Chapter 2
Gianna
I walked out of the Rosso estate, leaving behind everything that felt familiar. A cab pulled up just as I reached the gate with my luggage.
The evening breeze tugged at my hair, and I paused, tilting my head up to look at the estate one last time, specifically Vito’s floor, wondering if he was watching me. Wondering what exactly was going through his head as he sent his sister into the enemy’s den.
Last night after Rina, Sofia, and Elena left, Vito had called me to his office. He briefed me on the essentials, everything I needed to know about the Irish. I knew Finn, but not his family. That was a different story.
“With Liam still in the wind and Kieran dead, Declan's running the Irish now. Finn's his right hand. Both dangerous, both smart. Don't underestimate either of them. Don’t mess this up, Gianna.” Those were Vito’s final words to me as I left his office.
Before I left, a few of his men worked on my phone to take out any information the Irish could use against us. Not like I was so involved in my family’s business anyway.
I peeled my eyes away from the estate as the driver helped me with my bag. Closing the door behind me, I took a deep breath, grounding myself for what was to come.
The driver’s door slammed shut, jolting me from my thought. My heart raced as I opened my eyes. “Where to?” the cab driver asked.
I answered with the address to where Finn lived in Hell’s Kitchen, biting my bottom lips as I looked out the window.
What would Finn think when he saw me? I swallowed, thinking of ways to convince him. Convincing him shouldn’t be as tough as convincing Declan, though.
I wondered what our encounter would be like. Finn and I had some sort of bond. Heck, I slept with the man, but I couldn’t believe he used the tender moment we shared that way. Turned out he was just like every man in my life. Selfish and self-centered.
I took out my phone to text Finn. I ran my fingers through my hair as I saw the series of messages he sent me that I never replied to.
I bit my bottom lip, thinking what to text or say. My fingers hovered on the phone and remained like that until the driver said something.
“What?” I asked, realizing I had spaced out. How long had I been staring at my phone?
Well, it didn’t matter now.
“We’re here,” he said, and I looked out the window. My heart dropped to my stomach, but Rina’s motivation kept me grounded, and maybe Vito’s threat to not fuck this up too.
I took a deep breath and reached for the door handle, my fingers trembling slightly, not from the chill in the evening air but from nerves and anticipation. “You can do this, Gianna.”
I stepped out of the cab, my black boots touching down on the concrete with a soft thud. The city buzzed around me, but in front of the Costello estate, everything was quieter.
I straightened up, adjusted the strap of my handbag on my shoulder, and reached back inside the cab to pull out my suitcase and a small duffel bag.
I dragged the suitcase to the side, letting it roll over the pavement with a familiar clatter. The cab pulled away after I paid him, leaving me standing there beneath the towering presence of the estate.
I tilted my head back to take it in.
The building rose high above the street, all glass and marble edges.
It’s window gleaming like eyes that saw everything.
It was so similar to the Rosso’s estate but different at the same time.
I had passed by this place a few times, but never once did I imagine I’d be standing here with luggage in hand, about to walk through this door.
I had never dared to, even with my somewhat relationship with Finn. Who would willingly walk into the home of their enemies? “You Gianna. You,” I whispered.
I took out my phone and dialed Finn’s number, hoping I wasn’t already blocked.
I felt a speck of hope when the phone rang. I waited for him to pick up, but his voice didn’t come through.
I tried it again and again, but no response. I left a message that I was waiting for him outside. I bit my bottom lip and sighed.
Tightening my grip on the suitcase handle, I took a step forward but didn’t get far.
“Excuse me, ma’am,” a firm voice broke the moment.
I raised my head to see a security guard approaching from inside the glass door. He wore a navy uniform with a silver badge and didn’t smile. That wasn’t a shocker. “Can I help you?” he asked.
I offered a tight smile. “I’m here to see Finn.
Finn Costello,” I said, knowing fully well it would get me nowhere, but I at least had to try.
The guard’s brow lifted slightly in doubt.
He gave me another look, this time slower, more carefully, then glanced down at my luggage, and I tried to fight back a snare.
“Do you have an appointment with him?”
“No, but…”
“Then, you should leave,” he cut me off, cold and flat.
His dismissal lit something in me make me mad. “Tell Finn, Gianna Rosso is here to see him.”
That got his attention. His eyes widened at the mention of my last name. A flicker of recognition or was it hesitation?
He narrowed his eyes at me and turned away to speak into his mic.
I might be nothing, but the name Rosso had earned me respect, and sometimes, fear from people, but this time, it could endanger my life.
I’d been waiting in this room for over ten minutes now, and my nerves were eating at me, not just because I don’t know who was going to walk through that door but because I had like about three bodyguards standing outside it.
I had been pacing back and forth, digging into my lips that I didn’t look around the room. It had a grand piano near the window, the soft light from the chandelier gleaming on its surface.
Beside it was a plush velvet armchair and ottoman. Across the room, there’s a small bar with a marble counter displaying bottles of rum, whiskey, and other spirits.
Despite the calming aura of the room, I felt tense.
