A Dangerous Gift

Chapter 23

"Are you joking right now?" Dahlia snaps, dropping the man's limp body and standing. "You made me feel bad this entire time for omitting the truth about my family, when you've been lying to me this entire time."

Keeping my eyes on Nico, I spoke calmly. "I never lied to you Dahlia, I told you all about my family. I even told you that my cousin is a criminal and that we didn't talk much."

"You never said how big of a criminal," she was still looking between the two of us again.

"Ladies, you can argue about this another time," Nico stated, interrupting our conversation.  Holding out his hand he gestured to me. "Milagro, let's go."

"No." Folding my arms across my chest I started towards the only door in the hall. "Where is Ryder? Is he in there?"

"What do you mean no? I have been looking for you for months. Then I mysteriously got a call from you a couple of months ago, an international call at that." Nico follows me into the room where I see Ryder sitting in the middle of the room with bruises all over his face. "Next thing I know you show up on tv with this clown."

Kneeling down next to Ryder I examined his face. "Are you okay?"

"Nothing I haven't endured before." His face was stoic as he watched Nico.

Running my hands down his face and his arms, I noticed his hand was a little mangled. "Nico what did you do to his hand?"

"I just dislocated a few fingers. Nothing that can't be easily fixed. Now let's go, the car is waiting."

"Nico, I am not going anywhere with you. You have to let them go."

"Why? So he can have leverage over me when it comes to negotiations." He was now in my face and he was pissed off. When gets like this there seems to be no reasoning with him. "How stupid do you think I am. I know he's Lorenzo Bandini, the timing adds up. I was supposed to meet him in New York six months ago at a bar and he doesn't show. Then I'm supposed to meet him in Italy a few months ago, not his lackey, and he cancels. Then you're missing and the two of you are in Italy together. I am not fucking stupid, Milagro. We are leaving and that's final."

Scoffing, I stood up and folded my arms across my chest. "I'm not going anywhere with you, Nico. Last time I checked we're adults and you can't boss me around. Besides, everything is not about you. Maybe things happen coincidentally. Like the fact that I am pregnant by the man that you were supposed to go into business with. You conceited jerk."

"I don't believe in coincidences. I believe in strategic planning. Like that little roommate of yours. You can't tell me that she didn't know who I was."

"Actually, I didn't know who you were at all," Dahlia stated calmly while holding a gun to my cousin's head. Where did she even get that damn thing? "You two being related was an even bigger shock to me than finding out she got knocked up by my brother. Now let him go."

Nico laughed darkly. He didn't even seem to be afraid of the gun mere inches from his head. "I don't know who told you people this was a negotiation, but it is not."

"Great, then I can blow your brains out and we will just walk out of here," Dahlia's voice came out syrupy sweet, as she pointed a gun at Nicky's head.

It was a little frightening.

"This is getting ridiculous, you guys. No one is blowing anyone's brains out." I tried getting Dahlia to lower the gun. "No one is plotting against you Nico, and no one has kidnapped me. Well now they haven't," Nico gave me a look and I had to backtrack fast. "It's a long story, but I am safe, and not kidnapped.

"If you say so," Nico spoke calmly, turning towards Dahlia so now that the gun was in front of his face, instead of the side. Furrowing her eyebrows in confusion Dahlia pushed the gun firmly against his head.