Totally Devoted

by Wanitta Praks

  And when Giovanni didn’t move, Lorenzo shouted at him. “I said you win. Take Amelia. Before I change my mind and never let her go again.”

  “Don’t say I didn’t win fair and square,” Giovanni said, signaling Bobby to bring the bags over.

  Bobby trotted over, caring three large bags filled with money. Giovanni tossed the bags over to Lorenzo, the heavy bags landing in a pool around Lorenzo’s feet.

  “I’m paying for her freedom. Ten million, as you have asked for,” Giovanni said. “You no longer have any rights over her.”

  Giovanni knew what he was saying. He did this on purpose, trying to provoke Lorenzo to get a response, but the man didn’t show any. His eyes were downcast, staring at the floor. His body slumped forward, as if all the energy had left his body. Lorenzo resembled a man who no longer had the will to live. And Giovanni had come to the startling conclusion that Lorenzo had permanently turned sick.

  Chapter 7

  One Night in the Hospital

  Giovanni sat in the back seat while the car was in motion, taking them to the private hospital Dawson owned. He watched the two sisters embrace each other from the opposite seat and felt a ping of relief that tonight had gone as he’d planned. Although the bit about Lorenzo acting like a fucking looney at the end kind of confused him.

  What had caused Lorenzo to act out like that? Was it because of Amelia? What happened during that time out session when they disappeared from view? And why did Lorenzo decide to let Amelia go all of a sudden?

  Giovanni knew a guy like Lorenzo wouldn’t just up and let someone go that easily, especially if he had some sort of control over them. And from the few times he saw them interact, Giovanni knew that Lorenzo had a lot of control over Amelia’s life.

  Fine. His theory could be proven wrong, but he bet a rat’s ass that no debtor would act like that toward his creditor, even though Jay had told him that Amelia had been sold off to Lorenzo because of their father’s startling four-million-dollar debt.

  Giovanni himself sure didn’t act like that with Jay during their early days. He only saw her as his maid, until he became totally captivated by her, and the rest was history. But Lorenzo had behaved differently.

  He’d suspected Lorenzo had a secret relationship with Amelia. In simple words, it wasn’t some creditor-debtor relationship bullshit thing. Theirs was purely based on sex. And he was sure Lorenzo had fucked her countless times already. He could tell through Amelia’s behavior, the way she expressed herself, compared to Jay who was a virgin when he first took her.

  But there’s no use asking Amelia about it because he knew she would never disclose something so intimate to him. After all, who would admit to having such a relationship, especially with a man who she called her captor. And he sure wouldn’t say anything to Jay either, because his girl was far too innocent to understand that sort of shit. In her head, it’s all fucking rainbows and unicorns. And he kind of wanted to keep her that way. He didn’t want to get her polluted in his dark world. Her sister may have experienced it, but that didn’t mean she had to as well.

  Whatever Lorenzo’s purpose was for letting Amelia go, Giovanni knew he had to be cautious. He’d already suspected Lorenzo had something up his sleeve, and he wasn’t one to just relax and go with the flow. Giovanni needed to protect his people, and Amelia was now one of his people.

  Saving Amelia today didn’t necessarily mean she was safe. Amelia needed to be put in a safe house, one where Lorenzo and his men wouldn’t be able to track her.

  Deciding that that was the best option necessary, Giovanni could now relax. He eased back into his chair, folded his arms, and watched the two women talk.

  Amelia sat with her hands clasped around Jay’s. His lover was very animated, hands waving around the air, gesturing this and that, telling her sister this and that, while Amelia just listened with a nostalgic look on her face.

  Giovanni could sense they were both very close. Seeing them up this close, he saw the resemblance between them. They both possessed the same natural shade of brown hair and the cupid’s bow lips, but that was where the similarity ended. Amelia was taller, much taller than Jay’s midget form. She also held herself in a regal manner, compared to his beloved who couldn’t sit in a chair for five minutes to save her life.

