Chapter 5
Gianna
I don't know how long I sit, spaced out, until I hear a knock at the door. I stand, my heart racing with who it might be.
"I'm here with your things," a voice comes from behind the door.
I open the door, and Alex hands me my phone and suitcase before walking away. I breathe a relieving sigh and close the door.
I sit on the bed and go through my phone. They must have bugged it or something. That means I can't risk communicating with Vito or any Rosso.
I scowl when I open my suitcase and see my folded clothes are now a mess.
My mind returns to the moment I had with Finn, and I twist a piece of my hair around my finger, feeling confused and frustrated. One minute we were arguing, the next he wanted to kiss me, and it took everything in me not to kiss him back.
I groan, frustrated, and stand up, pacing the room.
He called me a coward and made it clear we meant nothing to each other.
A part of me knows our feelings run deeper than either of us wants to admit.
We'd been doing this dance since college — pulling each other close, then pushing away.
An endless cycle that never seems to break.
Stop thinking about Finn, Gianna. You're not here for him. He is a Costello, and I can't trust him. The enmity between our families could never make anything work between us, and there was the attack on Sofia's safe house.
Of course, there was a time I thought it could be real. I wouldn't have given him my virginity if I hadn't believed that. But after everything that had gone down following that night, maybe it had all been a game of chess. A move in the endless war between our families.
I stop pacing and collapse on the bed, but as I close my eyes, thoughts of Finn slide into my mind. His green eyes, his intoxicating scent, the way those veins travel from his wrist to his arm. His breath on my face, the way his lips were so close to mine, the heat between us.
"Shit, I need to relax." I get up and head to the bathroom.
Thank goodness this room has an en suite.
After filling the large tub with warm water, I take off my clothing and dip my feet in first before the rest of my body follows. Immediately, I begin to relax, and all the tension seeps out of me.
Today has been a long day, filled with so many emotions — anxiety, fear, anger, and desire.
But I managed to convince Finn, and he convinced Declan. I had thought I was going to have it tough. Rina was right; all I had to do was make Finn protect me.
"I think you're scared. I think you like the fucking comfort your family name brings you. I think you're a coward, Gianna." Finn's voice claws into my thoughts again, and it makes me so angry. Who does he think he is to speak to me that way?
He acts like he understands me, but he only knows the version of me I let him see in college. He doesn't know what it is really like living under Vito's thumb.
I don't understand how I can want someone and hate them at the same time.
I groan, take a deep breath, and sink my head into the water. Steam curls lazily in the air as I step out of the tub slowly, letting the water drip down my legs. I reach for the robe from the hook on the wall.
It is warm, of course. Heated racks.
The robe fits perfectly. That is the first unsettling thing. I walk across the bathroom, steam still rising behind me. I glance around. Marble counters and faucets that gleam like they were polished an hour ago. A diffuser in the corner hums quietly, releasing lavender into the air.
None of it feels lived in, and yet everything is in place. Curious, I open the mirrored cabinet. Toothpaste. A new toothbrush and unopened face wipes. Travel-size bottles lined neatly like they are on a hotel display.
I move to the lower cabinet. More toiletries. Shampoo, conditioner, tampons, even a loofah in its packaging. I open another drawer, and it is the same thing. Everything is new, unused. How could they have prepared all this in that short time?
My chest tightens as the realization hits me.
Finn prepared this. All of it. For me.
He'd had his people stock this room with everything I could possibly need. Down to the tampons. The lavender scent I love. The heated towel rack. This isn't some generic guest room hastily prepared — this was thought out. Intentional.
I brace my hands on the counter and stare at my reflection in the mirror. My damp hair clings to my face, and my eyes look tired, haunted even.
Why would he do this? Why would he care this much when we spend half our time pushing each other away?
I shake my head and leave the bathroom, pushing the thought aside. There are other important things to think about.
With no strength left to dry my hair or unpack my clothes, I drop onto the bed, tracing my hands over the silk bedspread.
