by Linzvonc
Despite the words being spoken softly, I knew the family were not pleased.
I swallowed as the swishing of fabric announced Lucia’s entrance to the room, and I stood at once.
She was as breath-taking as ever, her hair curled to perfection as it sat around her shoulders, her deep green eyes meeting mine as the breath left my body. I hadn’t seen her since that fateful day where she nearly lost her life.
I bowed my head as she regarded me coolly.
“I heard what you did,” her silky voice was as enchanting as ever. I bowed my head as I felt Michael’s eyes on us.
“I am so sorry I didn’t do it sooner,” I whispered hoarsely, meaning every word.
She’d been my girlfriend, and she had been on the brink of death after an attack.
Her eyes softened as she spoke. “I knew you were there. I knew if you could have done something, you would have. It was the only comfort I had, knowing you were there.”
I felt at a loss for words as I gazed at the floor in shame.
“It scared me. I was fifteen,” I said as Michael’s voice cut through me like a knife.
“Can you only imagine how scared Lucia was? She was also just fifteen. Alas, we shall not dwell on such matters now. We have dealt with it, and my father seems to believe you have redeemed yourself, but it would be fair to say not all of us feel the same way.”
“As you said Michael, we have dealt with it, and my word is final on the matter. Leonardo is our guest, so behave appropriately,” the voice was quiet, the words cloaked in the old Italian accent.
“Verno.”
Part Two: Chapter Five
GRETCHEN
Nicole stared at me as she drained her glass of wine.
“He gave you his business card?”
I ran my finger around the rim of my glass, shrugging nonchalantly.
“You don’t think that is odd? He is our professor,” she stabbed her fork into her spaghetti, chewing on it thoughtfully. She swallowed quickly when she saw the server passing us, flashing him a smile as she ordered another glass of wine. “It’s kind of hot. He is super gorgeous. I wish he would have given me his card,” she pointed her fork in my direction as she spoke.
“He’s also married, Nicole,” I scolded, shaking my head with disapproval.
“True. But anyhow, it’s not as if you are single, you and Cal are practically married,” she rolled her eyes as she finished her spaghetti, rapidly picking up the dessert menu.
“Are you in a rush to go home?” I asked, raising an arched eyebrow at her. Her eyes went wide as her smile gave her away.
“Is it that obvious? Shit. I’m meeting someone at ten,” she mumbled, without an ounce of shame.
The attendant placed a fresh glass of wine down before her as he removed her plate, frowning as he realized that I had barely made a dent in mine. I ate quicker, annoyed that she had made overlapping plans.
“So, who is it?” I asked with intrigue.
Nicole had a varied sex life, sleeping with both sexes to satisfy her needs. She was such a warm soul, always smiling, and I loved listening to her many tales.
“Someone from Tinder. We hook up occasionally,” she let out a dramatic moan as she tapped the menu card in front of her.
“Triple-chocolate chunk brownie with caramel ice cream, you get me for dessert,” she declared, and I giggled.
“Have you really never slept with anyone other than Cal?” she asked for the hundredth time since I had known her.
“No, I still haven’t, nothing has changed since the last time you asked me,” I teased as she winked at me.
“You get so much attention; you are fucking hot. I wish he would just let you loose in New York City for a weekend with me. Your pussy would be in tatters.”
I gaped at her as I looked around us quickly, praying no one had heard her little outburst, tattered pussy didn’t go well with spaghetti.
“I don’t want to be ‘let loose’, my love. He is fucking perfect, I want to be with him forever,” I said dreamily, gazing into the distance as I remembered the first time he kissed me in the rain, because he knew it was something I had always wanted to do.
“Ugh, pass me the vomit bag,” her heavy New York accent still tickled me.
“So, what are we doing for your birthday? The big two-oh. We should get a little apartment in Times Square for the night, invite some hot guys and girls—”
I held my hand up to interrupt her.
“If I do anything, it will involve Cal, so get the idea out of your head of me spreading my legs like the Lincoln tunnel for every Tom, Dick and Harry.”
She stuck her tongue out at me.
“Ooh, I need to order dessert,” she waved frantically as the waiter held back a sigh, taking her order. I gave him my plate and passed on dessert.
Nicole hugged me close as we parted.
“Text me when you get home. I hate these streets after dark when you are on your own.”
I promised her I would and walked towards the subway station, wrapping my coat around me for warmth. I skipped down the stairs, tapping my card against the machine as it let me through, the stench of urine welcoming me to the underbelly of the city.
There were a few people milling about as I boarded the train, preferring to stand considering I wasn’t too far away from home. The journey was relatively uneventful, and I hurried up the steps back into the cold air, already dreaming of my warm bed.
