“What?” I asked, realizing I had spaced out. How long had I been staring at my phone?
Well, it didn’t matter now.
“We’re here,” he said, and I looked out the window. My heart dropped to my stomach, but Rina’s motivation kept me grounded, and maybe Vito’s threat to not fuck this up too.
I took a deep breath and reached for the door handle, my fingers trembling slightly, not from the chill in the evening air but from nerves and anticipation. “You can do this, Gianna.”
I stepped out of the cab, my black boots touching down on the concrete with a soft thud. The city buzzed around me, but in front of the Costello estate, everything was quieter.
I straightened up, adjusted the strap of my handbag on my shoulder, and reached back inside the cab to pull out my suitcase and a small duffel bag.
I dragged the suitcase to the side, letting it roll over the pavement with a familiar clatter. The cab pulled away after I paid him, leaving me standing there beneath the towering presence of the estate.
I tilted my head back to take it in.
The building rose high above the street, all glass and marble edges. It’s window gleaming like eyes that saw everything. It was so similar to the Rosso’s estate but different at the same time. I had passed by this place a few times, but never once did I imagine I’d be standing here with luggage in hand, about to walk through this door.
I had never dared to, even with my somewhat relationship with Finn. Who would willingly walk into the home of their enemies? “You Gianna. You,” I whispered.
I took out my phone and dialed Finn’s number, hoping I wasn’t already blocked.
I felt a speck of hope when the phone rang. I waited for him to pick up, but his voice didn’t come through.
I tried it again and again, but no response. I left a message that I was waiting for him outside. I bit my bottom lip and sighed.
Tightening my grip on the suitcase handle, I took a step forward but didn’t get far.
“Excuse me, ma’am,” a firm voice broke the moment.
I raised my head to see a security guard approaching from inside the glass door. He wore a navy uniform with a silver badgeand didn’t smile. That wasn’t a shocker. “Can I help you?” he asked.
I offered a tight smile. “I’m here to see Finn. Finn Costello,” I said, knowing fully well it would get me nowhere, but I at least had to try. The guard’s brow lifted slightly in doubt. He gave me another look, this time slower, more carefully, then glanced down at my luggage, and I tried to fight back a snare.
“Do you have an appointment with him?”
“No, but…”
“Then, you should leave,” he cut me off, cold and flat.
His dismissal lit something in me make me mad. “Tell Finn, Gianna Rosso is here to see him.”
That got his attention. His eyes widened at the mention of my last name. A flicker of recognition or was it hesitation?
He narrowed his eyes at me and turned away to speak into his mic.
I might be nothing, but the name Rosso had earned me respect, and sometimes, fear from people, but this time, it could endanger my life.
I’d been waiting in this room for over ten minutes now, and my nerves were eating at me, not just because I don’t know who was going to walk through that door but because I had like about three bodyguards standing outside it.
I had been pacing back and forth, digging into my lips that I didn’t look around the room. It had a grand piano near the window, the soft light from the chandelier gleaming on its surface.
Beside it was a plush velvet armchair and ottoman. Across the room, there’s a small bar with a marble counter displaying bottles of rum, whiskey, and other spirits.
Despite the calming aura of the room, I felt tense.
My palms were sweaty, and my feet were cold. I kept drilling it into my head that I’ve got this. I could do it.
I moved to the piano, tracing my hand over the surface when the door opened. My disappointment shone through when I saw it was two bodyguards, not Finn. They walked straight to me, and I took a few steps back, almost stumbling on my feet.
