"Did you also look for him? Lynette said that they came to the States together. So he must be around somewhere."
"I gave the job to Isaac. He might have more luck in finding him. Do you have plans for him too?" he asked lifting himself off the couch.
Noah shook his head. It was Emilio who wanted Luca Venas dead. He wanted nothing to do with it. The man wasn’t important enough and didn’t threaten his Famiglia."But I am dying to know why he decided to train Lynette. He wanted her dead after all."
"Not hard enough as it seems," Flavio stated. "What about Ryder? I believe you didn’t miss the look he gave Lynette?"
"I didn’t but for now it’s not my main concern. I told him when I offered him a place in the Famiglia that there might be a way for him to be with Lynette. However, it’s probably the last thing she wants, so I don’t care for now. But I will need him once the rats are out in the open."
Flavio nodded. "Alright, I will arrange the meeting and let you know exactly when and where it’ll be," he stated, and as soon as he got the approval from his Capo, he left the office.
§ § §
As Noah got home there was only Inéz waiting for him in the kitchen. It was the first night she didn’t have to go to the club to do her work. She had resigned with Noah’s approval by calling Alberto, saying that she has to leave Las Vegas. She was immensely grateful to Lynette for being able to get her out of that awful job. She couldn’t stand Gastone anymore. The man was getting impatient and she believed it wouldn’t have taken long until he wanted to sleep with her. It was good that he enjoyed her playing hard because that had given her more time. But she couldn’t play hard to get forever. He was in the mafia after all and they weren’t good or patient men. Nothing close to it.
She was eating pizza for a late dinner. For the moment, she wasn’t supposed to leave Noah’s penthouse until Gastone had been dealt with. It was the only place she was safe unless she was by the Capo’sside.
Noah came up to the barstool that she was on and wrapped his arms over her stomach, leaning over her shoulder.
"Smells good," he whispered in her ear.
Shesmiledbreathinginthefamiliarscentofhiscologne.Shelovedit.Maybealittletoo much. Every time she smelled it, it gave her goosebumps and she immediately forgot everything else. That was his way of getting her to do whatever he wanted. Even if he didn’t realize it.
And such behavior got her thinking that maybe if they had been in a real relationship, he might have been able to handle it differently. Now that the spy job was behind her, it could all change. Go back to what normal should look like.
Inéz held up the pizza slice and Noah bit into it. "Good?" she asked.
"Yeah, but I can actually think of many more delicious things," he said in a low growl.
She rolled her eyes at his words. He had no filter. Especially around her. And she didn’t know whether she liked it or not. Sometimes, it gave her a sense of confidence, and joy but also anger and annoyance.
She turned around, facing the man. Her eyes looked tired but it was more of mental tiredness than a physical one. "What do you want from Lynette?" she asked again.
"Something."
He just loved giving her one-word answers that actually didn’t reveal anything at all. She rolled her eyes at him sliding from the stool and getting away from his grip. It wasn’t hard since he didn’t try to hold her back.
"Seriously, Noah what is your plan? I don’t work as your spy anymore. The boys don’t have to look for Lynette. So what do you want from us now?"
His eyes were intense. "We’ve been over this before. You can hardly be released from the Famiglia now that you were initiated. You knew that from the start. Just because you don’t have to work on Lynette's case doesn’t mean you won’t work at all. Ryder and Henderson are actually getting better and better with each job I give them. They are needed. And when it comes to you, I will figure it out. For now, you are to train as you were before."
Toxic indeed.
Anger welled up in Inéz revealing the scared child within, the girl who had been taught to fight and starved of the love she craved. Yet again she felt disappointment wash over her. Tears burned in her dark eyes, silently screaming the pain Noah had caused her. He wasn’t treating her as an equal outside of the bed and that hit deep.TheFamigliawas always to be put first. Nothing else really mattered.
Without a word she went up to her bedroom, wanting to be alone, and Noah didn’t follow her.
§ § §
"Who has been training with Inéz?" Lynette asked when she entered the gym where they had all been training. She couldn’t believe how hard it was for the girl to fight back at least once. The moves weren’t that advanced and Nicodemo hadn’t even put any force into his attacks. She looked at the Enforcer’s annoyed expression. "Nevermind. You are not able to train her the right way at this point."
Nicodemo closed his hands into fists. He certainly didn’t like being scolded. Especially by a girl. "And why is that?"
Lynette smiled. "Don’t get too offended," she said taking off her jacket. She approached the ring and jumped in one fluid move. "You are training her as if she is scared of being raped. Believe me, she needs a different approach. She knows none of you will actually hurt her. She’s one of you so there would be no fucking way you would do anything to harm her. And she knows that" Lynette’s brown eyes went to the girl’s red face as she smirked. "I
