156

I grit my teeth. “I don’t give a shit. I’m not taking her to Chicago. If you want to talk to her, you can come to New York.
“You want to protect her after what she did?”
“YES.”
“Matthew, this is a matter of Outfit. She’s not your wife, and no one expects you to marry her after she went around screwing half of Europe.
“Careful,” I hissed.
“Damn it. Can’t you just forget about her? Fuck her, she’s not that important anymore, and then give her back to her father.
“Is Aria still around to hear you talk about her sister like that?” I asked.
“NO. I have to think about Familia. Gianna brought this on herself. You have to take her to Chicago, Matteo. I won’t risk a war for her.”
“Fuck you, Luca. You’re my fucking brother. Shouldn’t you be on my damn side?”
“Not when you’ve lost your fucking mind.”
“Fuck you.”
Luca sighed on the other side. “Look, I’m not saying you should abandon her. Just take her to Chicago and pretend to turn her over to her father. Then make a deal with him. He still promised you, so he won’t reject you. He will probably be happy to have her free of his hands. Aria and I will also fly down there. I am sending an e-mail to our pilot right now. You won’t have to go through this alone.”
“Okay, I’m taking her to Chicago. But I’m not leaving without her, no matter what Scuderi says. She’s mine.”
“All right, but I doubt there will be any problems. And believe me, I have no interest in letting Gianna be hurt by her father. Aria loves her sister and I want Aria to be happy, so I won’t let Scuderi kill or hurt her. We’ll take her back to New York with us, even as your wife, if that’s really what you want.”
“You will go against Scuderi if for some reason he disagrees.”
“I will. For you and for Aria.”
“Swear it.” Luca sighed again. “I swear it. You and Aria will be the death of me.”
I almost smiled but hung up. When I turned back to Gianna, she was looking at me with an anxious expression , which she tried to mask the moment I looked at her but failed completely. Sometimes, in the last few months, I was sure I wouldn’t find her, that she was too smart; I was glad I was wrong. “Tradition dictates that I hand you over to the Suit and your father.” Fear flashed across her face. Gianna was not stupid;
she knew what could happen to her if her father got his will.
I wasn’t sure Dante Cavallaro would intervene, and I didn’t give a shit. The protection overwhelmed me. They had no right to decide her fate. This was my chance to show her that she was wrong to run away, that I was the right person for her. For a long time she stared at me, her face helpless and vulnerable. This was a side of her I had seen only twice before: when Aria had been drugged and when Gianna had been in the hands of the Russians. I was still angry at her, still fucking furious, especially since I knew she would run away again if I gave her the chance, but part of me was just happy to have her back.
“I will take you to Chicago, but I will not leave you, Gianna. I won’t give you the chance to run away from me again.”
Gianna After what had happened today, I wasn’t sure I would ever risk another escape.
Matteo’s phone rang again and he cursed. I was glad for the distraction. The intensity of his gaze had spoken to a part of me that I had been trying to fight ever since the kiss. I lay down , but the moment I closed my eyes, images of Sid’s body flashed through my mind. Even though Matteo had not killed him, it did not mean it was not his fault. He would have done the same if Carmine had not acted first.
I must have dozed off because I gasped violently when something touched my arm. My eyes widened and I found Matthew looming over me. He straightened up with a wry smile.
“Sid’s death doesn’t seem to bother you too much if you can fall asleep like that.”
I sat, staring at him, knowing he was cruel on purpose, but at the same time wondering if it was true. Was I that insensitive? Did I resemble Matthew more than I wanted to admit? No. I had dreamed of Sid’s death and felt my chest tighten in a vise when I thought of him.
“We have to move on. Our flight is leaving soon.” Matteo grabbed my wrist to make me stand up but I snatched him away, suddenly angry. Matteo reached for me again, pulled me to my feet and against his body. “Be careful, Gianna. Less than two hours ago I saw you fooling around with another boy. I am proud of my control, but there is a limit to what I will take from you.
