“Okay,” I release a breath and sit down next to Annie on the couch. She side-eyes me, not sure what to expect. “Let’s go over some ground rules,” I start. “You keep the phone on you at all times. I’ll be tracking you with it, okay? So don’t ever leave it behind, if I think something is up I’ll be on you quicker than you can even think up a plan. Got it?”
She nods, avoiding my eyes. Selfishly, I want to hear her voice again. “Verbal answers, sweetheart.”
“Got it.” She says, her voice is soft and light.
“When I call, you answer.” I continue. Her eyes still won’t look at me, so I reach over grabbing her chin to move her face to me. The action makes her scowl. “Listen to me, sweetheart. You need to answer every time. If you don’t, I’ll come find you. If I tell you to do something, do it. If I tell you to go somewhere, go there. Be on time, better yet, be early. Do you understand me?”
Her arms are still crossed over her chest. “I understand,” she mutters. She lifts her eyes to meet my gaze. “I didn’t realize by working for you, you meant taking over my life.”
Around me, I can see that Frank and Charlie have paused their actions. I’m known to be hot-headed, I don’t take kindly to people back talking to me.
But when she does it, it's different.
I chuckle. Then before she’s it coming, I grab her wrist and pull her close to me. I can tell I have her at a painful angle from the look on her face. “By working for me you’ll do whatever I fucking say. That’s the cost of your life and your brother's life. Not to mention the fifty fucking grand I’m about to hand over to keep you alive. You accepted my offer, sweetheart, so welcome to your new life.”
I release her wrist and she instinctively pulls it to her chest. Her eyes are glassy and she’s biting her lip trying to keep tears from falling. For a moment I feel bad, but all it takes is reminding myself that she tried to rob me for that feeling to go away.
She steels her spine and then stands from the couch. I can tell she’s trying to keep from crying in front of me, but I can’t give her any semblance of an upper hand. I grab the back of her sweatshirt and yank her back down to the couch. The move frightens her enough for a single tear to roll down her cheek.
“Sit down,” I say, this time she doesn’t argue. “Okay. Now, tonight when these assholes get here I want you to be quiet. I like the sass you gave me but this is not the audience for it, okay? Stay quiet and let me handle it.”
“Okay,” she whispers, still clutching her wrist to her chest.
“Any questions?” I ask, satisfied with her newfound obedience.
“When will my debt be considered paid?” she lifts her teary ocean colored eyes to meet mine.
“Whenever I say so.”
That was rough.
But really, I’m not sure I’ll ever be done with her.
It was hours before the Irish assholes finally arrived to collect. Annie spent the entire time silent and waiting for me to attack her again. Fear was the reaction I wanted, it was the best way to keep her in line, but damn if I didn’t want her to look at me with a different emotion right now.
Any emotion would do.
I made Frank wait before answering the door. I didn’t want them to think we were just waiting around here for them, even if we were.
“They’ll just break it down.” Annie whispers. She was on the edge of her seat now and her leg was bouncing twenty miles per hour. I gave her a sharp look to silence her.
There were three enforcers that entered her apartment once Frank answered the door. Overkill if you ask me considering she was barely 5’5 and had no muscle on her bones.
“Got herself some backup this time, boys.” The first one who entered remarked at the sight of Frankie, Charlie, and I with Annie.
“Henry O’Donnell, to what do I owe this pleasure.” Henry didn’t extend his hand to shake. He stood in the doorway of Annie’s apartment looking at me expectantly.
“I’m taking over Johnny Byrne’s debt,” I replied sharply.
Direct.
To the point.
With someone else I might have schmoozed, but these men were just flying monkeys for Niall O’Connor. And frankly? I don’t give a shit about Niall O’Connor.
“Are ya?” Henry raises an eyebrow.
I toss him the stack of cash, fifty thousand in hundred-dollar bills. “This should be everything. And he’s mine now. His family too, understood?”
