As we stepped out into the sunlight, everything became superimposed. Like the feel of his hand on mine as he held it more securely in his. How could something that simple make me feel so safe? His stride was purposeful and confident, and he didn’t even look left nor right as people just fell back out of our way. I’m starring in my own afterschool special.
GABRIEL
Shit, I almost forgot about them. The twins who I damn near have to hunt down at the end of the day most times were already waiting for us by the truck. Lancelot was there chatting them up like he didn’t have anything else to do. “What do you want?” I acknowledged him first.
“Uncle Draco invited me to dinner.”
“Dinner doesn’t start for another four hours; beat it.”
The ass grinned and looked from me to Gianna. “Are you staying for dinner, too, Gia?” Before I could tell him to get stuffed, Anna piped up. “Of course, she is; what kind of hosts do you take us for? Come on, Gia, let’s go. Gabe, open the truck.” She took her from me, and I almost bared my teeth at her, like a fucking dog fighting over a bone. What the fuck?
I let her go and pressed the key fob to release the doors before exchanging our manly handshake with Lancelot and sending him on his way. I’m sure he suspects without being told that I was behind all this. I haven’t had time to tell him my plans as yet, maybe because I don’t know what the hell they are myself. I’d only thought this far ahead because from what little I’d gleaned so far, she had no outlet from whatever was going on at home, and I just wanted to get her away for at least a few hours each day.
Right now, I’m just playing it by ear until I get my foot in the door. That is why I had the twins get Pop involved. He’s my first line of defense, my knight if you will in this game of chess; I’m going with the Sicilian defense, look that shit up. I know no matter who or what is fucking with her, with Draco Russo on the ball, they’d think twice. Little do they know that something worse than him is on the horizon.
Ma, too, will have her place in the game soon enough, and all this while I don’t have the first clue why I’m even bothering to get involved. It doesn’t seem to matter, though; it’s already out of my hands. Something inside me wants this, and I’ll be fucked if I’ll ever go against my gut. Maybe she’s my one good deed before I go Genghis Khan on the asshole who hurt my mother.
I didn’t give much thought to the seating arrangements in the truck until both twins jumped in the back without argument, leaving the passenger seat for Gianna. “Oh…” She looked at me as if expecting me to object. I just inclined my head for her to hop in and seemed to scare the shit out of her when I reached around for the seat belt to buckle her in before slamming the door shut. Don’t ask me why the hell I did that shit. I’ve never done it before for anyone.
By the time I walked around and climbed in, the twins were filling the deafening silence with their mindless chatter. She was trying to figure out what kind of help they needed while they were steady trying to get into her shit. They tag-teamed her with their twin shit, and all the while, I pretended not to be interested, but I heard every word. Poor girl didn’t realize she was being questioned by the Gestapo. Anna and Rosa didn’t let up with their grilling couched as friendly banter all the way home.
I held back when we reached the house, and the twins dragged her off. I said my hellos to the parents and hightailed it to my room, locking the door behind me. I watched through the security monitors as the twins introduced her to Ma and Pop before dragging her up to the study room. This is a room Pop had outfitted for us to do our homework in. One wall about thirty feet long had a built-in shelf desk with holes for our PC plugs and about eight or nine feet of space for each of us.
There were three desks in there as well and all the amenities a kid could need for studying. It’s been a while since I used that shit because my sisters had turned it into some froufrou shit with all the pastels and what have you. She looked stunned when they brought her into the room, something we’re all used to when someone outside the family sees Pop’s largess for the first time up-close and personal.