13. Jovie
JOVIE
It’s been a full twenty-four hours and counting since I messaged Santino and every second that passes is slowly killing me. I want to message him. I miss him more than when the flowers bloom in spring.
The gravity of the situation hit me pretty heavily the day before yesterday when our messages got heated again.
Basically, I told myself that was the last time talking to him.
And I meant it.
I’ve even changed my phone number.
There’s no way for him to get ahold of me now. I can go back to my normal life without being consumed by Santino Salvati.
Staring at myself in the mirror, exhaustion has me exhale a long slow breath. Dark circles around my eyes seem more hollowed than they really are. I’ve tossed and turned the last two nights, riddled with guilt and apprehension.
Deciding to speak to Santino in a revenge plot was selfish of me.
I’m not that kind of person and even though I know he is a powerful man, I’m pretty positive he isn’t going to care about a stranger he was messaging.
Why would he? He probably has women throwing themselves at him every day, multiple times a day.
I bet the man has more sex than I will in my entire life.
I shiver at the thought of him with any other woman but me. My insides churn with jealousy. I’m a shark in their blood invested waters, bleeding themselves dry for a chance at him.
“Time to move on. It’s what is best for everyone.
You aren’t made for his world,” I tell myself, combing my brush through my wet hair.
“And he isn’t made for yours. What would a man his age do with someone like me?
A big shot mafia boss hanging out at a flower shop?
” I snort, knowing every word I say to my reflection is true.
I check the time, debating if I want to close the shop today and refund any orders.
I need a day to gather my thoughts, to relax.
At the same time, keeping busy is probably a good idea.
I need to do everything I can to keep my mind off Santino.
If I’m left alone in this room, I’ll end up messaging him from my new number.
The only person who has it is Marlowe. I barely talk to anyone anyway. It was a good reason to clean my phone out of everyone I don’t talk to and keep the ones I do. Luckily, the shop has its own landline, so I didn’t need to worry about interference.
A knock from downstairs has me groan. When I double check the time, I curse.
I misread it.
I’m thirty minutes behind schedule. The shop is due to open in an hour and that means Marlowe is down there waiting on me to open up the door so we can have our morning coffee together.
Groaning, I tighten the belt on my robe and meander downstairs, taking my sweet time. The moment I open the door to the main floor, the aromatic floral scent hits me and I inhale, relaxing instantly.
I rub my eyes and yawn my way to the door to unlock it.
Marlowe waves, keeping her face still and stern. That’s as much energy in the mornings that she gives, and I can relate.
“Jeez. You look like crap. Did you go out last night? Without me?” Marlowe shoves the cup of coffee at my chest. “How rude. I wasn’t even invited.”
I lock the door behind her and take the first sip of a smores latte with extra marshmallow fluff. “I needed this. Thank you.”
She throws one hand on her hip, her long black nails tapping against her studded belt. “You need to tell me why you went out without me. Never go anywhere alone, Jovie. Haven’t I taught you that?”
“Calm down. I didn’t go out last night.” I walk by her, the buzz of the printer startling me when it begins to print orders for me.
I love that when an order comes in, it prints automatically to inform me throughout the day. Overnight, when the shop is closed, it prints all orders that came through the night. Considering it is still printing, I have a busy day ahead of me.
Good. Taking the day off would be a mistake.
“Come upstairs with me. I’m behind and need to finish getting ready.” I climb up the steps to my apartment and Marlowe’s huge platform shoes thud against every stair.
I pause, spinning around to lift a sleepy brow at her. “Careful, you’ll break the wood and fall into whatever hell is below the staircase.”
She sips her five shot espresso caramel latte, shrugging while she drags her nails down the rail. “That’s fine. I don’t mind the heat.”
I chuckle, kicking open my apartment door and Marlow makes herself at home by throwing off her shoes and plopping on the bed.
She leans back against my mountain of pillows, staring at me so hard, it’s a little unnerving.
“What?” I set my drink down and do a simple style with my hair, an over the shoulder braid.
“Trying to figure out what you did last night is all. Every thought I have isn’t true because it’s something I would do.”
“Well, maybe you’re wrong. Maybe I did do it.”
“You went to a heavy metal concert and got fake blood thrown on you?”
I pucker my lips and rummage through my makeup bag. “You caught me. I totally crowd surfed too.”
A smile threatens to stretch her lips. “I knew it.” She tosses a small pillow at me, and I dodge it by swinging my hips left. “In all seriousness, what happened? I’ve barely heard from you the last two days.”
I apply a light coat of mascara, then toss it back into the makeup bag. “Well, you know I got a new phone number.”
“Mmmhmm,” she follows along, taking a long gulp of her coffee.
“And I didn’t give my new number to Santino.
I ended it. There’s no way for him to find me.
I did the right thing. What I was doing…
” I hang my head ashamed. “It wasn’t okay.