  Watching them side by side, he could see what Jay had meant when she said Amelia was a beauty. Having seen Amelia in the flesh now, he could fully appreciate those words. Amelia was fucking beautiful. She held this classic vintage look where men could literally fall at her feet, just wanting to get a taste of her. And he suspected Lorenzo was one of those men, too. But not him. Not Giovanni.

  Yeah, he was a hot-blooded man whose lust ran strong in his veins, and yes, he could appreciate her beauty, but no, he didn’t find it in the least interesting or something that would pique his interest. Hers was a beauty that he admired on an exquisite painting, an artwork he admired from afar.

  Life as a mafia boss with an unlimited bank balance had its many perks. And one of those perks was the constant flow of pretty women throwing themselves at him. So yeah, he’d seen his fair share of beauties. And to put it frankly, he was sick and tired of them all. Not to say that Amelia was like those kinds of women, but to him, he wanted one with a substance, a brain, a girl who would captivate his heart and soul.

  A small smile played on his lips when his gaze shifted to his lover. Yeah. He’d found her. She was his Jennifer. She was his life blood. She truly had captivated his entire life and soul. And he’d be broken if she was hurt. That’s why protecting Amelia was his first priority, because she was an important person to the person he loved. If something were to happen to her, then Jay would have a direct effect.

  With eyes still on them, he made some calls. And just when he had finished his call and was about to hang up, something Jay said caught his attention.

  “You’ll stay at Cory Mansion with us.”

  Giovanni blinked twice, trying to register what Jay had just said. He had no idea when this decision was made. And clearly, he wasn’t consulted in the matter.

  Giovanni almost laughed. Had their relationship reached this level where they had so much trust in each other that they assumed the other would agree to whatever they had decided?

  Fucking God. He’d never thought the day would come when he would listen to his woman spouting shit and all he could do was just nod his head in agreement like a damn lovesick puppy. Still, he sat there with a foolish smile on his face, listening to his lover yakking away.

  “But first, Finnie is taking us to the hospital. We need to make sure you are okay. Then we’ll all check ourselves into one of the hotel Justin owns. You remember Justin, right? He’s the quiet guy with black hair that was sitting next to me. He’s very nice but a bit shy. He doesn’t talk much about his life. Oh, yes, and the hospital we are going to, it’s private and very well protected. Only VIP are allowed to enter. Like…mmm…what is that word…” She was thinking, chewing on her lips, one of her usual habits he came to know, when she suddenly put him on the spot. “Gio, what’s that word? You know, only those people who are like you can enter.”

  “Elite,” he supplied just as fast, the first word that came to his mind.

  Jay seemed to be very satisfied with his answer. She smiled, muttered a thank you, and turned back to her sister to continue with her rambling. “Yes, the elite. So you don’t have to worry about Lorenzo following us. If he does, I’ll give him a kick in the nut.”

  Amelia tried to stifle her laugh, but she wasn’t successful. If she knew her sister better, she would know how much of a rambling mess Jay was.

  But deep in his intuition, he knew Jay was making her sister smile on purpose, and he could tell his girl was doing a good job because Amelia wouldn’t stop the smile from spreading on her face.

  His lover really was one amazing woman. She was like the bright sun, shining its warmth on all of them, the heat so desperately needed after that fight a few hours ago.

  �
��Oh, yes. Now, where was I?” Jay continued. “Yes, the itinerary. After one night at the hotel, we’ll take the plane back to New York the next morning, and you’ll stay at Cory Mansion with us.”

  Amelia nodded, agreeing with everything her sister said.

  “Oh, and I better tell you who is living with you too, so you won’t be surprised. But you won’t be surprised anyway because you met everyone already. There are six of us in the house. You’ve seen Finnie. He’s the driver. Then there’s Jonny, Heath, and Bobby. Heath is like a big giant teddy bear. He’s such a softy, and Bobby is cool. He’s like my best buddy. He’s the one with the shaved head. I usually make coffee for them every morning. That’s our routine. And then there are Giovanni and me. And that’s all of us. Oh, we do have a few helpers, too. I’ll introduce them to you when we get home.”

