NICCO POVI frowned at the spreadsheet that Hope had opened for me and ignored the little bit of turbulence that was going on outside the plane. I looked over at her, barely registering that her hands were clenched and her knuckles were white. I reached over and absently patted her.“The turbulence is normal,” I told her. She nodded. “Tell me about these numbers.”“The money has been moved,” she said, her voice a little shaky. She cleared her throat and spoke again, her voice a little stronger this time. “Someone put the money back into all the original accounts.” She pointed to five different accounts on my screen. “Less than five hundred thousand total taken out from all these accounts. Thirty two thousand here, forty five thousand here, hundred and six here. All because of a coding change.”I furrowed my brow. “Why would someone steal money and then put it back?” I asked. I was confused.“To see if they can,” Hope said. She said it with confidence.“Explain,” I said, p
HOPE POVI shaded my eyes as I got off the plane, the bright sun almost overwhelming me. I turned, blindly, back towards the plane and bumped into Nicco.“Looking for this?” he asked, mildly, handing me my hat. I took it with thanks and plopped it on my head. For all of the amazing things New York City had to offer, it never really got this bright. Outside of all of the buildings and pollution, the sun was the brightest I’ve ever seen it and it made everything look like a beautiful painting.Waiting for us at the bottom of the plane steps was a limo and next to the limo were two of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen. The younger of the two looked a few years younger than me and had the same eyes and beautiful black hair that Nicco did. It was long and luscious, wavy but not curly, without a strand out of place. She looked right past me to Nicco and gave a shriek, running towards the steps and flinging herself into his arms as soon as his foot hit the tarmac.“Lucia,” Nicco
HOPE POVI sat in miserable silence while Nicco and his sister continued to shout at each other. Izan didn’t seem to be worried. He finished his beer and helped himself to another. Finally, the shouting stopped and the door opened. I looked over as Nicco slid inside, scooting next to me. His sister was next, shooting daggers at me with her eyes and slamming the door behind her. I looked around for Bianca and saw her slide into the seat next to the driver.“Hope,” Nicco said, bringing my attention back to him. He tipped my head up and gave me a soft kiss on the lips. I heard a snort from Lucia that I tried really hard to ignore. “Everything okay?” I asked, willing my voice not to shake. It was a little higher pitched than normal, but nothing too noticeable. “Yes, everything is fine,” Nicco said. “As a matter of fact, Lucia has something she wants to say to you.”Inwardly I felt myself shrivel up. This wasn’t the way to endear me to his family. Lucia didn’t want to be chas
NICCO POVI watched Hope follow the Omega and disappear from my sight. Only then did I turn to my mother.“This needs to be quick,” I said, letting my voice show my impatience. “I am beginning to regret this visit.”“Your mate has no wolf!” my sister said fiercely. I turned on her in time to see my mom shaking her head at Lucia. “Yes. That is true. Hope has no wolf. She is my fated mate. If the goddess thought she was good enough for me, then who are you to say she’s not?” I was angry and my sister took a step back away from the aura that was pushing out of me. My mom put her hand gently on my upper arm.“Come inside, Nicco. We don’t need to discuss family matters outside in full view of the servants.”I pressed my lips together. “Quit calling the Omegas ‘servants,’” I said, exasperated. “They’re part of the Pack, therefore part of the family.” I could never get my mom to let go of the classes. I had many Omegas that were part of my inner circle because they were loyal,
HOPE POV“It’s up to you. Do you want to stay or would you prefer to leave?” Nicco had explained to me what had happened between his mom and sister. I was cautiously optimistic.“Do you think she’s trying?” I asked. She had seemed remorseful at the pool.“No.” Nicco was blunt. “I think she’s planning her next move and us leaving will make it harder for her to work on me.” He used his fingers to put air quotes around “work on me.” I was amused.“Is there anything to work on?” I asked. “Pretty sure you already marked me. My understanding is that you can’t take that back.” I turned my neck to him and ran my fingers over the mark, watching him shudder. I didn’t really understand how some of this wolf stuff worked, but I enjoyed manipulating it to my advantage. Nicco’s eyes darkened and he lunged for me. Shrieking, I danced out of his way.“I can’t!” I said, gasping with laughter as he caught me and tossed me over his shoulder. “I need to shower. I can’t go to dinner with
HOPEI jerked myself awake with a gasp. I was having a nightmare, the same one I had at least three nights a week. In my dream I was reliving the first time my stepdad had sold me to one of his friends in exchange for drug money. The man hadn’t been gentle, and he liked it that I fought and screamed as he thrust himself into me over and over, tearing me and making me bleed. It was traumatic and I usually woke myself up screaming the way I screamed when it had first happened to me four years ago.I lay still, breathing in and out, repeating my mantra to myself. “I am strong. I am safe.” I opened my eyes and focused on the ceiling of the 1999 Toy0ta van that I currently called home. It wasn’t much but she was fully paid for, cheaper than an apartment and had the advantage of being able to easily move if my past got too close to me.This was the week that the mechanic shop I worked for was offering half off oil changes, and we were booked solid. I couldn’t afford to show up exha
Chapter 2NICCO“You ready to go, Alpha?” Vinnie asked me. I stared at the spot where the girl disappeared. I wanted to go after her. No one ignored me, especially not women. Most women threw themselves at me.I frowned, remembering her awkward lies about the big dog and her boyfriend. I must have scared her, somehow. I know I’m a scary guy, but women usually didn’t run away from me. And there was the little matter of her being my mate. My wolf, Lupo, was going crazy. As soon as I got out of the car I could smell her. She smelled like violets and sunshine and oranges, all at once. Lupo began screaming that she was our mate as soon as we caught her scent.Problem was, I couldn’t sense her wolf and that meant one thing. She was human. And there was no way that my mate could possibly be a human. This was a huge mistake. I realized Vinnie was talking to me and I nodded, sliding back into the car. Vinnie turned over the engine and it sounded a lot better. He carefully ste
NICCOI waited in the car for about a half hour. This was how it usually went when we were dealing with humans. The boys went in, cleared the home and then roughed up the guy for a little bit. I would join them later. Today I was waiting for the missus.I saw her pull into the driveway and I got out, pocketing my cellphone in my hip pocket. She watched me cross the street, warily. I gave her a wide smile, trying not to look threatening. From the way she widened her eyes, I probably wasn’t successful.“Amy?” I asked, pleasantly. She nodded and then looked nervously at the house. I could hear a muffled scream coming from inside. “What’s going on?” she asked, clutching her purse and backing up. I continued up to her and took her elbow, using my other hand to gesture in front of me. “Let’s go inside, shall we?” I tugged gently on her arm, but she wasn’t having it. She stayed put. “Tell me what’s going on.” Her voice was flat. I sighed. “We’re having a little conversation