Take the Money and Come

Chapter 11: Deadly Secrets

Chapter 11: Deadly SecretsThe bedroom door opened without a sound, the intruder a near expert at moving about stealthily. But, he didn't know about the floorboard Nico had messed with ages ago to make sure unwelcome guests made their presence known. As he stepped across the threshold, the floor gave him away, Nico coming awake instantly, on his feet before the visitor could take another step.

“f**k, Nico! Where the hell did you find this one?” his brother spoke, his eyes fixed on the slender, long-legged redhead asleep naked on Nico's bed. “She's so f*****g hot! You mind if I give her a go when you're done with her?”

“Get the hell out of here, Lorenzo. Right now!” Nico whispered menacingly, reaching for a blanket to drape over Sarah's body.

“Hey, don't get all worked up,” Lorenzo laughed quietly. “If I was in your position, I'd definitely be saving my energy for better things. Damn, she's hot!” He stole one last look and then returned to the living room, likely realizing he was already pushing Nico too far.

Nico slid his pants on quickly, zipping up his fly as he hurried out of the room before their noise could disturb Sarah.

“What was that?!?” Lorenzo exclaimed as Nico pulled the bedroom door behind him. “I don't remember you ever giving a s**t about a woman like that. Since when did you care if I checked out some hot piece of ass you had? Though, I've gotta hand it to you; you outdid them all with this one.”

“What are you doing here?” Nico asked, ignoring his brother's questions.

Sarah awoke slowly, hearing the muffled sounds of male voices. She stretched languidly, listening without opening her eyes. The afterglow of s*x still clung to her and she wanted to hold onto it a little longer. The voices were speaking quietly and she strained to try to make out a single word of the conversation. Reluctantly opening her eyes, she followed the direction the noise was coming from, leaning forward toward the door left slightly ajar. She wasn't generally nosy, but it was an odd sensation to wake up in someone else's bed to the sound of unfamiliar voices. She'd already recognize Nico's voice anywhere, but the other voice was entirely foreign to her. Wrapping a blanket around her body, she slid out of the king-size bed, heading toward the door. She reached the door apparently unnoticed, evident by the hushed conversation continuing undisturbed in the living room. She would have peered outside the door right then, making her presence known. But what she heard from there behind the door stopped Sarah in her tracks.

“You really didn't rough the guy up much today, Nico. He's going to talk again, you know it, right? Hell, he probably would've anyway. You know we're going to have to take care of that,” the strange voice spat out the words, disdain in his hushed tone.

“Yeah,” Nico sighed resignedly. “But, don't you ever get tired of it? That guy, he chose this life, and maybe he deserves what he's got coming. But you and me, we didn't have a choice. I'd give it all up, you know? I'd trade life as a captain—soon an underboss—and all the fortune that comes with it...”

“Rough the guy up? Capo? Underboss?” Sarah mouthed silently, her face aghast in horror. Weren't those terms the mob used? And pretty high up the food chain terms? She'd only really read about them in newspapers and seen them in movies...but it suddenly made sense; the money, the inopportune calls, the FBI agents.

All she wanted to do was get out of there. This wasn't supposed to have been complicated, and it definitely wasn't supposed to be illegal or deadly! She'd warned Callie relationships were a bad idea, that's why she'd sworn them off. But then, Callie had only tried to get her laid. It was Sarah who had been stupid enough to spend day after day with Nico, falling for the incredible man she thought he was—definitely topping her chart of bad relationship reveals. A gambler, a cheater and a deadbeat weren't enough...she had to add a captain in the mob to her list?

She stepped back from the door, not wanting to hear more. She didn't want to know what else Nico had been doing these past weeks during the hours they weren't together. But as she moved, the floor beneath her foot creaked and the conversation in the living room fell silent. Footsteps started in her direction and her eyes darted around the room, looking for any possible means of escape. There was none. The door swung open and she was suddenly face to face with Nico and another man who looked similar but a few years younger.

“Sarah...” Nico whispered, searching Sarah's gaze to find out exactly how much she had overheard.

He knew instantly; she was looking at him in the same way he looked at himself in the mirror sometimes, only worse; there was genuine hurt mingled in her shocked expression. He was no longer an ordinary, decent guy to her—he was the monster. He was a million times worse than the other scumbags who had hurt her in the past.

Nico was an expert at getting himself out of bad situations, but he couldn't bring himself to do it; he couldn't be the deceitful smooth-talker this time. He wouldn't. He'd at least give Sarah that much.

“I take it she didn't know?” Lorenzo queried.

Nico didn't speak, he just shook his head, his eyes never leaving Sarah's.

“What are we going to do about her?” Lorenzo asked, that same pained tone in his voice, but his expression was resigned. “If she starts talking...” his brother trailed off, the insinuation clear.

He knew what Lorenzo was thinking. Hell, if the roles had been reversed, it would have been instinct, honed over years of unspeakable evils, to be thinking the same thing. This was never supposed to happen. Sarah should have been long gone by now. But he'd been selfish and now someone was going to pay for his self indulgence. He knew Lorenzo couldn't be convinced that Sarah would keep quiet. He either took care of his brother right then and there, or he watched as...Nico couldn't even think it.

His hand moved to his waist where he'd holstered his gun when he'd thrown on his jeans. Of all the atrocious crimes in his past, this was the most difficult thing he'd ever had to do.