I swallowed the words and let Matteo lead me out of the room. Stan and Carmine were already waiting in the hallway. Their eyes scanned me from head to toe, then Stan said, “She is still surprisingly unharmed. If my girlfriend had gone around fucking other men, I would have beaten the shit out of her.
“Do I seem to care about your fucking opinion?”
Matthew asked dangerously. I ventured to look at him, wondering why exactly he wasn’t doing what Stan had suggested. I decided to keep my mouth shut for now. Self-preservation was not my strong suit, but I was not suicidal, although death might be preferable to what my father had in mind for me.
Twenty minutes later we boarded the Outfit’s private jet and I sat by the window. Matteo sat across from me but made no conversation. No one tried to talk to me during the entire flight. I had the feeling that Matteo was using the time to calm down.
From time to time I caught him looking at me but I could not read the look in his eyes. When I got up mid-flight to go to the bathroom, Matteo got up as well.
I swallowed a comment and headed for the back bathroom. When Matteo didn’t even flinch when I opened the door, I couldn’t hold back any longer. Self-preservation be damned . “Will you watch me pee? It’s not like I can escape by jumping out of the plane.”
“I wouldn’t rule you out trying to punch a hole in the wall of the plane to kill us all.”
Was he serious? The corner of his mouth twitched, but then his expression hardened again. For a moment our eyes locked, then I quickly entered the small bathroom and closed the door. Matthew did not stop me but I knew he would be waiting for me and would probably be listening for strange noises.
I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes. Fear and sadness raged through my body, and it was getting harder and harder not to burst into sobs. I almost wished that Matteo had roughed me up. Why did he have to act like a decent human being?
“What are you doing? Don’t make me break down that damn door,” Matteo muttered.
Without even bothering that he heard me, I took care of business before leaving two minutes later.
Matteo’s eyes roamed over me as if looking for a sign that I was up to something. I would have laughed if I thought I could do that.
We returned to our seats and resumed our silence.
My stomach was in knots when we landed in Chicago.
I had not slept a minute while we were in the air.
The knowledge that I would have to face my father soon kept me wide awake. Only yesterday I had eaten pizza with my roommates and planned a summer trip to Croatia, and now my life was out of my control again. Even worse, I could very well face severe punishment from the Outfit. Matthew really had no reason from which to protect me Father’s wrath. And even if he had tried, why would Luke have allowed him to risk a conflict with the Outfit over me? I was less than a worm in their eyes.
The private jet stopped and Matteo stood up and motioned me to do the same. My legs were shaking as I followed him toward the door, which was already opening . The cold air hit my face. Snow dusted the airstrip and the surrounding buildings. It was about 4 p. m., but I felt like it was the middle of the night. Matteo grabbed my wrist, giving me a warning look. “Don’t run away.
Don’t do anything stupid. Your father’s men are looking for an opportunity to hurt you. I would kill them of course, but that won’t help you.
Was he really worried about me? Matthew was an enigma. I wasn’t sure why he was so interested in me. I had a feeling it was his pride. He couldn’t accept that I didn’t want him, so he was forcing me to marry him even if I didn’t want him, even if he didn’t want me anymore. If he really cared about me, he would let me go. No, this was a power play. Emotions had nothing to do with it.
“Don’t worry. I want to see Aria.”
He shook his head. “This is not the right time for your sarcasm to return. Your father will not appreciate it.”
So why was he almost smiling if he thought it was a bad idea? The door was completely down and Matteo led me down the few steps, his fingers firmly around my wrist. I felt like a little girl taking her first steps.
Irritation fought with worry in my body, but before I could decide if I wanted to risk a repeat I saw a familiar blond head. Aria. He stopped next to Luca and when he saw me he began to run.
I looked up at Matteo imploringly but he did not let me go and continued to guide me toward Aria with slow steps.
When my sister had almost reached us, she released me and I rushed toward Aria. We collided almost painfully. I pressed Aria against me, hugging her as tightly as I could, and she did the same in return. “Oh Gianna, I was so scared for you.
I’m so glad you’re here.” She was crying and my face was wet with tears. God, I had missed her.
After a moment, she pulled back, her eyes performing a quick scan, lingering on my new hair color. “Are you okay?