Scorned Love: An Enemies to Lovers Romance (Scorned Fate)
Scorned Love: Chapter 31

Relief and sadness and guilt. Emotions that intertwined so intricately, I didn’t know where one began and the other ended. I never thought I would be conflicted. I didn’t think I could have helped Edward. He was forty-five years old and he’d grown up with a father who fueled his mental illness. He had the means for therapy, but he didn’t choose to take it.

It had been a week since Edward kidnapped me. Five days since the Sinclairs announced Edward passed away. That he died of natural causes and the housekeeper found his body in his Hamptons residence. His funeral was quick and small. The media didn’t say more, only to respect the family’s wishes for privacy during a difficult time.

I couldn’t believe the crazy events took less than forty-eight hours from the time of Nico’s arrest to Edward getting me on the plane. Because of the delicate situation, only a few people were in the know about everything that transpired. Seven from our side.

Cesar, Nico, Matteo, Dom, Trevor, and I, plus Xander. Dom kept Xander on lockdown underground while the operation to rescue me was underway. Matteo kept Sera entertained so she wouldn’t look for me. It was probably a blessing they left for Chicago this morning to see Luca and Natalya and their new baby.

Daniel left for Hong Kong three days ago never knowing his sister had been kidnapped by a former lover and never knowing about my relationship with Edward.

“Did you see?” Xander broke through my thoughts and recent habit of staring into space. We were setting up a new workroom at the edge of Times Square. My cousin shoved his phone in front of me where The New York Times article caught my eye.

I read the headline on the screen. “Joseph Rossi murder suspect found dead.”

I closed my eyes briefly. The man was Max Banning. He was the man who had Nico’s build. He was Steel-Pipe man who attacked me at the loft. I didn’t know what happened to Pancho. But according to the article, the detectives found evidence in Max’s apartment and his laptop connecting him to the job he accepted in connection to my attack. The police were tight-lipped about the details because it was an ongoing investigation, but an inside source in the NYPD said Joe Rossi had a dispute with Max’s boss who had links to transcontinental crime groups and ordered the hit on Rossi.

Whether this was Gordon Sinclair controlling the story to protect his son, I didn’t care anymore.

I didn’t know if Trevor leaked information to the police that led them to Max Banning. What I knew was information gleaned illegally from Edward’s laptop would be inadmissible in court, so it was more like leaving breadcrumbs for the authorities to find the evidence themselves and close the case.

“Ivy?” Xander prodded. I’d been introspective these past few days trying to wrap my mind around what happened, that frequently, I forgot I was in the middle of a conversation with people.

I exhaled a ragged breath, not realizing I was close to tears. “Oh my God,” I whispered when it finally hit me. “I hope that means it’s over.”

The doors banged open. Katie and Carlos rushed in.

“You won’t believe what just showed up,” Carlos gushed.

“I don’t think I’m ready for more excitement or bad news.” And my legs confirmed my statement when I got up from the chair and I wobbled.

“What’s wrong with you?” Katie asked.

Xander showed her the headline.

“Oh,” Katie said. “You were worried? I thought Nico was in the clear?”

“They hadn’t charged him, didn’t mean they wouldn’t if they had more evidence, but this…this proves that he’s innocent.” Katie and Carlos didn’t even seem to be listening to me, so I switched the topic that put the excitement on their faces. “Judging from the looks on your faces, it’s good news?”

“Is it ever!” Katie looked giddy.

They dragged me to the first floor and into the back alley where the deliveries came in. “Why are we here?” We went through the exit and I got confused.

Two commercial trucks were parked in the narrow alley.

“What’s this? More equipment?”

The driver of the first truck stepped down. My mouth fell open.

One of the Scavo brothers. Al, the taller one with dark hair.

“Oh my God. Does that mean…” I skipped down the steps and ran to the rear of the first truck, which already had the back door lifted.

The stolen goods!

Arms wrapped around me from behind. I didn’t even have to turn around to know it was Nico or wonder where he came from. Just his smell and the contours of his chest were familiar. He said in my ear, “Surprise, princess.”

That was when I turned around. I smiled up at him. How much deeper could I fall in love with this man? “How?”

