I let out a heavy sigh, and as the massive iron gate draws back, Gia glances up at me through the small mirror. “Welcome to my home, Shayne,” she says, gently hitting the gas and following Dreadlock Dude through the gate. The rest of the SUVs enter behind us and take off around the side of the property. “Your home.”
Swallowing hard, I grow restless in the backseat.
My home? Who’s she kidding? I already have a home with the boys, but I suppose that home no longer exists.
“I have business to attend,” Gia continues as she eases up the long driveway and follows the road around the basin of a stunning marble fountain. “I wasn’t expecting to have you here quite so soon. Had I known, I would have carved out some time to show you around and get you settled in.”
My brows furrow, not really giving a flying fuck about her need to coddle me to make her feel better for the twenty-two years of abandonment. “Zeke will show you to your room,” she continues. “Feel free to—”
“Zeke?” I cut in, meeting her stare through the mirror as she brings the SUV to a stop.
Gia gestures toward Dreadlock Dude, who kills his engine and turns to survey the SUV, waiting for his instructions. Ahhhh, so he has a name. Zeke. I like it. It suits him. I lift my gaze back to the mirror. “You’re fucking him, right?”
Gia swivels in the driver’s seat and turns to look back at me, her eyes widening as she stares at me in stunned silence.
“What?” I spit, a scowl sitting on my lips. “Are you horrified by how obvious it is or the audacity for me to dare ask? Because honestly, you were a dick when asking me about the boys, so I figured this wasn’t exactly off limits.”
Gia clenches her jaw, her eyes narrowing just a little as she considers how she wants to tackle this. “Zeke and I have a professional relationship, not that that is any of your business. Occasionally I lean on him when I need …”
“To fuck?” I supply, my brow arched high as I peer out the windshield at the mountain of a man staring back at us through the tinted glass. “I bet he fucks like a pornstar. He’s an ass man, isn’t he?”
Gia lets out a frustrated groan. “If you must know, yes. Zeke and I have a strange … relationship,” she admits. “But know that I am only sharing this information because you will be living with me and will no doubt see things that will make you wonder. He is there for me when I need it, and I for him. However, we are not an … item. Nor will we ever be. He is free to sleep with whomever he pleases, just as I am.”
My lips twist into a hard line. “Why?” I grunt. “That’s fucking stupid.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re clearly in love with the guy, and if he’s been hanging around, then obviously he’s down.”
Gia shakes her head and lets out a heavy breath before quickly gazing out the window at Zeke. “Keeping Zeke at an arm’s length is the only thing keeping a target off his back. You don’t get to be in my position without having to make sacrifices. I am sure that’s a lesson you are already beginning to learn. Besides, why would I do that to a man I loved? Why would I put his life in unnecessary danger just so I could have the right to hold his hand in public? Love is a fool’s game, Shayne, one that makes you vulnerable. It’s best to simply not fall in love at all.”
I hold her stare, pity filling my chest. “Sounds lonely.”
Her features harden, and I realize that for just a moment, I had forgotten who the hell I was talking to. “What do you want from me, Shayne? You want me to go and scream at the top of my lungs that I like to fuck the help? You want me to go and start a relationship with a guy who’s going to have to watch me die? No, thank you. I’d rather spare us all the heartache. Now, if I can trust that you are smart enough to keep this information to yourself, I’d like to go inside and prepare for my meeting.”
I hold my hands up. “Alright, fine. I’ll drop it.”
“Good,” she says, her eyes darkening. “What you’re asking of me, about Giovanni and his child. You must understand that is not something I take lightly. You’re asking me to put my family at risk for a vendetta.”
“Are you telling me no?” I question, my heart rate picking up as I prepare myself to bolt out of here.
“No,” she tells me. “I am not. I’m simply trying to say that a request like that will need some careful consideration. I will let you know my decision once it has been made.”
I shrug my shoulders. “Just know that we don’t have a deal unless you can come through for me. I don’t start training as your little protégée until Giovanni’s eyeballs are soaking in a jar up on my trophy shelf.”
A soft chuckle pulls from deep in Gia’s chest. “Remember your place, Shayne. You will commence training with me when I say you will start training. I am doing what I can to show you kindness and understanding, but that will only go so far. Keep pushing my patience and I guarantee you will not like the consequences.”
Without another word, Zeke appears at my side, pulling on the handle and letting the soft night’s breeze flow through the back of the SUV. “Come on,” he mutters, his eyes hard as he peers over the vehicle at his boss striding away, physically needing to put distance between us to keep from wrapping her hands around my throat.
Stepping out of the car, Zeke remains right at my side as he leads me up the staircase, so close that making a run for it isn’t even an option. His eyes focus solely on Gia up ahead, watching as she unlocks the front door and enters a security code. “What did you say to her?” he murmurs, his voice low and filled with that overprotective rasp that comes from a man deeply obsessed, kinda like how Marcus would do when defending my honor.
“Nothing,” I mutter, refusing to glance up and meet his eye. “We just had a little … mother-daughter chat. You know, getting to know each other a bit better.”
Zeke pauses, his hand snapping up to my elbow with a tight grip. He yanks me back, twisting me to force my stare up to him. “I’m not going to repeat myself,” he growls, his quick temper reminding me of Roman. “What did you say to her?”
I scoff, yanking my arm out of his tight grip. “You really are head over heels for your boss, aren’t you? Perhaps you should be up there with her, making her feel better, rather than out here making demands of the trash.”
He narrows his eyes, leaning into me. “What the hell do you know about it?”