Chapter Nineteen
N ina’s brow furrows as she reads the text I sent earlier this morning. When her gaze turns back to me her mouth parts slowly and closes again. With how well she’s been handling the number of people in and out of the house, it’s hard to believe she’s never gone out in general, let alone gone shopping.
Her voice is light and full of hope as she asks the question, “Go where?”
My lips turn up at the corner with a devilish smirk. I pull her a little closer and her leg ends up draped over my knee when I reply.
“I know a boutique that my mother likes. I can get in touch with the owner and have them close it down so it’s just us and a salesperson.” My hand lays gently on her knee, knowing I'm pushing my damn luck, but fuck, the need to be close to her is becoming overwhelming. “ Bella , you’ve never had that experience. You may not be ready to face the Black Friday crowds yet, but I think you deserve the joy of being able to pick out your own clothing.”
My brain functions in slow motion as I watch Nina launch herself onto my lap. Her perfectly tight ass rests on my thigh as she wraps her arms around my neck. I freeze for a moment, unsure what to do, or what is too much for her. That is until soft sobs have her shoulders shaking as she buries her face into my neck. I wrap my arms around her tiny frame. My body cocoons her from the outside world, at least for a few minutes. When she gathers herself, she props herself up, pushing slightly away from my chest so she can look at me. Her palms press firmly against my chest as she stares into my eyes, her shining light grey eyes bore themselves into my soul.
“Thank you, Giovanni.” The words come out in a gentle breath, “I can’t tell you what this means to me. You are the kindest man.” She sucks in a breath as my thumb caresses her spine. Her cheeks flush at the small touch. I do my best to stifle the smile that tries to form on my lips.
Nina breaks our gaze a minute later as she stands, stepping back allowing me room to get up myself. I pull my phone out from my suit’s jacket pocket and tap on the screen to pull up my message thread with Michael.
Giovanni:
Have Tabatha clear out Threads with the exception of one salesperson. We'll be leaving in about twenty minutes.
A message bounces back less than a minute later.
Michael:
Done, she said Janelle will be there waiting on you.
I can’t help but grin as I lead Nina back into our room so she can grab a pair of shoes. She only has one pair of sneakers that look worn out. I make a mental note to make sure a replacement pair is delivered by the end of the evening since she likes more strenuous exercises. I don’t think the fashion forward tennis shoes they’ll have at Threads will work for her.
A little over a half an hour later, we’re pulling into the parking lot outside of the small boutique my mother swears by. The exterior of the building looks to be freshly painted a pale-yellow. I push open my door and step out, closing it quickly behind me before I rush around to the passenger side. My grip on the handle slips as soon as I see the awe in her expression. I can’t stop the grin from forming on my face as I pull open her door.
Once she is at my side, I loop her arm with mine. She grips my wrist as she begins to tremble. I place my other hand over top of hers and smile down at her before pressing my lips against her hair.
“It’s going to be ok, Bella . I’ve got a guarantee only one other person will be in the building with us.” I whisper and grin against her ear when I feel the goosebumps cover her skin. With that, she melts into me a little and allows me to lead her around the building.
The front door is a large glass panel, which looks like it was recently wiped down. I tap my knuckles against the door and a woman who looks to be in her mid-forties approaches. Her platinum blonde hair is pulled back into a tight sleek bun. She’s slender and a bit taller than Nina. However, unlike my girl, this woman looks like she has no personality. The door swings open and the woman gestures for us to join her.
“Good evening, I’m Janelle.” Her previously annoyed expression morphs into one of false warmth. Yeah, I don’t like this bitch already. “It’s so nice to have you here this evening, Mr. Ludovico. What is it that you’re looking for tonight?”
I eye her warily, but knowing Nina is already anxious over this outing, I wave it off as over protectiveness.
“Hi Janelle, this is Nina.” I grin at the woman on my arm before returning my gaze to Janelle. “She is in need of a new wardrobe. Anything she wants, absolutely no limits.” I feel a gentle squeeze on my hand and notice Nina staring up at me with a wander in her eyes.
