Did they hurt you?” I shook a few strands of her blond curls from her face , suddenly feeling on the verge of bursting into sobs. Regret weighed heavily on my mind. I should never have run. Seeing Aria’s worried face was another reminder. If I had stayed, if I had married Matthew, then Sid would still be alive and Aria would not have to worry for months. Why did I have to wish for the freedom to make my own decisions? “Gianna?” Aria lowered her voice. “Did Matteo do something?” “Matteo didn’t do anything,” Matteo said in a harsh voice, making Aria and me flinch. “I didn’t ask you,” Aria said quietly. My eyes darted between them. I had a feeling they were not on good terms. Also because of me. Luca came up beside us and patted his brother’s shoulder. “It’s good to see you again.” I hadn’t even considered that Matteo had been absent from the house for a long time because he was behind me. Luca barely looked in my direction, not that I cared. “I’m fine,” I said to Aria, who seemed reluctant to believe me . “The boss is waiting,” barked Stan. “Let’s go. It’s not like the bitch deserves a big welcome.
Aria gasped. I stiffened but managed not to show my shock. I didn’t give a damn what Stan thought of me. But Matteo was the quickest to react. He pulled out a knife and hurled it at Stan, who screamed when the blade hit his ‘ear. “Next time my blade will crack your skull if you don’t keep your mouth shut,” he said. Stan rested his hand on the gun in his holster but did not pull it out. Blood dripped from his cut ear onto his shirt. There was murder in his eyes. Carmine remained motionless , but he had not even drawn his gun. When I turned to Luca, I knew why. He had both guns pointed at my father’s men, and behind him Romero, whom I had never seen before, was doing the same. “We don’t want this to end badly, do we?”
Luca asked in a very low voice. “Your boss wouldn’t appreciate it.” Carmine nodded and relaxed his stance, but Stan didn’t seem to care if my father punished him as long as he managed to kill Matteo first. For a few moments neither of them moved, then Luca put the weapons back in their holsters. “Let’s go.” Carmine picked up the knife Matteo had thrown at him and returned it to Matteo, who did not take his eyes off Stan. “He’s coming in the car with us,” Stan said. Matteo’s lips stretched into a cold smile. “This is the last warning you get. Stop pissing me off or I’ll carve a smile into your throat. Carmine grabbed Stan by the arm and dragged him toward a black Outfit car as the rest of us headed toward two BMWs. Aria moved to sit in the back with me, but Luca held her back.
“NO. I want Matteo to keep an eye on your sister. Aria gave me an apologetic smile before sitting down next to Luca. Matteo looked at me expectantly as he settled down next to me in the back seat. “You would probably jump out of the moving car if I gave you the chance.” I huffed. “I’m not completely crazy. Do you think I would risk driving around Chicago unprotected when my father’s men are blatantly ready to hurt me?” “So you trust me to protect you but you still don’t want to marry me.” Surprise hit me. “Do you still want to go through with the marriage?” “You could probably stick a knife in his back and he’d still want to go through with it,” Luca said from the front. “He’s a stubborn asshole.” “I didn’t hunt you down for six months just to let you go.” I scanned his face, but I couldn’t look past his arrogant mask. He would not let me. “Maybe you shouldn’t have wasted so much time chasing me.” Then I would still be in Munich and Sid would still be alive. But I had to admit that a part of me had missed my previous life. Not all of it, mind you, but definitely my brothers and maybe some other aspects that I didn’t want to admit to myself yet. Matthew said nothing but tightened his lips. The rest of the trip passed in tense silence. I tried to hide my nerves as we stopped in front of my old house. What would my father do to me?
Matthew The Outfit’s car stopped in front of the Scuderi mansion, and Luca parked the rented BMW right behind it. Luca and Aria immediately got out of the car and I opened the door to follow them but stopped when I realized that Gianna had not even unbuckled her seat belt yet. She was staring intently at her hands resting in my lap. Annoyance flared in me. Could she never have taken the easy way out? Did she have to be so damn stubborn? “I have no desire to argue with you, Gianna. You really shouldn’t let your father wait now. He’s pissed off as it is. Get out of the car or I’ll take you.” I was waiting for an intelligent comeback. Instead he reached out his hand to untie himself. Her hands were shaking, and suddenly I knew what was going on. Gianna was not stalling to annoy me . She was nervous about coming back here. Her fingers struggled with the seat belt. I pushed them away and did it for her. She looked up, her eyebrows furrowed as she scanned my face. She looked damn anxious. She didn’t even push away my hands, which were still resting on her thigh. “We have to get out,” I repeated, this time without the annoyance of before. She nodded slowly, her eyes darted to the window. I could see Luca and Aria watching us, and behind them Stan and Carmine waited. Romero lingered beside our second car, scanning the surroundings.
