“Ditto, hubby.”
Stone rubs his chin again. The only time he shows any emotion is when I rile him up. This meeting with Lorenzo has been eating at him. As I study his face, I see traces of purple under his eyes. He hasn’t been sleeping either.
I highly doubt he’s been tossing and turning because of what happened between us. This meeting with Lorenzo has been his life’s mission. The reason he went to such drastic measures to find and kidnap me. The reason we had to marry. I’m not so naïve that I believe he wants the vineyard. There are secrets and evil on that property that he wants a part of.
If Mama’s speculations are true, Lorenzo and Antonio are deep in the sex trafficking trade. She had asked Lorenzo if he was using our property to hold and exploit the girls. That earned her a beating that nearly killed her. I was aware they were involved in some capacity, but I still couldn’t believe young, innocent girls were being held on our property under our noses.
I’ve been in denial that Stone would want anything to do with the corruption. He is easily offended when I accuse him of such. Even if he’s not into young girls himself and only the business side of it, he’s still the devil incarnate, and he’s using me to get to the girls. My heart races and I shudder.
I need to know before we face Lorenzo. “Are you aware of Lorenzo’s illegal activities?”
“Yes,” he says without hesitation.
“And that’s why you want ownership of the vineyard?”
“Yes.”
I gasp. My brunch sours in my stomach. Stone has fooled me. I never believed he was a dashing prince, but I hadn’t believed he was as corrupt as my father. I move as far away from him as I can, hugging the door. “I thought you were better than him.”
Tears fill my eyes. I traded one devil for another, and I don’t know which is worse.
“Having full access to his property will give me what I need to expose him and end the trafficking.”
The weight in my stomach lifts. Once again, I curse myself for putting him in the same category as Lorenzo. He’s really a hero disguised as an asshole. No, he’s still an asshole, but he isn’t evil. I gaze out the window and sigh. “So it’s true.”
“You didn’t know?”
“I had my suspicions. Mother had them. She threatened to expose my father.”
“Which was when he beat her, and then you two ran away.”
I turn to face him. “Yes.”
“It’ll be over soon.”
I want him to reach out and squeeze my hand. Touch my shoulder. Hug me. Kiss me. Instead, he stares at his phone. I open my hand, still clutching the ring, and slide it over my third finger.
I’m not so naïve as to believe he only wants to release the girls and his revenge will be complete. There’s more he plans to do, and quite frankly, I’d rather be ignorant to the rest of it. Admitting I wouldn’t care if he killed my father or Antonio Rossi would make me an accomplice to murder. Not something I want weighing on me for the rest of my life.
We take a helicopter and land on the Parisi property. It hasn't changed much in the years I’ve been gone. I think of all that is lost, all that has been taken from me, but worse, the young lives who are ruined because of my father.
Panic rises in my throat. I don’t have time to deal with it. Marco, Tio, and Stone get out of the helicopter. Stone offers his hand to me, but I freeze. I begin to shake.
“Gia,” he shouts over the loud blades of the helicopter. I feel his hands on my hips as he sets me on the ground and tugs me away.
The helicopter’s blades slow and the hysteria builds. I’m going to have a full-fledged panic attack, ruining whatever plan Stone has for his revenge. He’s going to free the girls. I try to calm myself with that knowledge, but my breath quickens. I’m gasping for air. Tears fill my eyes.
“Gia.” His hands are on my shoulders. They cup my face, forcing me to look at him. “Breathe. In and out. Slowly. Take your time. You can do it. Look at me. Look at me, Gia.”
I listen to his words and reach out, holding onto his forearms. I focus on his eyes, on his lips. They’re moving, speaking soft words, calming words. I don’t hear them, but I feel him. Feel his hands on me. Feel the comfort. Feel the support.
I lean into him and close my eyes, mentally bringing myself to a safer place.
Stone’s arms.
They come around me and I bury my face into his chest. I hear him murmuring in my ear, but I have no idea what he is saying. His hands run up and down my back, soothing me. I have no idea how long we stand like that, how long it takes me to regain some sense of normalcy.
Finally, I have enough strength to look at him. In my high heels, we’re nearly eye level. I tilt my head. “Thank you,” I whisper.