I heard footsteps behind me, and I froze, certain no one else got off at my stop. I walked close to the streetlights, my eyes peeled for any sign of life. I wasn’t that great at protecting myself, but I had pepper spray at home—not much use there.
“Hey, Gretchen, wait up!” called a familiar voice as relief coursed through my veins. I turned to see Josh jogging towards me, pulling his earphones out as he approached me.
“For fuck’s sake Josh, you scared me to death. Why are you out running at this hour?” I frowned as he laughed apologetically.
“Sorry, babe. Couldn’t sleep. Nancy still isn’t home,” his voice was small as he caught his breath.
Nancy and Josh had been having a “secret” relationship that we all knew about, but that none of them would admit. Nancy refused to commit to anyone, despite harbouring feelings for Josh.
Josh only had eyes for her and had stopped seeing anyone else, which I think was his downfall. Nancy liked to be kept on her toes and getting it handed to her on a plate was not her style.
We reached our street as he slung his arm around my shoulder.
“What the fuck am I going to do, Red? I know she wants to be with me. She just won’t shake off these other guys.”
I slipped my arm around his waist and sighed.
We’d all been friends for long enough to feel like family, and I hated seeing him hurting like this.
“Ah, I feel for you, I really do. I don’t even know what to suggest. Have you tried calling her bluff? Like saying you’ll end it if she doesn’t stop seeing other people?”
He looked down at me with a sad smile on his face. “Yeah, I started to, once. She just shot me down, said if I didn’t like it, I knew what to do.”
I frowned as we reached my house to see someone sitting on the front porch, drinking a bottle of beer. I stopped and stared as Josh stiffened beside me.
“Who the fuck is that?” he muttered as we walked closer.
The figure was male, well-built and handsome in a rugged way.
I peered at him and I shrugged at Josh.
“I don’t know who that is at all. Was he there when you left?” I hissed, and he shrugged, wide-eyed.
“Of course, he wasn’t. The door was locked though, and now it’s open.”
Nancy.
“Dude. What are you doing?” Josh asked in a low voice as I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly cold.
“What’s it to you, boy? Hey, pretty lady. Come sit with me,” he rasped, rubbing his crotch crudely.
I stepped back, repul
sed, as Josh stood in front of me protectively.
My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I saw on the caller ID it was Cal.
“Cal, I need to call you back. There’s a random guy here and we don’t know who he is,” I bit my lip as I whispered into the phone.
“What the fuck?” he demanded. “Define we?”
I heard the fear in his voice and I quickly told him Josh was with me.
“Pretty much on your own, then. Can you go inside? I am on my way, I am almost there,” his voice dripped with sarcasm.
My heart swelled with love for him, the fact he was driving to me anyway made me feel weak with adoration.
“Not really. He’s, like, in front of the door.”
Cal growled as he cursed. “I will be there as soon as I can,” he ended the call, and I noticed Josh was now arguing with the guy, about Nancy.
“Red lips, dark hair, superb dancer. She’s hot as fuck in the sack. Think I wore her out though, so you may need to wait awhile if you want some,” he winked at Josh.
“What the fuck? You slept with Nancy?”
The man frowned then, squaring his shoulders as he glared at Josh. “Nancy, that’s her. Saucy little bitch. We didn’t sleep. Did everything else, though. What’s it to you? Is she your little sister or something?” he shifted his gaze to me, leering as he spoke. “Are you her little sister? I’ve got more ammo in the bank if you want to play, baby.”
I saw headlights in the distance, becoming brighter as they sped up the road, screeching to a stop outside of our house.
Cal stepped out, surprising me in a suit, his beautiful face flawed with anger. He glanced at me, assessing that I was okay before storming over to the two men.
“You. Whoever the fuck you are, leave now,” he hissed, his voice laced with venom as the man shrunk back slightly, taking in the crazed look in Cal’s eyes as his eyes fell to his waist.
“Fuck, she has some crazy ass family,” he stammered, suddenly sober.
He pushed past Josh before making his way down the street without looking back. I felt the familiar anxiety in my stomach as I knew Cal was about to lose his mind.
“Where is she?” he snarled angrily at Josh, who held his hands up.
“I don’t fucking know. I went for a jog. I’d been gone about an hour, max,” he stared down at the floor as I put my hand on Cal, his arms taut through the suit as he huffed.
The problem with being with Cal was that he was damaged by experience, which made him react badly sometimes.
“He could have been here when you arrived back, alone,” he shot at me, without turning around.
“Cal, I’m fine,” I reassured him as he shook his head.
