Gio: The DelGado Trilogy (An Enemies to Lovers Romance)

by Natalia Lourose

  “It’s okay,” I give him a fake, reassuring smile. My part was the sweet sister/cousin who swoops in to save their asses and then makes them feel better about being idiots.

  Everybody has a role to play.

  There is only one piece of glass in his leg, and luckily it isn’t too big. I gently pull it from his leg, eliciting a small scream from him, and then covered it with gauze.

  “It needs stitches.” I turned to tell the tall, dark, and handsome man.

  “There are butterfly strips in there.” He uses his Glock to gesture towards the first aid kit.

  “That’s not enough.” I try again.

  He gives me a half lipped smirk. “Well,” he draws out. “It’s that or a bullet, so pick one.”

  “Butterfly strips it is.” Anger flashes through my words. Carefully I place the strips and then cover the whole thing with gauze and medical tape.

  “Done.” I move my gaze up to meet my captors.

  “Don’t talk to him, Annie.” Johnny shouts from his place, bound next to us.

  “Shut him up.” Our captor demands. At the order, the other man is quick to give Johnny a blow to the head.

  “Stop!” I shout, the words leave my mouth instinctually. I look up to our captor pleadingly. It seems he had all the power in this room.

  “I meant with some tape.” he says, though he doesn’t look at all bothered by the situation.

  The bigger man shrugs and quickly grabs the roll of duct tape and covers Johnny’s mouth with a strip.

  “Time for that chat?” he asks, lending a hand to help me up, though I didn’t think I had much of an option here.

  I’m pretty sure if I say no he’ll just kill us.

  His smirk is back. It seems like he’s happy to talk to me, but when it comes to my brother or cousin he’s cold. I’m the only thing keeping us alive right now, I need to play his game and win.

  He leads me over to the bar, pulling out a stool and gesturing for me to sit. I comply. The key to winning is knowing when to give and when to fight.

  I steel my spine and try to put on a neutral face.

  He moves behind the bar, reaching up to the top shelf and grabbing a pricey bottle of whiskey. Not quite my taste. I prefer fruity frozen drinks over straight hard liquor. He grabs two low ball glasses and sets them on the bar in front of me.

  “Drink?” he asks, lifting the bottle slightly.

  “No, thanks.”

  “Whiskey it is then.” He fills both glasses with two fingers' worth of the amber liquid.

  Note to self, my answers don’t matter here.

  “Saluti,” he says, raising the glasses, his eyes locked on mine waiting for me to join him.

  I’m pretty sure the word he uses is Italian. I pick up the glass, eyeing it suspiciously. “Cheers,” I responded, raising mine and taking a sip. The liquor burns its way down my throat and I try my best not to cough. I hate whiskey.

  Drinking with this man, who my family just tried to rob, seems dangerous.

  But he’s playing a game, and you have to play the game to win.

  I steal a glance over my shoulder at Johnny and Rob. I’m secretly pleading for them to let me handle this.

  “Eyes on me, sweetheart.”

  I whip my head back to look at him. “I bet that’s what you say to all the girls.”

  A wide grin spread on his face. He looks like he’s getting off on this back and forth. I’m hoping it’s not because he wants a fight before he kills me.

  He takes another swig from the glass, emptying it.

  “So tell me, why in hell are you trying to rob me.”

  “Right to the point.” I note.

  “Not trying to waste time here.”

  “You’re Italian?” I ask, drawing his attention off of the subject at hand.

  “I ask the questions here. But yes, you don’t already know that?”

  “No, I didn’t.” I swirl the remaining whiskey around in my glass.

  He ponders this for a moment. “What did you know before you came here?”

  I wonder what answer will appease him here. Does he want to know that I didn’t ask questions? That will just serve to make me look like a dumb blonde, and that’s not the case. I just knew that it had to be done. What if I say it didn’t matter what the details were? Would that still make me look like a fool?

