Gabriel - 4
As we head toward the Capstone, Sofia's perfume fills the car. It's a mixture of flowers and sweetness that is a stark contrast from what just occurred.
As I continue driving, I can't help but sneak glances at her. Her long dark hair cascading down her back, brushing against her bare skin. Her revealing dress forces my eyes to take in her large breasts and slightly erect nipples pressing against the thin fabric.
I see goosebumps rise on her legs. I press the passenger's seat heater button instinctively.
She asked a few questions since leaving, but has since fallen silent. I can tell she's thinking. Maybe about the dead men, the gunfight, all or none of it - who knows.
Why the fuck am I even taking her with me?
The thought hits me like a punch to the gut. I'm not some goddamn white knight. I don't save damsels in distress. I end lives, not preserve them.
But something about her...
Those full lips, the curve of her neck. Christ.
My cock twitches, and I shift in my seat, trying to focus on the road. But my mind keeps circling back to her. To the way she moved at the party to the fire in her eyes when she looked at me.
She's not like the other women at these things. There's an edge to her, a sharpness that cuts through the arm candy personality.
I should've left her there. Let her fend for herself in the chaos. It's what any sane man in my position would've done.
But I couldn't. The moment I saw her, crouched on the floor, eyes wide with terror, something primal inside me roared to life. A need to protect, to possess.
It's fucking insane. I've known this woman for all of an hour, and already she's got me breaking protocol, risking everything.
"You okay?" The words slip out before I can stop them.
She turns to me, those gorgeous eyes narrowing. "Am I okay?" Her voice drips with sarcasm. "I just watched my—" She catches herself. "Conner die. I was nearly killed. And now I'm being kidnapped by a psychopath. So no, I'm not fucking okay."
I can't help but smirk.
"I'm not kidnapping you. I'm saving you."
She scoffs. "Right. My hero."
The sarcasm in her tone should piss me off, but instead, it just turns me on more.
"You're welcome," I say, earning a glare that could melt steel.
We fall back into silence, but the air between us is different now.
I should be focused on damage control. The Russians made their move, and it's going to be all-out war now. Enzo will want blood, and as his top enforcer, I'll be the one spilling it.
Instead, all I can think about is the woman beside me. The way her chest rises and falls with each breath. The scent of her perfume filling the car.
After a few moments of silence, she turns to me.
"What exactly happened back there?"
"I don't know," I shrug, keeping my tone nonchalant.
Of course, I do know.
As we pull up to the hotel, William, the lead valet, approaches us. I turn to face Sofia. She meets my gaze, her eyes filled with fear and uncertainty.
"Follow me."
She nods, her pouty lips parting as if to speak. She's a stunning beauty even in her daze. When no words come out of her mouth, I have her follow me out of the car and into the hotel.
The Capstone's lobby is deserted, save for a single bellhop who quickly approaches.
I don't stop to talk and put my arm around Sofia's waist to keep her moving as we head toward the elevator.
"Can I be of assistance, Mr. Falcone?" the bellhop asks me.
"No, just heading to Starlight."
"Yes, yes, of course."
Once inside the glass elevator, I press the button for the Starlight suite.
As the elevator begins to climb, my eyes don't leave Sofia. Her back is to me as she looks out the glass to the lobby below. She holds an air of mystery about her - a rarity in my world, and I find it both intriguing and distracting.
The elevator dings, and the doors open. She turns to look at me. Her eyes glisten with a myriad of emotions - fear, sadness, but also something else, and I'm unsure of it.
"This way," I say and motion for her to start walking. She does with hesitation. I walk past her and unlock the door to the Starlight and open it. The lights automatically come on, revealing the luxury suite as we walk inside.
The door clicks shut behind us, locking us in. Sofia lingers by the door, her back pressed against it as she takes in the lavish surroundings. I watch her from across the room, my eyes roaming over her.
"Make yourself comfortable," I say, my voice low.
She nods but doesn't move.
"Food's in the kitchen. Drinks and all that. I need to go into the other room to make some calls."
I notice her hand resting on the doorknob. "Door only unlocks with a keycard."
Her body tenses up, the realization that she's unable to leave overtaking her.
"It's for your protection," I say, but that's only partly true.
I slide into the next room and dial the number for my captain. As the phone rings, I can't help but wonder why the hell I even took her, but now that she's here, I can't let her go.
"Gabriel, what the fuck happened?" the voice on the other end answers my call.
I start pacing the room.
"Russians. Came in through the fucking windows, Luca. I cut them down, but damage was done."
"Shit, the don's not going to like this. You know you're the only one who walked out."
"What about Tony? I left him in the corner hiding."
There was a pause.
"Motherfucker died in that corner."
"Shit."
"Gabe, where are you?"
"The Capstone."
"The Capstone?"
"Yes, there was a woman in the room with us. A mistress to one of the dead Irish. I took her."
“Took her? Why?”
It was a good question, and one I didn't quite have an answer to. If it would be anyone else questioning me, I would have told them to fuck off and shove my gun in their mouth, but not Luca, my capo, the captain I report to - that could be my death.
"Yeah, I figured she'd need protection now that, well...maybe she knows something, who knows, but I had a feeling."
"Okay, stay there. I'm on my way."
As I hang up the phone, I take a deep breath and exhale. Luca's on his way, which means I have to figure out what my next move will be with the woman in the other room.
I open the door and step back into the main room, my eyes immediately finding her. She's standing near the large window, looking out at the Chicago skyline. The city's lights illuminate her silhouette.