We follow Janelle toward the back of the shop to a maze of clothing racks which appears to have an array of shirts in different styles hanging on them. Nina freezes when she sees the options, but I urge her forward.
“It’s alright, Short Stack, do your worst.” I wink down at her and step away just enough that she can find her footing on her own even if I’m only an arm's length away. Her body goes rigid momentarily when I’m no longer touching her, but when she realizes I’ve not gone anywhere, she relaxes a bit. After a few cautious steps toward the clothing my heart warms when she reaches out to get a better look at a few items.
Her chest lifts and falls steadily as she breathes without the anxiety she was experiencing when we first got here. My lips turn upward into a wide grin as I watch her. A few moments into her search through the clothing racks, I see the wall of shoes which reminds me of what I asked to have at the house before we get home. I excuse myself, promising I’ll only be right outside.
I step just outside the door and press the call icon on Michael’s contact. A rush of cool evening air sends a chill through me as I lift the device to my ear. The line rings only once before he picks up. An annoyed grunt sounds as he answers the call.
“Get out of whoever you’re fucking for two seconds.” I bark at him, unable to hide my amusement; it ends on a choked laugh. “I need you to have something taken care of for me before we get back.”
A muffled curse comes through the phone followed by a soft whimper. My lips twitch into a crooked grin. After some more rustling he comes back onto the line.
“The fuck do you want?” Michael’s grumble only amuses me more. “Aren’t you supposed to be out with your woman that you refuse to claim?”
I snarl at the mention of Nina. “Shut it. I need you to have a new pair of sneakers delivered to the house in the next hour. The ones she has are falling apart.”
Michael chokes out a laugh, “Are you fucking kidding me? Why couldn’t you call Abel for this shit?”
I lean against the doorframe staring into the street as I respond. “As much as I appreciate Abel, he’s not quite as efficient as you are. Get it done.” I grin as I press the button to disconnect the call. With a quick glance at my watch, I realize I’ve been outside for ten minutes. I pull the door open toward me and step back inside.
Soft sobs are what greet me as I cross the large retail space filled with racks of clothes on either side of me. My heart crumbles into a million pieces when I reach the back where I left Nina. She’s cowering with her back against a wall tucked between a bench and a mannequin and curled into herself. Her knees are pulled tight into her chest like she’s protecting herself from something. I rush to her side; my palms cup her cheeks and try to lift her to look at me.
“ Bella , Short Stack. I’m right here. What happened?” My words come out so quickly I can barely understand myself.
Nina’s inconsolable, she’s disassociated so badly I don’t know that she even registers me here. Rage, anger, and fury heat my blood to the verge of boiling when I turn to find Janelle standing on the other side of the room with a wicked smirk on her face. A vicious snarl passes my lips as I approach, my body crowding her space. I stand tall knowing my massive frame is intimidating as fuck to anyone, but especially a woman. Usually, I’d be respectful of a woman's space, but not this time.
“What the fuck did you do?” I growl at Janelle. My hands ball into fists at my side as I watch her stupid fucking face fight a smile. When she shrugs as if it’s no big deal, I lose what little composure I have left and move quickly. My hand wraps tightly around her throat as I slowly begin to back her up. “You’re going to tell me what the fuck you did or said to her, understand?”
Janelle rolls her eyes like she’s not in any danger. Oh, please bitch, give me a fucking reason. “I didn’t tell her anything untrue.” She scoffs with her response.
I can feel my lip curl like a goddamn wolf as another growl rumbles free. My grip tightens around her throat as the anger continues to surge through me, and I lift her just enough so that her toes are the only thing touching the ground. Her nails dig into my wrist and hand as I keep her in place.
“Care to share with the class, cunt? Because when I walked out that door, she may have been anxious, but she had a smile on her face.” My chest heaves as I snarl and spew obscenities at her.
Janelle's eyes go wide as she takes me in. Less than a minute later she’s whimpering against my still tight grip. I release her just enough so she’s able to speak.
