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“I don’t care. What I care about is the way he looks at you. It makes me want to stomp on his face.”
“Stop talking like that. He’s a friend, you know? He made sure no man here touched me or forced me to do anything.”
“That’s because he wants to be the one who gets you Pina.” I said, my eyes narrowing. “I will kill him if he tries.”
“Dio, what’s with you? You didn’t care I existed for the most part of my life, then you hate me for a sin that wasn’t mine, and now this? You’re not my avenging angel, Garon.”
She was right, but how I felt didn’t make sense.
“Maybe not, but you’remineand if I can’t convince you to get the hell out of here, I will make sure you’re safe.” I leaned down and kissed her softly and she didn’t stop me. “Go to work,Piccolina. I’ll watch over you.”
Chapter 6
For weeks I’d taken off my clothes and paraded my naked breasts in front of all the overly eager men and women coming to the Flora House, but I’d never felt as watched as I did while Garon sat on one of the bar stools and glued his eyes to me.
He was handsome, dressed in suit pants, but no jacket, just a black shirt unbuttoned so you could see his chest and the gold cross hanging around his neck. Every time I looked over my shoulder, I was greeted by the icy blue in his eyes just like he said and I didn’t know what to make of that. I believed my own words and expected his attention to move to the next shiny thing—after all, he was surrounded by beautiful women ready to please him for the right price—but his view didn’t stray from me once.
Neither did Leonardo, only he was glaring at me angrily and I knew why. He blamed me for Garon’s tantrums, but I was grateful that even if he was visibly pissed off, he didn’t fight back and let me work the floor fully dressed. With Garon’s short fuse and his newfound interest for me, I worried that they might end up brawling or worse.
Throughout the night, I tried my best to do my job like it was just another day, but couldn’t help but feel edgy. My anxiety hit a new high when I saw Tony Balbano walk through the doors. The only other time I’ve seen him was when I was dragged to his office to give his money back. There was no doubt why he was there because when people hear the name Caputo, they come.
Tony was a short man, but what he lacked in inches, he compensated in muscles. His once blond hair was now washed up by gray patches and his face was wrinkled up from a frown that in my eyes made him look terrifying, like he was suspicious of everyone around him and was ready to start killing people.
He walked straight to Garon with a determined look on his face and the two of them shook hands. I watched the whole thing from across the room while cleaning a few tables. I had no idea what Garon was saying and I hoped—and prayed—that he’d leave me out of it, but all of that hope withered when Balbano pointed at me.
Of course Garon was comfortable walking in here and acting like he owned the place. He had six brothers, a powerful brother-in-law, and an entirefamigliabehind him, but I was alone. The waves he was stirring were going to crash onto me when he’d decide he was done and go back to Palermo and I would be the one who had to face a dangerous crime man.
Thinking about what repercussions might be waiting for me made my hands shake and my inside tighten. I made peace with the thought that my future was not going to be bright and there might be a world of pain waiting for me, but I never believed it would come before my twentieth birthday. Now with Garon around looking for trouble, I wasn’t so sure. Tony was not a mafia boss, he didn’t come from a traditional family, but he turned to a life of crime when he was young and made his money with a gun in his hand and he didn’t take lightly to people peeing all over his territory. In Tony’s eyes I was his property until my debt would be paid in full and he didn’t give a damn if my own parents betrayed me, he cared that there was a debt deed with my name on it sitting in his office. And another man telling him to let me dress however I want to work might be the insult that pushes him to give me a taste of what would happen if I failed to pay.
I walked through the bar mechanically trying to push through the fear, but it defeated me eventually and my hand started shaking so bad, two glasses flew off my tray just when I was passing Tony and Garon.
“Careful, Pina.” Tony muttered, unpleased with me. “Don’t look so clumsy in front of the clients.”
“I’m s-s-so sorry, Mr. Balbano.” Garon knelt down next to me and gathered the shattered glass. “I could have done that.” I told him.
“I didn’t want you to cut your hands.” He said, relaxed. “You’ve been working for three hours,Piccolina. Maybe it’s time to take a break.”
I looked at him stunned and hissed, “I’m fine.”
“Fine, but don’t overwork yourself.”
“Garon, stop. Maybe it’s time for you to leave.” I said suggestively. I wanted him gone. He was distracting me.
“Tony and I will go into his office to talk about a few things, but don’t worry. I’ll have someone look after you.”
I looked at Balbano and forced a smile. “That’s not necessary.”
“Yes, it is.” He said while typing something into his phone. “Whenever you’re ready, Tony.”
“Let’s go then, my friend. I have a special bottle of whiskey for us to share.”
Garon kissed my forehead before he followed Tony into the back and I froze watching his back moving away. The soft touch of his lips seemed so natural, like something he did every day before leaving the house, and the intimacy it carried overwhelmed me.
A few minutes later I was behind the bar stacking some glasses, still thinking about that stupid forehead kiss, when I noticed two large men towering over me. I recognized Santo from the many Caputo parties he attended. He was a bruiser, the type of guy that people only knew by his first name but it was enough to make them feel scared. He played bodyguard for Giovani more than once and it looked like now he was working for Garon… and me. The other one was familiar too. After a while, I couldn’t pretend I didn’t notice them anymore and slapped my hand on the bar.
“Is this really necessary? You two sitting here watching me clean glasses? Because I’m not a baby, I don’t need constant supervision despite what your boss thinks.”
The man who’s name I didn’t know spoke first. “We’re just here to make sure you’re safe Miss Bernoulli. I’m Arno and this is my friend Santo.”
