Nero (Made Men 1)

Nero and Vincent nodded.

“Let’s go.”

When Nero got to the wall, Elle and Chloe weren’t there, and he started to worry.

“Where the hell are they?” Elle said she would be right here.

“Uh, Nero?” Vincent said quietly.

“What?” Nero turned around to look at Vincent and saw him pointing through the glass. “Fuck!”

* * *

“Chloe, could you please drive faster?”

“No, I can’t, not when I don’t know what we’re running from,” Chloe ridiculed.

Elle tried to calm her voice. “I told you; I can’t tell you.”

“Well then, I can’t drive faster. I could get a speeding ticket.”

“Your dad is the mayor, for Christ’s sake; who the fuck cares!” Shit.

Elle saw Chloe’s face and immediately wanted to take it back. She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Chloe.”

Elle sank into the seat and just let Chloe drive the way she wanted to. It doesn’t matter; I’m dead anyway. Elle tried not to think about Nero, but it wasn’t working in the silent car. All the fucking lies.

Elle held her chest. She had fallen in love with Nero only for it all to be one big lie. She couldn’t help thinking about all the times they’d spent together. Yeah, like last night.

A tear rolled down her cheek. She had given Nero a part of her she could never get back. She thought what they had shared was real, but she didn’t even know who the real Nero was. The saddest part was it had been right in front of her face the whole time; she had simply been too blinded by love to see it.

Chloe passed Elle’s neighbors’ house, and that was when she saw a dark car in her driveway with Amo and Vincent on the hood.

Elle’s nerves started to return. She had to get Chloe safely away. She was a goner anyway.

“Chloe, listen to me. As soon as I get out of the car, I need you to drive off and go straight home. Do not go anywhere.”

“Elle—”

“This is not a joke. Do it!” Elle ordered her.

“O-okay.” Chloe stopped the car for Elle to get out.

Elle took a deep breath before she opened the door and jumped out. “Go!” She slammed the door.

When she heard Chloe drive off, Elle contemplated running; however, they had seen that and covered the distance.

Elle held her hands up. “Chloe doesn’t know anything. I never told her, I swear.”

Vincent took a deep breath. “Get in the car, Elle.”

Elle looked at the two people she’d thought were her friends. “Promise me you won’t hurt her.”

Vincent grabbed Elle’s arm and tugged her to the car. “Come on, sweetheart.”

* * *

Nero knocked on the door and a second later, Lucca answered. He came in to his father’s home office and took a seat right in front of him.

Dante leaned back in his chair. “Time’s up, son.”

Nero pulled the folded piece of paper out of his pocket and threw it onto his father’s desk. He watched his father read the paper and then lay it down. He could have sworn he was almost frowning.

“She saw us.”

She did. Nero nodded in agreement.

Dante looked up at his son. “Congratulations, son. You finished the job.”

“Well, I couldn’t have done it without Amo and Vincent.”

Dante gave a quick nod. “We’ll plan for the Omertà.”

Even though Nero hadn’t spoken his vows, he wasn’t going to let that stop him. “I want to get something straight first. We both know she isn’t going to talk, so you’re not going to kill her.” Nero shrugged. “If you do, then I’ll tell Maria and Leo you slit Elle’s throat. You’ll have no real fucking family left.” Nero’s eyes didn’t waiver after he’d said his peace.

Dante looked over at Lucca, who was standing in the corner.

Lucca walked over and took the paper off his father’s desk. “I like her.”

Nero watched his father’s mouth twist up into a smile.

“I think it’s time I met her.”

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Made Men

Elle tried to stop her body from shivering as she walked up to Nero’s house. Vincent and Amo had to push her along to even keep her feet moving. When the front door opened and she walked in, Nero appeared in the foyer. Elle turned her face away as if she had been lashed in the face. I was.

Nero sighed. “Follow me.”

“Why not just kill me here?” Elle whispered.

Nero walked up to her and reached out, but Elle jumped back. Don’t touch me.

Nero ran his hands through his hair. “Elle, no one is going to hurt you; I promise.”

Elle held up her hands. “Don’t.”

She had heard his deep voice make the commitment to her, making her body respond, believing he was telling the truth, but Elle knew better now. Her body would have to catch up later.

This time, Nero slowly reached out and pulled Elle along. He took her to two huge, wooden doors she had never been through before and turned the doorknob. She tried to keep the bile down in her stomach as he pushed open the door until a smoke-filled room greeted her.

Elle looked past the smoke to see an immaculate man with jet-black hair, wearing a full suit. Oh, shit!

For some reason, Elle had never thought she would be meeting him. Wait, why is he here?

Nero pulled her inside and shut the door. “Elle, this is my father—”

“The boss,” she whispered.

Dante smiled. “Nero, let me talk to her alone.”

Elle swallowed as Nero gave her a squeeze before he left.

Dante exhaled, blowing more smoke into the room. “Sit down, Elle.”

Elle’s body obeyed his command. When she sat down and looked at his cold, ice-blue eyes, she never understood how she hadn’t seen it before. They all sounded, looked, and acted alike. The only difference was, with age, they all got fucking scarier.

“There’s no need to be afraid; I’m not going to hurt you.”

Elle looked back up from her shaking hands. “You’re not?”

“No. My family has made it clear not to touch you.”

They have? Elle took a breath in an attempt to relax. It worked. Sorta.

“Nero gave me this.” Dante handed her a piece of paper.