Henry catches the cash and hands it to one of the men next to him to count. “What about interest?”
“Should have asked for it when you told Annie the amount.”
He wrings his hands together. Guys like him are excited to fuck people up, they’re disappointed when they have the payment. “The girl is yours?” His eyes flicker to Annie.
“Yes.” I claim her, because frankly I just paid fifty grand for her. She’s mine now, and I’m one possessive bastard.
“Alright.” Henry nods. He’s disappointed, but he’s not stupid enough to pick a fight with me. “Nice doing business with ya.” He gives me a slight nod and turns to leave. “Oh, and you should know Johnny Byrne can’t stay away from the tables. So, I’m sure I’ll be back.” He winks at Annie, then slams the door behind him.
I exhale a rush of air I’d been holding. God damn I hate the Irish. I move my gaze to Annie who is sitting on the couch with wide eyes.
“They’re not going to leave him alone.” Her blue eyes are full of worry as she looks up to me.
“I think he learned his lesson, sweetheart.”
She looks skeptical. “What does that mean?”
“What I said. After today if he doesn’t know better he’s an idiot.”
Fear blankets her face. “You said you wouldn’t hurt him, what did you do?” She jumps off the couch, she’s frantic now and marching over to me.
She’s only protective over her brother, clearly willing to give up herself to save him. I wonder how far she’d be willing to go to protect him.
“Correction, sweetheart. I said I wouldn’t kill him.” I tell her. She’s trying to stand up to me, but I tower over her short frame.
“What did you do?” She repeats.
I sigh, looking over to Frank. “Frank made sure he wouldn’t forget this lesson.”
“Did you hurt him?” She turns her icy gaze on Frank.
I give him a nod, a silent signal to answer her.
“He got the message.”
She turns her anger back to me in a flash. “And what was that message?”
I’m torn, because part of me loves her sass and seeing her like this. But I also am not about to let her talk to me like this.
“Listen here Annie, because I will not repeat myself. Your brother and your cousin tried to steal from me. Yeah, I made this deal with you but that doesn’t get them off easy. They fucked up, you did too, and I don’t let shit like that go. Do you hear me?”
“Am I next?” She quickly asks. “You gonna rough me up too?” There’s fire in her eyes. She looks like she wants to hit me now.
“Stop it,” I tell her.
“No, come on.” She goads. “I fucked up too, that’s what you said.”
She’s picking a fight.
“Out,” I shout at my men. “Charlie, Frank get out of here.”
They’re quick to leave. They probably think I’m going to hurt her and no one wants to watch a woman get hit.
She doesn’t move an inch as they leave her apartment. She stands still with her icy gaze locked on me.
“Don’t, Annie. Grow the fuck up. You know how this shit works. You saved your brother today, but you can’t protect him forever.”
“You said you wouldn’t hurt him.” She repeats, this time slower, angrier.
“No Annie, I said you would all live today and here you are, alive.” I gesture to her perfectly capable and unbruised body.
“Where is he?”
“Frank took him home. Some ice and Advil and he’ll be fine.”
&nb
sp; She huffs. “I need my car from your bar.”
“I’ll have someone drop it off.”
“I’ll just take an Uber.” she tries.
“No,” I tell her. “You need to start listening to me. You are not leaving, you are staying in your apartment until tomorrow morning and someone will drop off your car. Do you understand me?”
I know I’m acting out of anger, but I need her obedience.
She doesn’t respond, just stands there angry and silent.
“This is how this works now Annie. I talk and you listen. This is the price for your brother.”
“Fine.” She finally mutters. “Can I go to bed now or do you have more lectures?”
All sass.
“Jesus. No, go.”
I scrub a hand down my face. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Can’t wait.” She chirps as she walks away, slamming her bedroom door.
I can’t help but to chuckle.
Fucking little thief.
Never go to bed angry.
That was one of my grandmother’s favorite phrases to tell me. Well, yesterday I went to bed pissed and woke up that way too.
