Episode Twenty-Seven
F uck. My head pounds like I’m hungover, except I know I didn’t drink. Actually, I don’t really remember what I was doing.
I sit up and it takes a minute for my eyes to focus. I’m in Josie’s bed. But she’s not here with me. My mouth is dry as fuck and my stomach is all kinds of twisted.
What the hell happened? And where the fuck is Josie? Shit.
Dread takes over and has me jumping out of bed. I rush over to the door and yank it open. Stopping dead in my tracks when I practically run into my cousin. “Orlando?” I ask.
What the fuck is he doing here? And why is he smiling like a kid on Christmas?
“Oh, good, you’re awake. I’ve been waiting,” he says.
“Waiting for what? Where’s Josie?” My eyes dart behind him.
“For that. That’s what I’m waiting for.” Orlando smirks before yelling out, “Josie, he’s awake!”
“She’s here?” Relief washes over me. She’s here. She’s safe. “What happened?”
“I’ll let your girl fill you in on that one. But wait!” Orlando laughs, jogging down the hall as he shouts, “Babe, quick! Get the popcorn.”
Josie glares at my cousin as she passes him, slowly making her way towards me with her head cast downwards.
“What happened? What’s wrong? Are you okay?” I rush over and cup her cheeks in my palms.
“Uh-huh, I… ah… have to tell you something,” she says.
“Okay?” I glance behind her and see Orlando coming back towards us with a literal bowl of popcorn in his hands.
“In the bedroom,” Josie says, walking past me. I follow her before slamming the door in my cousin’s face.
“Hey, no fair, dude! I’ve been waiting hours for this,” Orlando yells out from the other side.
“What’s going on?” I ask Josie, not moving from the door. I don’t trust my cousin not to kick it in. He’s a nosey bastard.
“First, before I tell you, I need you to promise not to get mad at me or overreact,” she says, pausing her pacing and finally looking up at me.
“Babe, when have I ever been mad at you? You know I’d never hurt you, right?” I ask her. Surely, she’s not scared of me. “You can tell me anything. I mean it. Anything. There is nothing in this world that can make me love you less.”
“You’re right. I know that. Of course I do. And it’s not really that bad. You’ll probably see the humour in it anyway, right?” she questions.
“Sure, why don’t you tell me what it is, Josie? Because the sooner you do, the sooner we can get to the part where I throw you down on that bed and ravage your body.” I smirk. I’m not ashamed to pull out the big guns to get her to spit out whatever has her so worked up. And I know this smile of mine always disarms her.
“Okay, so, I put a few sleeping pills in your drink, waited for you to fall asleep, and then I borrowed one of Theo’s guns and went to the park to meet the man who was messaging me. I, ah, I froze and… I don’t know. A lot happened. He got hold of the gun, shot Zio Luca, and Theo shot him. But I’m okay. Zio Luca is okay. So it all worked out in the end. See? Funny, right?” she says in one long sentence while squeezing her eyes shut.
I inhale a deep breath because I have never in my life wanted to yell at this girl. Until now. “You what?” I say louder than I intended. “You can’t be serious right now. You… what? Josie, what the actual fuck were you thinking?” I can’t control the volume of my voice. I want to. But fuck, she put the one thing I treasure the most in danger. Herself.
“I was thinking that I wasn’t okay with someone threatening you!” she yells back before adding in a much softer tone, “And I’m fine.”
“Are you kidding me? Fucking hell, Josie, you drugged me.” I run a hand through my hair. No wonder I feel like shit.
“You said you wouldn’t be mad,” she huffs.
“No, I said I wouldn’t love you any less. And I don’t. It’s because I love you that I’m furious right now. Do you have any idea what could have happened to you? All while I was curled up in your bed knocked off my ass?” I ask, finally managing to even out my voice a little.
“You wouldn’t have let me leave if you were conscious,” she huffs out while throwing her hands in the air.
“You’re damn right I wouldn’t have. I would have tied you to the fucking bed if I had to. Do you know why? Because I can’t bear the thought of something happening to you.”
“Yeah, well, I feel the same way, you know. I don’t want anything to happen to you. I was thinking about you, not me.” She plops down on the edge of the mattress.
I walk over and kneel in front of her. “Josie, babe. I can take care of myself. What I can’t do is live without you. I couldn’t imagine losing you. Please, don’t do anything that risks that happening again. I love you.”