  “Answer me.” he demands. His charm is fading now, he’s beginning to look annoyed with me.

  “I didn’t know much.” I answer in a shameful whisper. “I’m just the driver.”

  “Just the driver?” he chuckles. “My name is Gio DelGado.” he has an accent when he says his name that is sexy as hell.

  I know that name though.

  It rings a bell in my head shouting danger.

  “Does that ring a bell?”

  I nod my answer, words escaping me.

  The mafia.

  He is part of the Maranzano crime family, a group of Italian criminals who frequent the news in Providence. Lately the news had been filled with the deaths of members who belonged to that family. They were in the midst of a turf war that killed most of their leadership.

  Not to mention Giuseppe DelGado who had ad’s for his law practice all over the place. He was known in this town as a mafia lawyer.

  “Yes,” I whisper.

  “Then you know you did something really dumb, hmm?” He leans on the bar with his elbows, his face inches from mine.

  “I do now.”

  “I want to know why,” he asks me.

  “And then what?” I ask in a quiet voice as I peer into his dark brown eyes. I’m looking for sympathy there. What will he do with me, with Johnny and Rob after I tell him the stupid reason we tried to Rob him? Does the man in front of me have any humanity or is he the cold-blooded killer the news has made him out to be?

  I’m alive right now. I have that much going for me.

  “I’ll decide what I’m going to do with you.” It was supposed to be a threat, but for some reason it didn’t feel like that. Am I underestimating him? Or is there truly a decent person underneath his monster exterior?

  “My brother,” I glance over my shoulder at Johnny. “He needs the money or we’re in a lot of trouble.” I sigh. “I didn’t know who you were. I just knew that he needed the money and I had to help him.” I lower my gaze. “He’s my family.”

  Gio sighs. He leans back away from the bar, instead resting his weight on the counter behind him.

  I feel like I can breathe better the further he gets from me.

  “Who? Who does he owe?” He asks after a moment.

  “I’m not sure exactly, they’re Irish, from a casino in Boston. They said they’ll be back today for their payment.”

  Gio whistles low.

  “I get it, family bonds, and all.” He finally says.

  I hold my breath. I’m not going to beg for my life here, I’m not that kind of girl, but I am praying for mercy.

  “I’ll make you a deal.” Gio finally says after what felt like hours. “I’ll pay off your brother’s debt, and you’ll come work for me.”

  He said it as if it was that easy.

  I’ll make all your problems go away.

  With just one small catch.

  “W-what does that mean?” I stammer.

  “What I said.” He answers back coolly.

  “Like, here at the bar?”

  He smirks, “No, not likely. But if I wanted you too, you would.”

  “So what would I be doing?”

  “Mia bella ragazza, you’d be working for me. And in return, I’d pay off your brother’s debt. Your family would be safe.”

  “Why?”

  He raises an eyebrow in response. “You’re asking me why I would help you?”

  “Yeah. You don’t know me, why would you want me to work for you?”

  “I’m offering you a chance to pay off a debt that I guarantee you have no other way to pay. Not with your half-assed attempt to rob me.”

 
The other man snickers at his insult. Behind me, I hear Johnny grumble something unintelligible underneath the duct tape.

  “Yeah, I am. I know I can’t pay any other way, and I appreciate your offer but why would I want to get into bed with another monster if I don’t even know what it entails?” My question is dangerous. He’ll either like it or kill me on the spot.

  A light chuckle leaves his lips. “Because if you don’t one of you is probably going to die tomorrow. The Irish don’t take kindly to not being paid back timely. I’m not a monster, Annie. I’m cutting you a break. Take it or leave, but make a decision now.”

  I pursed my lips.

  There was no decision to be made.

  It was life or death.

  “I have school,” I say quieter. “and I also have another job.”

  He eyes me. “Are you asking me for leniency?”

  “Yes.” My answer is barely audible.

  I don’t like this deal. I don’t like the idea of getting too close to someone like him.

  He has danger written all over him.

