Villain of Secrets

by L A Cotton

  “Love changes people,” my mom whispered.

  My eyes slid to hers, and a weak smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.

  Oh, Mama, you don’t know the half of it.

  I didn’t hang around at the cottage. After eating my mom’s famous risotto with my parents, Maurice gave me a ride back to University Hill.

  “I’ll do a quick sweep,” he said, producing his key.

  “You still have that?” My brow lifted, and he chuckled.

  “I’ll just be a second.” Hand secured on his gun holster, he slipped inside.

  I wasn’t even a little bit worried.

  The bad guys were gone, and everything was fine. But as I waited for Maurice to do his thing, a shudder ran down my spine as the memories tried to push themselves to the surface.

  Less than two months ago, I’d been kidnapped and used as bait to lure Nicco and Arianne to their bloody end. Nicco had been shot, and my best friend had stabbed Scott Fascini, the guy working with his father to bring down the Marchetti with a knife until the life drained from his eyes.

  He was gone, and his father was locked away with no chance of parole for a long time.

  Nicco and Ari were safe.

  I was safe.

  Everything was—

  “All clear.” Maurice yanked the door open and I went inside.

  We’d barely had time to make ourselves at home here before Arianne and Nicco got engaged. Swallowing the pinch of loneliness, I walked over to the window and pulled the blinds, letting the winter sun pour into the room.

  “You don’t have to stay,” I said to Maurice when I noticed him hovering.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Marchetti—”

  “Asked you to stick around?” The words caught over the lump in my throat.

  “They thought you might like the company.” He gave me a stiff nod.

  “Maurice, I’m fine.”

  Fine.

  The word was cotton in my mouth.

  I needed to do this—I needed to be here alone, without Maurice standing watch.

  “Miss Ab—”

  “Maurice,” I snapped. “I said I’ve got this.”

  His expression softened. “Very well, Miss—”

  “And for the love of God, stop calling me Miss Abato. I’m Nora, just Nora.”

  “Very well, Nora.” His mouth quirked. “I’ll be right outside.”

  “That wasn’t what I… yeah, okay.”

  I knew Maurice wasn’t going to defy Nicco’s orders, so he could stand guard outside for all he liked, and I could go on pretending my life was normal.

  I set to unpacking my case. Mom had insisted on doing all my laundry, so all I had to do was hang things back in my closet. Halfway into it, a knock at the door startled me. My brows furrowed wondering what Maurice could possibly want already.

  Stomping to the door, I pulled it open. “Yes—you’re not Maurice.”

  “No, I’m Luca.” The guy smiled, and I swear my knees went a little weak. He was handsome. Tall with thick dark hair that fell over his eyes a little. Hazel eyes sparkled with humor as he took me in.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I snapped, feeling my anger levels rise as he blatantly ogled my chest.

  “Uh, your shirt.” His gaze lifted to mine.

  “My shirt?” I balked.

  “Yeah, I like it…”

  I looked down, my cheeks burning when I realized I was wearing my boo bees t-shirt.

  “Oh my God,” I breathed, clapping a hand over my mouth. “I didn’t… I wasn’t expecting visitors.” And humorous shirts were my favorite thing, I had an entire collection.

  “Relax, I dig it.”

  “I… really don’t know what to say to that.” I forced a smile, slightly mortified that he’d caught me wearing my little ghost-bee motif t-shirt. “What can I do for you, Luca?”

  “I just moved in across the hall, and it would seem I forgot all the important things like coffee, cream, and sugar.”

  “There’s a coffee shop right along the street.” My brow lifted, and he chuckled.

  “Okay, you got me. I’m just trying to introduce myself to the neighbors and asking for some coffee sounds way better than being all creepy.”

  “Are you… a creep?” A smile played on my lips.

  “Depends on your definition, I guess.”

  Our mutual laughter filled the space between us. “Well, since you’re here, do you want to come in for coffee?”

  “Yeah?” His whole face lit up. “That would be great… I mean, in a totally non-creepy way.”