  Amelia flicked her gaze to him, and Giovanni offered her a warm smile back. She nodded her head as thanks and turned back to converse with Jay.

  Giovanni sighed, a big broad smile on his face. He will happily resign to his fate if he could just see his lover happy like this. Well, what could possibly go wrong? The more people in the house, the merrier, right?

  This was wrong. So fucking wrong. Not one hour had passed and Giovanni wanted to retract every single word he’d said about wanting more people to live in the house. And when he said more people, he only meant one additional person. Amelia.

  There was nothing wrong with Amelia, per se. It was Jay. She was making a big fucking fuss about everything. And the first fuss was staying in the hospital together.

  As soon as they had descended out of the car a few hours back, both him and Amelia ended up with a thorough examination, courtesy of his lover who had initiated the whole thing, since she just wouldn’t shut up about how he’d gone through a big fight and needed to be checked for any damage.

  Come on! It wasn’t like he was on death’s door. It was just a few fucking bruises. Big deal. But he could never win against her verbal battle and just one look at her sad face sealed his fate. He just couldn’t deal with that sad bunny-eyes look she gave off whenever she wanted to win something. So be it.

  And now, not a few hours after that, he found himself deposited in a room only a few doors down from Amelia. And quite frankly he was pissed. Pissed and fucking exhausted.

  It was a long day. From arriving in Chicago early in the morning to driving to Lorenzo’s residence out in the middle of nowhere, to having their fistfight late in the evening. And now here they all are, in the hospital, well into the middle of the night. Giovanni just wanted to shut his eyes for a few seconds so he could rest, but sitting here in the hospital bed, watching his lover running between the two rooms like a headless chicken had him wide awake.

  What was she doing? It was well past midnight, and her sister might have already fallen asleep. His underlings had already gone back to their hotel.

  But there was no use telling her that. His lover was one headstrong girl. Even when he adamantly and specifically stated that he wished to fucking go home after the hospital checkup, his underlings, and Jay, being the leader of the clan, had stamped her foot down and told him to stay for at least one night.

  “Jay, stop fussing around and come here. It’s late,” he said, ushering her over.

  “But, Gio. I think you need an extra pillow.” She was already at the closet, pulling out the extra pillow and tugging it under her arm.

  “What I need is to fuck you so I can get some sleep.”

  “You can’t tonight.”

  “Why the hell not? After what I’ve done today, I think I deserve some prize from you.”

  “We are in the hospital. Maybe when we get home?”

  Giovanni roughly combed his hair in exhaustion. She was right. He wasn’t thinking straight. He just needed the sleep.

  “Fine. Whatever. Just come here. I need my body pillow.” And when he said body pillow, he meant her. Because he knew now he couldn’t sleep without her next to him.

  Jay nodded her head. “Okay. I’ll go wash up then come over.”

  Giovanni waited. He looked around the room and was glad that Dawson had provided him with a bedroom suite with a queen-size bed to say the least. Just perfect for Jay to settle up close beside him tonight.

  Giovanni didn’t have to wait long. After fifteen minutes, his lover emerged out of the shower in a pair of silk pajamas he’d bought for her. She quickly slid under the blanket and right into his arms, burying her face at the crook of his neck. Blissful. This was his body pillow.

  She murmured some nonsensical thing which just made him smile like a fucking idiot. “Does it hurt a lot, Gio? Are you in pain?”

  Giovanni chuckled. Jay watched him with that confused expression on her face. He kissed the scowl away and cuddled her close. “If it’s gonna take this much injury for you to pay attention to me, I’ll happily get punched any time of the day.”

  “You don’t need to get punched for me to pay attention to you. I’ll always pay attention to you.”

  She lay in his arms, and they quietly listened to each other breathing, the silence their companion. When he almost drifted off to sleep, he heard a soft whisper beside his ear. “Thank you, Gio. You were so brave tonight. Thank you for saving Amelia.”