She's holding a glass of amber liquid in her hand, swirling it gently, lost in her thoughts. Her eyes are distant and glazed over, reflecting the bright lights of the city below. I can't help but notice how small and fragile she looks in this grand suite.
"How are you feeling?" I ask, taking a step toward her. She looks at me and then back to the cityscape once again.
"I don't know. I've never seen anything like that before. It was..." her voice trailing off.
I nod, realizing what seems like a common reality in my line of work is nightmarish to others.
"All right," I say and run my hand over the back of my neck. "Take a seat."
Without waiting for her response, I move to the oversized couch and sit down, leaving plenty of room for her to join me. She hesitates, but then slowly crosses the room and takes a seat, leaving as much distance between us as possible.
I take the remote and, with the press of a button, a fire ignites in the fireplace. Its orange glow fills the room.
Sofia turns and stares at it intensely.
After a few moments, she speaks.
"He was a good man," she says, her voice trembling. "He didn't deserve to die like that."
"Who?"
"Conner. The man I told you I was there with."
"Oh, I didn't remember his name, and frankly, don't care to."
She quickly turns her head to stare at me, her eyes full of anger as they reflect the fire.
"Fuck you."
I raise an eyebrow, unfazed by her outburst. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me. Fuck you," her voice full of emotion.
I scoot closer to her, closing the distance I had given her.
I reach out my hand and cup her jaw. "Filthy words for a such a pretty mouth."
She’s angry but doesn’t pull away.
I can see her trying to hold it together, to keep her emotions in check.
"I just... I don't know what to do now," she admits with hesitation, "I'm alone in this world, with no one to turn to."
Her words stir something within me, a desire to protect her, but I don't understand it, so I shrug it off.
"Well, you're safe for now," I say, releasing her.
I stand and walk over to the bar and pour myself some whiskey. I take a sip and observe Sofia sitting as still as a statue, looking into the fire. Just as I'm about to speak, there's a knock at the door.
I pull out my gun and walk over to the small camera screen by the door - it's Luca with Sammy and Vincent.
I tuck my gun behind my back and scan the keycard, unlocking the door.
"I thought you'd just come in," I say to Luca as he enters.
"Eh, this idiot forgot the card in the car," he says, pointing to Sammy.
The three of them walk past me and into the main room.
"Wow, aren't you just a fucking vision," Luca says to Sofia, "What's your name, darling?"
Sofia doesn't respond.
"Come on now, honey," Luca says and sits down beside her. "I won't bite," he says and rubs her leg.
A twinge of anger rises in me, and I grip my drink tightly, the glass nearly breaking under the pressure.
"Sofia."
"Ah, Sofia," Luca says and takes her hand and kisses it, "what a beautiful name. I'm Luca."
Luca turns to look at me, "I can see now why you took her," he says with a sly grin.
"Don't worry, honey, you'll be taken care of," Luca says, patting her leg. He stands and looks back at me.
"Kitchen."
Luca puts his arm on my shoulder, the same one that was just holding Sofia's hand, as we walk into the kitchen.
"You really did pick a beautiful one this time," Luca says, admiring Sofia over my shoulder. "And her breasts, shit, I don't think I've seen a finer pair."
I take a drink of my whiskey, welcoming the burn, "and what would your current mistress think?" I say.
Luca laughs.
"Look, we're going to be going after the Russians, so you're going to be busy, so why don't you let me take care of Sofia? You've got work to do."
I tense up and don't know how to respond. I need to tread lightly, as this is my boss.
"I took her, I'll deal with it," I say.
Luca looks at me, and his face becomes stern, "I'm claiming her," he says matter-of-factly. "The family will need you focused, and there's a lot to be done. Don't worry about this one anymore."
"What about your other mistress?" I ask.
"Veronica? She's gone. It's done," he says, waving a dismissive hand.
I stand in the kitchen and clench my jaw, trying to hide my inner turmoil. I can't defy Luca openly, but the thought of him claiming Sofia fills me with rage. I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself down.
"I can see the tension in your face, Gabe.
Don't worry, I'll take good care of her.
I'll make sure she's got everything she needs.
You know I'm good to my mistresses," he says, patting me on the shoulder, a gesture that seems almost condescending.
"Now, finish your drink. We've got other issues that need addressing, and the don wants to see us. "
Reluctantly, I nod and raise my glass to my lips, draining the amber liquid in one gulp. As the warmth spreads through my chest, I try to push aside my concern for Sofia and focus on the tasks ahead, because there was a war coming, and I need to be ready.
I watch Luca walk back to Sofia and sit down on the couch beside her and place his hand on her knee. She recoils slightly.
"Sofia, darling, Gabriel and I have some important business to attend to. I'll be back in the morning, so try and get some rest. In the meantime, Sammy will be stationed outside the door to keep you safe," Luca says, smiling. "If you need anything, just let him know."
Sofia nods, her eyes don't shift from the fireplace. I can see the uncertainty in her face, but there's nothing I can do about it. I clench my fists as I stand across from them, trying to keep the frustration from showing on my face.
Luca stands and gestures for me to follow him.
I hesitate for a moment, but then reluctantly turn and walk out of the suite.
As we leave, I can't help but cast one last glance at Sofia, her life now enveloped in Luca's protective embrace.
I feel a slight pang of jealousy stab me, but I ignore it, reminding myself of my duty to the family and the importance of what's to come.