  I glanced down the hall and noticed Maurice trying to make himself inconspicuous. He caught my eye and shook his head.

  “Relax, Maurice,” I called. “Luca is my new neighbor. I’m sure you know all about him.” Nicco’s team probably ran background checks on everyone living in the building since Arianne spent time over here.

  “Uh, do I need to be worried about the fact you have armed security standing out in the hall?” Luca’s brows crinkled as he followed me into the kitchen.

  “Who, Maurice? He’s nobody. How do you take your coffee?”

  “Extra cream, one sugar please.”

  I switched on the coffee machine, suddenly feeling out of my depth. Here I was, dressed in my lounge pants and my oversized boo bees t-shirt, with a hot guy waiting for me to make coffee.

  It wasn’t exactly the New Year’s Day I’d imagined.

  “So Luca from across the hall, what’s your story?” I asked as I poured us both a mug of coffee, adding sugar to his and creamer to mine.

  “I just moved from Pawtucket. I work for a marketing company and they had a promotion opportunity… and here I am.” He pushed his hair out of his eyes, smiling. “What about you?”

  “Well, I didn’t just move, as you can tell.” I glanced around the apartment. “Born and raised in Verona County. I’m a freshman at Montague University.”

  “A freshman, wow, I thought you were older. Now, I do feel all kinds of creeper for being here.”

  “How old are you?”

  “Twenty-three. I graduated a year ago.”

  “So old.” I rolled my eyes. “Well, you picked a good neighborhood. It’s a busy student area so there are plenty of bars and restaurants and good takeout. There’s a gym downstairs too, if that’s your thing.”

  From his muscular biceps I assumed it was.

  “I work out occasionally, but I prefer to run.”

  “There’s a park one block over that’s popular with the jogging crowd.”

  “Sounds good.” He sipped his coffee.

  “So didn’t anyone else on the floor answer? Or have you been drinking coffee, making small talk with the neighbors all morning?”

  “Yours is the first door I tried.”

  “I see. Well lucky for you I was feeling neighborly then.”

  “Indeed.” His eyes glided down to my chest again, and heat flashed through me.

  “Maybe I should change my t-shirt,” I suggested with a playful lilt.

  “It’s very… eye-catching.” He chuckled.

  “Men,” I mumbled to myself as I drained the rest of my coffee and rinsed the mug under the faucet.

  “Strange time to move, on New Year’s?”

  He shrugged. “As good a time as any. Besides, I’m not a fan.”

  “You’re not a fan of New Year’s?”

  “Bad break up a couple of years ago. Kind of ruined it for me.”

  “Say no more.” My stomach knotted thinking of a certain blue-eyed mafioso who had been avoiding me ever since I’d found him in bed with a busty blonde.

  Of course, the first guy I set my sights on after arriving at MU had to be broody and dark and a total asshole.

  Enzo Marchetti was as ruthless as he was cold. And now he was my best friend’s family. Talk about a stroke of bad luck.

  “Nora?” Luca’s voice yanked me from memories I’d rather forget.

  “Sorry, you were saying?”

>   “Actually,” he stood, “I should be heading out. But thanks for the coffee. It was nice meeting you.”

  “Oh, okay.” His departure seemed a little abrupt, but I wasn’t about to beg him to stay. He was a stranger, and I wasn’t desperate.

  “I’ll see myself out,” Luca added. “Maybe I can repay the favor soon?”

  “Sure.” I smiled. Why did things feel awkward all of a sudden?

  Luca gave me a small nod and headed for the door. When he reached it, he glanced back. “It really was nice to meet you, Nora. Shirt and all.” He smirked.

  Then he ducked into the hall and was gone.

  “He just invited himself into your apartment?” Arianne shrieked down the line.

  “Babe, relax. Maurice was right down the hall. Besides, I thought everyone who moves into La Stella was vetted.”

  “They are,” I heard Nicco grumble in the background.

  “Not the point,” Ari hissed. “He was a total stranger and you let him into our—your home. Sorry.” Regret coated her voice.

