Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Gia
“Enzo!” I yelled, sitting up in bed. My breathing was ragged, my body slick with sweat.
I trembled as he shot up next to me. “What is it? Are you okay?”
I took a few deep breaths, then nodded, swallowing hard. “Just a nightmare.”
He rubbed my back. “It’s over. We’re safe. Together.”
His touch and words made me relax. He pulled me back down, wrapping me in his arms.
Kissing my neck, he murmured. “Go back to sleep. I’ll keep you safe.”
I placed my hands on his forearms, gripping them tightly. “Promise?”
“Always,” he whispered.
My stomach knotted. I opened my mouth to speak, but decided against it. Closing my eyes, I quickly fell back asleep in the warmth and safety of Enzo’s arms.
We didn’t wake up until the following morning. I couldn’t believe how much I’d slept, but I chalked it up to going through such a traumatic experience.
I was glad Enzo had cleaned up the disaster that had been left behind, even if I felt guilty that he’d done it alone.
After breakfast, Enzo’s burner phone vibrated on the coffee table as I sat sketching the Christmas tree. It had somehow managed to stay intact through all the chaos. When I arched a brow at him, he informed, “I let your dad know what happened.”
“What?” I shrieked, mortified that my father knew how I’d acted.
Enzo chuckled as he sat down in his chair. “Not everything. I just told him that Sorello’s men came and that they’d been taken care of.”
“Oh,” I replied, feeling my cheeks heat with embarrassment. “Speaking of, what did you do with the bodies?”
He smirked. “I’ll give you one guess, True Crime Junkie.”
I wanted to ask so many questions, but didn’t. I shook my head, then changed the subject. “What did my dad say?”
Enzo’s face was set in the hard mask he used to wear when we’d first met. “He wants me to bring you back.”
I stiffened. “When?”
“Tonight.”
My eyebrows flew up in disbelief. “Tonight?”
Enzo cleared his throat, then forced a casual smirk. “Yeah. Guess you finally get to get rid of me.”
I frowned. “Enzo, that’s not what I want.”
“Gia, don’t.”
“Don’t what?”
His jaw tensed. “You know what. We had an agreement that what happened in the cabin stayed in the cabin.”
I scoffed. “You can’t be serious right now.”
“I am serious. I didn’t protect you just to put you in danger again.”
I balled my fists as anger flowed through my veins. “I don’t care about that.”
He stood, his fists balled at his sides. “Well, too fucking bad. Now go pack. We’re leaving in an hour.”
My jaw dropped as he stormed off to his room.
I wanted to cry and scream at the same time, but I didn’t. If he didn’t want to fight for me, then I wasn’t going to fight for him. It would be his loss anyway.
I fought back tears the entire time I packed. But when I got to the stuff that he’d gotten me for Christmas, I couldn’t hold them back anymore.
After a few minutes, a soft knock sounded on the open door. When I turned to look at him, his face softened. “I came to apologize.”
I frowned, crossing my arms over my chest as I faced him.
“I don’t want us to end like this, but you know things would never work out between us.”
“Why? We could make it work if we both really wanted to.”
He sighed. “Do you want a list? One, you’re way above my pay grade. And two, your father specifically forbid me from touching you so there’s no doubt he would have me killed for disobeying him.”
“Bullshit, Enzo. I don’t want to hear it. If you don’t want to fight for me, then fine. I won’t fight for you either.”
His throat bobbed and he nodded. “I’m going to start loading up.”
I refused Enzo’s help to load my bags and stubbornly did it myself. As I wheeled the last suitcase out of my room, I stopped and took one last look at the space that had only been my home for the last few weeks.
I took a deep breath as tears welled in my eyes. I didn’t want to leave; not the cabin, not the mountains, not Enzo.
Forcing back the tears, I grabbed my bag and headed out to Enzo’s SUV. He tried to help me again, but I refused. “I got it.”
After I loaded the last suitcase, I got in the backseat and closed the door without a word.
Enzo got in the front seat. “Gia, don’t do this.”
