Chapter Seven
Giovanni sat on the chair across from the bed where Mia was about to wake up. When she did, she was going to have a killer headache. There was no easy way to tell her that.
He glanced down at the time and waited.
The last couple of weeks had not been the easiest. Their tech guys had been able to locate the girls that had been taken.
His concerns and fears were realized. The girls had been used, on camera, for all to see.
The only difference was, they hadn’t reacted like Mia had once the drug had worn off.
They were more compliant, they didn’t put up a fight, but it didn’t make it any less rape.
The Colombo Mafia was pissed. The fathers of the daughters involved wanted blood. The whole Colombo Mafia wanted blood.
Giovanni had already called Julio. The man had bled to death, and it had been a long and slow death. He felt no remorse for that piece of shit.
Now, they had to locate the women, and from here on out, all the Colombo Mafia women were on a lockdown. They couldn’t go anywhere, unless they were with a guard, a brother, or a father. They were to be protected.
Lorenzo had been with him while he’d been dealing with some cleanup, as they combed the area looking for the place the girls had been taken. So far, they were coming up empty, and he didn’t like this. The longer they had the girls, the higher the chance they were going to die.
He had been alerted by his guards that Clarissa had arrived at his home. Lorenzo had been worried as he hadn’t been able to get in touch with Clarissa. Her description was on the list he had taken from Julio, and Giovanni didn’t think for a second it was the only list.
Once he got Clarissa and Mia up on his security feed, he and Lorenzo had watched as the two friends bared their souls to each other. He had seen the shock when Clarissa had admitted she didn’t know what to do in the bedroom. Mia had surprised him by admitting she wanted to have his babies.
There were times like this, when he had to question whether he should remove his security cameras or keep them working.
He had a feeling the insight he and Lorenzo had gotten might just help them in their marriages.
It was the least the security system could do, seeing as it had also put them in a difficult situation in the first place.
Mia groaned. They had drunk the whole bottle of his good scotch, and from what he had seen, they hadn’t even enjoyed it, which pissed him off a little. If they were going to drink his good scotch, they should at least enjoy it.
She sat up and put her hand to her temple. “Ow.”
Giovanni got to his feet and pulled the blanket back, as she had it tangled around her.
As she started to move, she dived off the bed and ran across the room. Giovanni followed her into the bathroom and was there in time to pull her hair out of the way, as she began to throw up everything she had eaten. She cried out, and he rubbed her back.
“It’s okay,” he said. “I’ve got you.”
“That’s horrible. Why do you have that stuff?” she moaned.
“Because I am used to the taste, and I enjoy it.”
Mia moaned. “My head.”
“Finish throwing up, and then I will grab you some pain pills.”
“Why are you being nice to me?” Mia asked.
“You’re my wife.”
“But you’ve not been home. You have tried to be as far away from me as possible.”
Giovanni didn’t bother to respond as he rubbed her back and helped her get over the current wave of sickness spreading through her.
She kept whimpering. Soon, she was able to stop throwing up. Giovanni helped her to the sink, where he set her up with a toothbrush.
She looked a mess. Her hair was all over the place, and she had put on a little makeup, which had smudged under her eyes.
“I’m going to run you a bath,” Giovanni said.
She didn’t complain as he filled the tub, adding in some lavender salts. Once that was done, he helped her out of the nightshirt he had struggled to get onto her.
“Thank you,” she said, as he helped her into the bath. He didn’t like the thought of leaving her, but he had to go to the kitchen to grab the breakfast he had ordered.
On the way down to the kitchen, he encountered Lorenzo on his way back to Clarissa’s room.
“How bad?” Giovanni asked.
“Not too bad. She threw up. Thank you for letting us stay here last night,” Lorenzo said.
“It’s fine. I wasn’t going to let you drive home. There was no way Clarissa would have made it without throwing up in your car.”
Lorenzo nodded.
“You okay, man?” Giovanni asked.
“Yeah, I’m good. Just, you know, bad shit has been said, and trying to figure out how to make it right.” Lorenzo shook his head. “No one ever prepares you for dealing with what you say, or the fact you’re going to have to ... I don’t know, make up for shit like that.”
That was the other problem with spying on their wives—they learn a lot of bad shit that doesn’t make them feel good. At least, it didn’t help make him feel good. It actually did the opposite of making him feel good.
Making his way into the kitchen, he grabbed the already made-up tray. He had arranged for dry toast, some fresh orange juice, and strong coffee to be made for his wife. There was no way she was going to be able to eat a full breakfast.
He arrived back to the bathroom, carrying Mia’s breakfast. He took the two pain pills out of the small bowl and handed them to her.
“What are they?” she asked.
“They will help with that killer headache you’re dealing with right now.”
Mia groaned, and he watched as she put both pills in her mouth, took the glass of fresh orange juice, and drank it down.
“Thank you,” she said.
“How are you feeling?”
“Like crap. Do you always feel this way?” she asked, groaning. “No, you probably don’t.”
“I don’t when I have a glass, but when I decide to take the whole bottle...” He tutted. “Yeah, it’s not a pretty sight.”
