Chapter 121
Lucky
“You’re doing what now?” I am sure I didn’t hear Nico the first time round. There is a moment’s silence as I wait for my husband-to-be to speak. The horse ride was wonderful, the air was brisk with clouds dotted in the sky, a perfect day for a horse ride with a breeze. Pure exhilaration even though I couldn’t open my horse up as much as I wanted to.
According to the guards, I had to stay at a steady space and having them ride with me was not exactly the same as just letting go for an hour. Still, it was fresh air.
“I am flying to New York, Lucky. I have business to attend to.”
I huff and throw myself on the plush, jade colored sofa covered in a rich, heavy Damask fabric that sits in the lounge. One of two matching facing opposite each other, with a low level, mahogany square table between them.
“I have only just got here to Atlanta safe, Nico may I remind you of that?” Why does it feel like since I was kidnapped by Yelena that I seem to be taking one step forward and two back with my relationship?
“I know and I am truly sorry, Princess. We have major problems on with a family in New York. If I do not go back, they will think I am a coward and too busy with my fiancée and not taking my business seriously.”
The butler comes in holding a tray on which is a pot of coffee, the cup on a saucer and a small plate of salad with salmon which I requested for lunch. “Is this all worth it, Nico? Only, it seems to me that since I got out you want to spend less and less time with me.”
“What? No way, of course it isn’t like that. More than anything I want to, I need to be with you. Lucky, you are my life. My gift. I want to be in Atlanta with you but if I don’t fly to New York to set the record straight there will be trouble. We stand to lose a lot of money; the Petrov’s will move in which is what they are trying to do already. Offering bribes to some of my people and stealing from us.”
I thank the butler who nods at me and even gives me a fraction of a smile. Wow, that is a first. I like it. Perhaps I can crack him after all. “I want to fly too in that case. Get me a ticket booked by your assistant and fly me to New York.”
I hear him grunting on the line. “Don’t do that, Nico. I am not going to sit around here and twiddle my thumbs looking beautiful whilst you tear around the country trying to put out fires. Let me help you.”
The Petrov family have always been kicking up shit, as far back as I can remember. My father had big problems with them until he brought the big guns in and that made them back off. To a degree only. The agreement was that they stuck to their patch and we stuck to ours. That the Gianluca business and the Petrov businesses would not be interfered with. Everyone was happy.
“What is his beef with you, Nico? I thought things were good and we all had our agreements with them?” I pour some coffee into the white Wedgwood cup and add a smidgen of creamer, no sugar.
“Firstly, you are not flying to New York, Lucky. I forbid it.”
“Whoa, hold on there. You can’t tell me what I can and can’t do, Nico. Yelena is dead so I am out of harm’s way. Nobody else would dare cross you, since they know a war would ensue. Who would be stupid enough?”
More silence. Guessing he is digesting my words and realizing that just because I am his fiancée, does not mean I am playing out a scene in Little Women.
He coughs. I know that cough, it’s not from some kind of bronchial issue. It’s his nervous cough. “Tell me what you are hiding, Nico.”
“Yelena isn’t dead,” he tells me tersely. The coffee goes down the wrong way almost choking me as I cough and splutter. “Are you okay? What’s going on? Lucky, talk to me.”
Once I can compose myself, I manage to speak. “Coffee went down the wrong way. What the hell do you mean Yelena is not dead? I saw the vehicle with her in it get blown up. Nico, I saw it with my own eyes.”
“She didn’t die. Aurora has had her flown to one of our private hospitals where she is being guarded and is chained to a hospital bed. Nobody can get to her and she isn’t going anywhere soon.”
I’m not liking this news. The woman deserved to die for what she put me through. My blood turns to ice, I can feel it cursing through my veins.
“You are going to kill her, aren’t you?”
“We will be speaking with her, right now she isn’t able to talk she has a lot of smoke damage and is in a coma. She will be held for questioning when she wakes. The team tell us that it is temporary and she should wake in the next few days.”
“What do you plan on doing with her, Nico once you have what you want from her?”
Again, I try with the coffee this time reminding myself not to gulp it back. But dammit I do love coffee.
“You don’t need to worry yourself about that, Princess. Yelena will be handled accordingly. Now, you are not flying to New York. Besides, your parents are flying in to visit you in Atlanta.”
I place the cup on the matching saucer and lean back against the sofa, taking in the magnificent views of the fountain outside through the tall windows. “They can come another time, I want to be with you, Nico.”
“Not happening, Princess. Be a good girl and do as I ask you, please. I don’t want to have to remind you what happened last time when you decided to take yourself out.”
No, he doesn’t. Look what happened with that. A total shit show. I let out a sigh, angry as I am, it would be awful to put my parents off from coming. Especially since my mother is excited to talk weddings.
“When you are my wife, Lucky you will be even more of a target. We have to be careful and watch our backs. Besides, if you come to New York, sweetheart, I won’t be around much. I have to meet with people, I need to be with Tony and Dario and we have to stop Petrov in his tracks.”
Time for me to acquiesce. Not something I am accustomed to but Nico does have a point.
Now is obviously not the right time to tell him, I want in on the business and to have something of my own.
However, in the meantime, my father is coming to visit me and I fully intend to speak to him.
Nobody keeps Lucky Gianluca out of the spotlight.