I didn’t think it was a trap, but you could never know with that damn Suit. Things hadn’t exactly gone well between us in the last few months. “I’m scared,” he said softly, then laughed harshly. “Isn’t it messed up that I’m afraid of my father?”
“Your father is Counselor and he’s a huge asshole. There are plenty of reasons to be afraid of him.” She was still staring at her lap. “He hates me. He wouldn’t even hesitate to put a bullet in my head after what I did.” It should have gone through me, and I had no doubt that I could take him down with one arm tied to my back. I slipped a finger under her chin and turned her face until her blue eyes met mine. “I won’t allow it.” For a moment she softened and her eyes darted to my lips but then Gianna became her old self again and pulled back. I almost groaned. She opened the door and slipped out. When I reached her, there was no sign of fear on her face. She held her head high and gave Scuderi’s men the fiercest look I had ever seen from her. That was the Gianna I knew. The only indication that she was not as relaxed as she pretended was that she did not argue when I laid my hand on her back as I led her toward the front door. I couldn’t wait to run my hands over every inch of her body, to finally claim her. Images of Sid with his paws on me came flooding back and I had to resist the urge to hit something. Luca arched his eyebrows, impatience written all over his face. “What took you so long, for heaven’s sake?” I ignored him because at that moment the door opened and Scuderi appeared on the doorframe, frowning. Gianna retreated against me. I didn’t even think she noticed because her face remained perfectly impassive. Scuderi spoke briefly with his men before sending them away and turning to Luca. They shook hands and then he hugged Aria. So far he had not given Gianna a glance. She annoyed the hell out of me. His cold eyes focused on me, and I taunted him. I hated everything about the man, even his stupid face and slicked-back hair. He looked like the worst cliche of a mobster. “I see you found it,” he said. “I always get what I want.” He still did not look toward Gianna, but his expression turned cruel. “What you wanted was a respectable Italian girl. What you get is the ruins of God knows how many men. Gianna stiffened under my hand, her eyes widening for a moment before regaining control over her face, but her father was not done yet. No wonder he and my father got along so well. “I don’t understand why you bothered to waste your time with her. My men could have captured her without you.” His men would have done a lot of things with Gianna. Luca squinted to warn me. Could he tell how much I wanted to stick the knife in Scuderi’s ugly mug? I cast a glance at Scuderi, wanting to wipe that smirk of superiority off his face. “I think we should go inside to discuss the matter,” Luca said, using his Chief’s voice. He usually got on my nerves when he did that, but this time it was probably for the best. I had a feeling that my knife would accidentally end up in Scuderi’s eyeball if I had to endure his stupid expression for one more second. Scuderi nodded and opened the door further. Gianna was practically pressed against my side as we walked past him. Protection burned through my veins. She may not have realized it, but the fact that she sought my closeness when she was afraid was all the confirmation I needed of her feelings for me, even if she wasn’t aware of it yet. “How can you touch her after what she did? After what you saw her do. I would be disgusted,” Scuderi said as he closed the door. He evidently did not expect a response because he turned to Luca. “If my wife had done such a thing, I would have killed her, and I have a feeling you would have done the same, Luca.” Aria cast Luca a shocked look but he was busy staring at Scuderi. “I’m not here to discuss what would happen if with you. I want this to be settled once and for all. You promised us something and I expect you to keep it. “What I promised is no longer available.” Scuderi nodded toward Gianna. “But if you want damaged goods, I’m sure we can work something out. Dante is waiting for us in the living room. This is mostly a matter of Outfit, and Dante will have the final say in the matter. Luca met my gaze, warning clear in his eyes. “Then let’s go. I have better things to do than chat with you. And I’m sure we can come to an understanding that will benefit us all.” I didn’t give a damn about Dante and Scuderi. I was going to take Gianna back to New York with me, even if I had to eviscerate every single asshole in the Outfit in the process.