Nicco

Ch. 30: It's Him

NICCO

As I walk through the door to our suite, I see that Aria is no longer asleep. She is wide awake on the bed. Our gazes lock. Right away, I notice the cloud of distress shrouding her lovely features. Aria looks as though she has seen a ghost. I glance at her hand. It is shaking a little. My girl is gripping her phone like her very soul depends on it.

Concern overwhelms me when I demand, "Is everything alright?"

"No, not really." Troubled gray eyes seek mine. "I-I woke up, and you weren't here."

Her voice sounds small. Scared. Much like the time after we went to happy hour when she crawled onto my lap like a frightened child. It was the same night I brought her back to my apartment for the first time.

The unfiltered fear in her voice breaks me. I hurry over to the bed, wrapping my arms around Aria's waist. Anguish rages within. Carl thinks that I should keep my distance. My heart screams otherwise. Setting aside the noise in my head, I choose to pull Aria closer and bury my nose into her hair, breathing in her scent. Pear and gardenia. "I am sorry for disappearing with a word. I only stepped out for a minute."

Aria melts into me, hiding her face in my neck as she whispers against my skin, "Where did you go?"

"I was in the lobby with Carl."

"Carl? From your security team?"

"Sì," I answer. "As you requested, he brought over some equipment to scan our suite. RF signal detectors."

Aria's body tenses against mine. "Oh, thank God he came! I can't believe I slept through it all. You should've woken me up."

I cannot help but wince. "I did not have the heart to disturb you. You looked so out of it."

"That's sweet of you," she mumbles. "Seriously, though. I'm really glad that Carl came by. At this point, we can't be too cautious. Did he find anything?"

My gaze thins. An unwelcome wave of suspicion surges up.

Is Aria playing dumb to figure out how much I know?

Or is she truly clueless about her locket?

Fuck.

I need to stop. I hate second-guessing Aria's every word and every move. I swat away my doubts when I answer, "Unfortunately, Carl did find something."

Her expression freezes. "Oh, no. What did he find?"

"A tracking device."

Aria gasps, "Where?"

"On my phone," I lie.

A throb of guilt catches in my throat, but, for the life of me, I cannot bring myself to share the full story. The truth is left unsaid. I reveal nothing about the device in her locket. Or the fact that I am now investigating her father's involvement in this matter. My reasoning is born from a conflicting need to protect myself and the need to protect my girl. There is simply no reason to alarm Aria without any evidence. Aria's relationship with her father already seems plenty strained without this fucked-up cherry on top. I refuse to stress her out more unless Carl finds something of significance.

Deep down, though, I remain troubled. Carl's warning comes back to taunt me: I suggest that you keep your guard up around your assistant from now on.

Part of me worries that I may have fallen too hard and too fast. The men in mia famiglia seem to be cursed in this way. Maybe it is time to exercise a bit more caution. Surely, there is no harm in holding my cards a bit closer to my chest. I simply want to observe Aria for a few more days to see how this shit plays out. Reluctance claws at me, though. I know I am not being fair to her. Aria is nothing like the parasites from my past who wished to suck me dry.