I felt the emotion burning in my chest. “Just drive, Enzo. You already made your decision.”
I saw his knuckles blanch white as he gripped the steering wheel. He didn’t say another word as he turned the ignition and drove away from the cabin.
The closer we drove toward the city, the heavier the silence became. I wanted to say so much to him, to tell him how I felt, but I didn’t. He’d already made up his mind.
I kept my face turned toward the window, watching the snow blur into smeared white streaks. Anything to hide the way my throat kept tightening.
My father’s men were already waiting outside when we pulled up to the gated entrance of the estate. One slipped inside as another signaled for the gate to be opened by the armed guard posted there.
Enzo pulled in and stopped the SUV but didn’t turn it off. His knuckles were pale around the steering wheel again.
“You should try not to look upset,” he suggested. “He’ll notice.”
“I’m not upset,” I lied, my voice betraying me immediately.
Enzo exhaled slowly, eyes on the guard approaching us. “Gia.”
“Don’t,” I whispered, feeling the sting of tears.
He stopped. Then, he just stared at me for one last second before exiting the vehicle.
My door opened a heartbeat later. Marco, my father’s right hand man, offered a stiff nod and ushered me out as though I were returning from a long vacation instead of a several weeks hiding from a rival mob in a secluded cabin.
“Your father is waiting,” Marco stated.
Inside the main foyer, my father stood in front of the marble staircase, hands clasped behind his back. His jaw was a stone wall, his expression unreadable until our eyes met. “Piccola. I’ve missed you.”
He crossed the room in three strides and cupped my face in his palms, inspecting me as if looking for cracks. “You’re safe,” he murmured. Then, quieter, “Thank God.”
For a moment, I let myself lean into the warmth of his hands. I’d been so homesick, but now that I was back home, I didn’t want to be.
I wanted to be back in the cabin with Enzo; back where we could be together without worrying about my father and mob politics.
My father’s gaze shifted past me to Enzo, who stood just inside the doorway, posture perfectly rigid, expression blank and professional—the way he always looked when he was on the job.
But his eyes flicked to me for the faintest fraction of a second.
My father seemed to notice, his brows furrowing. “Enzo, thank you for keeping my daughter safe.”
“Just doing the job you tasked me with, sir.”
My father’s eyes darted between us. “Speaking of, come to my office and I’ll get you your money.”
My stomach dropped. I’d forgotten that I’d been a job to him. Was that why Enzo was able to change his mind like I meant nothing to him? Was what we had even real?
My heart argued that it was real; that something had changed while we were secluded in that cabin together. That I was more than money to him.
Enzo’s throat bobbed before he followed my father into his office. I wasn’t sure if all that was happening was a money exchange, but the minutes seemed to crawl while they were in there.
I paced. Sat. Stood. Paced again. Every muffled rise of my father’s voice sent another flash of fear through me. Every quiet rumble of Enzo’s had my stomach twisting.
Finally, the door opened.
Enzo stepped out first, holding a small duffel bag.
His face was composed, but his eyes looked defeated. He avoided my gaze and I felt sick.
My father emerged behind him, expression carved from granite like it always was when he did business. “Thank you again, Enzo, for protecting my daughter. I’ll contact you if I need your services again.”
My heartbeat stuttered as I watched Enzo, silently begging him to say something about us. “Enzo?”
My father grasped my arm. “Let’s go, Gianina. You should get unpacked and settled before dinner.”
Enzo looked so torn, tortured almost, as his eyes quickly met mine. He dropped the duffel bag, tipping his chin up. “I don’t want your money. I want her.”
My father’s eyes hardened. “We already had this discussion. Take the money and go.”
My stomach dropped. “What discussion?”
My father didn’t answer. He kept his focus on Enzo, who had his hands balled into fists at his side. “Remember what I said. I am a man of my word, even if it goes against my daughter’s wishes.”
Enzo’s jaw tensed as he stared my father down. “Then do it because I’m not leaving here without her. I’m in love with her.”
My father’s eyes narrowed and his face turned red. “How dare you?” he snarled, pulling out his gun. “I will kill you where you stand.”
