“No jobs while she’s pregnant,” Baz demands.
“Fine.” Gianni places his hands up. “But after the baby comes, she’s mine.” His blue eyes slash right through me.
Baz leans across the table menacingly. “Let’s get one thing straight. Stevie is mine. She may work for you, but I approve the jobs. Got it? This is non-negotiable.”
The corner of Gianni’s mouth ticks as Baz stares him down. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think Gianni is doing all this just to get a rise out of him.
“I can agree to that.” Gianni doesn’t even try to contain the smile spreading across his face.
“Where the fuck is she?”A woman stomps onto the deck in sky-high heels carrying a young boy, followed closely by a fretting Frederick. “I want to look her in the face!” As soon as her eyes land on me, she attacks. “You! You’re the one who took my husband from me! Made me a widow at twenty-eight and stole my son’s father!” I stand as she points and accuses me in front of everyone. “Murderer!” There’s venom behind the word.
“Gianna!” Baz hisses.
“You shut up! How can you be with her after what she did? After she killed Romeo? She slit his fucking throat, Baz!”
Wow, word travels fast.
“Gianna. RJ,” Gianni admonishes.
“I’m sorry, baby.” She presses the little boy’s head against her chest, covering his ears. He looks just like Romeo. Dark hair and brown eyes.
“I’m not a murderer, I’m a killer. There’s a difference.” All attention turns to me.
“And if it’s any consolation, he was about to fuck me in the back of a dirty strip club with complete disregard for his wedding ring. Class act.”
Everyone freezes in response to my direct statement. Fire blazes in Gianna’s icy blue eyes. “You’re a fucking bitch.”
“Gianna!” Baz snaps.
“I have never claimed to be anything else.” I refuse to get pushed around another second.
“Jesus!” Gianni exclaims. “Separate these two before there’s a friggin’ mud fight.”
Frederick escorts Gianna as she stomps off into the house, leaving me to deal with Gianni and Baz.
“You got some balls. No wonder Benny liked you.” Gianni actually chuckles.
Baz cringes at the claim.
“He drilled it into my head to never let anyone push me around.”
“Sounds like my brother,” Gianni grunts while Baz remains nerve-wrackingly quiet. I don’t need him to say a word to know what’s irking him. His silence speaks volumes. He hates any mention of Benny and me in the same sentence.
“Master Gianni.” Frederick returns. “Dr. Levinstein is here,” he informs us respectfully. “He brought Dr. Miranda to see Miss Stevie.”
“Thank you, Frederick.” Gianni waves. “Can you please let them know she’ll be right there? And please send Bull and Gun out right away.”
“Very good, sir.” Frederick promptly disappears.
I glance at Baz to see if I can decipher what this is all about. But he gives nothing away. A minute later, the two men who ripped me out of bed this morning appear before us.
“I’m assigning them to the two of you,” Gianni orders. He doesn’t suggest, he orders. “Where you go, they go. Understood?”
Bodyguards? What? I am the damn bodyguard.Of course, I don’t voice my opinion, I just nod acceptingly.
“Are you sure they’re not going to try to kill Stevie in her sleep?” Baz crosses his arms and broods.
“They can try,” I scoff.
