Chapter 60
Giovanna
Aurelio’s breath hits my cheek before his words do, thick with cigar smoke and sweat.
When he leans in too close and speaks next to my ear, I work hard not to cringe as his spit dots my skin.
“Smart girl,” he says, his voice oily. “Very smart move. I worried for your safety when you left Mr. Abbiati to go travel the world, but it looks like he has convinced you to play the game.”
I smile tightly, every muscle in my face aching with the effort, and extricate myself from him as quickly as I can.
My heart is hammering. I need to find Tommy.
He’s somewhere in this building, watching all this and hurting, I know it.
As soon as Aurelio’s attention turns to my father, I back up and slip away through the crowd.
So focused on scanning the room for Tommy, I don’t realize Antonio has followed me until his hand clamps down on my wrist, and he yanks me into an empty room so hard that I stumble.
“Where are you going, huh?” His smile is sharp, cruel.
“Be smart, Giovanna. You can’t just run off to your little fuck friend when we just got engaged.
”
I rip my wrist free. “We did not just get engaged. We put on a show, and since it seems like there’s a script that you, my father, and Aurelio are reading from, I’d love to see it, because I sure as hell didn’t sign up for this.
”
His eyes narrow. “Don’t play dumb, Gigi.
You knew this is where we were headed the whole time.
If you don’t do this, we’re both dead.”
I don’t have time for this.
I have to find Tommy. “Stop being melodramatic. You know the only person at risk here is Tommy, and while you don’t care about that, it’s a major fucking priority for me.
Now get the fuck out of my way.”
Antonio grabs both my shoulders and turns me around roughly, pushing me into the wall.
“Are you fucking serious right now? You do know better than that, don’t you?
Don’t fuck around with your life and mine so you can get laid.
You have no fucking idea who you’re playing with—”
“No, you don’t know who you’re playing with.
”
Tommy’s voice slashes across the air as he grabs Antonio, an eery smile on his face as he shoves him so hard against the wall next to me that his skull makes a sick cracking sound when he hits.
Vin and Matti are right behind him, but neither of them stops Tommy as he leers at Antonio, ready for battle.
Tommy’s face is twisted, savage, as he slams Antonio back again, fist cocked.
Antonio moves, blocking him, and tackles him, sending them both to the floor.
I gasp and move out of the way as they roll, Antonio throwing punches into Tommy’s stomach, Tommy pounding Antonio’s face and slamming his head against the floor.
Fabric rips as one of their suits is torn, but neither man stops.
Vin snarls at me. “What did I fucking tell you? What. Did I fucking. TELL. YOU. Don’t fuck with him.
And what did you do? What the fuck did you do?
You did exactly—exactly to the fucking letter—what I told you not to do.
”
The words slice me open, and I flinch but hold his gaze.
I deserve it. I’ve hurt Tommy far worse than he ever hurt me.
Like some dumbass little girl, I thought I could save him by making choices for the both of us, and for years, I’ve just made it worse.
Matti shoots Vin a look and murmurs something sharp under his breath, pulling him back.
Vin’s still fuming, but he shuts up. I dart a glance at Matti, and though he doesn’t smile, he acknowledges me with a short nod.
Tommy is still on Antonio like he’s enjoying every minute.
He locks his hand around Antonio’s collar, dragging him up to standing, then drives his knee into his thigh.
His fist cracks across his face once, twice, before he pins him hard to the ground.
Tommy’s voice is low, vicious. “If you ever put your fucking hands on her again, I’ll cut them off.
Do you hear me? I will cut them the fuck off.
”
Antonio spits blood and laughs, laying back on the ground.
“Don’t worry about it. I have no interest in her.
None. The only reason I’m here is your father.
You want to take this up with someone, take it up with him.
But keep me out of it. Both me and Giovanna are dead if this marriage doesn’t happen.
”
The room falls silent for a moment, and everyone looks at me and then back at Antonio.
Vin’s voice rumbles with suspicion. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
Matti is quieter but sharper.
“Spell it out.”
Tommy is standing over Antonio, his chest heaving, and I reach for him, placing my hand on his arm.
He won’t look at me, his jaw steel, but he doesn’t pull away from me, either.
Antonio smirks, the blood on his teeth dark and dangerous.
“If you think I’d put up with all this bullshit for all these years just on the off chance that she might change her mind, you’re fucking crazy.
This isn’t me. It’s never been me. Aurelio is behind this.
”
Vin’s eyes narrow. “Then why not tell us? Why not come clean?”
“Are you fucking serious? You three have been up my ass for more than a decade. Why the fuck would I come to you? He’s my boss.
