Chapter 26
“This wasn’t part of the plan,” I growl, stomping towards Enzo. The trunk of his SUV slams shut, muffling Don Verdi’s continued pleas to let him go. I can’t say I was expecting this turn of events. The man who made every attempt to take me down has been reduced to a desperate mess in the back of my car. But I don’t like where this is heading. The plan was clear— get Luisa and get out—and now we’re suddenly taking Don Verdi hostage. Despite everything, I know I shouldn’t be so forgiving—and I’m not—it’s just that I wasn’t expecting to be hosting the enemy anytime soon.
“Take her back to the house!” Enzo barks at Giovanni as he turns around to leave, as if I’m not even here. Like a damn lapdog, Giovanni immediately obeys, sliding his palm down my spine to guide me to the passenger side. “The Vultures will follow.”
“No!” I shout, swatting Giovanni’s hand away. “I’m coming with you.”
Enzo swings his dubious gaze on me, one eyebrow raised. “No. You’re not, Sera.”
I march towards his retreating form, grabbing him by the arm. Giovanni follows, hand still glued to my back. “Last time I checked, I was in charge.”
He huffs out his annoyance, shrugging me off. He doesn’t even attempt to argue with my statement, which only annoys me further.
“What about Luca?” I call after him
“I’m handling it!” Enzo replies sharply.
“And the twins? The other half of The Vultures?” I stand resolute, and Giovanni doesn’t push me to move from my position. My nerves spike at the thought of Verdi’s goons harming them. I might have gone along with the plan knowing the risks, but that doesn’t mean any of my men are expendable. Besides, Raf already confirmed that their comms went down, and while I don’t know what’s actually happened, the sinking feeling in my gut tells me it’s something bad.
“I said I’m handling it!” Enzo snaps, making me flinch back in disbelief. Who the fuck does he think he is talking to me like that? To add insult to injury, he continues to walk away, leaving me suspended in shock.
“Enzo!” I shout after him when my anger rises from the pit of my stomach.
“We don’t have time for this!” he complains.
“Enzo! You get back here!”
He barely makes it two more steps before he stops, huffs, then spins back around, marching towards me. He grabs me by the waist, pulling me against his chest and effectively removing me from Giovanni’s touch. The slight movement knocks the wind out of me briefly, but as soon as his lips land on mine, I forget about the fact he’s acting out of line.
His lips smother mine deliciously, stealing my thoughts in an instant. It’s soft but firm, like he’s branding me with his kiss. And I feel it in the depths of my soul, the parts only he can touch. Maybe it’s an apology, a way for him to convey his emotions, because I feel it with every slide of his lips and swipe of his tongue. He tastes of tobacco and whiskey, a dangerous concoction that makes my head spin with desire.
Enzo pulls away, all too quickly for my liking. I’m left gasping at a defiant man. A man who’d do anything for me—that much is clear—but who also wants to make things right.
Pushing strands of hair away from my face, he cups my cheeks and presses his forehead to mine. “Go home, Sera.” His words fall as a whisper, laced with a plea. “We’ll meet you there.”
I swallow back my frustration, relinquishing my stubbornness on an exhale. “I want to come with you.”
“It’s not safe.”
If this is his way of trying to talk me out of it, he has another thing coming. I’ve just been held up in a room with my biggest enemy, guns pointed from all directions, and he says this will be dangerous. I can fully comprehend the situation without him explaining, but I need to be there for Luca, for Levi, too.
When I don’t move from my spot, and it finally dawns on Enzo that I’m not backing down, he scrubs a hand over his face, sighing heavily. “If there’s one thing I ask, please do this for me.”
I glance over his shoulder at Levi, noticing the same look Enzo is giving me. It’s one imploring me to do as I’m told, just this once.
“At least take the team with you,” I reason, but I already know as soon as the words leave my lips that it’s pointless.
He shakes his head, his lips turning up into a weak smile. “They’re going with you. You’re going to need the protection. We’ll be okay.”
With my jaw ticking, I turn on my heel, but not before grabbing Enzo’s lapel and tugging him to me. I might not like this idea, but it’s the only one we have right now.
“Come back to me,” I order, locking eyes with his dark ones. I let him see the fiery desperation behind my gaze, because I’ll be damned if I lose him all over again. I don’t think my heart could take it a second time, not to mention we’ve just found our rhythm in this unconventional relationship.
Enzo nods firmly, gently pulling my hand away. “We’re all coming back,” he reassures me, and every part of me desperately wants to believe him. I need to. But there’s always that lingering seed of doubt ready to plant itself.
I watch as Enzo and Levi take the SUV with Don Verdi in the trunk, steering out of the oversized courtyard. The compound is less than five minutes away, but I have no doubt they’ll make it there in two if Enzo is driving. The only thing I’m worried about is if they can make it there in time.
Instead of letting my dread suffocate me, I spin around and hold my palm out. I need to distract myself, and driving home seems to be the only thing to do. It’ll be a long drive back, but that’s the last thing I’m thinking about.
“What’s the matter?” I ask Giovanni playfully when he stares at my hand longer than necessary. “Don’t you trust me to drive?”