  “Don’t be. I could have moved back into dorms, but I didn’t want to. Besides, it’s nice having my own space.” The lie rolled off my tongue. “And now I have a new friend who lives across the hall.”

  “You met him once,” she pointed out.

  “And he offered to repay the favor next time.” I chuckled, but she didn’t join me. “Ari,” I added, “I’m going to be okay, you know?”

  So she was married now. It wasn’t like I didn’t have other friends, and we’d still hang out. Nicco would have mafia business to take care of, and me and Ari would have girl’s time.

  Things wouldn’t change that much.

  “I know,” she finally said, breaking the beat of silence. “I really miss you, Nor. I want you to know that.”

  “But you’re happy, right?”

  She hesitated and then let out a dreamy sigh. “I am, I really, really am.”

  “Well, that’s all that matters, babe. Friendship doesn’t die just because you went and got yourself a husband.” My laughter almost sounded convincing. “When do you get back?”

  “Tomorrow. Nicco has to go see his father so I was thinking we could have girl’s night at our apartment.”

  “Sounds good. Just let me know what time.”

  “I will. I should probably go. Nicco is taking me on a private river cruise to Ellis Island.”

  “Have fun. I’ll speak to you tomorrow.”

  “And Nora?”

  “Yeah, babe?”

  “No more inviting strange guys into the apartment.”

  “Yes, Mom,” I hung up, smiling.

  But it quickly fell when I realized this was my reality now. Arianne was gone. She had a new life, a husband, and a whole new family.

  And what did I have?

  I had a t-shirt with boo bees on it.

  Chapter 3

  Enzo

  “Ari,” I said thinly as she opened the door to her and Nicco’s place in Romany Square.

  “Hello, Enzo.” She smiled and dammit if it didn’t soften something inside me. This petite, shy girl had stood up for the Family, she’d stood up for Nicco… I would never forget that. If it ever came to it, I would lay down my life for her. Because like it or not, she was family now, and despite my reservations about their marriage, family was everything to me.

  Every-fucking-thing.

  “Nic around?”

  “He’s just in the shower. We only got back an hour ago and we… uh… we were hungry.” She flushed from head to toe and I chuckled.

  “Hungry, is that what we’re calling it these days?”

  “Oh God,” she murmured, spinning on her heel and disappearing into their apartment.

  “This place is really starting to look like home,” I said, admiring the living room. It was a big open plan space with a state-of-the-art kitchen set in one corner. They had a huge sectional that was big enough to sleep on, but it was littered in pale pink girly throw cushions.

  My cousin was whipped good. It was warm and homey and felt like the kind of place you’d raise kids. Not that I knew anything about that; my childhood wasn’t exactly conventional.

  I stuffed down that shitshow and perched on one of the stools at the breakfast counter while Ari went to the refrigerator. She didn’t even ask if I wanted a beer, just grabbed one, uncapped it, and slid it across the marble to me.

  “Thanks,” I said. “So how was New York?”

  “Amazing.” Ari leaned back against the counter and let out a soft sigh. “I never wanted to leave.”

  “I hope you didn’t tell Nic that.” He wouldn’t ever leave Verona. Not even for his wife. He was bound to this place. It was his legacy, his responsibility. One day, he would be the boss and the Family would look to him for leadership.

  You didn’t just walk away from that.

  But Arianne knew that. She wouldn’t be standing here with his ring on her finger if she didn’t.

  “You don’t need to worry, Enzo, home will always be Verona.” Her soft laughter made me bristle.

  “That’s not—”

  “Hey.” Nicco appeared, towel-drying his hair. “Happy New Year, man.”

  “Yeah, you too.” I got up and we hugged. “Ari was just telling me she didn’t want to leave the Big Apple.”

  He snagged her around the waist and pulled her slender body into his. When I’d first met Arianne, she was this meek girl unsure of her own shadow, but even I couldn’t deny she had grown into her role as the Capizola heir… and now the Marchetti princess.

  Everyone loved her. Uncle Toni; Matteo; Nicco’s sister, Alessia. Ari slotted into our family as if she’d always been there.

