19. Chapter 19
Chapter 19
Emilio
E ven after everything I've done to Serena, I never expected Gio to show up at my doorstep and shoot me. Once the doctor shows up, removes the bullet, and bandages my shoulder, I shrug a shirt back on and say to Gio, "Let's go talk in my office."
Gio stands and walks behind me but doesn't say a word. He could shoot me in the back and there is nothing I could do to stop him, but I won't make this situation even more stressful on my wife by fighting back.
"Don't kill each other, dammit. This baby needs its father and its uncle," Serena clips.
Gio narrows his eyes at me. "FUCK. Seriously, asshole? You knocked my sister up on top of everything else?"
Choosing to ignore his jibe, I lead him into my home office and gesture for him to have a seat in the chair. I move to sit behind the desk and take my gun from my holster, laying it out on my desk in the open. It’s an olive branch, letting Gio know I don’t want to fight.
After a beat, he pulls his Glock out, clicks on the safety, and lays it on the desktop before settling back in his chair.
"Talk now, before I change my mind and shoot you again."
"You said someone told you what I'd done. Who?" The reason I ask is that if someone told him, then I have a rat.
"Received an anonymous text, but that's beside the point. If you did those things to my sister, all to avenge your father, then you deserve worse than a bullet to the shoulder."
Tilting my head down and keeping my eyes on my desk, I realize that if my wife and child are going to have a family, then I have to man up and make this right.
After taking a deep breath, I hold Gio’s stare and admit, "I didn't know Mario was a human trafficker. And before you say anything, I know it doesn’t justify my actions, but I would have never sought revenge had I known. Human trafficking is not something I would ever defend or take part in. When Serena told me what Carla and my father had done to your family, I realized that I'd made a huge mistake."
"Goddamn right, you did. Serena isn't like us. She's good and doesn't deserve this."
"True. I expected her to be a self-centered mafia princess, but the more time I spent with her, the more I realized how amazing your sister is. I love her. She is my world. That means I have to make amends with you and Marcello. I know, given the choice, Serena would choose her family over me. Not only do I love your sister, but I love our baby. We want to make this marriage work, and I'm willing to do whatever I have to do to make amends."
"Maybe Marcello will shoot you too, but I think he'll prefer to take a few body parts instead."
The fact that Marcello's reputation is widely known in the underworld sends shivers down my spine. Outwardly, I don’t react to his threat. We sit, staring at each other in silence for a minute before Gio speaks again.
"How far along is she?" he asks.
"Just a few weeks."
"It's weird. My sister is right. I did the exact same thing to Everly, but at the time, I didn't see that it was that bad. I wanted to give her the world. Now I realize how fucked up my actions were."
"Would you do it again if given the chance?"
Gio tilts his head and raises his brows. "In a fucking heartbeat."
"We are lucky motherfuckers." My statement hangs in the air as we both silently contemplate how we landed such amazing women.
Through some miracle, it seems Gio and I have found common ground. It would take a lot more than him shooting me to make up for what I've done to his sister, but after today, I believe we are both willing to put our differences aside and do what is best for Serena and the baby.
As Gio and I both sit in my office quietly, there is a blood-curdling scream.
Little Storm.
The sound makes us both jump from our seats. As I throw back the door and run down the hall, I hear Gio's footsteps hurrying behind. Following the sound of Serena's voice, I find her at the front door, slumped on the floor. She looks utterly wrecked; her hair is disheveled, and her face is streaked with tears. There's a box at her feet.
Moving as quickly as I can, I grab my wife's face and look into her eyes. "Are you okay, baby girl? What happened?"
"Look in the box," Serena instructs as she sniffles.
Gio walks over and looks in the box, and his face says it all. "Motherfucker is going to die."
"What's happening?" I'm still confused.
Peering in the box, I see a baby doll with its head removed. It's covered in blood. There's a single long stem black rose, like the ones I found in Serena's trashcan. A note inside the box says, Your baby is next.
Grabbing my phone out of my pocket, I send out an alert to my men. Since Serena’s return, I’ve cut back on the number of guards for the property. That's how Gio managed to walk up to the front door undetected. But there’s a chance that whoever delivered the box was seen, or at least caught on the property’s surveillance cameras.
Priority number one must be my family's safety, so from now on there will be guards stationed around the perimeter. How dare someone threaten the life of our unborn child. When I find the motherfucker, I will flay them alive.
As I hold my wife and soothingly run my hands down her hair, pulling her close, I look at Gio. His nod and the lift of his chin tell me all I need to know. From here on in, we intend to set aside any conflicts and prioritize the safety of Serena and our unborn baby.
Gio hugs his sister and lets me know that the family will be coming to visit. "Take care of her. Don't make me shoot you again, Emilio."
With that he swoops out of the door and into the night.
Deciding that the last twenty-four hours have been traumatic enough for Serena, I order take-out from her favorite Chinese restaurant.
"Come on, Little Storm. Let's go eat and get you ready for bed."
"I can’t possibly eat, Emilio."
"Serena, I’m not asking. The baby needs to eat, so you will sit down and try to put something in your stomach."
My wife rolls her eyes at me as if I'm the biggest pain in her ass.
"That's one."
"One?"
"Your first spanking. You are getting at least one swat so far. Keep being a brat and I'll add more."
Serena raises both eyebrows in surprise. "Don't threaten me with a good time."
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I can only look up and ask God why. Why, out of all the women I could have kidnapped, did it have to be the one who gave me a run for my money?
"It's the payback for you kidnapping and marrying an innocent woman, asshole."
"I said that out loud, didn't I?" Closing my eyes, I shake my head. "Shit." Then something occurs to me. "I wouldn't exactly consider you innocent, wife. You are quite a brat."
After we eat, we’re both exhausted. Serena and I shower together and get in bed. "Don't wear any clothes, wife."
“Why? When did you decide we sleep naked?”
Settling behind her with her back to my chest, I line my cock up with her pussy and groan when I push inside her warmth.
"Hey, no foreplay?"
"We're just going to sleep."
She huffs. "Sleep? While you are inside of me?"
"Yes, it's the only way I can rest."
"Emilio, you've never done this while we slept before."
A smirk crosses my face, letting her know that isn't strictly true. I won't apologize for it either. She's mine. If I could be inside her every minute of every day, I would.
"You've been inside of me while I sleep?" she questions, confused.
"Only once, but it was the best night’s sleep I've ever had, and you know I struggle with insomnia. It's better than any sedative or sleeping pill, and I wake up feeling refreshed."
Serena seems to think about it for a couple of minutes before relenting. "I think it's weird as fuck, but I guess it's not a hardship to sleep with your cock inside of me."
"I enjoy being close to you, and this is as close as I can get," I admit.
"That just might be the weirdest but sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me," she says with a grin.
That night, I sleep eight full hours.