Yeah, Gio could have done much worse, but that didn’t stop me from hating him.
The way he talked to me was out of line and not letting me see Johnny was just cruel. It doesn’t help that Johnny still hasn’t responded to a single text or phone call.
He was true to his word at least. As promised, my car was outside my apartment this AM, and there was a new man sitting on the hood holding my keys.
Just what I need, more men in my life making demands.
I check my phone again, for the hundredth time. Still nothing from Johnny or Rob. I just need to know that they’re okay, not roughed up too badly.
Maybe I should have talked back to him less. Gio was trying to make a point, and true to word on the street, he was a gangster. Gangster’s beat people up. I’m not an idiot, I shouldn’t be surprised.
I was though.
Because I wanted to trust him. I thought behind those hard brown eyes there was a decent man.
“Watch it,” one of the residents growled at me as I nearly knocked them over in the hallway.
“Sorry,” I mutter. I need to get my head in the game. I need to work.
I slip my phone in my pocket and try to focus on my job, a part-time nurse's aid. I take a deep breath to study myself, right as I’m about to move forward the damn phone vibrates in my pocket.
I nearly jump out of my orthopedic shoes trying to grab it out of my pocket quickly.
It’s a text, the I.D. reads Gio. He must have programmed his name into my phone yesterday.
Alibi, 7 PM. Someone will pick you up.
I exhale, not Johnny.
I’m annoyed with myself for always fretting and waiting for my brother to call and let me know he’s okay. I feel like I’ve had a lifetime of this between him and our father.
Dad had a habit of going off on a drinking spree and not showing up for days on end. When he came back all our money was gone and utilities would be shut off. It was a vicious cycle.
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Another cliche my grandmother spouted ran through my mind. That woman had a cliche for any moment.
I look over the text message again before shoving the phone back in my pocket. Day one of taking orders from Gio DelGado.
I’m angry, and I want to hate him, but in a way, I’m also grateful. At least now I don’t have the threat of death hanging over my head for fifty thousand dollars. No, I need to stop myself from glamorizing what this really is, a transaction. Instead of owing fifty grand, I just have a mobster who wants me to do whatever he says.
“Whatcha thinking about, kiddo?” Bernie, my favorite resident cuts through my thoughts. He’s posted up in a chair in the hallway. He likes to watch all the drama unfold. Between the nurses and the old ladies he says this place is full of drama, better than a soap opera.
“Nothing, Bernie.” I tell him. I go into the nurse’s station across from him. We keep a mini-fridge there with some snacks, including Jello which I know is Bernie’s favorite. I grab us each a cup and sit in the seat next to him.
Bernie has been like a grandfather to me since I started here. In the beginning, I was a fumbling idiot, just trying to grasp the simple concepts. Bernie would sit in his chair here and snicker at me before he finally told me that all the nurses are like that at first.
“Ah, bullshit” he snaps, grabbing the Jello from me. “I know you better than that. You’re stuck in your head.” He uses a wrinkly finger to tap my head for emphasis.
“Maybe,” I dig a spoon into my Jello cup.
“So, tell me. What is it?”
“Just got a lot going on.”
“A boy then?”
My cheeks flush at the accusation. “Not a boy.”
“Ah, you forget I raised three girls. It’s a boy.” He takes a big bite of his Jello. “I know these things.”
“Fine.” I mutter. “But it’s not what you think.”
“Is he good to you?” He asks, serious now.
I laugh softly. “To be determined.”
“If he’s not, you let me know.”
“Will do, old man.” I smile.
Yeah right.
Like he could take down Gio DelGado.
I’m late when I walk into the warehouse. The man left at the bar to drive me was antsy when I arrived there after finishing my shift at the nursing home.
“Skip’s not gonna like this,” he muttered to me as we got into his car.
Apparently, I am not allowed to know the location of the warehouse, nor is it to be discussed on the phone or via text. My driver made that clear to me on the way over as he checked his rearview mirror repeatedly to make sure we weren’t being followed.