I can’t believe I did that just to get back at a guy who I liked enough but not loved.
Not that loving someone gives me or anyone the excuse to do what I did. ”
“You are so cute and na?ve.” Marlowe stares up at the ceiling, disappointment and worry edging her features.
I spin around, holding a makeup brush in one hand. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You know what I mean,” she scoffs. “I know you’re sheltered and you don’t get out much, but you have to know that there is no way in hell a man like Santino Salvati is going to let the woman he’s been talking to disappear without getting an explanation from her.
You don’t think he can find a way to track you down?
” She pushes herself off the bed, strolls over to me with a frustrating glare, then crosses her arms and leans against the wall nearest to me.
“You can’t be that oblivious to the way the world works, Jovie. You really can’t.”
“There’s no need to be condescending about it or rude.” I give my back to her, my eyes welling with tears from my own anger and embarrassment bubbling to the surface.
Angry because this is the rudest Marlowe has ever been to me.
Embarrassed because I know she’s right.
“Jovie, I’m not trying to be. I’m being honest. When he notices your phone is disconnected, he will go to every length to find you.
” She grabs my shoulders and spins me around, giving me a slight shake.
“Do you know how terrified that makes me? I know you don’t know much about him, but I’m not going to sugarcoat it for you, Jovie.
You should be scared and I’m not saying that to scare you.
I need you to open your eyes and take off the blinders.
He is a dangerous man. He has murdered. He has killed.
He has tortured. There are people who go missing every single day and their body parts wash up on shore.
He is ruthless. His smooth tongue and charm is easy to take, forgetting what he is truly capable of.
And before you say, ‘I’ll run away,’ no, you won’t.
It isn’t that simple. Santino has connections all over the world.
He is connected to other crime organizations we have never heard of or will understand.
There is nowhere for you to go except to face the consequences whenever that may be.
I’ll be here too. I’ll fight him for you if I have to.
” She wipes away one of my tears that has fallen down my cheek.
Marlowe has always been braver than me. I admire her for that.
“But he will find you, Jovie. No matter where you go or what you do.” She snags a tissue from the counter, drying my wet cheeks and eyes.
I’ll definitely need to start over on my makeup by the way the tissue looks stained in black from my mascara.
“There are a few things that work in your favor though.” After she dries my face, she grabs my concealer, applying a small dot under each eye, then takes my beauty sponge to blend the liquid out.
I sit on the counter to get more comfortable. “What could possibly be working in my favor right now?”
She snags the brush out of my hand and rummages through my bag, plucking the blush compact out. “One, his son has a connection to you. Granted, it didn’t end on the best of terms, and it was his son’s fault, but Santino is a family man. He loves his sons. Hurting you would hurt Luca.”
“Huh, I didn’t think about that. I mean, I guess that’s better than nothing. I’ll happily take a waring.”
She dabs the brush into the light pink powder, dabbing gently on my cheeks to build the color. I’m left admiring the sharp winged linger she has. The points are so sharp, that they could easily kill. If they could be weapons.
“Second, he clearly likes you. I saw the way he looked at you at the restaurant. The man is smitten with you. The soft spot he has for you might end up being your saving grace. I don’t know anything for certain.
I’ve been here a long time. I’ve heard and read a lot of things too much for them to be not true.
Maybe he will forget all about the unknown person he was texting and moving. I could be overthinking everything.”
“You and I both know you’re not. He’ll figure it out.
He’ll find me, eventually, and I need to be ready for whatever happens.
Actions have consequences. I just wish I would have known just who I was dating before I made the decision to send his father fucking flowers.
Who does that? Sends flowers? Do men even like flowers?
He probably wasn’t even serious when he was talking to me.
I bet he was toying with me the entire time. ”
“Girl.” Her dramatic thin black eyebrow arches near her hairline. “You showed me a few of those messages. I doubt he was toying with you. Besides, he probably thought you were the one who was a threat.”
I lift my head and she grips my chin to force me steady.
“Hold still.”
“Sorry,” I mumble. “Why would I be a threat?”
“Oh, sweet, sweet Jovie. This man has allies everywhere, but with as many allies that he has, he has enemies too. He might have thought you were someone trying to distract him, to create a weak spot. Every outlandish theory you can think of, he probably thought it.”
My blood runs cold. I didn’t think about that.
What Marlowe said is absolutely true. What if me disconnecting my phone means Santino thinks that whoever was on the other line is going to do something with the videos and pictures he sent me?
He’ll be on a rampage to track me down to make sure those files won’t go public.
I wouldn’t ever do that anyway. I don’t have the heart to delete anything he sent me, but I will if that’s what’s needed. The last thing I want to do is cause any trouble.
Well, more than I’ve already caused.
“Hey, everything will be okay. I promise,” Jovie tries to reassure me, coating my lashes in mascara for the second time this morning.
If everything will be okay, then why do I feel sick? What have I done?