, I waited patiently for a reply.

It came less than five minutes later, a full name, address and current location highlighted neatly on my screen. I clicked on the map, watching as the little red dot blinked to life in front of me.

“Shall we go home, ma'am?” My driver asked, watching me from his rearview mirror.

“Change of plans,” I said, waiting for the red dot to stop. “ We're going to pick something up first.”