“Sof, there’s something you should know,” Nico said, bringing my attention back to him. “Michael’s okay, but he was shot while we were rescuing you.”

My head whipped back to Nico, terror hurtling my stomach into my throat. “Shot? Where? What happened? Is he okay?”

Nico held up his hand to calm me down. “He’s going to be fine, but he had a gunshot wound to the leg that needed surgery. He insisted on getting you here to start warming you up rather than letting me call him an ambulance. He’s a hard-headed bastard.”

I was so relieved he was all right, but my heart hurt to know he had been shot. “That sounds like him. He’s always been super protective of me.”

“You’ll definitely have to tell us all about it,” my dad interrupted. “I can’t believe my little Sofia was buddied up to the bratva without me having a clue.” He smirked and shook his head.

If one good thing had come from all of this, it was having my Italian family be more relieved I was alive than upset about my Russian friendship. Had I told them a week ago, before any of this had happened, I was sure my father would have been livid. The sight of him laughing about Michael gave me hope that my father might allow the relationship to continue.

I smiled back at my dad. “It just kind of happened. It wasn’t exactly something I sought out.”

“How about you tell me the whole story tomorrow? For now, let’s get you some of Mom’s soup and let you rest. You were hypothermic and had a nasty concussion. The doctor checked you out and said you were fine to recover at home, but I’m sure he’ll want to know you’re awake. I’ll see if Mom needs help and give the doc a call. And Sofia, go easy on this guy.” He gestured to Nico. “I’m not sure he slept at all last night.” Dad kissed my head again, giving a small nod to Nico before leaving.

When I peered back at Nico, I realized he had dark circles under his eyes and his hair was a wavy mess. “Thank you for saving me and for staying with me last night.”

He pulled me against his chest, lowering us to the bed. “I’ve never been so fucking terrified in my whole life. Hearing you were missing was bad, but then seeing you lifeless and blue on the floor … worst moment of my life.” His voice was a soft rumble, even deeper with my ear over his heart. His hand stroked my hair, then traced a line around my neck.

“I had to tear off my necklace so I could give Dad the clue without Sal knowing.”

“We’ll get it fixed. Even better, let’s just go to Paris.”

A smile crept across my face. “That sounds nice, but I’d really like my necklace.”

Nico grunted. “We’ll do both then.”

I giggled, snuggling closer, then grew somber as my thoughts regressed to my ordeal. “I love you, Nico,” I confessed softly. “I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember. When I was trapped in that freezer, all I could think about was that I’d never see you again, and that scared me more than the thought of dying. I know we may still have stuff to work out, but you’re it for me. Always have been, always will be.”