39. Lucia

I’m slowly making my way downstairs with Giovanni’s help, when I spot a dark-haired woman sitting in the living room. She has her head downcast and appears to be writing in a journal or notebook while not even taking in her surroundings.

“Nikki Baranova,” Giovanni says. “She’s Frankie’s fiancee.”

Oh, she’s the Bratva Princess Dom spoke about, the timid and quiet one. Wow, now that I know Frankie better, I must admit that I don’t see how this will work out between them, since Frankie is the complete opposite of her.

“You’ll meet Julia Devlin as well, but I must warn you about her. She’s a spitfire and speaks without thinking. Don’t take whatever she says at face value. She means well but has no fucking filter,” he says. “Just like her brother.”

Ah, the one Dom is worried about. Well, I suppose we’ll see when we meet today.

We reach the living room and Nikki finally looks up. Her mouth falls open when she sees Giovanni and me and she gets to her feet. “I am so sorry, I didn’t even hear