CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
I’m extra ornery andcross with my men. Thankfully, they know better than to comment on my mood. Tio understands me better than the rest and doesn’t hide his curiosity as well as Marco or Lucca. Only five years my senior, he was brought into the world of crime too young as well.
As a third cousin, he’s the closest thing I have to family aside from Elena. His father hadn’t wanted any part of the Parlatore family legacy either, not that they had any problems inheriting drug money. An artist at heart, he didn’t have it in him to run a business. To make deals, trades, or threats. And especially not carry through on them.
Tio, however, hadn’t inherited his father’s artistic skills and was built like a machine, making him an excellent bodyguard. He’s loyal like a brother, and while not the smartest when it comes to numbers and books, he’s street smart. He trusts his gut more than his brain, which I trust as well.
The pilot’s voice announces our descent. I don’t need to tell Gia to buckle up. She never unbuckled or left her seat during the entire six-hour flight. Nor did she touch the food Marco set out for her hours ago.
The only smile I saw on her lips was when she was talking with her mother. They carried on for nearly an hour and I strained to hear their conversation while pretending I didn’t care at the same time. It’s not that I don’t trust Gia not to reveal our location or our marriage, so why did I tune my men out to hear their mindless chatter?
It isn’t because I miss hearing her voice.
It isn’t because I miss being on the receiving end of her jokes.
It isn’t because I wish I was sitting next to her instead of on the other side of the plane.
I’m mad at her. She cock-blocked me and accused me of wanting to rape her. Maybe not in so many words, but the implication was there. I walk a fine line between using women for sex and making sure the sex is one hundred percent consensual, while also making my demands known.
I’ll never trap a woman into sex. I’ll never force a woman to do anything she isn’t one hundred percent comfortable with. It’s why I carefully select my women, research their backgrounds, make sure they aren’t spreading their legs because someone told them to or because they need money. I won’t ever be as vile and evil as Lorenzo Parisi.
I fuck women who want to be fucked.
And Gia doesn’t want to be.
But hell, what’s eating me alive is more than being turned down. It’s her accusations. The fear that clouds her eyes.
I have no problem making men fear me. Women, innocent women, are not my victims. Only Gia makes it clear that I make her feel like one.
When the plane lands and the crew have the door open, we unbuckle. I let my men go out first to scan the perimeter and make sure the limo and the driver are cleared.
“Where are we?” Gia takes her hair out of her bun and flips it over, then twines it around and around before securing it again.
“You’ll see soon enough,” I snap, irritated that the simple act of her doing her hair turns me on.
“Stone,” she says softly. “I—”
“All clear, boss,” Marco says from the doorway.
“Let’s go.” I don’t wait for her. Not because I’m rude, but because I want to see with my own eyes that the location is safe before having Gia step outside. I scan the area, the setting sun making it difficult to see into the shadows.
Marco, Lucca, and Tio have their backs to me, their eyes trained on the horizon. The dark limo waits at the foot of the steps. I glance over my shoulder, making sure Gia is close, then start down the steps. At the limo, I hold the door open for her until she’s secure inside.
I hear Tio get in the front passenger seat and see Marco and Lucca climb into a dark sedan. The airstrip is small, unknown to many, nestled between mountains and fields. It’s not exactly a hotspot of crime and traffic, but I don’t let my guard down. Ever.
Unless it’s with Gia.
“Stone,” she says softly again from the other side of the limo. “I want to apologize.”
“Apologize?” Now this I don’t expect. Unless she’s playing me again, softening me before she goes in for the kill.
What is she up to? Does she plan on running away once we get there? Reneging on our marriage? No, that will only put her mother at risk. Still, I keep my guard up.
I open my mouth to give her a smart remark about spreading her legs to make up for it when she speaks first.
“I was wrong to make such harsh assumptions about you. I trust you and know you won’t hurt me.”
Well, fuck. She’s given me the one-two. Totally blindsided me. Again. If Gia can catch me off guard, I fear what Lorenzo can do. I’m suddenly grateful for my decision to fly here, not to hide, but to regroup.