“Not if I have anything to do with it. We have to nail Cobra and then I can work on my plan to convince Vinn that I’m the man for his sister.”
“And if that fails?” he asks.
“I'll kidnap her,” I say and he laughs.
Gia’s mad. I get it. I was an ass when she rejected me before, but she’ll come around. She’ll have to because I’m not giving up on her even if I do have to kidnap her.
A torch light shines in the distance. “Here we go,” whispers Blade.
“Can you stop chewing the fuckin’ liquorice?” I hiss. “It’s distracting.”
“What did she say when your crazy ass gave her the ring?” he asks, taking another bite.
“She didn’t exactly gush with happiness, but she’s just gotta get used to the idea. She’s mad right now, but that’ll pass,” I say with confidence.
Blade laughs. “So she didn’t even accept your proposal?”
“It wasn’t a proper proposal. I was just letting her know my plans. Once this is all sorted with Cobra, I’ll go and see Vinn.”
“And what exactly have you got to offer Vinn Romano for his sister’s hand in marriage?” he asks. “And actually, the final decision will be down to Enzo, and I can’t see him allowing his precious princess to marry a biker.”
“I can offer them more than what Ricardo can,” I say with a knowing grin.
The torch light is getting closer. It stops outside an office. All the lights inside are off, but if Riggs’ intelligence is correct, Cobra is inside that office waiting for whoever this idiot with the torch is. A light flickers on and Blade holds the binoculars to his eyes. “Jesus fucking Christ,” he says. “Did you say Ricardo was in Italy?”
“Yeah. According to Gia.”
“Then he’s lying to her already because that’s him right there,” he says, handing me the binoculars.
“Are you sure?” asks Cree. “Why the fuck would Ricardo have anything going with Cobra?”
“Cos maybe that’s part of his plan,” I say and all eyes fall to me. I’d been thinking about it the whole drive back to the club. “He wants London, right? What better way to take it than marrying into one of the biggest mafia presences since Reggie Miller. You think he’ll stop at taking the scraps Vinn throws his way? He’ll want it all eventually. To do that, he’ll need to build an army. We know Cobra is setting up some kind of biker club. He’s not causing all this havoc alone. Ricardo and Cobra plan to be the next Vinn and Riggs.”
The room is silent for a minute. Everyone is processing what I’ve said, but they know as well as I do it’s completely plausible. Riggs’ phone rings, breaking the silence. He answers and utters a few words before disconnecting. “Talk about fucking timing,” he mutters to no one in particular. His eyes meet mine. “Enzo Romano is dead.”
Chapter Twelve
GIA
I’ve often sat in this leather chair and stared into the orange flames of the burning fire in my dad’s office. Usually, I’d sit with a book or just watch my dad while he worked. Today, the fire is unlit, my dad’s laptop lies unopened on his oversized oak desk, his office chair is empty, and I am staring at the half-drank glass of whiskey left there by him over a week ago. A week without him and yet it still feels like he’s going to come into the room any second, shouting for my mum to keep him company while he goes over the books for his restaurants. The office door creaks open. I don’t bother to look up. Whoever is there will no doubt make themselves known sooner or later.
“Gianna, you’re creasing your dress,” whispers my mum. She gently takes my hands and pulls me to stand, before brushing down the skirt of my fitted black dress. I feel like a child again about to start the first day of school. “People are starting to arrive,” she adds. Her face is pale and I can see where she’s tried to apply blush to give her some colour.
“I’d rather stay here until we have to leave,” I say quietly and she smiles sympathetically.
“Vinn says we have to stand together. Show people we are still strong. I wish we could both stay in here until we have to leave, but we can’t. We have to pretend we are holding it together even if inside we are dying.”
“And I feel like I am, Mum. I feel like I’m dying and if I could just close my eyes for long enough, I could join him.” A stray tear falls down my cheek and she pulls out a white handkerchief, chasing it away as quickly as it came.
“Don’t talk like that, Gia. And don’t let Vinn hear you talking like that. We have to be there for him. He pretends he’s okay, but I know he’s struggling. We all are. Once today is over, maybe it’ll feel easier?”
I sigh. “It feels too soon to be burying him.”
I was surprised when the coroner released my dad’s body just four days after he was killed. Apparently, strings can be pulled to get whatever you want when you’re Vinn Romano. It’s not like the police need that report anyway. They won’t be anywhere near this case. It will be down to Vinn to get revenge, if he can ever figure out what the hell happened.
The house is starting to fill up with mourning guests. We are greeted over and over as we pass through from room to room. I leave Mum speaking with an associate of my dad’s and head to the kitchen, where all hands are busy preparing food for the wake. Vinn wanted it back at the house. He said it’d be safer here.
An arm snakes around my waist and I smile politely at Ricardo. I haven’t had a chance to speak with him or Vinn about the
