“Will do,” Enzo responded before leaving the room. I returned my attention to my dad, and he took my hands in his and squeezed. “I’ve been thinking about this since I got here, trying to figure out the best course of action.”
The tension in the air thickened. Apprehension filled me, and my chest tightened. I just had a feeling I wasn’t going to like his plan. I rarely did.
My dad blew out of breath. The only time he showed any weakness was when I was involved and this was the most nervous I’d ever seen him.
Which made me even more nervous.
“Once we confirmed that Luca was dead, my choices were limited. We’re lucky that you’re supposed to be going out of the country for your honeymoon. That will buy us some time because it won’t be suspicious to not be able to get a hold of him.”
I nodded. “I thought about that, too. So, what’s the plan?”
My dad’s thumbs stroked the backs of my hands. “Well, you’re going to go to a safe house with Enzo until I can get this under control.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. I didn’t want to go to a safe house with a stranger. A hot stranger, but still. “What?” I practically seethed.
His gaze softened. “I know what you’re thinking. But I need to make sure that you’re safe and can’t be used against me while I take care of this.”
Even though I understood his perspective, I wasn’t happy with the plan. “No, Dad. I’m not going to go with some random guy while you take the heat for what I did.”
“Gia, this is not up for debate. I will not put your life at risk. We are lucky we have this chance to get you to safety. Any other night, you would be dead already.”
He was right. Had this been a normal night instead of our wedding night, Luca’s guards would have killed me on the spot once they discovered Luca was dead. It wouldn’t have mattered if it was self-defense.
But I was my father’s daughter, and I was stubborn. I didn’t like being told what to do. I pulled my hands from his, crossing my arms over my chest. “I’m not going.”
My dad’s face hardened, and he gave me the look I knew all too well; the one that made grown men cower. He didn’t even have to raise his voice to incite fear and command respect. “You will do as I say, Gianina Genovese, and I don’t want to hear another word about it.”
His tone left no room for argument. My father was an intimidating man, and I knew I’d pushed his buttons enough for the night. “Fine.”
He stood. “Good. Now go get dressed. You’ll be leaving once Enzo is done.”
“Tonight? We’re leaving tonight?”
His eyes met mine, searing into me. “Gia. Don’t start. There’s a winter storm coming and you need to get to the safe house before it hits.”
He turned and started walking away. “Where’s the safe house?” I questioned.
“The Adirondack Mountains.”
Chapter Two
Enzo
The bar had just announced last call when my burner phone rang. Glancing at it, I tensed.
Shit.
There was only one reason that Domenic Genovese would be calling me.
And I really didn’t want to clean up a crime scene at that moment.
But I couldn’t ignore his call. Domenic was not a man you ignored.
“Hello?”
“I have a mess I need cleaned up as soon as possible. I’ll send you the address.”
“Okay. I’ll head there now.”
