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I swing open the door and double over near the first step. “He’s just like Marco…” I cry into my hands. “Why did I do this to myself?” My vision is a blurry tornado. All the happiness I felt about feeling safe… that it was over… it all evaporated. What did I think would happen? How else would it be ‘safe’ unless this man is gone from my life?
It just hurts to see how the sausage is made, I suppose.
It hurts bad.
I’m reminded of all the times I was a bit too close to one of Marco’s dealings. Pummeling the waiter to a bloody pulp in a family restaurant was just the icing on the cake. I remember screaming at him as he held the arm of someone who messed with his drugs. He snapped it like a twig in the wrong direction. My body still caves into itself just thinking about it.
Now here I am, in the basement of a gold exchange store, with someone wielding much more power.
Fuck.
I hold my legs close to my chest and stay curled where I am.
Hearing items clunking to the concrete floor makes me wonder what the hell he could possibly be doing next.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
His footsteps come closer. He looks through with softened blue eyes – the ones he brought to my doorstep not long ago – and opens the door.
His gloves are off, whole body glistening with sweat. His blonde hair looks almost brown when he’s all lathered up. Or maybe my shaking eyes are playing tricks on me.
I cower a little closer to the wall as he crouches to be eye-to-eye.
“Why?” I say. And I don’t really know what I’m asking.
Why did he have to be so cruel?
Why did he invite me to see?
Why is this happening?
I guess I’m asking all of those questions.
He holds out his hand, expecting me to take it. “This is the price of being with me, Gia. Sometimes… things are going to get ugly. But I want you to know, I’ll always protect you.”
I glance back and forth between his hand and his eyes. I’m not sure I can do this.
“If you can’t handle it, I’d rather get it out of the way now, before my heart is putty in your hands. But know, I want this to work. I want you by my side. And no one is going to be able to stop that, except you.”
Chapter 17
Gia
Castor stares me in the eyes as I sit in the fetal position at the bottom of a metal stairwell. His hand is extended for me to grab – like a king inviting me to his dark chambers – and I’m just not sure I can do it. He’s everything I want… and everything I swore against.
“He would never have assaulted you if not for me,” Castor says. “I failed you. And I’m sorry.”
My palms are clammy. The Russian’s mortal screams plague my mind. It’s like they’re on repeat. I’m not meant for the mafia life. These guys are crazy… a dark storm of danger that will swallow me whole.
I shift farther away from him.
He’s the same as a cat bringing a dead rat to my feet, thinking he did good. I don’t want it.
The visual of liquefied gold pouring over a convulsing body makes me shiver where I sit. In this moment, I don’t care how big and enticing he is. He’s a stone cold murderer. A powerful one, with gold stores, gold weapons, gold everything. How did he become this?
I remember the hot teenager with a devilish smile and innocent eyes, making every girl he brought over swoon for him – including me watching from my window.
Now he’s something different.
