21. Giselle
Giselle
Ifeel relief when I see Caesar. I know the last time we spoke it was a bit heated . . . but I’m stuck in a whirlwind of emotions surrounding our family so for now I just need to keep everyone close while I work through this. I move forward and hug him, and he holds me back.
“You guys came fast,” he says as he releases me and lets us walk in.
It’s awkward. I know Artem is angry but pushing through for me, while Roman and Maxim haven’t necessarily had a conversation with my brother before.
“Um, so where is Leo? Isn’t he coming?” I ask.
“He said he was going to go talk to Uncle Robert, apparently he said he vaguely remembers something about Russians and he needed to go check something. He sounded worried,” Caesar says, and Artem turns to me looking angry.
“What?”
“Why would you tell them every fucking detail we have? Don’t you have any form of self-preservation?”
“That is my brother, Artem!”
“Look, Artem, I’m sorry. I should have asked if it was okay. The truth is that Leo is innocent, so I really didn’t think twice about it,” my brother offers.
I know that look on Artem’s face. He’s furious. But fuck, I didn’t think it was a big deal either.
“Aren’t you the Head, Caesar? Are you aware that your little sister’s life could be in danger? Or do you two share a delusion? Because I expect more from the head of the most prominent Family.”
“Artem—”
“No, you’re right. Of course I’m serious about her safety,” Caesar answers, cutting off my outburst.
“Act like it. The reason I’m here is because of her, and I will not rest until whoever threatens her fucking life has their head on a stake. If that includes you, and you know something then—”
“Artem, stop,” I beg, grabbing his arm.
“I would never let something happen. I wanted to assure you that for the last couple weeks Leo has been so helpful here, he’s serious about joining our family again. He’s good people now. I know when we were teenagers, he . . . was a bit wild. But he’s settled now, he wants to build a life.”
“Wild? He was looking for a war, Santoro. You know very fucking well what he did.”
“Yes, and I swear that I told him if he loves Gigi and wants to show her that he’s changed, that he needs to apologize to you.”
“Don’t think an apology will fix the fact he fucked—”
“Shut your damn mouth,” Artem snaps at Maxim, smacking the back of his head.
What?
“Seriously? You guys are keeping another thing from me?” I whine as I look at Artem.
“No, moya,” he says with a sigh. “It’s not something I like to be reminded of.”
“You don’t mean Sara?” I ask gently.
He nods. “I knew. I had found out one night at the country club. Fucking bastard said something out of line and . . . ”
“And he was wrong. He knows that. He felt terrible about it when she died,” Caesar interrupts.
“You didn’t break up?”
“No, we didn’t. We were still figuring out how our future could work. We weren’t even out of high school.”
I nod slowly, taking in what he just said. I guess I understand now why he’s always been so biased against Leo.
“That was almost thirteen years ago now. I swear that he’s changed.”
“You don’t need to swear to me. You need to swear to her,” Artem demands as he points at me. “I don’t give a fuck about his apology, this isn’t for my benefit. She is the one who needs you to be sure.”
My eyes stay on him, because my stomach can’t help but flutter each time he passionately demands justice for me.
“Gigi, I am. I know I haven’t always been the responsible sibling, but I’m ready to buck up now. I needed Leo’s help to get myself ready to be someone who would be worthy by your standards.”
I hesitate before I answer. Is it really that big of a deal to him? I don’t think I’m that hard to please.
“I’m . . . not trying to set impossible standards. I just don’t get why you wouldn’t come to me instead of Leo.”
He looks at Artem, sighing when he doesn’t speak up and then looks back at me.
“You should focus on your new life, Gigi. You don’t need to be worried about this shit.”
“My new life? I live in the same fucking city still. This is still my family, my home,” I gesture to the air.
“I don’t want you involved in it, Gigi,” he finally admits.
“Why? What the hell is so wrong with me that you all keep me away like the fucking plague from anything that’s worthwhile to me?”
My voice breaks, and Artem grabs my arm and pulls me beside him. “This isn’t the time for this, moya. We have bigger problems today,” he reminds me firmly.
“So, did you say Leo might know more about the men who approached your uh, uncle?” Roman asks, redirecting the tension.
“Well, he said that he spoke to some suspicious characters sometime before the wedding too. But he said they didn’t specifically mention Gigi, only Artem.”
