Chapter 7 #2
This routine isn’t anything new. It’s how we’ve managed to keep up our supplies thus far, but where she hid it, and the timing, don’t sit right with me. Something’s off. I can feel it.
I drop my fork onto the plate and pick up the piece of paper, hesitantly unfolding it. At first, it looks like any other list she’s given me in the past, but the further my eyes move down the page, the more the heat in my chest starts to rise.
Apples
Blueberries
Strawberries
Carrots
Zucchini
Tomatoes
Potatoes
Onions
Milk
Cream
Eggs
Flour
2kg ground beef
2kg chicken breast
4 x Steaks
2 x Vibrators (a pink and a black one, the fattest and longest they have available)
Butt plugs (various sizes)
Lube (lots and lots of lube - I’m going to need it)
Nipple Clamps
…
When my blood pressure spikes to a dangerous level, I decide I’ve read enough. I don’t even want to know what else she’s requested. This woman is certifiably nuts, I’m sure of it.
I screw the piece of paper into a ball and toss it over my shoulder. “Nice try, but my men will not be buying that shit for you.”
“Yes, they will be!” she snaps.
I lean forward in my seat, getting up in her face. “Over my dead body,” I growl.
Her eyes narrow as she picks up the knife beside her plate, wrapping her fingers around the handle so tightly her knuckles turn white.
“That can be arranged,” she seethes.
I cock an eyebrow. “Are you threatening me, sweetheart?”
“Are you going to get me my sex toys?”
“You can’t answer a question with a question, Lucia.”
She lifts her chin further in defiance. “I believe I just did.”
“No, I’m fucking not,” I bark, clenching my hand into a fist and banging it down on the table to emphasise my point.
“Are you going to let me grind myself against your erection then?”
The absurdity of this conversation almost makes me laugh, but there’s nothing funny about it. The tightness in my chest this woman causes has me wondering if I should book an appointment with a cardiologist.
“That will be another no.”
She flicks her wrist, driving the tip of the knife into the top of the wooden table with a swift jab. Her move shocks me so much that my eyebrows shoot up so high they nearly brush my hairline.
This is going south fast.
I watch, frozen, as she suddenly pushes her chair back and stands, pointing her finger at my face. “Tonight, I’d be sleeping with one eye open if I were you.”
“Considering I’m forced to live under the same roof as a nutjob, I’m not surprised,” I counter.
I wait until she storms out of the room before I reach into my top pocket and retrieve my phone, pulling up Dante’s number.
I need out of this nightmare stat.
Me: Would you be free to swing by the house sometime today? I need to talk to you about something.
His reply comes through a few minutes later.
Dante: I’ve got to take Caterina to see the nurse this morning, but I can come by after that. Is everything okay?
Me: See you then.
I purposely don’t answer his question. This is something I need to discuss with him face-to-face. I only hope my confession doesn’t end up getting me killed.
I’m pacing back and forth on the front lawn when Dante finally shows up. It feels safer out here, away from everything … from her, even though my boss may have my head when I confess what’s been going on.
I owe this man everything, so lying to him isn’t an option. I need help—some direction—because I have no idea how to stop this freight train that’s wreaking havoc on my life.
My fingers twitch, extending and then balling into fists by my sides, as he steps out of the car and starts across the lawn towards me.
I’ve been trying to find the right words while I’ve been waiting, but now that he’s here, I’ve got nothing. I have no idea how to even begin this conversation with him. I’m a little embarrassed that I’ve let things get so out of hand.
“Hey,” he says, stopping in front of me.
“Hey. How did Caterina go with the nurse? She’s not sick, is she?”
“No. Nothing like that. Just a weekly checkup.”
“Good,” I reply with a nod.
“What’s going on? You look stressed.”
“Is it that obvious?” I answer, running a hand through my thick, dark hair.
“Has something happened? Do you have news on Salvatori?”
“No. Nothing on him. That fucker has still managed to elude us. I won’t rest until I find him, though.”
“Get in line,” he retorts. “I’ll personally see he’s wiped off the face of this earth, and unable to hurt Lucia … if we can find the cocksucker that is.”
“He’ll slip up eventually.”
“I hope so. Arabella is busting my balls. She wants her sister home.”
“And that right there would be the answer to all my problems.”
His eyebrows pinch together as he studies me. “I don’t understand. Are you having issues with Lucia?”
I tilt my head back and blow out a long breath. An issue is an understatement.
“You could say that.”
“What’s going on?”
My eyes eventually move back to him. “I don’t think I can do this anymore,” I admit.
“Do what? Look after her … keep her safe?”
“I have no issues with keeping her safe,” I clarify. “Nobody would be able to keep her safer than I could. It’s just all the other bullshit I can’t deal with.”
