When I pull up to the park at the lakefront, the crowd filling it catches me off guard. There are families with kids playing frisbee, joggers with dogs running back and forth, groups of students resting on the blankets and enjoying the sun. Well, I guess I should’ve expected it-you don’t get a lot of warm days like this in Chicago, and everyone wants to spend the day with their loved ones. And I’m not an exception.
With my heart beating frantically, I get out of the car and make my way through the crowd toward the distant part of the park. There, in a
secluded place right above the water, is where Gio kissed me for the first time.
I catch his figure only when I get past a big family having a picnic a hundred feet away from him, and a warm wave of relief immediately flashes through my body. Oh, thank god! An involuntary smile blooms on my lips when I recognize his hair bun and the unique line of his profile, and I pick up my pace, running through the last fifty feet before dropping to the ground next to him.
“Wha-”
Gio immediately tenses up, ready to attack the sudden intruder of his thoughts, but I pay no attention to it and wrap my arms around him with a sigh. “I’ve found you.”
It feels like it takes Gio a moment to recognize me before he breathes out his tension and slides his hands to my back. We stay like this for a long moment, gaining new strength from the embrace, before I blink through the veil of emotions and pull back, keeping my hand on his shoulder. God, what can I even say after everything that happened this morning?
“Are you okay?” It’s the first question that comes to mind as I look into Gio’s dark chocolate eyes, raising my other hand to cup his cheek. He still looks grim and upset, his frown unyielding even to my touch, and Gio looks away, brushing off my hand to stare at the water.
“I missed the only chance to get revenge for my mom. How do you think I feel?”
He sounds on edge, probably just as shaken by this morning as I am, and when he gives me a quick but pointed look, I know what he’s thinking even if he doesn’t say it out loud. He couldn’t do it because of me-but I have no regrets about that. If I hadn’t stopped him from killing Riccardo,
Gio himself wouldn’t be here anymore. Paolo would have shot him on the spot.
“Killing Riccardo is not a solution,” I say with as much calm and sympathy as I can muster, searching his expression for any hint of hesitance. “Why do you even think that he’s the one who killed her? It sounded like he cared about your mom.”
But Gio only huffs, his voice full of poison when he says, “Riccardo would say anything to clear his reputation.”
“It didn’t look like he cared about his reputation at all.”
“You don’t know him,” Gio spits out, narrowing his eyes with a look of resentment, and I nod.
“No, I don’t-but I know that when he had a chance to order his men to kill you, he didn’t. Even when you put a gun to his face-”
“Oh, so fucking noble.”
I purse my lips at his childish grumble and squeeze his shoulder. “Noble or not, Riccardo chose to listen to you instead.”
“He just didn’t want to upset you.”
Gio glances at me from the corner of his eye, and I wonder if he can hear the unsure note in his own voice. Instead of closing his ears to my
words, they’re making him think, and that’s already a good sign. It means I can talk him out of blindly chasing Riccardo again.
“Do you really think he chose my feelings over his own life?” I try to catch his gaze, and when Gio doesn’t say anything, frowning deeper at the lake, I sigh. “Gio, I’m not trying to defend him. If it turns out that
Riccardo killed your mother, I won’t try to stop you again. I will actually help you to get him, I promise.”
“He did kill her,” Gio mutters without even thinking about it. “He may not have done it with his own hands-but he gave the order, I know it.”
“Where do you know it from? Did you see the Messinas kill her?” He clenches his jaw. “No.”
“Did Isabella see it?”
“No-but Gerardo did,” Gio adds before I can say anything. “And I…I trust him.”
I quirk an eyebrow. That doesn’t sound very convincing. “Did anyone else see it? Someone who is not Riccardo’s enemy?”
“What are you trying to say?” Gio flares up all of a sudden, turning to me with an aggravated look. “Do you think Gerardo would kill her? She was his cousin!”
Well, I wasn’t the one to say it. It looks like his own doubts are coming through.
I sigh and reach for Gio’s hand, lovingly wrapping my fingers around it. God, if I had a chance to get revenge for Dad’s murder and my own banishment, wouldn’t I be as crazy about it? Wouldn’t I forget all logic to take Yuriy’s last breath away? My heart aches at the thought of what Gio is going through, but I love him too much to let him be killed for something he doesn’t know for sure.
“I don’t know who killed your mom, and if I did, trust me, I’d do all I can to help you get the killer.” I raise my head to look Gio in the eyes,
squeezing his hand. “But the truth is, everyone lies. Even if you think you know Gerardo, you can’t trust him blindly. Isn’t that exactly what Jacinta warned you against?”
Gio casts his gaze to our hands and says nothing for a moment, only the pained look in his eyes showing his inner turmoil. Oh, how much I would give to let this be over!
“So what do you want me to do?” He looks up with a frown. “Trust Riccardo instead?”
“No, of course not.” I put my other hand on top of ours, leaning forward to make sure that he sees the truth in my eyes. “All I want is for you to talk to him. He listened to your side of the story-it will not hurt you to hear his and find the truth.”
Gio huffs with a grim look. “As if the Messinas won’t kill me as soon as I show up on their doorstep.”
“They won’t.” I squeeze his hand with mine, frowning with all seriousness. “I’ll ask my sisters. We’ll find a way for you to talk to
Riccardo without feeling threatened, I promise.”
Gio purses his lips and looks away, clearly hesitating to say yes, and I bite my lip. God, I really didn’t want to bring it up, but he leaves me no choice.
“Think about our child, Gio,” I say quietly, and stroke his knuckles with my thumb, waiting until he turns to me. I catch his gaze and give him a sad smile, my heart growing heavy from my thoughts. “If you kill Riccardo without evidence, the Messinas will never leave us alone. They’ll be seeking revenge, and what if someday they make our baby pay for it?”
Gio immediately squeezes my hand so hard it starts to hurt, a look of fury crossing his eyes, before he breathes out and shakes his head. “No evidence will make them change their minds.”
“But it may change Olga’s mind.” I tilt my head, catching Gio’s surprised look. “If Riccardo’s betrayal is real, she may take your side and ally with the Escarras. We’d be protected by Riccardo’s own wrongdoings if it turns out to be true.”
“God, you’ve really thought it through.” Gio chuckles with a note of amusement peeking through the layers of grim thoughts, and I can’t help but smile. “Alright, then…I’ll do it.”
Really? My eyes widen with a look of joy, and I entwine my fingers with his, squeezing them hard. Gio catches my gaze then, studying my face for a moment before suddenly raising my hand to his lips and pressing a kiss to my knuckles.
“I’ll do everything to keep you and our baby safe.”