He seems to think on it for a moment, but seemingly makes his mind up and places the keys in my hand. “You sure you want to drive, Principessa?”
Warmth simmers through my body at the nickname he uses. It’s barely been a month, yet I’m still clinging to those fragments of the sweet moments we shared. I wish I could change the past, maybe even press Giovanni for more answers before diving in deep. But there’s a part of me that knows these things happen for a reason. What’s done is done.
Shrugging the feeling away, I kick off my shoes and Giovanni instantly picks them up. I step into the second SUV, adjusting the seat and mirrors while he closes the door behind me.
“It’s a long drive,” Giovanni smirks, leaning into the open window.
“Then you’d better get comfortable.”
As soon as Giovanni rounds the car and gets situated beside me, we peel out of the parking complex. I revel in the sensation of the wind ripping through the car, catching my hair and sending it wild. It’s liberating. There’s very few things I enjoy about driving, but this has to be one of them.
“Roads are clear for you guys,” Raf says in my ear. It’s reassuring to know he’s still around, even though he’s miles away from us. I know he’s watching my back as well as everyone else’s, but I’m still uneasy at the thought of Luca and the twins held up at the Verdi’s compound.
“Any news on Luca?” I ask, anxiety lilting my words.
“They’ve got Luisa.”
A sigh of relief escapes me, but it doesn’t last for long because Raf isn’t quite finished delivering all the information.
“There’s commotion.”
“Commotion?” I snap my head towards Giovanni, but when he looks back at me in question, I remember he isn’t wearing an earpiece anymore. “What kind of commotion?”
“I don’t want to worry you—”
“Then tell me what’s happening!” I need to know that my men are safe. I have to be certain that nothing has happened to them. When I’m met with silence, my grip tightens on the steering wheel. “Raf!”
“They were intercepted leaving the compound. The comms keep dropping out, so I can’t give you much more right now.”
“Fine,” I snap as we merge onto the empty road that leads back to the city. “Keep me updated.”
Silence envelops the car as we make our way back home. Aside from the whipping of the wind, my thoughts are the only thing to consume me. But the longer we sit in painful silence, the more my thoughts take charge. Don Verdi’s words rattle around in my head, edging the worry back to the forefront of my mind.
As hard as I try, I can’t ignore the tug of something feeling off. I want to push it aside, trust that Enzo and Raf have this under control, but I can’t.
The screeching of the car tires comes seconds later as I slam my foot on the brakes. We grind to a halt, dust kicking up and surrounding the car in a cloud.
“Sera?” Giovanni shifts in his seat beside me. I can tell from the tone in his voice that he’s not just concerned, but uncertain. Unsure whether I’m going to do something stupid.
“Fuck!” I scream before pushing my way out of the car. The asphalt beneath my feet is still warm from the day, the sun barely setting over the hills. I start pacing beside the car, battling my thoughts, warring with the urge to turn the car around. I don’t know what the plan is, but I want to help. I don’t want to sit at home on the couch wondering where my men are or if they’re even coming back to me. I can’t physically sit by and do nothing.
Suddenly, I’m hit with a brick wall of muscle, Giovanni stopping me in my tracks. His big hands wrap around my arms, and that electric energy I’ve missed so much zaps through my body. The engine still idles in the background, but it’s him that I’m focused on.
“We have to do something,” I say, letting my worry envelop me. Though I try to sound firm on my decision, it comes out as a plea.
Giovanni nods, understanding creeping over his face. “We have to go home.” His words douse me like cold water, coaxing my anger to resurface.
“What if something happens to them? What if—”
“They’re going to be fine,” he reassures, but I’m still yet to be convinced.
“I don’t want to go back, not without them.” It might sound stupid, but putting even this much distance between me and my men feels wrong. It’s still a decent drive home, and the more I think about it, the less I want to take this road, leaving them back there.
Oddly enough, Giovanni understands. He opens the trunk, exposing the flat bed of it, and holds his hand out to me. “Then we sit here and wait. It’s a long drive whether we start now or later.”
His words are those of reason and seem to soothe the erratic thoughts in my head. Despite the trust Giovanni broke, I’m still drawn to the side that understands me more than I understand myself. He speaks to a part of me I never knew existed before I met him and that very same part hurts that we can’t share more of that.
Taking his hand, I let him guide me into the back of the car. His hands cage my waist and he lifts me so effortlessly onto the trunk that I almost forget to breathe. He joins me silently—always silently—and lets the lack of sound fill the space between us.
Even though my mind is racing through the possibilities of what might be happening at the compound, Giovanni’s proximity calms me. But as the night draws out and the sun disappears, the cool air starts to wash over my skin. I shiver a little under the temperature change, wishing I had a damn coat. Then again, anything that covered this dress would have been fashion suicide because I saw how the guys looked at me tonight. This was definitely a good dress to wear.