  They laced their fingers together, and Giovanni fell into a deep comfortable sleep, with a soft happy smile on his face. Until he woke up the next morning with the face of a sour lemon.

  “Wholly fuck!” he swore, almost jumping out of his skin, when the first thing he saw upon waking was Bobby’s shaved head and his big round nose, all displayed right in his face. “I was having such a sweet dream until I saw your ugly mug. What the fuck are you doing here early in the morning? And where is Jay?”

  “She’s gone to her sister’s room.”

  Hmmm. His mind drifted to Amelia. He wondered how she would cope living with them. He, himself, was also a mafia. He just hoped Jay could help heal her sister.

  If it’s one thing he knew about being a mafia, it was that they’re bloody good at fucking people up. And with just one look at Amelia, he knew Lorenzo had fucked her up badly.

  Chapter 8

  Sisterly Bonding

  “Knock. Knock. Mel, are you awake?” I knocked on the door and waited. Nothing. “Mel, are you in?”

  Still nothing. There was no response from Amelia. Maybe she was still sleeping. She had a long day yesterday, what with checkups and tests, and it was already well into the night before she got to rest. I didn’t want to interrupt her while she was still snoozing.

  I quietly slid the door open, just enough to poke my head through, only to see an empty bed. I panicked, thinking Lorenzo was back and had kidnapped her. I jerked the door open and bolted inside, frantically searching for her.

  “Amelia, where are you, Amel—”

  I heaved a sigh of relief when I saw her standing out on the balcony. What was she doing there?

  “Mel,” I called. She didn’t react to my voice. I called her again, this time a bit louder. “Mel.”

  She still didn’t hear me. I moved closer. She was staring out into space, like she was lost in her own thoughts or something.

  “Mel.”

  I reached out to touch her. She flinched, turned, and reacted with a startled look. It took her three long heartbeats to recognize me.

  “Jen.” Her eyes softened, and she smiled. “Sorry I…I…didn’t hear you come in.”

  I called her name dozens of time and was making so much racket, and she said she didn’t hear me? “Oh.” Was all I could say. “Mel, are you okay?”

  “I’m okay,” she replied, her eyes back to gazing outside.

  I followed her line of vision, but there was nothing interesting to see but the normal city down below. The world was already buzzing with noise: cars honking, people lining up for coffee, the normal everyday sounds. This was the normal world.

  “It’s so different,” she finally said, and that caught my attention.

  �
��What’s different?”

  “Here. I’m so used to waking up listening to the birds chirping outside…”

  “Birds chirping outside?” I asked like I couldn’t believe what she had just said. No, I’d heard her the first time; it was just kind of weird to hear her say it.

  “Yes…” she said. “But here…I hear the whole city coming to life. I’m not used to this. It’s… different.”

  “Is it a good different or bad different?” I asked because this kind of determined her state of mind.

  Prior to all this shit that had happened in our life, when we were still young innocent girls, this was the norm for us. The city life. Cars on the road, the normal traffic jam. But now she said she was not used to this. If she’d told me she had just come back from the moon, I would have found it more believable, but birds chirping outside…that’s just plain weird.

  She didn’t answer my question. I kind of had already gotten the impression that she missed that shithole of a place called Lorenzo’s residence. Well, under normal circumstances, Lorenzo’s place was paradise. The guy was loaded, and his place was fit for a king, but Amelia wasn’t his guest. She was his prisoner, so no matter how majestic the place was, it was still a cage from a prisoner’s point of view.

  I tiptoed around the topic, not sure if I should proceed with this subject, but I was really curious. What did happen to her during those four months with Lorenzo?

  “Mel, do you want to talk about it? You know...”

  And she shut me down right away. “Tell me about your boyfriend,” she suggested instead, walking to the bed and sliding under the covers.

  I sighed and went to plump the pillows for her. “What do you want to know?”

  “Everything. I’m curious.” She offered me a small smile, like she was genuinely interested to know about my love life. “My kid sister who I haven’t seen for almost five months had blossomed into a beautiful woman and now she has a boyfriend. I’m curious to know what happened.”