Chapter 3

Emiliana

I stared up at the oversized house. The house that one could only dream of living in. Solid white rendered walls lined the outside, with beautiful Mediterranean pillars framing the raised platform leading to the doorway.

“This is yours?” I asked, astounded by the view in front of me.

“Ours,” Giovanni answered effortlessly, lacing my fingers into his.

It didn’t matter what I was accustomed to, I still found the beauty in everything. Even the delicate flowers that scattered scantily in small pots at the base of the steps were stunning. Floating gently in the soft breeze that wandered past gracefully.

Vinnie opened my door. I could feel his eyes observing me as I took in my surroundings. My feet crunched across the thick gravel like the sound of thick toast crackling.

“Things have changed Chiquita,” Vinnie reminded me as he escorted me up the steps.

“No kidding.” I let my eyes traverse the simple gold filigree that decorated the set of black double doors. Matching golden handles shone in the late sunlight, shimmering like forbidden treasure.

Vinnie was the first to push through the door, ushering me along into a large entryway. Our footsteps echoed over the white tiles that decorated the floor. Shiny white tiles that I could almost see my reflection in. Everything in this room was white, fresh and clean; almost clinical.

I turned, taking in the art that adorned the walls on either side of me.

“Is that Caravaggio?” I asked, pacing ever so slowly towards a nativity scene painted on canvas. My fingers reached up to touch it but the sound of Vinnie kissing his teeth pulled me away. He motioned for me to follow, taking long strides down a wide corridor.

I could hear Giovanni behind me, talking. When I turned around he was on the phone, deep in some conversation that only someone who spoke fluid Spanish would understand.

“Chiquita,” Vinnie called again and I followed urgently.

Down the deep corridors, I followed Vinnie, until we reached a spiral staircase that swirled wondrously above me. “I’ll bring your bags.” He motioned upwards before turning on his heel and disappearing.

I took the steps one at a time, finally landing in an open space with a set of double doors ahead. The room behind the doors was beautifully decorated. Simple white and beige decor with a large bed set back on the middle of the wall. I noticed a door to the right of the room and another to the left. Compared to what Giovanni and I had stayed in a couple of months ago, this wasn’t something I imagined Giovanni to upgrade to. Things certainly had changed.

Vinnie’s footsteps interrupted my thoughts as he pushed past me and set my backpack inside the room to the left of me.

“You need anything?” He asked as he reached the door to leave.

I shook my head and Vinnie took my silence as it was, leaving me to my thoughts.

For an hour I sat on the edge of the bed, taking in the plushness of the comforter, the simple decor that flourished through the room. Everything held a distinct elegance to it, as if this room was someone else’s.

I had managed to take a shower and I was now in nothing more than a white fluffy towel wrapped around my head and another enveloping my body.

The sun was setting over the horizon, the pink hues glistened through the floor to ceiling doors that opened up onto a balcony. I could hear the faint swish of waves crashing nearby and as I stepped closer to the doors, I could see how close we really were to the sea.

“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” Giovanni’s velvety voice floated through the air.

“Stunning,” I replied, folding my arms across my chest and admiring the landscape. Giovanni’s steps drew close to me, I could feel the heat emanating from his body as he pressed against me.

“Hungry?” His smooth words rippled against my ear sending shivers down my spine. I had forgotten how seductive Giovanni could be up close, how powerful the most simplest of words were to me.

“Starving,” I whispered back, leaning backwards and lifting my head to meet his gaze.

Giovanni trailed a finger down the column of my neck, sending sparks of desire through my stomach and down to the junction between my legs. He smiled down at me, his pink lips pressed together but there was something behind the glint in his eyes that told me there was more on his mind than food.

We were eventually seated at a large table in a room to the rear of the house. The floor to ceiling windows and doors allowed the remaining rays of the sunlight to drip through the curtains, sending shades of pink to flush the white walls.

Giovanni had lent me a shirt, one that barely covered much more than my ass and I could see the enjoyment on his face as he observed my every movement in it.

