An hour later, I pulled into the lot at Carlini Construction and parked in front of the management building. Gia worked for her father while he was playing City Councilman, pulling and approving contracts for us left and right. He scratched our back, and we made him a politician. But Lorenzo had to look the part, and that meant cutting ties to his own company.
Tuesday was the only day neither of us had school. Our schedules were the same on purpose. With all the bad shit I did to even worse men, there was no way I could let Gia out of my sight. Plus, I made a promise to her a long time ago we would finish college together.
My father held up his end of the bargain as long as I became the man he wanted. It was a win-win for both of them. The only thing I had won was Gia, but I’d lost every shred of my old self in the process.
I strolled through the office building like I owned the joint, waving to the secretarial staff as I made my way to Gia’s office. One of my father’s men was posted up outside her office on a chair. He wore a black suit with no tie and had his arms folded across his chest.
He acknowledged me with a nod, and I did the same.
I clutched the doorknob and stopped myself from entering. “Any problems?”
“No, not today. It’s been quiet.”
Gia had no idea we were all in danger. Alerting her to the fact would have only made her panic more. It was better she was oblivious to the constant threat lurking in the shadows.
“Good.” I touched his shoulder to thank him for watching over my girl, and then walked into Gia’s office.
Gia’s face was covered by the giant iMac taking up most of her desk. She tilted her head to the side to look at me when she heard me enter.
I closed the door behind me and locked it. She came out from behind the desk and ran into my arms. “You’re early,” she lilted. “I wasn’t expecting you for another half hour.”
I picked Gia up and hugged her so fucking tight she gasped. “I missed you, G.”
“I missed you, too.” She stared up at me. “What happened?”
I set her on the floor, threaded my fingers between hers, and considered how I should answer her question. “Shit you don’t want to know about.”
She brushed my cheek with the back of her hand and shook her head, annoyed. “I want to know about your day, no matter how fucked up.”
“You would look at me differently if you knew all the things I have to do.”
“Have to do or want to do?”
“Aren’t they the same thing?” I countered with a cocky smirk.
“I watched you kill a man,” she said under breath. “How much worse can it get?”
She had no idea. I could do this dance all day long. Gia was safer not knowing the truth of my business.
She dropped her hand from my face and to her side. “I love you, Angelo, but some days, you test my patience. I want to be part of your life again. Like the old days.”
I gripped her by the hip, pulled her into my chest, and lowered my voice. “You’ve been talking like this for years. Either you come to accept the fact I can’t include you in every aspect of my life, or this will never work long-term. It will eat you alive.”
“Don’t talk like this, Angelo.” Her eyes filled with tears which never spilled. “When you say things like that, it makes me feel like you’re going to leave me.”
“Why would you ever think that?”
“I don’t know.” She blew out a puff of air. “You spend so much time with your brothers and Sonny over at the strip club and who knows where else.”
I laughed. “And you think I would leave you for a whore? You must be out of your damn mind, woman.” I pressed my hand to her forehead to check her temperature. “You getting sick or something?”
I never cheated on Gia. The thought never even popped into my mind. Not even once. She was it for me. There was no reason to seek out pussy when I had the best right in front of me.
“No, of course not, Lo. I know you better than that.”
“Then why would you say something like that to me?”
She shrugged. “I hate how much time you spend at the club with your brothers. I guess it makes me feel… I don’t know.”