“Well, either way, if it was the same men, we have a big problem on our hands. Both of our families. If Leo doesn’t have anything useful to offer, I rather he—” Artem is interrupted when Caesar’s phone rings, Leo’s name lighting up the screen.
“Hello? Yeah, she’s here. Well, everyone is. Yeah. Seriously? How do you know? Are you sure? Because—Okay. I’ll let them know. I’ll be there soon either way.” When Caesar hangs up, I look at him eagerly.
“Well?”
“Well, he said that he knows them. Not knows them, really, but he knows a guy who does. I guess that was how he ran into them. He said he got an address from his friend and he wants me to meet him there.”
“You’re fucking kidding, right?” Artem asks in his deep voice.
“Look, my uncle even told Gigi about these guys, right? It can’t be a lie. Leo and my uncle aren’t as close now that he’s grown up, they’re not suddenly in cahoots. Leo’s worried about Gigi just like you are,” Caesar rattles off, and Artem scoffs.
“Well, Uncle Rob did seem concerned about the Russians, he even went to my dad about it and they haven’t spoken in twelve years. There’s no way he would lie about something like that. Can’t we hear Leo out?” I ask Artem, turning to face him and asking with my sweetest voice.
“Moya sladkaya navinya devochka, I can’t let you anywhere near something like that,” he replies, his hand on my cheek.
I’m sick of how often he purposely says things I can’t understand lately.
“If Leo is right, we can go confront the men. That’s what you want, right? Blood?”
“No, what I want is your safety. You aren’t going anywhere near that shit and it’s final.”
“I have to go, and I’d prefer if you three would go with me,” Caesar says, gesturing at Artem and his brothers. “I need to handle this. It’s my problem now, and Leo is already there waiting. He doesn’t want to waste any time, he said we might not have another chance to surprise them.”
Artem looks at Roman, who nods once.
“What? What’s happening? You’re not all just going to leave me here while you go?!”
“What did I tell you about listening to me today?”
“Fuck listening to you! This is my family! You and Caesar can’t just . . . you guys can’t just leave me and . . . what if something happens, how would I . . . ”
I feel my mind spiraling as my stomach has already sunk as low as possible, and then strong hands hold my head in place.
“Look at me. Breathe. I will come back to you. There is not a reason on this Earth that I would not return to you, lyubimaya. I will crawl from my grave if I must. Do you hear me?”
I nod quickly, trying to ground myself again until I realize everyone around us just witnessed me about to melt down.
“Swear to me that you won’t follow us.”
“I . . . swear I won’t follow you,” I say as I look to the side.
“I’m not fucking joking with you, Giselle. Look at me clearly,” he demands as he turns my face to him again. “You will not, because I can’t even think of a harsh enough punishment right now that would be worthy of such disobedience. You don’t want to test how far I’ll go.”
I furrow my brows. “Fine. I won’t follow you. I already said I wouldn’t.”
He releases my face and stands straight. I can’t even meet my brother’s eyes after that, it’s humiliating. I didn’t realize how much I needed Artem to ground me, or that I’m really that unstable in front of other people.
They all take a few minutes to discuss where they’re going, and pass around guns. Once they’re ready to walk out of the door, Artem tells them to go ahead and wait for him outside.
“You will be fine, yes?”
“Dandy,” I say, crossing my arms.
“I’m going to put an end to this for you. And when I do, things can change. I . . . will change. If these are the men I’ve been hunting then—”
“Just be careful,” I say, cutting him off. My heart can’t handle another romantic monologue right now. Not with all of my anxiety swirling at the anticipation of all of this shit coming to a sudden head.
His hand pats my head as he takes a final look at me, and he turns and walks out of the door.
Oh, woe is me.
What should a girl like me do now that the big, strong men went to go save the day?
I laugh to myself as I skip to the staircase, running up the steps and walking to Caesar’s room. The door is locked and won’t budge, so I take a breath before ramming myself at it.
Ouch.
That is not as easy as they make it look in the movies.
I turn and grab the small, metal statue on the side table of the hallway and ram it onto his doorknob a few times before it finally breaks off.
When I walk into his room, I feel a rush of nostalgia.
My brother’s room smells like him, and the walls are still lined with old pictures and trophies from our childhood.