“I told her that she was a gold digger and no man in your position of power would want her. She should just go back to her daddy.” Tears begin to fall down her flushed cheeks when I tighten my hold once again. Janelle’s nails begin to dig into the thin skin on my hand again, tearing it open as she tries to find purchase in my flesh. The rest of her admission comes out in pathetic gasps. “She doesn’t belong with you.”
I cock a brow at her, there is no way she could really be such a cunt. I know by the way her throat is responding to my grip, she’ll have bruises in the morning. I can’t bring myself to give a fuck.
“You know, I've made it a point in my time on this earth,” I begin. “–to not bring pain to or kill women. However, right now in this moment, you’re lucky you’re not chopped in pieces on this fucking floor.” I push her hard against the wall, an audible thud sounds when the back of her head bounces off the plaster. “Get the fuck out of here.”
My breath hitches when I turn back toward where Nina is still cowered, exactly where I left her. She looks so small and defeated; it only serves to piss me off even more. I cross the space to her and kneel in front of her.
“Short Stack, can you hear me?” I try. “Come on, Sweetheart. I need you to look at me.” When no response or reaction comes, I slide my arms under her small body and lift her into my arms. After I nearly stumble when I go to stand to my normal height, I straighten myself and hold her as close to my chest as I can. Nina manages to bury her face into the crook of my neck as I carry her to the car.
Nina’s entire body shakes as sobs tear through her. Every muscle in her body is vibrating with anxiety, sadness, and anger. I’ve had her in our bed for the last hour with no change of behavior or ability to respond to me. My arms wrap around her as I attempt to hold her tight and offer some comfort, yet I can’t pull her out of her own mind.
As I roll my stiff neck, trying to bring some blood flow back to the muscles, a box catches my eye that wasn’t there before we had left. I stand and pad over to the recent addition to our room. I kneel and flip the lid open to find the shoes I had asked Michael to get for her. With a smile tugging at my lips, I pull out my phone, sending a quick message with another request. I stand back to my full height and carry the shoes with me.
Nina is still curled into herself laying on the bed. I move back to her side and lift her into my arms without a word. The shoes are still in my hand as I carry her through the house and walk us to the gym she has spent so much time in. As soon as I enter the space, I carefully place her on a weight bench and remove one shoe at a time. I toss them out of the way before I slide the new sneakers on and tighten the laces. These will have better stability for what I’m about to try. Once I'm done, I rise onto my knees and take her face between my hands. My eyes bore into her soul as I speak.
“ Bella , everything she said was a lie and deep down, you know that.” I say gently as I pull her into a standing position and guide her to where I want her. My back hits something and it pushes me back toward her, but I keep my footing. “I want you to see her face and let the cunt have it. You hear me? Show her you’re not to be fucked with.”
I step out of the way, dropping my hands to my side as I watch Nina. She finally glances at me; she’s got some life back to her. Nina half-heartedly swings against the punching bag, and I can’t help but let out a snort. She becomes irritated after that, but doesn’t direct her irritation at me. She focuses on the bag. After the third swing, she really gets into what she’s doing. She spins, landing a roundhouse kick on the bag, and it swings away from her farther than it had before. She squeals as she jumps in celebration, but she steps too close into the return path and the bag hits her square in the stomach and she lands a few feet away on her ass.
“Fuck!” I curse under my breath as I rush over to steady the bag before scrambling to get to Nina. I kneel next to her and take in the vision before me. Her eyes go wide for a moment before she’s laughing so hard she can’t catch her breath. It’s a wonderful sound that I could get lost in. She has a dimple on the left side of her mouth that she’s never smiled big enough for me to see before. Her amusement is contagious at this moment, and I can’t help laughing with her.
Before I can ask if she’s ok, she lunges forward. Her arms fold tight around my neck as she sits on my lap, her legs draped over mine. Her face is buried in the crook of my neck again, but this time, it’s not in sadness, it’s with a sense of peace.
“Thank you, Giovanni.” She whispers against my neck, sending goose bumps dancing across my skin.
I cup the back of her head; her beautiful strawberry locks feel like silk under my touch.
“Nina, I would do anything for you, even if that means spilling blood.”