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“Tell me, Gia. I need to know what this is all about. One week after I tell you I love you, you pull away from me. Why?”
I’m staring at her as we turn the corner. “I did everything you asked. No more risky plays. I got your brother off our backs. What else do you fucking want?”
“Don’t yell at me,” she snaps.
“Don’t clam up on me.” I stick a finger in her face, making her recoil even more. It sucks to be furious and not be able to do anything about it. “Did he get to your mom? If he did, it must’ve taken a lot of bullshit, because that woman always treated me like a saint. I’ll go meet with her right now and clear the air.” I open my arms, then let them fall to my sides when I realize I’m acting out.
“You’re right. It’s what Marco said,” she finally concedes.
“What did he say, Gia? What?”
She clams up further, and I can’t help but pace away from her, cursing under my breath. I catch a glimpse of my face turning red in a car window and have an urge to run my elbow right through it. We were doing so good.
Fucking guy. Right after he decided not to shoot me, he played the game another way. Prick.
“If he ruins us, I’m going to wring his neck.”
“And fill him with gold?” Gia says passive aggressively, making me boil even more.
I take a breath.
This isn’t going to go anywhere if I’m stuck in a fiery loop, especially with her stoking the flame like that.
Breathe, Castor.
I turn to her, suppressing all my anger. “Why are you being like this?”
“Because I was an idiot before. You buy me beautiful jewelry and take me on lavish dates… Marco told me why. He’s a psycho, I know, but he’s your closest friend.” She scoffs. “I don’t know why I dismissed it before.”
“What, Gia? Stop being so damn cryptic,” I say as evenly as I can muster.
“He said you guys all have side pieces. Prostitutes, escorts. All you mobster men wine and dine your wifeys and laugh behind our backs when you bang whores.” Tears well up in her eyes. “I’ve been blindsided before, Castor. I don’t want to be the damn fool this time. It hurts too much.”
“Is that what you really think?” I stand in front of her and make sure she looks me in the eyes when she says it.
It takes a minute, but she finally looks up.
“Take a good look, Gia. Right here.” I point to my face. “Do you really think I would betray you?”
She squints, and the tears break. “It’s all I’ve been thinking about.” She sobs, and I step in to console her. Her cries echo louder through my body as she wraps perfectly into my arms.
I was the one coaching Gia about how to deal with Marco – to keep calm while we diffuse him. Turns out, I might be the one that buries him at the end of this.
“Gia.” I break the embrace to gaze at her. Red blotches, bloodshot eyes. She’s hurting because he knew how to tug on the right strings. A seed of doubt I can’t even be mad at her for.
“Hm?” She sniffs.
“I would never hurt you, ever.”
She wraps her arms around me and cries harder. “What if you already gave me an STD? We fuck without a condom. I’ve felt dirty ever since that night, Castor. I’m such an idiot…”
I sigh into the hug. “I tested myself after the night at Bangos. Right when I realized I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”
She looks up at me. “You’re lying.”
I shake my head. “I may be a brute, but I know who to protect. I can prove it if you want. The paperwork is at my house.”
“But it’s true then… what Marco said—”