Whatever I’ve gotten myself into clearly is dangerous.
“It’s 7:10,” Gio announces when I enter. He doesn’t even turn around to look at me. Just glances at his watch and announces the time. “You’re late.” he says.
When I don’t respond to defend myself, he finally turns around and takes in my appearance. I’m still wearing my baby pink scrubs that signify I’m a nurse's aid and not a full-fledged nurse and my blonde hair is pulled up into a loose ponytail. I imagine I look as exhausted as I feel. After classes this morning and then an eight-hour shift, I’m worn out, but I didn’t think Gio would care much if I told him I was too tired to work for him tonight.
“Anything to say?” Gio asks, raising a single eyebrow.
“Um, sorry?”
“And?”
And what? I have no idea what the right answer is.
He looks sinfully handsome standing there. His dark hair is slicked back, and he looks like he’s ready to work out in a pair of black Nike joggers and a white t-shirt.
“I’ll call next time?” I question, hoping that’s a good enough answer to appease him.
“Good girl.” he turns away from me, putting his attention back on the contraption in front of him. “Next time, wear tighter fitting clothes.”
I can feel my face flush, pink rising to my cheeks. I feel like a child. “What? Why in the world?”
He chuckles at my discomfort. “You’ll need them to fit through this.” he gestures to the contraption in front of him. It’s some kind of long metal box with twists and turns. “Your scrubs are going to get caught on something, but it’s fine for tonight.”
“Oh,” I mutter.
He waves me over. The warehouse is large, with what looks to be an office in the back corner, high ceilings, and a cement floor. Charlie and Frank are here plus another man I haven’t met yet. The one who escorted me stayed outside, was he guarding the place?
“Charlie, tell her,” he gestures to the silver metal that was wrapped in places with duct tape.
Charlie smiles at me. He’s slimmer than Gio and Frank, but still bigger than me. His light brown hair is shaggy and has a hint of copper in it. He h
as a strong jawline, and the friendliest smile of all of them. “How’s it going, Annie?” he asks. So far, I think he’s the nicest.
“Fine.” I give him a small smile, no need to be an asshole to the only one who’s nice to me.
“This,” he looks over his work, which to me looks unstable and likely to collapse. “Is your job.”
Great.
My “job” has something to do with this metal death trap. Awesome.
“This is the top,” he points to the piece that's higher, maybe 5 feet with a ladder. “You need to drop through here.”
“Drop?” I ask.
“Yup. And then it’s a 90-degree angle so you’re gonna have to go face first.”
“Wait. You want me to dive into a metal box head first?”
Charlie’s smile fades slightly as he looks to Gio.
“Yes.” Is all Gio says. He stands back from them, watching with his arms crossed over his chest.
“No.” I shake my head viciously, turning to Gio. “Give me something else to do. How in the world is this how I repay you?”
He sighs heavily and runs his hand through his dark hair. “You don’t know you can’t do it. That’s why we’re practicing.”
I look at the contraption again. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s not safe.”
Gio walks over to me in two long strides. He rests each hand on my shoulders, anchoring me. “You can do this, sweetheart. I won’t let you get hurt, understand?”
My eyes flicker between him and the metal contraption.
I don’t trust him, but I have limited options here. “I’ll try,” I tell him.
He grins in return, clearly happy with my response.
I climb the ladder trying not to show the men below how scared I am. The metal opening in front of me is small, barely wide enough to fit my shoulder through.
“Not catastrophic, are ya?” Frank asks with a sly smile.
“Just a little.” I release a shaky breath.
“We’re going to put a strap around you so we can slow you down and bring you back up if we need.” Charlie tells me in a soothing voice, handing me a blue piece of fabric to tie around myself. He smiles reassuringly. “I’ll hold on to the other end.”
Gio: The DelGado Trilogy (An Enemies to Lovers Romance) Page 4