  “As a show of good faith, Annie, I will work around your schedule, within reason.”

  I nod, biting my tongue to keep from saying thank you. Thank you for not killing us right there and then. I don’t want to give him that pleasure.

  “How much does he owe?” Gio asks.

  “Fifty K.”

  He whistles again. “Damn boy, you have a problem with gambling?” he asks looking at Johnny whose reply is masked by the duct tape over his mouth.

  “What now?” I ask nervously.

  “Well, Big Frank here is going to make sure your brother and your friend here are set straight. I’m going to take you home and we’ll wait for your visitor.”

  Annie. Fucking. Bryne.

  I can already tell that this girl is going to be the death of me. I made her give me her license as Frankie and Tony drug her friends out of The Alibi. She was stupid enough to be carrying the damn thing on her.

  Rule number one of robberies, don’t carry any identifying information.

  She’s an amateur, that much is clear to me.

  I memorize every detail about her I can. From her address, eye color, height, spelling of her name, to the details I see on her person. She has shoulder-length wavy blond hair that’s darker at the roots, a heart-shaped face with pouty lips, and a slim body with the only curve belonging to her ass. I learn every tangible thing about Annie Byrne as I lead her to my car.

  She was colder now than she was in the bar. I think she may be regretting her decision. I posed it as a choice but we both know there was no option there. If she would have turned me down the Irish thugs harassing her wouldn’t even get the chance to collect. They’d be gone by the afternoon.

  There is a general rule in la Famiglia that we don’t kill women and children, but there are exceptions to every rule.

  As much as I don’t want to hurt this girl, for no other reason than she intrigues me, you can’t let a thief go. Even this, making a deal with her is wrong, I know. The look on Frank face verifies it, letting them go could be really fucking stupid for me. But there is something about Annie Byrne, and I need to let this play out.

  Knowing Frank and Tony, the boys she was with will learn their lesson. Hell, they probably won’t even be able to walk for a few days. That’ll teach them.

  She leads me up to her apartment on the second floor of an old building. She lives in an okay area of downtown Providence. It’s not a bad area per se, but I would never let my sister live here.

  She opens the door to the place and enters, letting me follow her. The sight hits me like a ton of bricks.

  “Damn,” I mutter. The Irish are brutal, this I know from experience. Her place looks like a bomb went off. Pictures are scattered on the floor, the walls are scuffed, furniture overturned. There’s a garbage bag laying on the living room carpet half filled. It looks like she started to clean up but then threw in the towel halfway through.

  “Yeah,” she sighs. “It’s bad.”

  Bad doesn’t even begin to describe it. I scoop a book off the floor, Nursing Basics. “You said you’re going to school?” I asked, flipping through the textbook.

  “Yep.” she pops the P when she says the word. “Nursing, obviously.” She looks at the book I’m holding.

  So my little thief is a nurse.

  She’s been less chatty since we left the bar. I know I shouldn’t blame her. What did I expect her to say? Thank you, maybe. That would be nice, but logically I know I can’t expect her to thank me when I just fucked up her life.

  She still saw me as the enemy.

  Maybe that was a good thing.

  She’s sitting on her couch with her phone glued to her hand, continuously checking it and typing on it. My guess is she’s trying to get a hold of her brother. What she doesn’t realize is he’s not available right now.

  I’m about to open my mouth again, say something else that will probably piss her off when someone knocks on her door.

  She looks surprised at the intrusion, clearly not expecting anyone, I know because it’s Charlie.

  “Thank god.” I practically moan when I open the door for Charlie. He’s carrying a suit bag with fresh clothes for me and fifty grand in cash tucked into the pocket.

  “Damn, skip.” Charlie whistles looking around and the mess of an apartment. “Big Frank told me, but honestly I didn’t believe him.” He hands over the bag.

  “Yeah, yeah,” I mutter. I know this place is shocking, plus the idea of me being lenient is a surprise to my men. They’re used to me being… more violent.