”
Matti shakes his head. “The issue between us has always been Giovanna. If we knew why you kept coming between her and Tommy, we—”
“Bullshit,” Tommy snarls.
“You’ve been trying to fuck her since you met her.
But even though you had her for years, she still wouldn’t let you, would she?
Even after I taught you exactly how to fuck her!
You know why? Because she’s fucking MINE.
”
My heart swells hearing him say that. He’s not wrong.
I’ve never wanted to fuck anyone but Tommy.
Matti puts a firm hand on Tommy’s shoulder and glances at me.
“You did what?”
Vin turns to me, smirking.
“You never fucked Antonio even though you guys lived together all those years?”
Antonio scoffs.
“Except for the time I had her naked with my head between her legs until she came.”
Tommy lunges for Antonio as he laughs, and Matti pulls him back.
“You mean that one time when I came screaming Tommy’s name?
” I snap. “And you freaked the fuck out because you couldn’t get him out of my head despite your best efforts?
”
Vin is practically doubled over laughing.
“You two are the only dipshits I know who love each other so fucking much that even when you’re getting blown by someone else, you come saying each other’s names.
”
Matti bites back a grin, but my eyes are on Tommy.
There is anguish in his eyes as he looks at me, and it kills me that I let another man put his hands, much less his mouth, on me.
I know he’s done the same thing with dozens of women since we split up, but this feels worse.
I don’t know any of the women he’s been with other than Lexi.
And he not only knows Antonio but hates him.
Vin clears his throat and grows serious.
“Alright, so you were just trying to fuck her, and all this shit about your life being threatened, her life being threatened—it’s all bullshit, right?
”
Antonio glares at him then jerks his chin toward me.
“Ask her. She knew.”
Tommy darts a glance at Antonio then whips back to me, his jaw ticking.
Matti and Vin turn to look at me too, and my shame deepens.
My throat is so dry I can barely choke out the words.
“Aurelio came to my apartment a few weeks after we broke up,” I say, speaking only to Tommy.
He’s the only one who deserves to hear this from me.
“He told me to leave you and disappear. He threatened my parents first, then he said he’d have his men rape me in front of you if I didn’t end our relationship for good.
When none of that worked, he said he would kill his own child to get what he wants.
I couldn’t let that happen.”
The last word snags on a sob as the memory of that day comes hurtling back, and Tommy huffs out a breath like I knocked the wind out of him.
“That’s why you had those bruises? The last day I came over, the day we—” Tommy’s voice is broken, guttural, and I cut him off with a nod, glancing at Vin and Matti.
I don’t want them to know the details of the day Tommy carved an orchid into my thigh.
Tommy turns to Antonio, his voice flat. “I thought it was you.”
Antonio throws his hands up in the air and shakes his head.
“Of course you did.”
I turn to Tommy, my voice trembling.
“I was upset with you, and I did break up with you for the reasons I said. But I missed you so much, and I wanted to come home, but then Aurelio…”
His expression twists as he moves toward me, pulling me into his arms. “Why didn’t you tell me?
I came to see you when you still had his bruises on you, Gi.
”
Tears burn my eyes, hot and unstoppable.
“Because I wanted to protect you. I knew you’d want to be with me, anyway.
I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you because of me.
And then all those headlines, pictures of you with all those women.
I thought you moved on.”
“Baby.” Tommy pulls out his phone, opening to our text thread and starts scrolling.
And scrolling. And scrolling.
And scrolling.
It’s hundreds, thousands of texts, all from him to me.
“And those are just the texts.” He changes the screen to the phone record and shows me all the unanswered calls.
“I never left you—”
I’m crying, the tears pouring down my cheeks, and Tommy tips my chin up, his touch so gentle.
His voice is low, hoarse. “Never keep anything from me again. Promise.”
I nod, sobbing as he pulls me into his arms, pressing my face against his chest. His heart pounds beneath my cheek.
Vin’s voice cuts through, sharp as a blade.
He’s glaring at Antonio. “She didn’t say anything about having to be with you.
”
Antonio shrugs. “Those were my orders straight from Aurelio: keep her occupied and away from Tommy. The marriage proposal, the ring—that was Lorenzo. And Aurelio was all the way on board. It’s the only thing I’ve ever seen the two of them agree on.
”
Vin scowls. “It doesn’t add up. My father doesn’t give a fuck who’s at Luminous & Co.
It’s a money laundering joint. As long as the cash is clean, that’s it.
And why the fuck would he care so much about who Tommy is fucking?
”
Vin jabs a finger at Antonio and then me.
“Set up a meeting with your parents, Giovanna. Confront them. I’ll be listening in.
” His eyes cut back to Antonio. “And if I find out you’re lying, you won’t have to worry about my father ending your life because I’ll do it for him. ”