Calypso

Nova

Elio's and Lucia's funeral was hard. It was my final goodbye to the man who raised me. He and Lucia embraced me and accepted me into their family, and no words could ever express how grateful I was to them. The entire funeral went by in a blur. I didn't see any of the people around me, and I knew there were many who came to pay their respects. But I was too lost in my own thoughts and grief to really notice. I went through the motions, accepting condolences from people who just wanted to lay eyes on the black girl Elio had adopted. There people weren't really sorry for my loss as they mumbled their respects. I paid Rocco little attention, not speaking to him during the funeral, but I could feel his eyes on me. I barely heard a word of his speech to honor papa. The only thing that managed to capture my attention was the two figures we saw before we left the burial site.

Igor and Vladamir Sokolov.

At first, I hadn't recognized them, but then I noticed their blonde hair and the memories came back to me from long ago. I wondered if Gianna felt the same, but we hadn't got the chance to talk alone today. Seeing the brothers had told me all I needed to know. They had killed Elio and Lucia. And still, the why was hazy. Me and Gianna were ushered into one of the two vehicles and we headed straight to the airport.

"Nova." Victor greeted with a tiny smile as we stepped out of cars and headed to the airstrip. A gust of wind blew through my hair as I smiled at the handsome older man. His salt and pepper hair and slight wrinkles by his eyes were the only indication he was older. The man was tall and fit just like his sons. Victor wore a simple black button up that was neatly tucked into his matching black trousers, and black loafers. I inhaled his woodsy yet spicy scent as I leaned into the hug, careful to not aggravate my wounds.

"Victor. I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to talk." I said with a small smile. I viewed this man as family more than anything else. Though I hadn't seen his son in person in years, I had gotten the chance to see him over the years. Though it was sporadic at best, it was always good to see him, as he had a calming spirit, similarly to Elio and Lucia.

"We will have that chance soon. But until then, take care of yourself, and can you do me another favor?' He asked, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Take care of my son." I swallowed down the foreign emotions I felt and nodded. I guess he wasn't aware that Elio had already asked me to do the same. His concern for his son was evident in his emerald stare. It wasn't going to be easy, but I was hopeful we would all make it out of this in one piece.

Several minutes later we were seated in the plush cream colored leather seats of Nico and Alessandro's private jet. The flight would be a long one. Soon after takeoff, Alessandro pulled out his laptop. "I've been able to triangulate Romeo's location. He's currently staying at the Four Seasons near Bal Harbour." He revealed. "I'm still trying to figure out what he might be doing there though. I might be able to hack into his phone."

"I can help with that." Gianna spoke up for the first time in hours. Alessandro looked up from his laptop, eyes trained on a somber looking Gianna as the rest of us watched silently.

"Okay. Let's see what you got." He said with a smirk that brightened up her face a bit. She unbuckled her seat belt and slid closer to him, reaching for the laptop. Their fingers grazed and a look past between them that was so intense I glanced away, not looking over until Gianna was back in her seat. The light blush appearing over her cheeks indicated she was affected by that brief moment of contact, and I couldn't help but smirk. My eyes veered to Nico, whose eyes were already watching me with a smirk of his own. I looked away quickly, but not before our eyes connected and there was a crackle of awareness between us. My breasts started to ache and I fought the ridiculous urge to fan myself in this conditioned plane. The fuck is wrong with me? It truly perplexed me how he had this effect on me. No one has ever had this effect on me. The ability to bring out foreign emotions with just a look. I wanted so badly to figure out a way to stop it, but I knew there wasn't a solution to my problem. Unless, maybe...nah, not going there. I had a feeling that one taste of Nico would just be the start of something I wouldn't be able to stop, and I couldn't indulge if I wanted to let go of this life for good. If I wanted a real shot at a normal life.