  I gesture over to Annie, who is still sitting on the couch with her knees curled into her chest. She’s still wearing the tight black leggings and oversized hoodie she wore to rob me.

  There's a part of me that wants her to take that hoodie off so I can see what’s underneath, but I stop myself from traumatizing her further.

  “This is Annie, she’s going to be working with us.”

  “Us?” Charlie’s voice did little to hide his surprise. It was unusual for new people to join our crew, let alone a woman, and especially not a woman who tried to steal from me.

  The whole situation was fucked.

  “You said you needed someone small, so I got you someone small.”

  Charlie looks over Annie realizing what I had the moment I saw her. She was going to fit through the door for the Pearce job.

  “Damn,” Charlie mutters.

  “She’s on probation,” I add. “So don’t give her too much information unless I okay it.”

  “Got it.”

  “Give me your phone.” I reach out my hand to her.

  She looks at me with utter disdain. Her phone is her current lifeline to her brother, even if he’s not answering. I know she doesn’t want to give that up right now. “Say please.” she finally responds.

  There’s my little thief.

  I’m not sure if I want to laugh or spank her.

  Instead I say, “Annie. Now.”

  I love the sass out of her, but I need her to respect me in front of my crew. I can’t lose any more respect.

  She uncurls her body and slowly extends the locked pink cased iPhone.

  “Thank you.” I give her an appreciative smile.

  She returns it with a glare. Her eyes are ocean blue and piercing, I could get lost in them.

  “I want you to put a tracker on it,” I tell Charlie, handing him her phone. “I want to know where she is at any time.”

  “Seriously?” she interrupts. She’s annoyed, and that’s fine. I want her to know I’m tracking her. I want her to know that I know where she is at all times. I want her to fear me.

  I ignore her outburst, instead directing my focus on Charlie. “I need a minute. You got this?”

  “Yep,” Charlie responds, then looks to Annie. “Mind if I use your table?”

  “Sure, not that I get a fucking say.”

  I laugh.

  Yep, her s
ass is back.

  I take a moment to freshen up in her bathroom, god knows I need it.

  My hangover was dull now, at least I could thank Annie for that. I’m not completely sure what I’m doing here, why I’m overtaking this girl's life, but I know I can’t go back now and honestly I don’t want to.

  I want everything Annie Byrne has to offer.

  My little thief.

  I scrub a hand down my face and look over myself in the mirror. I have three days worth of stubble growing on my jaw. A good made man would shave.

  A good made man would do a lot of things I’m slacking on right now.

  I feel motivated with her out there though. I currently want to take on the Pearce job and get shit done with her here.

  It’s a stupid thought, really.

  She has one use for me; she gets through that opening and then she’s done. I’m done with her.

  Already, I wonder if that’s really what’s going to happen.

  I slick my hair back with water from the tap and then change into my fresh suit. A fresh suit can make you feel like a new man, and that’s what I’m counting on right now.

  “Jesus.” I hear Frank exclaim as he enters her apartment. I can’t help but to laugh. Everyone who walks in here is shocked by the mess.

  The Irish really are a brutal bunch.

  I’m surprised they didn’t hurt her, they’re known for their violence.

  “Help her then, will ya?” I scold him as I exit the bathroom.

  Annie is still in her position curled on the couch when I re-enter the living room.

  Maybe this was a fucking bad idea.

  She’s putting on a brave face, but I can tell she’s scared.

  She’s loyal as hell though. It’s just too bad she’s loyal to two idiots and not me.

  “Where should I even start?” Frank asks, waiving a hand to the mess of an apartment.

  I wonder how well kept this apartment was before the Irish got here, she probably didn’t normally live like this.

  “Books go on this shelf?” I asked, picking up a loose book and gesturing to her empty bookshelf.

  She nods her answer.

  “That’s where you start,” I tell Frank, handing him the book.

  I still need to go over ground rules with her and I’m not sure when these assholes will get here looking to collect.