Chapter 13
Sebastian
Nico works on his laptop as I watch the city from my chair, thinking over and over about the expression that had taken over Gianna’s face.
It seemed so heartbroken, and I wasn’t sure what had put it there.
Is she that against having my kids? We’d talked about it plenty of times when we were together before.
Hell, if we’d never broken up, we would already have a couple.
“Got it,” Nico says, not glancing up from where he’s sitting hunched over the laptop. After I left the penthouse, I called him to look into something for me. I didn’t expect it to take too long, and then I’d bring Gianna her food.
“And?”
He shakes his head. “Jeremy never called him.”
A malicious smile stretches on my lips. I do love when I’m right. I pick up my phone, dialing the number I know that’s been waiting for my call.
“Matt.”
“Matt, brother. How are you doing?”
His anger is almost tangible through the phone. “I’m not your brother.”
“Not yet,” I taunt, grinning as Nico shakes his head.
There’s a crash on the other end, and heavy breathing.
“What do you want, Sebastian?”
I sigh. “What do I want? Hmm. That’s a difficult question. I want a lot of things, mostly involving your sister.”
“I don’t—”
“Don’t ever lie to her again,” I interrupt, my voice unforgiving and cold.
“Excuse me?” Matt’s tone is shaky with disbelief.
“You told her Jeremy called and he didn’t. Don’t lie to her again. I don’t care about your reasoning. I’m sure it was to get her away from me, but don’t you think you’ve manipulated her enough?”
His breaths are choppy as I wait in silence. Then he booms out a laugh.
“Me? Manipulate her? That’s rich coming from you.”
I grit down on my teeth, not wanting to expose how much Nico and I have been able to gather on the siblings. “I don’t care for your opinion. The next time you try to lie to her, make sure it can be backed up.”
“Is Jeremy alive?” Matt gets out, as if that could be the only reason I’ve caught him.
I raise an eyebrow, staring at Nico like can you believe this guy? Nico rolls his eyes as I reply, “Yes. I have my ways of checking your call records.”
“You mean Nico does.”
“Does it matter? Don’t lie to her again.”
He scoffs. “Thought she needed a reminder of who and what put her in her current position.”
I swallow the sarcastic barb I could easily throw back and blow out a breath. “Don’t make me go digging in your past, Matt. I’m sure you’d like to keep whatever you have buried.”
“I’m sure I could say the same to you.” He laughs. “The difference is my sister will always forgive me no matter how far I take it. Will she forgive you?”
My fist curls and my eyes stray to my office door, imagining Gianna asleep in our bed.
“I think she would. She’s here, isn’t she? I just have to keep you alive. No hardship, plenty of places to keep you unseen.”
Nico rolls his eyes again, shutting his laptop and moving to my bar to make himself a drink.
Matt hums into the phone. “I guess I could just kill you. She’ll move on eventually.”
“I dare you to try. It could be fun.”
He’s silent, probably wondering if I’m bluffing before he hangs up and I settle back in my chair.
“That seemed to go well,” Nico says bitterly.
I shrug. “He’s always hated me. That’s no surprise.”
“You’re everything he’s tried to protect her from.”
Annoyance shoots through me. “He’s lied to her their whole lives. Her fear is misplaced when she could have been raised with some knowledge of this life.”
Nico is silent for a moment until I glance up at him. His eyes hold a soft sadness. “I would have protected my little sister the same way if I could. And I know you would’ve…”
My throat clogs with grief and I snap my head as I clear it. “Perhaps, but now ignorance makes her an easy target.”
“So we ease her into it. Feed her clues, test where her morals stand,” he says, finishing off his bourbon.
I ponder it for a moment. “It could work. Place the blame on her brother. It would lead her to be more open to staying with me.”
Nico snorts, shaking his head. “Not manipulate her, Bastian. Just drop hints so she can make the connections herself.”
Sitting up, my fist curls in my lap. “We still don’t know why she ran in the first place. The whole reason I’ve shifted my life around all these years is because of that night. We can’t plan the future without concluding that chapter.”
“Have you asked her?”
“No, I figured if I press the issue, she’ll bury her head further in the sand.” She’ll tell me eventually. I’m sure of it. Gianna has always been an open book, wearing her emotions on her sleeves for anyone to see.
Nico snickers. “She’s always been stubborn like that.”
