I made my way into the kitchen, narrowly dodging yet another monstera leaf. Rosalie’s plants had practically taken over the place, as if she were trying to turn our home into some jungle.
Don’t even get me started on her coffee mugs. The damn woman had one for every mood, every day of the week, maybe even every hour. Floral patterns, motivational quotes, some ridiculously oversized ones.
And the blankets. There were throws on every chair, every couch, even one folded up in the corner “just in case.” As if we lived in the Arctic and not a perfectly heated house. She’d draped them over everything. These soft, knitted things were everywhere.
She had so many things. Like shoes.The shoes.Dimitri had joked about it, but I hadn’t believed him until I’d seen it with my own eyes. Six boxes.Six.Each packed to the brim with heels in every possible shade of black, beige, and red, with the occasional sparkle thrown in. She had enough stilettos to outfit an entire city block.
The damn woman drove me mad. She was everywhere, in every breath I took, in every inch of my space—and somehow, it only made me want her more. My heart burned with the insidious desire for her.
Forcing my attention away from the thought of her, I reached for my phone in the pocket of my suit jacket.
Me
Marina in thirty.
After only a second, I received a message.
Mikhail
It’s four in the morning. No.
Me
Okay, tell me how it feels to have no money in a week—you’re on the Joker’s shit list.
Eventually, Enzo entered through the front door and met me in the living room.
He was like a brother to me. Growing up, he’d always been by Giovanni’s side. He’d been a part of this family from the beginning.
“Enzo, you know the deal. Anything she wants, she gets, yeah? Keep her safe for me.”
“I’ve got her.”
I stepped outside and found Mikhail and Giovanni waiting in the car parked on the street. Sliding into the passenger seat, I greeted them with a grin.
“Morning, sunshines.”
Behind me, Mikhail was busy tossing an assortment of items into the front of the car. Baby wipes. Diapers. Pacifiers. Toy after toy. Giovanni didn’t say anything—he just closed his eyes in frustration and rested his head on the back of the seat.
Much as Giovanni could piss anyone off, he was a good man. He put his wife and his child before everything—even himself. He was perceived to be this strong man until it came to his girls. He was a grown adult who sang children’s rhymes when it gotsilent and carried three identical pacifiers in his pockets “just in case.”
My sister had changed him in a way I’d never thought possible. Fatherhood was a good look on him. I just hoped he wouldn’t forget about everything that needed to get done.
Giovanni turned his head to me slowly, his look telling me what he was about to say. “Please tell him to leave,” he said, his patience nearing its breaking point.
“Why would you want that? You need me,” Mikhail said with a smug smile.
Giovanni’s eyes widened slightly as he took in a deep breath of air. “The only thing I need from you, Mikhail, is for you to stay silent.”
He knew better than to expect Mikhail to comply easily, but he also understood the necessity of cooperation in this line of work. With a defeated sigh, he leaned forward, rubbing his temples.
But Giovanni wasn’t innocent. He was just as bad as Mikhail. They both gave me a headache.
“Come on—let’s get moving,” I demanded. “The sooner you stop arguing with one another, the sooner you can go your separate ways.”
With that, the car started to move.
It was a twenty-minute drive to the marina from the house, but it seemed to take a lot longer. I was somewhat nervous to show Giovanni the marina since I knew he wouldn’t approve of it.