Warmth suddenly weighs me down as Giovanni wraps me in his suit jacket, as if he’s reading my mind. I mutter a thanks, yawning when my body relaxes into the familiar scent. His rainforest smelling aftershave makes my heart ache a little. I still feel a connection to my bodyguard, even though the sting of his betrayal is raw. If the circumstances had been different… I huff out my annoyance that I’m letting my mind wander to places it has no business going right now.
“They’re going to be okay,” Giovanni reassures me for what feels like the thousandth time since we hit the road. I know it hasn’t been that many, but my mind likes to conjure up these things to take the edge off.
“Tell me about Gabriella,” I plead gently, tilting my head to look at him. I need the distraction and if anything is going to ease the tension between us, I feel that talking about his daughter might help.
He bristles uncomfortably, but looks at me all the same. “What would you like to know?”
I don’t even know where to start. There isn’t much I do know about his daughter, other than the fact that the Verdis used her as leverage to get to me. That thought tugs at my heart the most, because I hate that an innocent child was pulled into my mess.
We still don’t know how the Verdis knew Giovanni was working for me. I didn’t even know until the day he turned up at my office. The more I think about that makes me realize we might have another mole. I store that information away for later. Either Giovanni missed some details when he was telling us how he and the Verdis met, or there’s another player pulling strings.
“How old is she?” I find myself starting there. Maybe it’s for my own selfish reasons to pass the time, or maybe it’s to find that bond between us that was so savagely broken weeks ago. Either way, Giovanni makes no attempt to push me away.
He runs a hand through his slicked back hair, cursing under his breath. “Eight,” he whispers. “The most grown up eight year old you’ll ever meet.”
I smile at that, not only from his words, but the fondness lacing them. “Sometimes our circumstances force us to grow up quicker than we’d like,” I tell him. I know too well what losing a mother is like, especially when I knew her so well. Maybe that’s what spurs me on, to make sure Giovanni gets to see his daughter once more. She’s already lost one parent, she doesn’t deserve to lose another.
“I wish she didn’t have to,” he admits, his voice breaking a little. Even I can feel the weight of his loss, of how much this is affecting him, and I wish that I could take that pain away. I wish he didn’t have to suffer through this.
Sliding my palm over his hand, I let our fingers tangle. It’s the simplest gesture that allows me to offer him some comfort. It might not be much, but it’s all I can do.
Time stretches on for a little while longer, our hands still connected as Giovanni answers my questions about his daughter; a good way to distract us for the time being as well as helping me gain insight into what his life was like before me.
Every now and again I check in with Raf, but he doesn’t give me anything worth knowing. It’s like he’s trying to keep my nerves at bay, only the lack of information puts me further on edge. I need to know my men are okay. I need to know they’re safe. The silence is almost deafening the longer it stretches. Raf has essentially cut me off from the guys, and I hate that I’m being kept in the dark.
Giovanni clears his throat beside me, and as I look down at our hands, I watch his thumb draw circles over my skin. My eyes trail past his touch to where his shirt sleeve has risen, exposing fresh scars from Enzo’s torture. I can’t help but reach out and touch them, tracing my fingertips over the raised skin.
“Does it hurt?” I ask, remembering the barbed wire ripping his flesh as he hung from the ceiling. I shudder, knowing just how creative Enzo can get with his torture, thankful that he didn’t get as far this time.
“No,” he replies gently, but I know that’s a lie.
I reach up to cup his jaw, my thumb brushing the edge of a bandage. “What about this?” He still wears it, probably to conceal the damage Enzo did. I’m torn between the sadness and guilt I feel over that because Enzo acted on his own merit. I had no part in that and I hope Giovanni knows that.
He closes his eyes under my touch, exhaling deeply like it pains him to even consider admitting the pain. He’d never tell me because I know he believes he deserves it. I’ve seen what guilt looks like on his face and he’s making no attempt to cover that from me. He’s punishing himself, and that only makes my heart hurt more.
“You need to be more forgiving of yourself,” I tell him earnestly.
“I’m not like you, Principessa. I don’t have the capacity to—”
“To what? Forget what happened?” I quirk a brow angrily. “I haven’t forgotten at all, Gio. The scars on my face and my back will always remind me of what happened. But I can forgive. I can forgive you because I want to.” While the anger is evident in my words, the sincerity is stronger. The only people I reserve my hate for are the Verdis. It would take up too much energy to hold a grudge against Giovanni, because he still has a piece of my heart, no matter how battered and bruised that part is; it’s still his.
Giovanni’s green gaze meets mine. “You’re something else,” he smiles, reaching up to push back a strand of my hair. “I’ve never met anyone like you.”
I swallow the lump in my throat as my eyes drop to his lips for a brief moment.
He licks them as he leans in, and I track the movement like a tasty treat.
But then my earpiece crackles and a connection sounds. I jolt away, feeling the embarrassed heat coat my cheeks. I was considering overstepping that line, the one that would for sure break me if I ever ventured down that path again.
Giovanni must sense my reluctance, instant regret plastered across his face as he moves away from me and clears his throat.
I want to say something—anything that would make this less awkward—but then I hear the familiar voice that douses me in goosebumps and makes me remember why we’re loitering on the side of the desert road in the first place.
“Dolcezza?”