Chapter Five
Gianna
Will opens my door after I’ve spent hours alone in the bedroom, worried out of my mind what’s going to happen to me.
The sight of him both terrifies me and relieves me.
He’s still a hitman at the end of the day so who knows how he might hurt me, despite his claims that he doesn’t like to hurt innocent people.
I’m also relieved because I have to use the bathroom and I was scared I was going to have to pee on the floor.
“Come along,” he says, motioning me out of the room.
Slowly, I approach him.
“I’m not going to hurt you. I figured you could use the bathroom. Take a shower. You smell like gunpowder.”
“That’s not my fault,” I say simply.
He looks me straight in the eye as he answers. “I know.”
With a sigh, I follow him out of the room.
To his credit, he leads me right to the bathroom and doesn’t touch me.
I sigh when I’m finally able to use the bathroom.
My eyes find the door, knowing that Will waits on the other side.
I was never allowed around men growing up.
Enzo and Francesca wanted me kept pure and innocent for any man I would marry.
Well, now everything has changed. I’m no longer innocent. Not after what I’ve been through. The harsh world of the mafia came knocking and I was its victim.
The shower is tempting me but when I try to take my wedding dress off, I realize I can’t. The buttons at the back are too difficult for me to maneuver without being able to see them. My fingers fiddle with it for a long time until I give up with a huff.
I rip the door open and Will’s eyes widen. “You didn’t take a shower,” he comments. The way he’s leaning against the opposite wall, like he doesn’t have a care in the world, makes an intense jealousy fill me up. What would it be like to not be afraid of everything?
“I don’t need one.”
“Yes, you do. Besides, aren’t you tired of wearing that dress?”
“No. I like my dress.”
His eyes narrow. “Why are you even in a wedding dress to begin with? I never asked before.”
“I was trying on dresses.”
“So you’re engaged then.”
I flush at the thought of being engaged to Nico – a man I do not want. But I can’t exactly tell Will that. “Yes.”
His eyes slowly rake me over. “Lucky guy.”
I wrap my arms around myself and duck my chin. Never have I felt on display this much in my entire life before.
“You’re shy,” he states.
“I guess.”
“Considering you can’t even look at me, then yes, I’d say you’re shy. A beautiful woman like you doesn’t need to be shy.”
“I don’t know what to tell you. I am the way I am.” The urge to vomit hits me. I would have done it by now if I was still at Francesca’s house. But in the craziness of the past twenty-four hours, I haven’t felt the need to throw up until now.
“I wasn’t judging. Just stating a fact.”
An irrational anger pulses through me and I finally raise my eyes to Will’s. “Just because you like the way I look doesn’t mean I am who you think I am. I am shy. It is what it is. My looks have nothing to do with it.”
“Sorry,” he says, raising his hands in surrender. “I didn’t mean any harm.”
“You just kidnapped me, is all.”
He sighs. “Just take a shower and then we can go back to not talking. Does that sound good?”
“I don’t want a shower.”
“You need one. I also made food. You need to eat. I don’t think Marco will appreciate you dying of starvation before he gets to marry you. So take a shower and then you can eat.”
“I don’t want a shower,” I whisper, ducking my chin again.
“It’s not hard to do. Why are you being so stubborn?”
I blink back tears. “I’m not being stubborn.”
“Seems like it to me.”
“Why are you being so rude to me? I have done nothing wrong.”
“I’m a hitman, Gianna. I’m not exactly known for my empathy.” He goes quiet for a long moment before he sighs. “Why won’t you take a shower?”
“Because I can’t get my dress off,” I finally admit. “I can’t reach the buttons.”
“Oh.” Neither one of us moves as an awkwardness fills the air. Until Will sighs. “Turn around.”
“What?” I squeak.
“I’ll undo your buttons.”
“No thank you. I don’t want you touching me.”
“I won’t touch you, Gianna. I’ll just undo your buttons. Then you can take a shower and eat and then we can go back to not talking. You’re just a job to me. Nothing more. I’m not going to rape you.”
The coldness in his voice tells me that he means what he says. Will may be a hitman but he is one with a strange moral code and I have no one else I can trust.
So I’m going to have to trust him.
“Ok,” I whisper, turning around. After a beat, I hear his footsteps on the hardwood floors and my heartrate spikes. All I can feel is the pounding of my blood in my ears.
Until Will’s fingers find the back of my dress and then all I can think about is how surprisingly warm his touch is. He quickly undoes the buttons but instead of stepping back, he remains right behind me, silent. Why isn’t he saying anything? What is he even thinking?
“Will?”
He clears his throat and finally steps away from me. “There. You’re good. You can take a shower now.”
I rush into the bathroom without looking back at him and all I feel is a strange sort of excitement that I know I shouldn’t be feeling for a hitman.
