Chapter 26 Gia #2
Gia couldn’t find it in herself to argue. “I like the sound of our souls being drawn together.”
It was easy to believe they were meant for each other. No one else would understand Gia the way Aurora did. No one would make her feel safe enough to open up so completely. And with everything out of the way, they could enjoy each other. Enjoy life. Make it whatever they wanted it to be.
“I’m going to keep the theater,” Gia said as if the others had been waiting impatiently for her decision, even though they hadn’t even brought it up. “I want to open it again. Get shows running and start up the old movie screenings. Who in the coven should I talk to?”
Lilly clapped her hands together. “I’ll give Maya your number.”
Aurora’s smile was soft. “Are you sure you want to keep it? You can do anything you want. Whatever you dreamed of. The coven can look after Spotlight for you.”
Lilly nodded. “That’s totally an option.”
Gia’s smile grew wider. “I don’t have any unrealized dreams weighing me down. I want to be a part of the coven. Be a part of a group that helps people. Have a community. And if running the theater turns out not to be for me, I’ll figure something out. After I give it a try.”
“I’ll help.” Aurora squeezed her tight.
Gia ran a hand through Aurora’s hair, treasuring each silken strand. “Is that what you want to do?”
“For now.” Aurora’s gaze turned distant. “I want to work within the coven. Help out. I’ve never thought about a career before, and I don’t think there’s anything I’d like to do in the human world, but who knows? Maybe I’ll want to open a coffee shop or something.” She laughed.
Lilly stayed for hours, catching Gia up on all things Lockwood. Gia had hoped to have time alone with Aurora, but she didn’t begrudge Lilly’s presence. Making friends within the coven was something she was looking forward to almost as much as going on her first official date.
And Lilly was far more likeable than Viv.
Lilly had brought a bag with her laptop, and after they’d exhausted the coven gossip, she suggested they watch a movie.
“Sounds perfect.” Gia heaved herself off the couch. “Let me close the curtain.”
“I might fall asleep,” Aurora warned. She’d already curled beneath a blanket and didn’t look like she’d be moving any time soon.
Lilly clicked around on the computer. “Hmm, relaxing vibes, let’s see...”
Gia grabbed the curtain and froze. Marc was standing outside on the sidewalk.
“What is it?” Aurora sat up, fully alert.
“It’s my brother.”
She hurried to Gia’s side, their arms brushing. “Do you want to talk to him?”
“Is it safe?” Lilly asked.
“I’m not worried about Marc. I need to find out exactly what Franco did to his mind. The fact he hasn’t fled the city is surprising.” She’d guessed he’d be on a flight to Ashton Lakes. “I’m going to go talk to him.”
Aurora grabbed her hand. “Want me to come?”
“I might get more out of him by myself, but you can keep an eye on me from the window if you’re worried.”
Aurora pulled the curtain as far open as it would go. “Oh, I will be. I know he was hypnotized, but I don’t trust him yet.”
Gia leaned in and brushed a quick kiss across Aurora’s lips. “Thanks for looking out for me. I’ll be back soon.”
Aurora chased her retreating lips. “I’m counting on it.”
As soon as Gia exited the building, Marc caught sight of her and raised his hands in surrender. “Gia, I just want to talk.”
“I know, Marc. Relax.”
He was more casually dressed than she’d seen him in years, wearing jeans, a hoodie, a baseball cap turned backward, and not a single piece of jewelry. “Your vampire friend told you my mind was messed up, right?”
“She’s not exactly a friend, but yeah.”
“I never would have stood by him if he hadn’t forced me,” Marc said in a rush. “I swear. Not after I figured out he’d killed Ma.”
Gia wanted to weep with relief, but she held it together. “Why didn’t he erase the memory of what he’d done, like he did with me?”
Marc shrugged, looking hopelessly lost. “He made me into the man he wanted, altering anything he didn’t like.
Ordering me to believe him. To buy into his thinking.
It’s fucked. I can remember all his commands now.
All the times I disagreed or argued with him, and he smoothed it over so I’d forget.
And the worst thing is, after a while, he didn’t have to do that anymore.
It’s like he smashed me into a mold, and eventually, I gave in. ”
Gia’s heart ached. “Marc…”
“I know.” Marc adjusted his hat nervously. “For years, I held all these beliefs, thinking they were genuinely mine, and they weren’t. Even the ones like Ma that I fought the hardest, he eventually figured out how to force me to accept.”
“Jesus Christ.” Gia patted his shoulder.
His posture relaxed almost imperceptibly. “I don’t know if I’d have wanted to inherit his empire any more than you did if he hadn’t forced me. I don’t think any of it was me. After fifteen years of this shit, I don’t know who I am.”
“Oh, Marc, I’m so sorry.”
He reached for her and hesitated. She pulled him into a hug. “No, I’m sorry for what he did to you, Gia. I’d never have accepted it if he hadn’t forced me.”
“I believe you.” Gia pulled away, hardly recognizing the man before her. Who was her brother without his ambition? Without the Balzano legacy? “What are you going to do now?”
Marc glowered. “Fuck if I know. I can’t go back.”
“Who do you think will take over?”
“Salvator will try, and then the Russians will rip him to shreds. Or someone else will. Maybe Salvator will win. I couldn’t care less as long as I never see any of them again.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
They shared a strained smile.
Marc was right. Now that Franco and his supernatural influence were gone, the humans would fight it out and see who rose to the top. The winner didn’t matter to Gia or Marc in the least.
“I’m going to stay here for a while,” Marc said, looking down the road like he might find directions for the rest of his life on a street sign. “Maybe I should take some classes and see if I have any skills beyond being a dumbass.”
“Hey, you aren’t a dumbass. Neither of us can help what Franco hypnotized us to do.”
“I suppose not.” He sounded defeated.
“If Salvator or anyone comes looking for you, let me know.”
Marc smiled fully, in a way she hadn’t seen since they were kids. “Thanks, G. You’re the best sister.”
She rolled her eyes. “Your only sister.”
He shoved his hands in his pockets. “What are you going to do? Are you staying here?”
She nodded, gesturing across the street. “I’m going to reopen the theater my Aunt Susan left me. Hey”—she playfully smacked his shoulder—“if I can’t find enough employees, you can be an usher or a concession operator or something. In case you can’t find a job.”
Marc looked horrified by the idea. “Thanks…”
Gia laughed, shoving him again, like she used to do when they were young, and he grinned. “What? Is working in a theater not good enough for you?”
His cheeks reddened. “It’s not that. Okay. Maybe a little. Damn, I need to adjust my world view.”
More like rid himself of Franco’s world view.
“Don’t worry about it, Marc. You’ll be fine. Let me know if you need anything. Seriously.” She meant it, but prayed he didn’t need a place to sleep.
“Thanks. I should be okay for now.”
Gia smiled. “Glad to hear it.”
The last thing she needed now that she had her first girlfriend was her brother crashing in her one-bedroom condo.