My palms were sweaty, and my feet were cold. I kept drilling it into my head that I’ve got this. I could do it.
I moved to the piano, tracing my hand over the surface when the door opened. My disappointment shone through when I saw it was two bodyguards, not Finn. They walked straight to me, and I took a few steps back, almost stumbling on my feet.
One of the men snatched my phone “What are you doing? Give me that phone,” I snapped, the anger in my voice sharp and impossible to ignore.
Another guard stepped forward, waving a big detector over my body.
The look on his face when it came up clean was anything but pleased, like he wanted me to be caught with something.
“You will get it back. Let’s go,” he said, and I hesitated for a second before trailing behind him.
“Where are we going?” I asked, but he didn’t answer. I glanced back. The other guard was already going through my luggage. I couldn’t blame them, not really. If the situation was reversed, I could imagine Vito doing much worse to Finn if he had walked through the doors of the Rosso estate.
We walked through the estate lobby. It was vast with high ceilings and marble floors. Men in black suits, like the one leading me, stood at near-perfect interval, eyes sharp, earpieces coiled around their ears. This was a familiar sight; the only difference was this wasn’t my home.
None of the men looked at me, not directly, but I still felt assessed, measured, and dismissed. They didn’t smile; they didn’t nod. Their expressions were carved from stone.
My boots made little sounds as I followed the bodyguard past a second checkpoint. Then a third. We reached the elevator, and without a word, he pressed the top button to the penthouse.
The door slid shut, and classical music drifted from the hidden speaker. My heart was pounding too loudly in my chest for the melody to matter.
My stomach twisted. Who exactly was I going to meet? Declan or Finn? I prayed it was the latter. As the elevator door slid open, we stepped into an empty hallway. I followed the guard down the hall until we reached a door.
The door opened up, and that same sinking feeling crept in, just like the one I had walking into Vito’s office.
Only this time it wasn't my brother I was facing, it was a man, who at first glance, bore a striking resemblance to Finn.
He sat alone at the far end of a long conference table with a commanding presence, and I swallowed.
The door closed behind me, and the guard disappeared without a word.
“A Rosso in the abode of a Costello. How ironic,” he said. His voice was low and cold, and it sent shivers down my spine. Brown hair, strong facial structure, and piercing blue eyes that dug into my soul.
“Why are you here? I doubt you came all this way here to just stare. I heard you brought a few bags,” he said, leaning back in his chair with a lazy kind of menace that made every hair on my arm rise. He looked like danger itself. This was Declan, the current head of the Costello syndicate.
“I told the guard. I am here to see Finn,” I said, surprising myself at how clear I sounded.
He tilted his head, narrowing his gaze at me like he was sizing me up.
I have been under the scrutiny of many men, but the way Declan stared at me?
It was like a single gesture from him could decide my fate.
“And you know Finn, how?” he asked. It wasn’t curiosity, it was a command.
“I won’t speak until I see Finn,” I said, my voice steady, but my insides screaming.
He scoffed, dragging a hand slowly across his jaw like he was deciding whether I was amusing or annoying. “Is this some kind of joke?” he muttered. “You do realize I won’t hesitate to show Vito how we treat guests like you.”
The threat landed hard. I tried to keep my face straight, but a flicker of panic must have slipped through.
He stood and began walking towards me, and for some reason my feet remained glued to the floor, my heart pounding.
He was tall, at least six feet, and every inch of his tailored suit looked like it had been stitched with danger in mind.
Each step he took made my inside sink with fear.
Just as he was about to reach me, the door swung open.
At that moment, I remembered I had to breathe.
“Gianna,” Finn’s voice broke the moment like a gasp of air after drowning. He stormed into the room, breathless, eyes wide. Shock, relief, anger. It all played across his face as if he wasn’t sure I was real
“You know her?” Declan asked, pausing mid-step
Finn didn’t answer right away. He looked between Declan and me before finally locking eyes with me. “What are you doing here?”
I blinked, ready to get my story straight. “Vito found out about our relationship, and he threw me out. I had nowhere to go. He took everything from me, and you’re the only person I could go to,” I said, surprising myself at how convincing I sounded.
Finn was quiet, his green eyes drilling into my soul, expressing things that can’t be put into words.
“I haven’t heard from you in weeks, Gianna,” Finn spoke, his voice reminding me of that night at the chapel.
“What the fuck is going on, Finn?” Declan’s voice broke whatever moment Finn and I were having, returning me to reality. “If you don’t get out of this estate now, I can’t promise you will leave this place in one piece.”
Finn ran his finger through his hair, loosening the tie before turning to Declan. His eyes flashed with anger.
“I will explain everything, Declan. Fucking relax.”
“Alex,” Finn yelled, and the bodyguard from before entered. “Escort her to my waiting room,” He leaned and whispered. “We have a lot to talk about. Don’t go anywhere.” I nodded and glanced at Declan before leaving with the guard, feeling relieved as I stepped out of that office.
Was that it? That couldn’t be it?
Finn believed me. I swallowed, my mind and heart racing.