And yet, it’s there.
I linger in my shower for as long as possible, not wanting to re-enter the real world anytime soon. That will mean having to face Will and that is the last thing I want.
Why did he remain behind me after he undid my buttons? What did that mean?
The question burns through me but I know I’m not going to ask him.
I change back into my wedding dress but leave the back open as I can’t do the buttons myself.
When I enter the bedroom, I see a new pair of clothes on the bed.
Women’s clothes. A simple shirt and jeans.
Nothing special. It’s not my normal style of clothing as I prefer dresses but I have no choice in the matter.
And it is a relief to no longer be in the wedding dress all the time.
After I change, I look at the expensive wedding dress on the bed. It’s wrinkled and looks like it spent time in a war. A shame. It was a really nice dress and one that cost a fortune even though I accidently got it for free when Will kidnapped me.
I take a deep breath and go out to meet him in the kitchen. He looks me over as he sits at the table.
“They fit,” he comments.
I run my hands down my shirt. “How did you know my size?”
“I guessed. And I guessed correctly. Now eat.” He nods at the food on the table. Pancakes and bacon and French toast.
Sitting down across from Will while he looks at me with his intense gaze makes my face flush. I nibble on a piece of bacon but it does nothing to calm my stomach down.
“You blush a lot,” he says. That only makes me blush harder.
“Like I said. I’m shy. I can’t help it.”
“I know. I remember. Is there a reason you’re so shy?”
“Why does it matter to you?”
He shrugs. “It doesn’t. Just making conversation.”
“Do you normally make conversation with your victims?”
“You know I don’t.”
I set the piece of bacon down. “I’m not hungry.”
“You need to eat.”
“When is Marco coming to get me?”
“Desperate to marry him, are you?”
“Of course not. But it’s better than being locked up here with you.”
His eyes darken but I’m not sure why. “Marco is the reason I kidnapped you. And yet, you’d rather be with him?”
“I’d rather be at home.” Though home means Francesca and I’m not sure that I want to be with her either.
“I get that. Sorry to tell you, Gianna. I’m just doing my job. Marco will tell me when he’s going to come. I’m not sure the details yet but I’ll let you know when I know.”
“You’d really do that?”
“I have no reason not to. Now, eat up. You can’t starve yourself.”
I eat half a pancake and a piece of bacon before calling it good. “I’m just not hungry.” The urge to vomit hits me. “Excuse me. I have to use the restroom.”
“You were just in there.”
“I know. I still have to go again.” I run to the bathroom before Will can stop me and let myself throw up. The release hits me like it always does whenever I do my shameful secret. But after the release, I only feel bad. Anxious. Like I need to throw up again.
I find a new toothbrush in one of the drawers and brush my teeth before leaving the bathroom… only to run into Will in the hallway. He startles me so much I can’t stop myself from crying out.
“You threw up,” he states.
“Can you blame me? I’m not feeling well.”
“You’re not pregnant, are you?”
I frown. “Why would I be pregnant?”
“You have a fiancée. You’re getting married to someone.”
“No,” I say with another blush. “I’m not pregnant. My fiancée and I… it’s an arranged marriage. We haven’t…” I don’t know why I feel the need to tell Will this.
“So then why did you throw up?”
“Because I’m nervous,” I snap.
“Fair enough. But you can’t keep throwing up everything you eat. Marco won’t want you to starve.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“I got that.” With a sigh, he runs his hand over his face. “Just go back to your room.”
“Why can’t I stay out here?” The last thing I want is to be trapped inside that small room again.
“Because I can’t trust that you won’t run away. So, go back to your room.”
With a sigh, I do as Will instructs. The second he shuts the door on me, I know I can’t stay in this room.
Marco will come for me eventually and I can’t marry him.
I have to return home. I may not like my life with Francesca but it’s better than being a prisoner here. I have to find a way out of this room.
I look at my wedding dress more closely. There’s a couple of pins in it that helped make the dress fit me better. I can pick the lock.
I’ve never done it before but surely I can learn.
I press my ear to the door to listen for Will. If he hears what I’m doing, he’ll come for me again. But I don’t think he’ll hurt me if he catches me. He’ll just put me back in this room.
With that in mind, I get to work on picking the lock. It takes a lot of finagling and messing around with the pins until finally I hear the lock click.
I gasp. Taking a deep breath, I push the door open and look into the hallway. Will isn’t standing guard. Slowly, I ease myself out of the room and tiptoe down the hall and with a peek around the wall, I see that Will… isn’t here. Where did he go?
On another mission to kill someone? I don’t want to know the answer to that. All that matters is that he isn’t here.
I run to the front door, rip it open, and escape.