Free Fearless: Mob Boss Book Two (Volume 2) by Michelle St. James

was—not like Nico, not for her anyway—but still. Luca was tall, with the compact muscle of someone who could quietly and discreetly kick ass. His dark hair was always a little messy over pronounced cheekbones and a strong jaw, and his eyes were a startlingly glacial shade of blue.
    “I wish I did,” he said, returning his eyes to Nico. “It’s like a tomb out there. No one’s talking.”
    “Then I’ll go back to New York and make them talk,” Nico growled.
    Luca shook his head. “Since you left town, the men have been left alone. No more harassment, no more theft. No more data breaches either.”
    Nico’s eyes flashed green. “My staying away isn’t a long-term solution.”
    “I agree,” Luca said. “But coming back right now would be counterproductive.”
    “Well, I’m not staying here,” Nico said, pacing to the big window. “The Miami family makes the rest of the Syndicate look hi-tech.”
    “You could go see Raneiro.”
    “I asked for his help last time,” Nico said without turning around. “I have to take care of this myself.”
    “London?” Luca suggested. “Farrell helped you with Carlo.” He shot an apologetic glance at Angel.
    “I’m not hiding.” Nico’s voice was threaded with steel. “I’ll go to LA.”
    Angel stood straighter. “LA?”
    “You said John Lando didn’t know anything,” Luca said, as if she hadn’t spoken.
    “No, I said he claimed not to know anything,” Nico corrected him. “And I never trust a man’s word over the phone. Too easy to lie.”
    “Will someone please tell me why we’d go to LA?”
    “ We won’t go to LA,” Nico said. “I will.”
    She crossed her arms over her chest, resisting the urge to argue. That’s what a rational person would do, isn’t it? Find out the details? Get all the information before assuming it would be best to go with Nico instead of jumping at the chance for no other reason than that she couldn’t stand the thought of being apart from him again?
    “What’s in LA?” she asked.
    “The data breach was routed through some dummy IP addresses in Asia, but it originated in LA,” Luca explained. “John Lando runs the Syndicate’s operation out there.”
    She searched her memory. “Isn’t John Lando an… actor? Or a director or something?”
    “Producer,” Luca clarified. “But he’s head of the LA family, too. The movie stuff is a front for the Syndicate’s business.”
    “More like the Syndicate is a front for his movie business,” Nico said.
    “So we would go to LA and do what?” Angel asked.
    “ I would go to LA and talk to John in person,” Nico said. “Then I’d have Sara Falco run those words you found in Frank’s office and see if she gets a hit that would give me some direction.”
    “Sounds good,” Angel said. “I can help.”
    “We’re not arguing about this,” Nico said tightly.
    Luca cleared his throat. “Mind if I clean up?”
    Angel forced her eyes from Nico. “Come on. I’ll show you to one of the rooms.”
    She led Luca up the curved staircase and left him in a guest room with an en suite bath. Then she went into her old bedroom and moved the few clothes she had stored in the dresser and closet into one of the other rooms. She couldn’t stay in a bedroom where her father had kissed her goodnight, couldn’t think about her mother’s soft hands tucking her in. She still didn’t know if her mother had been aware of her father’s illegal business activities. She would probably never know, and she was still trying to find a way to live with that.
    She took a bath, half hoping Nico would come in and join her. It had only been twelve hours since she’d felt his hands on her naked body, and already she was hungry for him. She’d become a slave to his touch, and she was both disgusted with herself and slightly thrilled by the realization that her body could respond so single-mindedly to someone.
    She dried off and slipped on a filmy tank dress of emerald silk. She’d bought