“What bullshit? Is she giving you a hard time?” I turn my face, staring off into the distance and exhale all the air from my lungs. “It’s those damn fucking cartoon heart eyes, isn’t it?”
“I fucking wish,” I reply, snapping my gaze back to him. “I can deal with the cartoon eyes. It’s all the other … stuff that’s doing my head in.”
“What other stuff?”
“Those books, for starters.”
“You have a problem with her reading?”
“No, it’s what they’re making her do that I have a problem with.”
His face screws up in confusion. “What are they making her do?”
I grimace slightly before saying, “You know … late at night when she’s in bed … alone.”
Even though that wasn’t the case last night, I still felt the need to clarify that last bit.
When the penny finally drops, he barks out a laugh, which pisses me off. There’s nothing funny about this.
“You have an issue with her masturbating?”
I rub the back of my neck. “She’s doing it on purpose to taunt me.”
“Ignore her.”
“Easier said than done. She’s pushing me to the limit. I even had to resort to desperate measures.”
“Such as?”
“I took Big-O to the backyard and put a bullet right through the centre of it.”
“Big-O?” he asks, confused.
“Her vibrator. That’s what she named it.”
This time, he cracks up. He roars laughing so hard he ends up having to grab hold of his stomach.
“It’s not funny, arsehole.”
“Oh, I beg to differ. It’s hilarious. I can’t wait to tell Arabella when I get home.” I throw my hands in the air, spin on my heels, and start walking back towards the house. “Where are you going?”
I pause for a second, feeling my entire body deflate. “I risked my life by calling you. I thought we could discuss this like men. Obviously, I was wrong.”
“Romeo.” I glance at him over my shoulder and see all the humour has now vanished from his face. “What do you mean by risking your life?”
I pull the scrunched-up piece of paper from my pocket and stalk back towards him. “This is what she gave me this morning.”
“What is it?”
“A shopping list. Read what she’s asking my men to buy.”
“I don’t see the problem …” he starts, but his words trail off as his eyes scan the page. When he bites back a smile and rolls his lips like he’s trying not to laugh, something in me snaps. For the first time in my life, I actually want to punch him.
“There’s nothing funny about that list,” I growl, snatching it back out of his hand.
“She’s young,” he says, shrugging. “Let her have fun. We were that age once. I really don’t see the issue.”
“That’s easy for you to say. Try standing in my shoes for a day.”
“Fuck, Romeo. Chill out. Buy some headphones, blast some music while she’s …” He stops midsentence as his facial features harden. “Unless—”
“Unless what?”
“You wish you were the one getting her off.”
I look away, exhaling, hoping the truth might be carried away with my breath, but my best friend isn’t stupid. He can read between the lines.
“Holy fuck,” he mutters. “You do.”
“No. Maybe … fuck,” I murmur, dragging both hands through my hair and clutching my skull like that might somehow stop the chaos in my head.
This time Dante spins around, gives me his back, and takes a step towards his car. “Where are you going?” I ask.
“To get my gun.”
“Are you fucking serious?” When he glances over his shoulder and smiles like a motherfucker, I shake my head. “Remind me again why we’re friends.”
“Because I’m awesome and you’d be lost without me.”
He’s right, I would be, but I’d never admit that out loud.
Dante was the first person to show me there was more to life than the miserable existence I knew … that not everyone is on the take.
The helplessness I felt the day he was shot is something I’ll never forget. He’s the only person I know with all certainty who has my back. I trust my men, but my relationship with them is different.
He spins back around to face me, shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his trousers. “So, what are we going to do about this little problem you’re having? You want me to pull you off the job and get someone else to watch her?”
The question hits me like a punch to the gut. The thought of someone else—anyone else—being near her, watching her, breathing the same air as her day in and day out, makes my jaw clench so tight it aches.
I don’t want to share her.
I don’t want her sleeping under the same roof as another man.
I don’t want her laughing at someone else’s jokes or cooking for anyone but me.
“No,” I say fast and firm. “That’s not the answer.”
“Then what is?” he shoots back.
I shrug. “I don’t know.”
“I’m going to say something and do with it what you will.”
“I’m listening,” I say, hesitantly.
“If you touch her … taint her in any way, she’s yours to keep.
Capire (Understand)? Lucia is not like the other women you’ve had over the years.
She’s special. She’s like Arabella … that once-in-a-lifetime girl.
She deserves to be cherished. If you can’t do that, then you need to stay the fuck away.
If you don’t, we’re going to have a problem. ”
“What are you trying to say?” I ask, confused.
“If you can give her what she needs, treat her how she deserves, including a lifetime commitment, you have my blessing.”
With that, he turns and stalks back to his car without another word.
He slides into the driver’s seat, starts the engine, and pulls away without so much as a glance in my direction, leaving me standing there, completely dumbfounded.