“You still love me? Even though I drugged you?” she asks.
“Nothing will make me not love you. But don’t do that again,” I tell her.
“I love you, Dante,” she says.
“I love you too.” I gently press my lips against hers. “He’s dead? The guy?”
Josie nods her head. “He is.”
“Zio Luca? Where is he?” I ask her.
“Downstairs, in the basement. Zia Katy isn’t happy. I think she might hate me.” Josie’s eyes are tearing up. My girl is a few short seconds from full-on sobbing.
“That’s impossible. No one could hate you, babe. I know ?cause I hate everyone but you.” I smile.
“You’re biased.” She laughs.
“Maybe, but it’s true. Zia Katy doesn’t hate you. Besides, Zio Luca has been shot plenty of times before,” I tell her, standing up and grabbing Josie’s hand to drag her with me. “I really need to get some painkillers. My head is killing me.”
“I am sorry about the drugs,” she says.
“I know.” I should say I forgive her, but I’m not letting her off that easily. I know I’m an ass. But deep down, I think she knows I’d forgive her for anything. I meant what I said. There is nothing Josie could do that would make me love her less. “Wanna play a game?” An idea pops into my head, knowing my cousin is waiting on the other side of that door for me.
“Always. What are we playing?” Josie replies.
“Okay, I’m going to yell, break up with you, and storm out. You’re going to slam the door and tell me where to go.”
“I don’t like this game, Dante,” she says while worrying her bottom lip.
“Relax. It’s just to fuck with Orlando.” I laugh. He’s listening, and I want to make him sweat.
“Oh, okay. You’re coming back though, right?” Josie asks.
“Always. I will always come back to you, no matter where you are.” I lean in and kiss her again. “Now, get ready to act upset, babe.”
“It’s not hard, because if you really did break up with me, I’d probably die,” she says.
“Good thing that’s never happening,” I tell her, then yell, “Seriously, Josie, I can’t believe you fucking drugged me!” I wince when she jumps, and quickly add on a whisper, “Sorry.”
“Yeah, well, if you weren’t such an overbearing asshole, I wouldn’t have had to!” Josie yells back, almost a little too convincingly before lowering her voice, “Sorry, I don’t mean that.”
I smile at her, drop it, and tug the door open. “I’m done. I can’t do this anymore. It’s over.” I shake my head and shove past a stunned-looking Orlando.
“Yeah, well, good. It’s about time I live my life for myself anyway. Don’t bother coming back!” Josie yells at me and then slams the door in my cousin’s face.
“Whoa, Dante. What the fuck?” Orlando runs to catch up with me. I hide my smile. “You can’t break up with her. Go and fix it,” he says, stepping in front of me. Trying to block my exit.
“I’m done. She fucking drugged me,” I grunt at him, shoving my cousin out of the way for a second time.
“This city doesn’t need a pissed-off Valentino, especially not you. Go and fix this,” he repeats while following me into my uncle’s kitchen. “You and Josie are end game.”
“Yeah, well, the game’s ended. I’m out.” I open the top cabinet, where I know my aunt keeps painkillers. Grab two from the bottle and then fill up a glass of water. “She’s out of her fucking mind if she thinks this is fixable.”
“You can’t be serious,” he says with wide eyes. “Dante, dude. What the fuck are you going to do without her?”
“Good question. Maybe I’ll just give up. No point in going on anyway, right?” I walk off. “If you follow me, I will shoot you,” I call over a shoulder.
“Pfft, you won’t shoot me,” he says.
I pause in my tracks, not bothering to look at him when I reply, “You sure?”
That stops him. I walk outside and climb up the side of the house. This isn’t the first time I’ve snuck into my girlfriend’s bedroom. It won’t be the last either.
Once I’m on her balcony, I knock on the glass door and a smiling Josie rushes over to open it. “You came back.”
“Did you doubt that I would?” I frown at her.
Josie lifts one shoulder. “Let’s not play that game again.”
“Agreed.” I scoop her up and carry her over to the bed. “But he totally thinks I’m about to burn down the city. You should see his face.”
“It’s a little mean to make your cousin worry about you,” Josie murmurs.
“Yeah, well, he shouldn’t eavesdrop, and he shouldn’t be trying to get entertainment from our relationship. Serves him right.” I laugh. “Now, how about we get to the make-up part of the day? I hear make-up sex is really good.”