Gianna has always been headstrong; it’s one of the many things I admire about her. My fingers itch to pull up the screen and see what she’s doing, but instead I shift back to focus on my chosen brother.
“Have you gotten anywhere with what the Irish asked?”
He shakes his head. “If she’s still with Luca, he’s being careful not to be photographed with her. He’s been in and out of his club a few times, no woman on his arm.”
My eyebrows furrow. “No woman at all? That’s unusual.”
“Yeah. I reached out to Hastings. They said everything has been fine on their end, the girl has connected for every check-in.”
I hum, leaning back to think about it more. “So she’s alive, but Luca is keeping her hidden? Why? The point was for her to get close to him.”
Nico shrugs. “I don’t know, but I do know that since you’ve talked to Luca about Matt, Gio has stopped visiting New Jersey.”
Sitting up, I glare at him. “So he was going for Gianna?”
“Or Matt. Something happened for him to change course. One of our men says he barely leaves Luca's side now.”
Tension has my jaw clenching, and I pinch the bridge of my nose. “And Arthur?”
We’ve been keeping a close eye on the slimy bastard that runs Chicago for the Outfit. I trust him as far as I could throw him, and since the thought of touching him is revolting, it isn’t very far.
“No. I’ve picked up chatter around the men. I assume he’s getting restless about us being back in town.”
I catch Nico’s concerned gaze. “You think he’s going to make a move on me?”
He grimaces. “I don’t know. It’s hard to tell. I think he’s still wary about a retaliation from your father. But we’ve heard him express his displeasure at your presence more than once.”
I roll my eyes. “The jealous brat can throw a tantrum all he wants as long as it doesn’t affect Gianna.”
I watch her through the cameras, amused, as she goes from the library to my office. She’s obviously looking for something, or she’s developed an overwhelming urge to snoop. Disabling the alarm so I don’t alert her I’m back, I silently walk into the penthouse and head up the stairs.
The logical part of me knows I should be mad, or perhaps irritated, by her blatant disrespect, but I’m not.
If anything, it shows me that my girl isn’t a meek little thing who only came to save that sniveling farce of a boyfriend from an early grave.
No, my girl has an ulterior motive. I just haven’t connected what yet.
When I reach my office, I watch her from the door frame for a few more seconds, concerned about her continual lack of awareness.
Her brother has truly failed her on more than one front.
If she’d been mine, a queen at my side while running this empire, she’d be unstoppable.
I smile at the thought of a ring on her finger, a baby in her belly, and her last name replaced with mine.
“Need help?”
She screams, turning to face me as her hand comes to her chest and the other catches on my desk to hold herself up.
Her eyes are wide, staring at me in terror.
With a trembling chin, her lips part and close a few times, lost for words.
I can’t place the look exactly. She doesn’t seem afraid of being caught, nor of me punishing her for it.
I walk into the room, glancing around at the moved papers and open drawers. “Looking for something?”
“My dignity,” she mutters under her breath, then clears her throat and meets my gaze with a steely stare. “Your secrets.”
My eyebrows raise. “My secrets? Which ones?”
“The ones that get people killed.” She blinks multiple times, giving away she didn’t mean to say that, but doesn’t correct herself. I move until I’m in front of her, and she doesn’t flinch when I wrap my hand around her throat and pull her into me, staring down at her.
“You sure you want those?” I whisper, leaning down to brush my lips against hers.
She shudders in my hold. “I don’t know.”
“Do you trust me?”
Her eyes flash with uncertainty and she doesn’t answer.
I laugh. “I guess that’s an unfair question, given our circumstances. Let me ask another. Do you trust I won’t hurt you?”
Gianna’s face softens. “I trust you won’t hurt me intentionally.”
The whispered confession stings a bit, but I don’t blame her. My fingers flex where I’m holding her, and I nod softly.
“Then some secrets are better off left undiscovered. For both of our safety.”
She looks between my eyes, her eyebrows furrowing as her lips pinch into a small frown. “I am afraid, Sebastian. You live a dangerous life, and yet you’re talking about children.”
Anger courses through me and I let go, glaring down at her. “You don’t think I could protect our children?” She doesn’t know the first thing about this life, or about how I live it.
Gianna’s head jerks back, and then she laughs, the sound hollow and mocking. “That’s the point. Protect them from what? You’d be the reason they need protection.”