“I hate this,” Mia said. “I promised myself I was not going to get drunk again, but I didn’t feel drunk last night. I felt good. It was relaxing.”
“Scotch sneaks up on you.”
She had leaned back in the tub, and the bubbles covered her body.
Giovanni sat beside the tub and held out a piece of toast for her to take.
“Have you ever gotten so drunk that you have made a fool of yourself?” Mia asked.
“Yes.”
“You have?”
“Don’t sound so surprised. I was not always the man I am now. Besides, scotch is an acquired taste, and I happened to acquire it.”
“Boys’ lives are so different from girls’. We have to learn to be ... submissive. To not make waves or cause trouble.”
Giovanni chuckled. “I think you are failing on that front. Girls may have it hard, but it’s the same for boys.”
“Really?” Mia asked. “You have to deal with arranged marriages, looking pretty, and constantly being told you’re not good enough?”
“Yes, we have to deal with arranged marriages, but we also must be strong. My father put me through my paces, just as his father did before him. We learn a different set of skills.”
“But you don’t have to remain a virgin for your wedding night,” Mia said.
“True. We need to learn to become men, to become good husbands.”
“Not all men are good husbands,” Mia said.
He couldn’t argue with that. There were some men who liked to hurt their wives. Giovanni wasn’t one of them. The last thing he ever wanted to do was strike his wife.
“And not all women are good wives,” he said.
“Touché,” Mia said, finishing off her toast. “I am never drinking again.”
“Maybe you should not say never,” he said.
Mia frowned and rolled her head toward him. “You weren’t angry last night when you got home. You were already watching, weren’t you?”
Giovanni didn’t say anything.
“You really need to disable that damn security system.”
“That damn security system has saved our lives,” Giovanni said. “Besides, it has also helped us evolve.”
She groaned. “Evolve?”
“Mia, there is something I need to talk to you about.”
“Is it about what I said last night, because I know I said a whole lot and I can’t remember it all?”
“It’s about you and me, after you took that ... drug,” Giovanni said.
“What about it? Did you hate the way I acted? Did I embarrass you?”
Giovanni took hold of her hand and kissed her knuckles. “We know that drug is being used against women. It helps them relax, become more compliant.”
He saw her frown. “What are you trying to say?”
“I feared the reason we had such an amazing time together was because of the drug.”
“And that bothered you?” Mia asked.
“I never want to take advantage of my wife,” Giovanni said. “I want you to know you can always be safe and protected with me. I will never push, nor will I force you to do anything you don’t want to do.”
“Oh, Giovanni, I know that,” Mia said. “I do. That time, the drug, it must have just helped me lower my walls and ask for what I wanted.” She tightened her grip around his hand.
“It did?”
“Yeah, of course it did. Trust me, I would not do anything I didn’t want to do.”
“You married me,” Giovanni said.
Mia opened and closed her mouth. “Okay, I kind of didn’t have a choice in that one, but I did and didn’t want to marry you.”
He raised his brows at her.
She rolled her eyes. “I didn’t want to get married because I was terrified and if I am completely honest, it is because my parents told me I had to get married. I didn’t have a choice, and all the childish stuff aside, and the problems we have, I kind of like being married to you.”
“You do?”
“Yeah, I do. Do you like being married to me?”
He fucking loved this woman. She was everything he didn’t even realize he was missing.
“Yeah, I do,” he said.
“You hesitated.”
He chuckled. “I wanted you to know I was thinking of my answer.”
Mia laughed. “I don’t want to keep...” She stopped and let out a groan.
“I hate being referred to as a child.” He saw the tears fill her eyes.
“It is all that has ever been said to me. My parents, my brothers. I hate being mocked because I try to find happiness in everything. I don’t have the trauma Clarissa has, but I know the world is crap, and not because we’re part of the mafia, but the world is awful.
I can see it, and I don’t like it. However, I refuse to add to that nastiness.
I want to choose positivity over negativity, and happiness over sadness, and try to find the joy in everything.
I like to dress up in stupid costumes or have parties to celebrate spring or summer.
It helps make life seem more ... fulfilling. ”
Giovanni cupped her face and tilted her head back. “I don’t think you’re childish. Trust me, there is no way I see you as a child in any way.” And then he kissed her.
“I am so glad I brushed my teeth,” Mia said.
He laughed.
“You’ve been gone two weeks,” Mia said. “What did I do wrong?”
“Nothing.” He didn’t want to lie to his wife, so he told her what he had been dealing with. He also made her understand that under no circumstances was it to leave the room. Her friends could not know.
“Don’t you think it is dangerous to not let everyone know?”
“We’re not creating a panic.”
“Have you been able to find those girls?” Mia asked.
He shook his head.
Mia sighed. “What are you going to do?”
“Keep looking.”
“I know this is a crazy idea, but do you want me to take a look?” Mia asked.
“No, I don’t want you seeing any of that.”
“Is it that bad?” she asked.
“It’s not good.”
Mia sighed. “That’s awful.”
He couldn’t have agreed more.