  And honestly, I still didn’t really know how I felt about that.

  Nicco loved her, I got it. I did. But he was going to be the boss. Arianne made him weak. He’d almost gone to war for her once. I didn’t doubt he’d do it again.

  No pussy was worth that, worth losing yourself.

  “It was pretty fucking amazing.” He tucked her into his chest, resting his chin on the crook of her shoulder. “But we’d never up and leave your cranky ass.”

  “Have you been talking to Matt?”

  “What?” His brows furrowed.

  “Nothing,” I grumbled. They had a point. It wasn’t like I was all rainbows and unicorns lately. But what did they expect after everything I thought I knew was blown to shreds with five little words?

  Your father is a traitor.

  Even now, weeks later, it was still hard to believe that Vincenzo Marchetti had betrayed his family.

  The Family.

  He’d broken the most cardinal rule of all, and there was punishment for it.

  Death.

  I could still hear the echo of the pistol firing, the soft crunch of bone cracking and flesh squelching as the bullet implanted in his head.

  The bullet fired from my piece.

  I’d killed him. My own father. The only parent I’d ever known. The second he’d admitted murdering my aunt, I’d aimed for the kill shot and pulled the trigger.

  And I didn’t fucking miss.

  I didn’t regret it, not one fucking bit. You didn’t betray the Family and get away with it.

  But something like that, it changed you.

  “E?” Nicco said, and I jerked out of the memory of my father’s brain matter splattering all over the walls.

  “You good?” he added, his brow pinched with concern.

  “Yeah, nothing a little session at Uncle Mario’s gym won’t fix.”

  Arianne’s eyes widened. “Not fighting?”

  “I might get in the ring and burn off some steam.” I wasn’t a fighter, not like Nicco, but I wouldn’t turn down the chance to go a few rounds with one of Mario’s guys.

  “Nicco,” she whisper-hissed.

  “He’s a big boy, Bambolina. He can look after himself.”

  “Well, just so long as you don’t get in the ring.” She leveled him with a hard look.


  “I promise.”

  My brow lifted. That was news to me. I knew Arianne didn’t want Nicco fighting at L’Anello’s, the club where the underground fight ring happened every weekend, but it was a part of him. You couldn’t just switch off the blood thirst, the hunger. I knew that firsthand.

  Memories of what I’d done that night didn’t diminish over time, they only burrowed their way deeper, infecting my soul like poison.

  Just then, the buzzer rang. The way all the blood drained from Arianne’s face I knew without asking who it was.

  “Crap, she’s early.” Guilt glittered in her eyes. “Is this going to be a problem?”

  “Why the fuck would it be a problem?”

  It was Nicco’s turn to quirk a brow in my direction. Ari rolled her eyes and left us alone as she went to open the door.

  “What?” I snapped.

  “Nothing.” Nicco searched my face for answers I didn’t have.

  I felt her before I saw her.

  Nora Abato.

  The only girl I’d ever let see past my stone-cold exterior.

  And the one girl I couldn’t ever get close to again.

  “The view was amazing.” Ari and Nora chatted as they came into the room. “God, Nor, it was perfect.”

  “Nora.” Nicco welcomed her with open arms and they hugged. “It’s good to see you.”

  “I hear you treated my bestie like a Princess.”

  “Queen,” he corrected. “I treated her like a Queen.” His eyes found Arianne and the two of them shared a longing look.

  “Okay, okay, I know you’re newlyweds, but knock it off,” Nora let out a strangled laugh, “or I’ll need to take a cold shower.” Her eyes flicked to mine, but I immediately dropped my gaze, unwilling to acknowledge her.

  “Wow, nice to see you too,” she said thickly.

  “We’re going to head out,” Nicco filled the beat of awkward silence. “Luis and Alexi will be right outside. Order whatever you want, I left my card on the nightstand.” He cupped the back of Arianne’s head and pulled her in for a kiss.

  Nora’s big doe eyes drilled holes into the side of my face, but I didn’t look at her.