Page 88 of Because I Need You
“He’s not worth your thoughts or concern.” Gio set a hand over mine. I met his gaze.
“But what if it is him?” I asked. “What if he is the one coming after me? Will you…you know.”
“Kill him?”
“Yeah.”
He took his hand from mine and shrugged both shoulders. The pizza got there just in time for the conversation to be cut short, but it stayed on the back of my mind. I couldn’t imagine Gio killing someone he was close to, let alone someone he knew was a father, but again, maybe that was the side he hid from me, the way my father had all those years. I wasn’t sure how to feel about it. A big part of me hated the idea of him being callous, of course, but another part of me understood that this was the way they were raised. Still, it didn’t mean I approved.
37
Devil’s Lair was opening a new area, and Gio said I needed to go with him.
“My wife should be there,” he’d said, biting into a piece of toast with butter, as I rolled my eyes. He’d pointed the bread at me, raised eyebrow. “She should.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I smiled. “I need to visit my grandmother, though.”
“That’s fine.” He shrugged. “We’ll have lunch, and you can go visit her while I do a walk-through at the club. Petra and Joey can take you there afterwards.” He shot me a pointed look. “Is that plan to your satisfaction? I don’t want you switching shit up on me.”
“I won’t.” I rolled my eyes, still laughing. “But your sisters want me to get drinks with them before I go to the club, so maybe there’s a tiny switch of plans?”
“You’re joking.” He cocked his head.
“Nope. The bar is right by Devil’s Lair, though.”
“We have five bars at the club. You can’t just drink there?”
“With all that loud music?” I pulled a face. “No way.”
“Fine, but no switching up this plan.”
I blew him a kiss. “I already told you I wasn’t doing that again.”
“Good.” He walked around the counter and pressed a kiss to my lips. “Let’s go, wife.”
“Oh my God, Giovanni.” I shook my head, hopping off the barstool.
“Yup. I seem to recall you screaming that a lot last night.” He looked down at me. “And the night before that. And in the shower and—”
“Okay, okay. I get it.” I laughed. “I was there, too.”
“Oh, trust me, I know. I have the bite marks to prove it.”
I shook my head as we walked to the door. “You’re unbelievable.”
“Another word you used.”
“Jesus Christ.” I laughed as we walked into the elevator.
I got to the nursing home much, much, later than I anticipated, which meant I’d be pressed for time in getting ready. Just in case, I was wearing one of the dresses that was an option for tonight. It went down past my knees, hugging every curve on my body, with a nude bodysuit lining that was covered by a black mesh material that was see-through. It was one of those that made you do a double-take and wonder if I was naked underneath it, which was what I loved about it. I could already picture Gio’s face when he saw me. My stomach fluttered at the thought. Because there were men in the nursing home, I wore a trench coat closed over it to cover me up. I’d also left my heels in the car, opting to wear my black converse. It was definitely a vibe, as Petra pointed out. “Not the right one,” she’d said, laughing, “but still a vibe.”
In the elevator, I’d asked Petra to hold the bag of food I was carrying — two slices of cheese pizza and a slice of cheesecake, courtesy of Gio, who was adamant about grabbing lunch at my grandmother’s favorite places so we could spend a little more time together — and opened my trench coat, taking a selfie of myself in the mirrored elevator.
I texted it to Gio.
Petra shook her head, laughing. “I know he says it jokingly all the time, but I really do think you might just kill that man.”
I laughed, grabbing the bag of food from her as the doors opened in front of us on the second floor, where they’d moved my grandmother a few days ago. According to the nurse, she wouldn’t quit complaining about being on the first floor, so they finally moved her when a room on the second became vacant. Petra fell into step beside me. Joey was downstairs, “manning the door,” because that was totally necessary in a nursing home, but I didn’t argue. I was learning to pick my battles with these people. My phone buzzed in my hand.
Giovanni: fuuuuuck. When did you get that?
Me: *wink face*
Giovanni: What are you wearing under it?
Me: lol I’m not going to spoil the fun