“Dad, no,” I pleaded, my heart stuttering as he raised the weapon and pointed it at Enzo.
Enzo didn’t even flinch; if anything, he stood taller, more defiant. I didn’t know how he was able to turn off his emotions the way he did.
Panic filled me, and I did the only thing I could think of.
I stepped in front of Enzo, blocking my dad’s gun.
“Gia, get out of the way,” my father seethed, “Now!”
My vision was blurred with tears. “No!”
“What are you doing, Gia? Move!” Enzo demanded, his tone pleading. I hated hearing the fear in his voice, but I wasn’t going to let my father murder him in cold blood right in front of me.
I met my father’s gaze. “Daddy, please. I love him.”
I heard Enzo inhale sharply as my father scoffed. “You are too young to know what love is. Stop this nonsense and move out of the way.”
“Don’t treat me like I’m a child when you were perfectly fine with marrying me off to Luca less than a month ago.”
He glared at me, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. “Don’t you dare talk about Luca after everything I did to clean up the mess you made and keep you safe. I lost several of me men because of you.”
“Keep me safe? You didn’t keep me safe. Enzo kept me safe. You sent me away with a stranger who could’ve easily traded me off to the Sorellos and been done with it. But he didn’t. He protected me; saved my life more than once.”
“Of course he did. I paid him a hefty price to ensure your safety, not to mention threatened his life if you were to be harmed,” my father argued.
He had a point, but I stood firm. “Yeah, well he didn’t have to chop down a Christmas tree for me because I forgot to get one at the store.
He didn’t have to play board games with me, or bake cookies with me, or make me hot cocoa.
He didn’t have to help me put up silly Christmas decorations or suggest we get presents so that I’d have something to open on Christmas day. ”
My father’s face softened, and I continued, “Dad, he fought and killed over ten men for me. None of them even got close to me because he was so determined to protect me.”
My heart was pounding as I waited for my dad to respond. I held my breath as his eyes darted back and forth between me and Enzo. After a few moments, he lowered his weapon.
I let out a sigh of relief, then threw my arms around his waist. “Thank you.”
When I pulled back, he turned his attention to Enzo. “Don’t make me regret this. If you break her heart, I will bury you. That’s a promise.”
Enzo extended his hand to my father, seemingly unfazed by his threat. “Understood, sir.”
My father turned back to me and placed a kiss on my forehead. “I’m so glad you’re home, Piccola.”
Then, he walked away towards his office. When he reached the door, he stopped and turned around. “Enzo, you should stay for dinner; meet the family.”
Enzo’s eyes widened slightly as he looked at me in surprise. “Thank you, sir. Looking forward to it.”
“Good,” my father replied before disappearing into his office and closing the door behind him.
I threaded my fingers with Enzo’s and led him to the living room. “I can’t believe that just happened.”
We sat down and Enzo frowned at me. “I can’t believe you put yourself in front of a gun for me. Don’t ever do something like that again, Gia.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “I was protecting you.”
“I don’t need you to protect me. I had it under control.”
I scoffed. “Yeah, right. My dad was about to shoot you.”
“Well, it wouldn’t be the first time a Genovese put a bullet in me,” he retorted.
I smacked his good shoulder. “That was an accident.”
He chuckled, draping his arm around me and pulling me against his side. “I know.”
We sat there for a few seconds in silence, letting everything sink in. “I can’t believe we’re sitting in my living room right now.”
“Tell me about it. I never thought I’d be having dinner with your family.”
“It’s a Christmas miracle,” I replied with a giggle.
“The fact your father didn’t shoot me is a Christmas miracle,” he joked with a playful scoff.
My smile fell a bit when I thought about everything that was said. “Did you mean what you said?”
Enzo’s eyes met mine and he nodded. “Yeah, kid.” Tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, he smiled. “I love you.”
Warmth filled me, my chest tightening so much I thought it might burst. I leaned up to kiss him. “I love you, too.”
I wasn’t sure what would happen between us, but I was happy that we had a chance.
A chance neither of us thought we’d ever get.