I sink my head into the pillow, knowing this comfort is short-lived. The sun will rise tomorrow, and I have no idea what the day will bring.
This is my life now. Living in fear and walking on eggshells. Who would have thought?
I close my eyes, trying to sleep, when I remember Finn's words. "Don't let anyone in unless it's me."
I open my eyes and rush out of bed to confirm the door is really locked. After checking, I climb back into bed, but I can't sleep. I toss and turn until, eventually, nature takes its course, and I slowly slip into unconsciousness.
I stir slowly, the weight of sleep still heavy on my eyes. The room has a soft glow of early morning light. For a second, I can't remember where I am. The unfamiliar scent of lavender and linen clings to the sheets, and silence fills my ears.
I blink up at the ceiling. Strange ceiling. High and smooth, nothing like mine.
That's when it hits me. I am not at the Rosso estate. I shift beneath the blanket, my legs brushing against the silk sheets, and turn my head toward the window. And then I see something. A figure. Sitting.
I blink again, and my breath catches. There, on the love seat across the room, Declan sits, still and quiet, like he has been there a while. Watching me.
"What the—" I shoot upright, yanking the blanket up to my chest like a shield. My heart races, and I look around the room before my eyes land on him.
The edge of his lips twists into a smirk, and he raises his wrist to check his watch.
"I thought you were going to sleep forever," he says like this is a normal situation.
"What are you doing here?" I snap, my voice sharp and crackling with sleep and alarm. "How did you get in?" My pulse thunders in my ears. The blanket twists in my fists. I can't tell if it is fear or adrenaline, but my whole body is awake now.
"I guess you've forgotten that this is my home, Rosso. I can be anywhere I want, anytime."
He stands slowly. The effortless motion of it makes my stomach turn. He has on a casual navy sweatshirt and pants, unlike yesterday. But his casual dressing does nothing to dampen his dangerous look. He barely makes a sound as he stalks toward me.
My heart races as he moves. Slow and deliberate, like a predator closing the distance to its prey. I tighten the blanket around me like it could make me disappear. My back presses into the headboard as if I could sink through it and vanish into the wall.
His eyes remain on me as he stops by my bedside. "What is your plan, girl? Why are you here?"
I swallow. I know Declan won't trust so blindly.
"I told you yesterday. Vito threw me out and—" I start, but he cuts me off.
"I don't care about your fucking sob story.
You know what I think you are? A poisoned apple planted in our midst. I don't know your objective yet, but I will find out, and when I do, I promise to make your punishment slow and painful.
It'll serve as an example to show others what it means to mess with the Irish. "
I know what he is doing. He wants to scare me so I slip up. I have seen Vito, Marco, and Dante play this game before, and I won't fall for it.
"That won't be necessary, because I'm telling the truth. I have nowhere to go. No money and no family to accept me. I'm all alone, and Finn is all I have."
Declan narrows his gaze, searching my face. "Hmm."
He walks around the edges of the bed. "I don't give a shit about you, but Finn does, and he can help you get out of New York. He can help you start a new life."
Declan is right. I don't necessarily need to be here.
"We both know what betrayal means in our world.
Vito might not kill me, but sending me out of the family already means death.
We have enemies everywhere. I will have a target on my back no matter where I hide, but I know I would be safe here," I say.
Declan scoffs. "Safe? Here? I don't think you get it, poison apple. You are in the enemy's home. Nobody cares what happens to you here. The shielded life you've lived is over."
It must be a curse. Every man I have ever met has threatened me in one way or another, and the fact that I am always helpless in these situations makes me angry — not just at them, but at myself.
"Get dressed, you're coming with me somewhere," Declan says, and my eyes widen, my heart thrumming against my rib cage.
"Where are we going?" I ask, my heart stuck in my throat.
"You might as well prove yourself useful if you're going to be living under my roof," he says, walking toward the door. "You'll be coming along with me to attend some meetings."
"What?" I say, peeling the blanket off me, but my door slams shut as he steps out of the room.
My mind races. What meeting would I be attending with him where I could do any good?