Nico (The Rossi Mafia)

Chapter 21 - Kennedy

"What does it mean, Nico? What's happening?" I asked, with tears brimming in my eyes. Nico caught my hand and grabbed my bag and started to lead me away.

I followed him. We didn't take the elevator this time, and instead rushed down the stairs. I was still choking up, but grateful for his presence. As long as Nico was here, nothing would happen to me or the baby, I thought.

What was happening?

I'd ignored Nico's pleas for so long, because I just thought he was overreacting. I assumed he was just being an overly protective father. That he was tired of his life in Seattle and wanted to move and start afresh. I'd never expected this. I didn't think our lives were in any real danger! Even Ava had stopped warning me about the Rossi family by now.

We burst out of the office building and ran to where he'd parked the car. Once we were sitting inside, Nico looked at me. He still had that anger bubbling inside him.

"Are you okay?" he asked and I nodded my head.

"I'm fine now. I was just in shock I think. I thought I was being watched," I said.

Nico punched the dashboard with his fist and startled me. I gasped and clutched my throat in shock. I wasn't expecting him to do that. I'd never seen him take out his anger like that before.

"Sorry, Kennedy, I didn't mean to scare you. I'm just..." he said and let out a growl of frustration.

I placed a hand on his shoulder and he looked at me. Nico's eyes were bloodshot. He looked like a man who was capable of anything. Was he carrying a gun? He could be armed. Why hadn't I thought of that before? Why hadn't I tried to get to know that part of his life?

All these months that we'd spent together...that we'd lived together, and I'd ignored his other life. It should have been my duty, a part of my responsibility to share his burden. Instead, I'd continued living blissfully unaware of all the things he was involved in. I didn't know he was going through this alone.

"Nico, please tell me, I want to know now," I said.

He fixed his gaze on me, clenching his jaws tightly.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Someone threatened my baby. I need to know!" I snapped.

"My father...our family. The Rossi family, has pissed off a lot of people," he said.

I crossed my brows and shook my head.

"Pissed off? Doing what?"

"It's not just a simple construction business that we're involved in, Kennedy. We launder money and practice extortion of cash. That's how the Rossi family's made all its money and gained its power. My father is somewhat of a criminal mastermind," Nico was speaking, but his voice sounded like a buzz in my ears.

"Extortion? In a violent way?" I asked.

Nico simply stared at me, he didn't reply. But that was all the answer that I needed from him. I looked away and out of the car window.

"People want revenge," I said.

I felt his hand on my knee.

"I've been trying to change my father's mind. I want the business to go legit and stop all the vengeance and the bloodshed. But he is not the kind of man who considers other people's opinions," Nico continued.

I looked at him with my nostrils flared. I hated this man already. I hated Nico's father even though I'd never met him.

"He's power drunk," I said and Nico nodded his head.

"We've been receiving threats like these for several months now. They've already killed a few of our associates. I know they're going to come after us hard, it's only a matter of time. I was trying to keep you a secret, keep our baby away from all this. I figured that if they didn't know I was going to be a father, they wouldn't be able to hurt me that way," Nico explained.

His words were like poison to my ears. All this time, even though I knew that the Rossi family didn't deal in a clean simple business, I'd refused to think about what exactly it was they were involved in. I believed that Nico would keep us safe. Ava had said it herself; Nico was a reasonable man.

Now I knew that it was out of his hands. His father had already decided his fate for him.

"Kennedy, I'm sorry. This was why I didn't want to start anything serious with you. I was afraid for your safety," Nico said and I caught his hands in mine.

"I'm ready to leave Seattle. I'm ready to go whenever you are," I said.

Nico gulped as he stared at me and then nodded hishead. I could see that he was relieved.