Despite the flash of desire in his eyes, I could see the way his thoughts took him elsewhere. I tried to ignore it, to push it to the back of my mind while I devoured the lasagna on my plate.

It wasn’t until I rested my knife and fork down that Giovanni finally spoke, letting a sigh leave his lips first.

“So, you didn’t want any secrets between us,” Giovanni took my hand in his and tugged me towards him. He wrapped his arms around me the moment I landed in his lap.

“Yes,” I nodded to convey my certainty on the subject.

“I told you things have changed, and I need to explain.” He inhaled deeply, resting his chin on my shoulder as if he was sharing the weight of the world on them. I shifted nervously on his lap and felt Giovanni’s grip on my hips instantly still me. “Firstly, you need to know you are safe. No one can touch you here.” Giovanni gestured around me. His words worried me though, that even after what we had been through months before, there was still danger lurking in the shadows.

“What does that mean?” I found myself asking when Giovanni made no attempt to continue.

“The Verdi’s are gone,” he cupped my chin, bringing my gaze to him while his thumb released my lip from my teeth. “They will never hurt you again.” His green eyes locked onto mine. There was no worry held in them, no inch of fear or flash of concern, only certainty and fierce protectiveness.

No matter how hard I fought them, the nightmares that haunted and tormented never relented. I would relive the moment Giovanni was shot, the moment Naomi was killed, the moment I almost lost my life. But where the reality had ended, the dreams would deepen, sucking me into an oblivion of pain where I would wake up soaked in sweat, unable to go back to sleep.

I was almost certain that Carlos had heard me, screaming into the darkness of my room. As quiet as he was, I felt his presence outside my room night after night, moments after springing from my bed.

No doubt Carlos had told Giovanni, hence the choice of words he had just spoken.

“When you say gone…”

“You don’t need to worry about that,” Giovanni brought his lips to mine for a brief moment. “Then what do I need to worry about?”

“Not one thing.” He smiled.

“So what else has changed?” I asked, eager to change the subject. Turning around in his lap and I locked my arms around Giovanni’s neck.

Giovanni’s smile lost its brightness when his eyes darkened.

“My life has changed, Emiliana.” His voice held a perilous tone, yet it wasn’t to warn me or chase me away. “The life I had spent so long running from, it’s unavoidable.” His thumb stroked my cheek, his touch stoking a fire within my belly. His green eyes followed the path of his thumb until they met my lips. “You said you want it all with me, but I can’t let you make that decision without knowing the truth.”

I knew what he was trying to say, what he was struggling to let go of. As much as I wanted to pull away from him, I knew deep down that he was it for me. He was everything I wanted and more.

Giovanni searched my face for an answer, for a reaction that might settle the uneasiness he was evidently feeling.

“You think I’m going to walk away because you work for your grandfather?” I spoke lightheartedly.

“No,” he shook his head, closing his eyes and leaning into my touch. ”I just don’t think you’ll like who I’ve become.”

Before I had a chance to reply, Giovanni was answering his phone, sliding me from his lap as he disappeared out of the dining room.

Giovanni had left me to really think about his words. Words that worried me slightly. I knew what the Mafia meant, the life it led him into. I didn’t know it well but I knew it wasn’t something Giovanni would have easily agreed to. It was clear why he wanted to share such information with me, why he didn’t want to hide behind the secrets anymore. Deep down, I probably shared the same thought process, that if we were doomed to fail it would be better soon rather than later.

I couldn’t argue with the logic. If he had changed if he had become someone else, how long would it take for me to realise and leave?

Shaking my morbid thoughts, I stood up from the table and headed back to the bedroom. The short walk gave me some time to think about it, to process my feelings and consider my next steps.

I was only kidding myself though because no matter which way I looked at it, I couldn’t give him up. The last two months weren’t easy and I was too stubborn to give up on something without trying.

There was only one option, and he was making his way towards me as I stared out at the dimly lit horizon.