I see his sweatshirt laying on the bed, and I put it on over my blouse since I’m going to need it in the cold of the night. I make my way to the small nightstand on the opposite side of his bed where he has a dummy drawer set up inside.
Aha.
Found you.
He should really find a new hiding spot.
I take the small revolver and put it in the large pocket on his sweatshirt. They think they can go on a mission and just make me sit at home and wait?
Fuck. That.
I walk back out of his room, running downstairs but as I’m about to open the front door I realize I have to dump my phone, or else Artem will see my location.
Ugh. Guess we’re going the old-fashioned way.
I toss my phone on the couch and snatch Caesar’s keys and run outside, getting in his sports car and starting it with a rumble.
Wait, I can’t drive stick.
No, it’s okay. How hard could it be?
The grinding sound is like nails on a chalkboard, but after another couple tries, I finally get it to go into gear and drive it onto the main road.
It’s almost sunset when I reach the area they were talking about, and I can see their cars parked along some brush, but they aren’t nearby. I park the stupid sports car behind theirs and hop out.
I don’t hear anything. Where does this even lead to?
I walk into the brush a bit, eventually hearing a loud bang.
Gunshot.
I panic and walk faster, battling against branches and weeds as I try to make my way through the brush when I hear another.
Fuck, what’s going on?
When I finally reach the clearing, I see a large, abandoned building. It looks like it used to be some sort of factory. I walk closer, my heart pounding so hard that I can barely hear.
Please, where are you guys?
I jump when I hear two more shots, much closer, and definitely inside the building. My hands are shaking as I try to quietly move toward a door that’s sitting ajar.
I step inside, and I hear nothing for a moment except my shuddering breath. I swallow hard as I round a corner, and walk down a long, rusty hallway.
When I hear yelling, my pace quickens until I find myself at the edge of a drop off; as if it used to be a higher level with a safety gate around the edge. That’s when I see Leo and Caesar across the way, but the bridge between the side they’re on and my side looks unstable and rusted to shit.
“C-Caesar! Leo!” I yell out, and they both turn to me.
“Gigi! Get ou—”
Bang.
I see my brother fall to the ground, and my whole body becomes ice. My trembling hand lifts to my mouth as I look at Leo, holding a gun.
Bang. Bang.
Shots toward Leo cause him to run off down another hallway in the opposite direction, and I crumble to the floor as I helplessly watch Caesar bleed on the ground.
“No!” I scream, my voice screeching through the empty factory when big arms wrap around me.
“What are you doing here? I told yo—”
But his voice sounds so distant.
As if he’s in another dimension.
I feel like I’m watching this unfold in third-person, as my heart is pushing itself out of my chest and Caesar’s closed eyes won’t open.
“Moya! Stop! Look at me.” He shakes me hard, and my wide, expressive eyes finally see him. “Look at me. Don’t freeze up. Take a breath.” He sits there with me on the ground for a moment, but he’s in a rush. “We don’t have time, please. Stay with me. Are you listening?”
I nod quickly, as my ears stop ringing and I can hear other voices in the distance.
“We will come back for him. We have to find Leo now. Roman has already taken down his friend.”
I shake my head, turning to see Caesar again as my breath gets ragged again and he grabs my face.
“Just look at me, okay? It’s going to be okay. It’s me. I’m going to fix everything, lyubimaya, you just listen to me right now, okay?”
I nod desperately, my eyes blurry from the tears. “Please, d-don’t leave me, I-I c-can’t—”
“Shh, lyubimaya.” He pets my head and tries to shush me gently. “I won’t. I won’t leave you alone, okay? But you have to listen, you have to follow me and not wander off.”
I nod, and he brings me up to my feet again, and I have to use him to stabilize. When I look over, Roman has finally made his way to where Caesar is, and Artem pulls on my arm.
“What is this, a gun?” he asks, touching the pocket.
I nod and he pulls it out, checking the chamber and then closing it and putting it into my shaking hand.
“I didn’t want you here,” he says gently, “but if you’re here, I can’t let you out of my sight.
Leo is a traitor. There are no Russians.
Caesar didn’t know, he was set up, too. We need to find him again before he comes looking for you. ”
My breathing is deep, my chest heaving up and down and I start to tune him out.
I can’t do this.
I fucked up so bad.
I. . .I just—