“How are you doing?” Gavino asks, his voice low and concerned. I don’t know if he’s concerned for me personally, or trying to gauge my mental and loyalty status.
Smiling, I fold my hands in my lap to keep from fidgeting under his scrutinous gaze. “I’m good, Gavino. Scared, but I’m good.”
Gavino sits down in the corner of the sofa across from me. Salvatore is sitting in the chair next to me and Arlo is sitting in a chair across from him. I wait, silently, for them to speak, any of them.
“It’s okay to be scared, it’s understandable, but know that you are ours to protect when Massimo is unable to, Pippa. There will be two men on you twenty-four hours a day until this is done. One will always be stationed outside and one will be in your guest room here,” Gavino explains.
My eyes fly up from my lap to meet his. “Here? With me? A stranger?” I ask in a rushed panic.
Arlo clears his throat. “You’re safe, Pippa. It’s normal procedure any time there is a threat to protect the women. Massimo has had a man on you every time you’ve gone out by yourself in public. This will be no different, except he’ll be with you instead of just following you,” he explains.
I knew Massimo had someone on me, I just knew it. I’m not even mad, actually, I’m kind of flattered and glad that he did. Lenora, Nicola, and Luciana have guards and I was wondering if maybe Massimo just didn’t care as much about me as their men do them.
“Okay,” I breathe.
“I put in a call to Renzo, he’s between jobs and can protect you better than anyone else I know. He will be the one who lives with you,” Gavino explains. “Do you have any questions?”
I shake my head, chewing on the inside of my cheek.
“What is it, Pippa? Just ask,” he urges.
Focusing my eyes on his, I notice how tight he’s holding his body. Judging by the way he’s holding himself, he’s not confident of the outcome of this whole thing. He’s worried and that petrifies me.
“You’ll tell me if there’s anything I need to know about Massimo?” I ask, keeping my voice low. “I know he won’t tell me, but you will, won’t you?”
Gavino tilts his head to the side, his eyes searching mine. I think that he’s going to deny my request, but he doesn’t. Instead, he nods his head once. “I’ll tell you what you need to know, Pippa.”
I hate that answer. It sucks ass. I don’t tell him that though, I can’t imagine what he would do to me if I did. Probably kill me himself.
A knock on the door interrupts my thoughts. Arlo stands and walks over to the door. I watch as he pulls it open, a man walks into the room and my breath hitches at the sight of him, no it doesn’t just hitch, it freezes.
The man standing in front of me looks feral. He has long brown hair and a long thick brown beard. His golden eyes shift over to meet mine and I gasp. His eyes are so golden that they look animalistic.
“This is Renzo, he’ll be living here for a while,” Arlo announces.
Renzo drops a bag, the sound echoing off of the walls as he watches me. He tilts his head to the side, his eyes roaming over my face. His lips twitch into a small smirk and his eyes dance as he watches me. I’m still staring at him like an idiot, frozen in place.
“It’s nice to meet you, Pippa. I didn’t want this babysitting job at first, but I’m beginning to see the benefits,” he says, his gaze dropping to my chest before it lifts to meet my eyes.
“She’s married, Renzo, to a Made Man, to famiglia,” Gavino growls.
Renzo lets out a low chuckle and I swear I feel it vibrating in my body. I like Massimo a lot, he’s so sexy that I lose my head around him. Renzo is different. Renzo is dangerous and rugged, he’s like no man I’ve ever been around before. He’s nothing like a typical Made Man.
Instantly, I wonder if the other wives were right when they said that this new famiglia was nothing like the old. Renzo is definitely not what I expected when I was told that a man would be living here for my protection.
“I know she is. I ain’t dead though and I got eyes,” he says, then winks at me.
“Cara?” Salvatore calls out.
Twisting to look over at him, he’s smiling. “Excuse us for a few?”
Licking my lips, I nod. “I’ll just be upstairs in my bedroom,” I breathe.
Turning away from the men, I practically run upstairs. Walking into my bedroom, I look around and try to catch my breath. I’m alone. I’ll have a man here, but I’m alone. Taking my phone out of my dress pocket, I look for Rosana’s name in my contacts and open up the text icon.
I MISS YOU.
ROSY: AUNT IRENE SAYS I CAN’T SEE YOU ANYMORE.
WHY?
My heart slams against my chest at her message.
ROSY: BECAUSE SHE’S A MEAN BITCH.
I snort at her words. Then send her a scolding message telling her not to talk like that.
ROSY: I MISS YOU TOO. I WANT TO SNEAK AWAY. WILL YOU MEET ME?
WE SHOULDN’T.
ROSY: I KNOW. STILL WANT TO SEE YOU.
CAN YOU SPEND THE NIGHT WITH A FRIEND?
ROSY: WHAT ABOUT MASSIMO?
DON’T WORRY ABOUT HIM. I’LL EXPLAIN.
ROSY: SATURDAY. I’LL TEXT YOU.
A throat clears behind me. Spinning around, I am face to face with Renzo. His lips are curved up into a small smile.
“Just us now, girl,” he purrs.
“I don’t think there’s much food here for dinner. Massimo kept bringing dinner home, we didn’t make it to the grocery store,” I breathe.
Renzo nods his head once. “Pizza?” he asks. Turning my lips
