Page 11 of Cavaliere

No, this definitely isn’t over, Wren. A smirk slowly spreads across my face at the thought of eventually seeing her again. I don’t know what’s fucking going on with me. I can’t seem to get her out of my head. I just hope I’m not the only one who is bothered by all of this. I’ve never had a woman get under my skin like this before. Wren has a face that will haunt your dreams. God knows she’s been haunting mine. Those bright blue eyes that almost look like they would glow at night feel like they’re looking straight into what's left of my soul.

“How did it go?” Alessio asks as he strolls into my kitchen with Gio on his tail.

“It went. She did think we were behind it,” I reply as Gio inhales harshly. “It’s all cleared up, Gio, calm down.” I lower my hands down as I talk. “I told her we would take care of it.”

“I’ll see if any of the buildings she passes on her way home have cameras,” Alessio says.

“I also want someone out in front of her building. I don’t know if this guy will try to come back again now that he knows where she lives.” I pause as I think it over. “I’ll see if Enzo is available.”

“I’ll take the first shift,” Gio growls out.

Enzo is our cousin on our father’s side. He and Gio are so similar; it’s scary sometimes. They are either thick as thieves or are threatening to cut off each other's eyelids. When our father passed, and I took over as head of the family business, I never thought I would have to stop arguments between two of my men about who gets the kill. It’s like dealing with two fucking five-year-olds.

“Don’t forget, we have dinner at Ma’s tonight. She’ll be pissed if you miss it,” Alessio adds.

“I won’t miss it,” Gio grunts as he pushes off of the counter. “Send me her address,” he calls over his shoulder as he walks out of the kitchen.

“If that guy decides to show up tonight, he’s really going to fucking regret his life choices,” Alessio says as he stares at Gio’s back. “So, do you want to tell me why we’re helping out some random woman after it was cleared up that it’s not us after her?”

I glare at Alesso.

“What? It’s a fair fucking question.” He shrugs innocently.

“I owe her.” The real answer is because I can’t get her out of my fucking head, but there’s no way in hell I would admit that to him right now.

“You shouldn’t feel guilty for her finding you. Any person would have called for help.”

“No, they wouldn’t have. Most people would have just kept on running. Not to mention, she listened to me and called you instead of the cops. So, yeah. I owe her.”

“That’s all it is?” Alessio asks, his questioning gaze locked on me.

“That’s all it is.”

Maybe if I tell myself that enough, I’ll actually start to believe it.

Chapter

Eleven

WREN

Ithink I’ve finally met the person who is going to push me over the edge.

Matteo is so goddamn infuriating. I’ve never met someone who can not be in your life but is also completely in it at the same time. The aloofness he has about everything makes my left eye twitch. And the fact that it literally took me meeting him three different times to even know his name. I mean, he might have been semi-conscious for the first one, but it still counts. His dickhead of a brother could have told me that, at least. I’m getting the vibe that dickheadedness runs in the family.

I called in to work tonight. I don’t feel like giving the creep that followed me another opportunity to chop me up. I was so relieved when the daytime bartender answered the phone. I haven’t purposefully been avoiding Delaney, but I’m just not in the mood to talk to anyone. Not when a million thoughts and what-ifs are running through my mind. She would press for more information about the other night, and my anxiety just can’t deal with that right now. Plus, she doesn’t need to worry about me any more than she already does.

My apartment faces the street where the building entrance is. This brings comfort and paranoia all at once. Comfort because I can check to make sure I don’t see him. Paranoia because I am constantly looking out the window. Any male I see, I think is him. It’s a double-edged sword, really.

So here I lay, on my puke green couch, cuddled under my Sherpa blanket with my comfort show playing in the background. I should be in bed, but I know I won't sleep. I’m lying at the perfect angle where my eyes can just peek over the back of the couch and out the window, which they’ve been doing every two seconds since I noticed a black car park in front of the building an hour ago. No one has gotten out or in the car, either. Super sus.

Sighing, I slowly push off of the couch. If he’s going to come, then he’s going to come. There’s not much I can do.

Making sure the front door is locked, I head to bed.

A week had come and gone with nothing out of the ordinary. It’s been business as usual. I did my usual runs, shifts, errands, and nothing. The same black car from the first night showed up every single night at eight pm on the dot and left promptly every morning at seven am.

The only reason I know this is because I can’t fucking sleep for more than four hours at a time. Any little tick or noise that I hear sends me spiraling into thinking that he’s inside.