“Remo went to Outfit territory and kidnapped Dante’s niece. She was supposed to marry an underboss yesterday, but Remo and Fabiano caught her on the way to church and brought her here.”
I shook my head, unable to believe what he was saying—and even worse: how he explained it as if telling me about the weather. “What did Remo do to her?” I began shaking, wondering if he’d submitted her to the same horrors I’d gone through. I’d come to like Remo for what he’d done for Nino and his brothers, but for this I wouldn’t be able to forgive him—ever.
Nino held my wrist again, tighter. “Nothing. Now come.”
“Nothing?” I said incredulously, digging my heels into the floor. “It didn’t look like nothing. Why was she naked?”
“I don’t know everything yet. Savio mentioned that Remo stopped one of our soldiers from assaulting her and now she’s here. That’s it.”
“That’s it?” I snapped. “So he didn’t … he didn’t … rape her?” The word felt like thousands of cockroaches crawling over my back and I shuddered.
“No,” Nino said. “That’s not part of Remo’s plan.”
“Are you sure?”
Nino hesitated a heartbeat and that was too much. I tried to storm past him but he grabbed my arm. “Don’t. Let me handle this.”
“Let me go.”
Nino shook his head and pulled me toward our bedroom again, ignoring my protests. I had no choice but to follow. The second we were inside, he stepped in front of the door, barring my way. It was the first time he had used his strength against me, and it made me unreasonably angry.
“Stay here until I’ve talked to Remo.”
“I won’t let Remo hurt a woman like I have been hurt,” I whispered harshly.
“He won’t,” Nino said simply, trying to touch my cheek, but I took a step back.
“You knew about his plan all along, didn’t you?”
“Yes, I did. The kidnapping is meant to bring us Scuderi in exchange for Serafina.”
I blinked back tears. “Serafina? You killed Durant because of what he did, but you allow your brother to kidnap an innocent woman?” My voice broke, but I didn’t let the memories of the past resurface; I was stronger than that.
Nino cupped my cheeks. Always so gentle when he handled me; it was at odds with the things he did to others. “Kiara, it’s not the same. I know Remo. Don’t compare Serafina’s fate to what happened to you. Trust me.”
I searched his eyes, beckoning and soft. I wanted to trust him and I did, but I wasn’t sure if I could trust Remo, not around a defenseless woman. Too much was broken inside him. “Okay,” I said quietly. “Talk to Remo and tell me exactly what he said. I need to know. No more secrets, please.”
Nino kissed me. “I’ll head downstairs and have a word with him.”
I nodded as he stepped back and left the room. The lock clicked and my eyes grew wide, realizing what he’d done. I couldn’t believe he locked me in. Storming toward the door, I rattled the handle, but it didn’t budge.
I paced the room, my thoughts whirring. Nino had kept Remo’s plan from me to protect me, but also because he knew I would have tried to talk them out of it. I knew Nino and Remo had few morals, but Nino had to realize that what they were doing was wrong.
I wasn’t sure how much time passed, but I was getting more and more agitated. When the lock finally turned and the door opened, I was close to exploding.
“Why did you lock me in?”
Nino seemed as if my anger startled him. “I knew you were upset, and I didn’t want you to go into a confrontation with Remo like that.”
I turned around, still angry but also touched, because Nino was trying to protect me, care for me in his own way. I felt him behind me before he touched my shoulders. I said, “Don’t lock me in again. I don’t like it—it makes me feel powerless and trapped.”
Nino’s fingers tightened. He leaned down and kissed the crook of my neck. “I won’t.” He paused, choosing his words carefully, which in turn raised my worries again. “Do you have a few clothes and a white nightgown for Serafina?”
I raised my eyebrows. “Why the white nightgown?”
“Kiara,” Nino’s voice was strained, carrying the unvoiced please with it. His eyes begged me to trust him.
Trust. I went over to my closet and took my silver nightgown out of a drawer. “I’ve got this.”
Nino nodded and took it from me. “That should do.”
I gathered a few floor-length dresses, shirts and shorts, and then hesitated in front of my underwear drawer. It was kind of icky to wear someone else’s underwear, but I assumed Serafina preferred it to not wearing any at all.
Nino took everything from me. “Promise me to stay in this room and I won’t lock it. I’ll make sure the girl is safe, all right?”