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Giovanni
PLAYLIST: ? LIE TO ME - BLACK ATLASS ?
She left in the night.I woke to an empty bed, an empty house except for my guys on guard. She disappeared like she never existed, and for once, I’m blindsided. I searched the house high and low for her. Robby and Dominico were the two on guard last night. Neither recall seeing anything.
At first, I’m spitting fire. I rage at them, screaming in their faces. I tear pieces of art off the walls and smash vases on the ground. I turn my once neat and sleek four-point-five million dollar mansion into a hurricane of broken glass and furniture. In my bedroom, I wrench open her suitcase and dig through its contents for any sign. Even the slightest clue.
An hour into my rampage, Robby approaches with caution. He and Dominico stayed out of my way, putting our resources to use in an attempt to find her. She’s on no flights departing the city. No sightings at any bus terminals or train stations. Our connect with the local police even says there’s not a trace of her anywhere.
She truly vanished into nothing.
Robby clears his throat as I bandage my bloody hand with a silk scarf of hers. “Boss, don’t you think you should calm down?”
“You’re sounding like you don’t grasp the severity of the situation,” I spit back. I round on him with a fiery glare. “Tell me you get how this is of utmost importance.”
“Of course I do. Nobody disappears like a bump in the night.”
I stalk closer, jaw clenched. “No. Nobody does. Which makes me wonder how? How does an amateur—a woman like Falynn with no experience at such things—disappear out of a guarded, heavily surveilled mob boss’s home?”
The insinuation hangs in the air between us. I eye Robby with suspicion as I circle him, a lethal dose of fury pumping in my veins. Right now everybody’s a target as my temper unleashes itself. Everybody’s asuspect.
“In fact,” I continue in a low tone, “if memory serves me right, this isn’t the first time you and Dom have fucked up watching Falynn. Lovato’s party. The opening night of the Vittoria.”
“Gio, you’re not thinking straight.”
“Don’t fucking tell me whether or not I’m thinking straight!”
My roar bounces off the walls, but it’s not enough. I release another rumble of frustration and then stride forward to rip a lamp off the nearby desk. It shatters into a thousand pieces as I smash it to the ground.
“Find Falynn!” I bellow, veins strained in my neck. “Or I’m finding myself a new crew!”
I don’t bother dismissing the failure of an asshole. I storm out of the room myself, snatching my keys off the console table as I go. Dominico tries to stop me downstairs, but when I jerk my shoulder back at his touch, he flinches away.
“Don’t follow,” I warn. “You two are to dedicate all of your time to finding her. I’ll be back.”
How could she leave me? We had problems. There’s no doubt about that. Last night was another fucked-up rendition of our conflict resolution. Hate sex the sequel to the sequel to the sequel. At this point, I’ve lost count. I hadn’t been able to bring myself to look at her after returning from dinner with my family.
Pa’s words were still seared in my brain. The conflicting feelings warred inside me. Falynn had heated some of my cold, black heart with her warmth. But the tight knot that was my gut instinct said Pa’s warning was legitimate. Falynn had lied to me, kept her whereabouts the night of the casino’s grand opening a mystery. Had she also known her ex ran with Lovato’s crew?
The night I met her, she had seduced me from the stage at the Dollhouse. With a body rocking the most incredible tight curves, I hadn’t been able to take my eyes off her. She had owned that stage with her sultry moves and insane sexual energy. When her heavy-lidded eyes met mine, the connection sparked a jolt in my spine—and a heavy tug in my loins.
I knew I was going to handpick her for the night. She was going to be mine.
But she’d wound up curiously in Jerry’s office. Falynn claimed it was an accident. I had believed her. Now I’m not so sure. Could Pa be right? Was she part of an inside job with Lorenzo? Were they working for Lovato?
I slam on the gas, hitting the highway in my convertible. The scenery blurs the faster I go, weaving between any cars I come across. Driving recklessly has always calmed my nerves. Even before Falynn entered the picture and uprooted my hold on my emotions, I had always sought speed to quiet the rage.
There’s something about driving so fast you almost lose control that makes you feelmorein control.
Years ago, after our mother had been murdered, Giancarlo had stolen Pa’s keys to his Ferrari. We’d hit the windy roads a few miles outside our upscale gated community that shielded us from the rest of the world. We drove for hours, racing other cars, ripping through neighboring towns like we owned the place. We laughed and laughed as we ate up the most fun we’d had in months.
Then we lost control. We smashed through the front of a gas station convenience store. The damage we caused came out to over two million dollars. Nobody was hurt, including ourselves. We were lucky to be alive, but it was a lesson early on.
Never lose control. Never let emotions lead. Hold on to control with every ounce of strength you’ve got.
It’s a lesson I’ve lived by for my whole life. One I’d developed into a skill ’til I met Falynn.
Pa’s guards try to stop me, but there’s no keeping me out. I push past them and force my way through the double doors leading into his office. Pa sits with his nurse as she counts out his medicine. She smiles up at me, thinking this is a friendly visit. Once she spots the grimace on my face, the smile drops off and she goes back to counting pills.
