Dead By Sundown

Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Piano

Chapter thirty-seven

  The trip to Chicago was planned by the time Nadia had made her way out of Lorenzo's room and, by the next morning, a flight was boarded, meetings with important members of the family had been set, and a vague plan of action had formed.

  Dominic Gambino's main territory was Chicago, with the exception of a few warehouses and factories that were overseen by Lorenzo, so the meetings they set up with him would act as cover whilst routine checks of the factories and warehouses were carried out.

  Tension was high amongst Lorenzo's men. The emergency meeting Leo called confirmed the anxiety wasn't only felt by Nadia. Giovani paced the entire time Lorenzo spoke of his plans in Chicago, unsettling the entire room.

A handful of the men had been selected to accompany Lorenzo, Nico, Giovani and Nadia to assist in overseeing the meetings and factory visits, whilst Piero would be staying behind in New York to keep things running smoothly there. Nadia was slightly saddened that he wouldn't be joining them, knowing Piero would be far better company on the flight than Giovani, but she knew that bringing him would raise too much suspicion. Why would they bring the weapons master to a routine check?

   With Nadia still recovering, it was decided between them that she wouldn't attend the initial day of meetings to give her a chance to rest when they landed. Plus, it ensured Leo could control who knew of her movements, leaving her arrival in Chicago to be a surprise, potentially catching Ivan off guard. It was a tiny detail, but it may have given them the smallest edge on the Russians, and any edge they could get was welcomed.

  Nadia paid little attention to what the men were doing when they landed, taking her key from Leo and making her way straight into her room to finally sleep after two days straight. Lorenzo had ensured the previous night that she didn't have a major concussion by waking her every few hours to check on her. Although she appreciated it, all she wanted was to get a full nights sleep. Her head had hardly grazed the silken pillows before she was out cold.

  Warm light spilt across crumpled white sheets and bare skin, the setting sun casting its golden glow from the large window beside Nadia's bed. She stirred, grumbling as her body decided it was finally time to wake up, aches and pains running up and down her body, her thigh-burning slightly, head throbbing. Practically a whole day had come and gone with her asleep, trying to rest and recover.

  Tenderly, she rose out from under the cosy bedsheet, ready to find some food and pain killers, scowling as she cautiously tested how much weight she could put on her injured leg. Her bare feet padded softly across the room, sinking into the plush grey carpet as she made her way out, stealing on one of Leo's jumpers from the trunk beside the bedroom door and throwing it on as she went. She couldn't help herself, the faint smell of his cologne clung to the fabric and instantly put her at ease. It wasn't something she was proud to admit and, if asked, she would deny it till her face was blue, claim it was simply the first thing she found, but she needed a piece of him near her.

  Silence greeted her as she ventured further out of her room, no sounds of life coming from anywhere. Leo had left not long after their arrival, staying just long enough to dump his bags before dashing back out to make it to his first meeting. Giovani and Nico, who were staying in the suite opposite, had most likely joined him, leaving Nadia to entertain herself for the time being.

  Just her, the way she was so used to life being but, for some reason, it now felt wrong.

  Nadia found a gun and pack of aspirin left on the coffee table in the living room, a note tacked to the weapon, the only evidence that someone other than herself occupied the space, and chuckled to herself at the sight.