His gaze swept to Scavo, so I looked at him, too. Strange how he was standing beside Carlos and exchanging good-natured ribbing when a few months ago they were enemies.

“Joe conspired with Max Banning’s boss to steal the goods and burn the warehouse,” Al told us.

Max Banning’s boss was really Edward, but okay if that was how the Rossi crime family wanted to spin it.

“We found where the crates were hidden,” Al continued. “Sandro wanted us to return it.”

“Is he boss now?” I asked.

Nico gave me a squeeze just as Al Scavo grinned and made a tsk sound. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.” He walked away. “When it’s unloaded, we’ll come back for the trucks. We had to switch schedules to prioritize that.”

“Hey, who’s going to help me?” Carlos protested.

Scavo waved but continued walking away with the driver of the other truck.

“I’ll get you help,” Katie offered.

With that settled, I returned my attention to my boyfriend. “Thank you.”

His mouth twitched. “I didn’t do anything. Merely facilitated.”

“Still.”

“Well then, I’ll claim a thank-you kiss.”

His mouth came down on mine, and oblivious to the others, we kissed. It felt like breaking the surface and sucking in oxygen after getting thrown into an ocean full of lies and deceit. After the week of gloom and doom, a light broke through the clouds.

“Of course I’m coming home,” Bianca gushed over the phone. “I was so excited when Xander told me they returned the collection and the bolts of fabric.”

“Sera said she and Matteo will be back by then, too.” I picked up a cookie from the baking sheet and took a seat behind the counter in the kitchen.

“I heard Luca is in the doghouse,” Bianca shared.

I sniggered. I couldn’t imagine Luca Moretti in the doghouse. I’d met Sera’s uncle a few times and he had a presence that would leave no doubt he was a boss. I didn’t know the exact details of what happened, but apparently Luca had fucked up big-time.

“We need to have a rematch of the cheater’s edition,” Bianca announced. My phone was on speaker and Nico took that moment to walk into the kitchen.

“Game on, Smurfette.” He kissed the side of my head.

“Can I have a glass of milk, please? I forgot.”

“Sure, baby.”

“Should I bring more of Mom’s cookies?” Bianca asked.

“Is that even a question? I’m eating the last two. Well, Nico and I are.”

Bianca and I discussed a few more details of the get-together for the weekend before I ended the call.

“It’ll be nice to have Bianca home. Xander and I miss her.”

Nico grunted his response and handed me the warm milk while taking his seat beside me and stealing a bite of my cookie.

“Hey, yours is right there.” I pointed to the still warm disc of sugar on the tray.

“I’m collecting tax,” he muttered and kissed my mouth.

We exchanged sweet chocolate-chip-cookie kisses for a while.

When we broke apart, he tipped his chin to the milk and ordered, “Drink up, it’s going to get cold.”

“I’ll just warm it up again.”

He grunted.

“What’s with all the grunts?” It was understandable that Nico was broody this week, what with everything that had happened. After his promise of having words with me for going to Edward, we ended up not talking about it at all. He probably thought I’d been traumatized enough, and he didn’t want me to relive it. I hoped he knew I was also stronger, and I was able to put into perspective how everything had to play out.

“Nothing,” he mumbled and walked out of the kitchen.

“What the hell?”

Okay, maybe he was the one who needed space. Maybe this whole Joe Rossi thing was still getting to him. Maybe we were handling our past bully issues differently. Was he frustrated because he didn’t get closure with Joe Rossi himself? What did he want to do? Shoot the man himself? I dunked my cookie into the warm milk and dutifully consumed my pre-bedtime snack. But it did nothing to calm me down. I wasn’t more relaxed. This thing with Nico bothered me.

And then all the information in my brain started processing.

The night before Nico’s arrest, I had milk and cookies. I could barely keep my eyes open, brush my teeth, much less climb into bed. I slept like the dead. I attributed it to all the stress of fashion week followed by the fire and my body just gave out.

Oh my God!

A strange sensation passed through my body, causing goose bumps to appear, and the hair on my neck prickled. I stared at the crumbs on the plate and the opaque film of milk left in the empty glass.

Then I got up from my seat and went in search of my boyfriend.

I found him on the balcony, staring into the night.

His head angled to the side. He knew I was behind him.

“Did you kill Joe Rossi?”