“You can’t live with her anymore. She’s a fucking nightmare,” he pulled my hand into his as he walked towards his car.
“Cal, what are you doing?!” I hissed as he swung open the door, gesturing for me to get in. It was then that I saw a glint of silver in the moonlight, and I saw what he had tucked in his waistband.
Was that a gun?
Part Two: Chapter Six
GRETCHEN
We rode in silence:my face stunned, his wary.
He wouldn’t look at me as he drove through the city streets, navigating like the native New Yorker he was.
I looked ahead as thoughts ran through my mind, wondering how much I truly knew about the man I loved.
What is considered enough?
Is it the way he makes me feel?
Did it matter about his life choices, did I sign up to whatever he is simply because I love him?
I watched as the streets whizzed by, my eyes aching with tiredness, my body alert with suspicion. I had to know, but I wasn’t sure he would tell me.
His jaw was set as he drove, moving through lanes without signalling, taking sharp turns abruptly, as I gripped onto the side of the car, biting my lip with annoyance. He pulled into a dirt track I didn’t know they had in New York, which led to a small house hidden from the view of the street. He cut the engine and exhaled, glancing at me as he got out, slamming his door behind him. He strode around to my side, opening the door and gazing at me, those fucking eyes commanding that I leave the truck.
“Are you going to explain to me what the fuck you are doing with a gun?” my voice shook as he raised his eyebrows, his face otherwise unreadable.
“Come on, Gretchen. You know I’m not a fucking shopkeeper.”
His eyes blazed as he watched me climb out of the car, closing it securely behind me. I shivered in the night air, and he moved his hand to the small of my back, guiding me towards the house.
I climbed the steps whilst he unlocked the door before me, his broad shoulders hunched as he tugged the door open, stepping back so I could walk in before him. I stood at the bottom of the stairs, smiling softly as I saw the resemblance between the house in Winterburg and this one.
He tossed his keys on the side, walking to the kitchen to grab a beer.
How could he be so composed?
“Cal. Why do you have a gun?” I repeated, refusing to allow this to slide.
His green eyes burned into mine as he bit the bottle top from the beer, before tilting it to his delicious mouth that I tried to avoid staring at.
“So I have a gun,” he snapped as he leaned against the doorway, his hair falling into his eyes. “It’s not something you need to be concerned about,” his tone softened as his eyes travelled up and down my body, causing goosebumps to rise on my arms. “What did he say to you?” he was irritated, and I glared at the ground.
“I don’t remember. He was drunk. Cal, you could’ve lost your temper tonight, with a gun tucked into your belt,” I folded my arms and glared at him then as he smiled crookedly.
“So? If he would have touched you, in any way you didn’t want, I wouldn’t have hesitated in blowing his fucking head off.”
“Exactly.”
We stared at each other then, his eyes telling me this was a battle I would not win.
“Move in with me.”
His words fell between us and I sucked in a breath.
He gazed at the floor, a soft smile on his face. He knew how much I wanted this, yet he had insisted I had tried to live a “normal” life, with us both knowing that was not something I could live whilst living with him.
“You said—”
“I know what I said, Gretchen, because I fucking said it,” he snickered then and I thawed somewhat, a yearning for his arms to be around me. “But you aren’t safe there, and I’m tired of sleeping without you every night,” he walked towards me then, placing his beer beside his keys, tugging me close to him as his eyes examined every inch of my face, his breath hot on my cheek.
“I can’t risk anything ever happening to you, Gretchen,” raw emotion filled his tone, his voice caught in his throat.
Where had this come from?
“Cal. Nothing will happen to me. I’m just me, a student living in New York with my protective boyfriend ready to turn up and save me with his fucking gun.”
He unhooked it from his belt then, dropping it onto the surface with a loud clatter. He pushed me against the wall, his hands beside my face as he gazed at me.
“First, you aren’t just you. I’ve met no one like you in my life. You’re the air that I breathe. I couldn’t live without you,” his finger trailed down my face, resting on my chin as he tipped my head up to look at him, my heart swelling with pure love for this man, whatever he was. “Second,” he continued, his voice gruff, “believe it or not, this gun could save our lives one day. Do you think a lion would fight another lion without his teeth or his claws? Of course not. You match danger with danger. Do you understand?”
I nodded; aware he was right. I didn’t know who he dealt with. I knew nothing. I dropped my head down as he lifted it back up to meet his eyes.
“Third, I don’t want you to need saving. I want you to live your life. But you look like that,” his eyes flickered down as he stepped back, admiring me, “and you are
stupidly fucking interesting, intelligent—not to mention addictive. Who wouldn’t want that? I am territorial, and I’m aware it’s my flaw.”
