AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“That’s the point.”
“You’ve lost me there, little brother.”
I raised an eyebrow at him. “You hardly say a word to her unless it’s to snarl at her.”
“What else do you want me to say to her? She’s obviously scared of me and I can’t change that.” Gabriel enjoyed invoking fear in others and the hold it gave him over people—he enjoyed it probably too much, meaning that he would make a good, ruthless Capo when the time came.
“You're a man. She's likely scared of most men after what’s happened to her,” I pointed out.
“Maybe she would benefit from learning some self-defense.”
“Meaning?” I barked at my brother.
“Meaning, I’ve noticed she gets antsy whenever people come to the house, even when it’s just the guards bringing up the groceries that have been delivered. Maybe some defense skills would help give her some more confidence.”
I silently berated myself for not noticing that the guards bringing the deliveries had bothered Jessica. I would have to do something about that. “I’ll look into it. Until then, Gabriel, cut her some slack.”
“It grates on my nerves the way she scurries around the place like a little mouse.”
“You’ll survive,” I drawled. “Can you try to keep your pained outrage to a minimum?”
Gabriel wiped the sweat from his face.
“Anyway, where else do you expect my wife to live? She’s mine now. It’s her home now as well and I want her to be happy here.” My voice was steely. “After what our father did, that’s the least we can do for her.”
Gabriel didn’t reply. As far as he was concerned, if it wasn’t about work, he wasn’t interested in talking about it.
I walked up to my brother. “You need to be gentler with Jessica.” My tone made it clear that this was non-negotiable for me.
“I shouldn’t have snapped at her last night,” Gabriel conceded.
“She was only cleaning to try and help.”
“I get it,” Gabriel responded testily. “I’ll apologize to her.”
I stared at my older brother for a long moment. “You know, you just need to get over Juliana.”
“What the fuck are you talking about now?” Gabriel’s mood had been very volatile since the incident involving Juliana where he’d been shot.
“You heard.” I took a long look at him. “You offered your help to her, and she didn’t take her.”
“Shecouldn’ttake it—because of that madman.”
“Whatever. She knows we’re here if she comes back and that we’ll protect her. But you can’t keep taking out your frustrations on everyone around you. Especially not Jessica—she doesn’t deserve that, especially after what she’s been through with our family.”
“I know, man." He paused. "I’m sorry.” My brother didn’t apologize to many people, but I knew he was genuine, and that meant a lot to me.
“You know, Gabriel, I would put my life on the line for you,” I said quietly.
“And I’d do the same for you—I’ve always protected you and our siblings, and I always will.” Not many people felt safe around Gabriel, but he was right when he said that me and our siblings had nothing to worry about when he was around. And that couldn’t be said for all Capos and Capos-to-be. Too many Mafia families were rife with infighting and familial murder, and I knew I was lucky to have a brother whom I could trust and rely upon.
“I want you to protect Jess in the same way—she’s one of us now. And she’s important to me.” And I surprised myself by realizing that she was.
Gabriel gave a ook of surprise. “Don’t tell me that you’re falling in love with the little mouse?”
“She’s my wife now and my responsibility. I won’t let anyone think that I don’t protect what is mine.”
“If it’s that important to you, then you know she has my protection too. You have my word on that.”
