“I still have the bodyguard you hired for me,” Gia points out.
“I’ll go,” I say before any of them can say anything else. “If you must go, then I’ll go in place of the bodyguard, or better yet, we can call and have her meet us there.”
“But–”
"You’ll stay here where it's safe, or you’ll let me go with you!"
I can read the irritation on her face, but it's clear she doesn't have many choices, so she nods. "Fine," she snaps, grabbing her things and storming toward the door. But she stops before she can step out, and I realize that she's scared to leave despite her stubbornness. Her sisters must notice this, too, as they rush to her.
"We'll come with you," Sofia says, but Gia shakes her head.
“I don’t want to risk putting you guys in danger,” she tells her sisters before cracking a small smile. “Besides, I don’t wantyou to watch me practice and spoil the show for you guys. I want to wow you on opening night.”
Reluctantly, the women agree. “Then we’ll stay here and wait for you.”
“You don’t need to do that,” she tells them. “It’s pointless to hang around the apartment all day. I promise you’ll be the first person I’ll call if something happens.”
Just then, Roarke walks in through the door and waves a flash drive in his hand. “Got it,” he says. “There is a lot of footage to comb through, but I’m sure we’ll find something here.”
I start to suggest we all head to my office and start digging, but I catch the look on Gia's face. One that tells me she's leaving, whether or not I’m with her, and I find my jaw clenching with frustration, confused yet again by why she has to be stubborn about this.
“Go,” Matteo says, clapping my shoulder. “We’ll keep you updated on everything we learn.”
With a stern nod, I follow Gia out, and she doesn’t question me when I press the elevator button for the basement. The theatre is a ten-minute walk, but there is no fucking way we’re walking there. We’re taking my car, even if it takes us longer to get there because of the traffic and parking nightmare.
The silence is tense when I pull out of the lot, and it’s the first time since meeting Gia that there’s been some kind of friction between us. It’s the first time I’ve seen her this stubborn about something, and I can’t say I like it. Not when it concerns her safety.
There’s traffic. Of course, there is.
“I won’t quit dancing for anyone,” she sniffs, breaking the tense silence and turning to me. “Not for you or the stalker.”
I sigh, deep and heavy. “I would never ask you to quit ballet, Gia.”
“Even when it involves dancing with other people?”
My fingers clench on the steering wheel at the image of Gia dancing with another man the way we did earlier. Except I’ve watched enough of her shows to know that there is nothing remotely sexual about those dances. “As long as you don’t end up naked and sweaty on the dance floor, then I have no problem with it.”
She chuckles, a low sound that quickly grows into laughter and sucks out all the tension in the car. "That’s not something you’ll ever have to worry about…not unless it’s you I’m dancing with."
I reach for her hand and bring it to my lips, feeling the storm that’s been raging in my head ease. “No man gets to touch you when you’re off that fucking stage, Gia.” I drive when the traffic opens up, trying not to think of all the ways I could hurt any man who looked at her as anything more than a work colleague. But I quickly push the thought down. "I’ll never not be possessive, Gia. Hell, I wanted to kill the waiter who smiled at you the last time we went out for lunch, but I promise I’ll never cross a line unless I’m pushed to it. I’ll never do anything to jeopardize your work, but I will do anything necessary to keep you safe.”
She chews on her bottom lip, her fingers tightening on mine. “I think this is why I was afraid to tell you about my stalker. I was scared you’d make me give up ballet.”
“I know dancing means everything to you, and I’ll never do anything to risk that part of your life.” I glance at her briefly before looking back at the road. “I would never do anything tohurt you. I want you safe above everything else, but I want you to be happy too.”
“Thank you.”
The stars might be lining up as I miraculously find parking. I follow Gia into the theatre, her hand locked in mine as we walk to her dressing room. Gia jokes that she's safe in the dressing room and that I don't need to hover. She doesn’t want toI make others uncomfortable, but I don’t like that her stalker has had access to her here before. Still, she manages to push me out.
“Fine, I’m going to talk to the theatre’s head of security and update them on your situation. Lock the door and don’t leave until I get back.” She rolls her eyes but nods at me, shutting the door behind her. I don’t leave until I hear the click of the lock.
I talk to the head of security, who promises to file a report and provide security footage when needed, so I make plans to have it sent to my office later. I’m leaving the security room when my phone rings, so I step aside to take the call when I see Matteo’s name flash on the screen.
“We found the bastard!” It’s Lorenzo’s voice on the call, and his words send my heart hammering. "I ran a program to cross-check the images from everyone at the theatre with the security footage, and we got a hit on one of them. The stalker isn't some obsessed fan like she thought, or maybe the sick bastard is—"
“Lorenzo!”
“Shit, sorry,” he says, his voice filled with excitement as it always is when he’s working on a problem. “I’ve just texted you a name and his photo.”
