Page 17 of The Bonventi War
"Oh, screw you."
"Look, I just want to keep you alive," he says sternly. "Until I figure you out and what I can get from you. Then you're free todo whatever the hell you want for all I care. So, until I'm satisfied—these aren't suggestions, Raven. They're requirements."
"Requirements?" I roll my eyes. "I don't care what you want. You killed my brother, remember? And now you think you can control my life?"
"Let's not forget your brother tried to kill my brother first, remember?" His voice drops dangerously low. "And someone put him up to it. Until I find out exactly who, these are the rules."
The car pulls up to the gallery, and I've never been so grateful to see those familiar doors. Before the driver can get out, I grab the handle.
"Okay, here's my rule," I spit out. "Go fuck yourself."
Gio's hand wraps around my arm as I start to exit. "The tag, Raven."
I twist away from his grip, my skin crawling from where he touched me, and step out onto the sidewalk. I turn to look at him still sitting in the car. "Stick it up your ass."
I storm toward the side elevator, jabbing the button repeatedly as if it will make it arrive faster. I can feel Gio's presence behind me, gathering like a storm cloud.
The elevator dings, and I step inside, turning to face him as the doors close. His expression is thunderous, a mix of anger and something else—frustration, maybe even concern. But I don't care. All I know is that I need to get away from him, to breathe, to think. As the elevator rises, I lean against the wall, thinking. I know this isn't over.
But he can go to hell with his rules and his tracking devices. I'm not his possession to monitor.
When the elevator doors slide open, I rush out, my heels hitting the ground angrily as I walk. I fumble with my keys, shoving them into the lock with more force than necessary. I fling the door open, ready to slam it shut when something catches my eye—a small, blinking red light in the top corner of the ceiling.
"What the hell?" I say, confused, and then it hits me. "What the actual fuck?" I yell and stumble back out into the hallway colliding into a solid wall of muscle. Gio. He's there, of course he's there, probably followed me up. His green eyes bore into mine, unreadable and intense.
"Did you put that in there?" I demand, jabbing a finger toward my apartment. "A camera?"
Gio doesn't flinch. He doesn't even blink. "Yes."
Again, with his so damn calm, matter-of-fact tone. It just makes me see red.
"What are you, some freaking voyeur?" Heat floods my cheeks. "Is there one in the bathroom too? Huh? You want to watch me pee? That your thing, you?—"
"Enough," Gio growls.
I stumble back as Gio advances, my legs hitting a chair. My knees buckle, and I fall into it, my heart racing. A strange, burning sensation rushes through my body, and I can't place what it is.
Gio stands over me, his presence overwhelming. "It's just for the living room. Covers the main doors. Just in case someone comes for you, I want to know about it before they put a bullet in your head," he says, then pauses for a moment.
A bullet in my head?
"And no, nothing in the bathroom or bedroom," he continues and bends down. "Trust me, if I want to see a woman naked, I don't need cameras. You're just a job, a task to get what I'm after. Don't go flattering yourself, thinking I give a shit what happens to you beyond finding out what I'm after."
His words sting more than they should. I tell myself I don't care what this man thinks of me, but something in my chest tightens.
Gio grabs my purse from where I dropped it and shoves the AirTag inside. He tosses it onto the chair beside me, the leather hitting my thigh.
"I don't care if you hate me," he growls, "but you'll follow my rules, or whoever you need protection from will be the least of your damn worries."
Before I can respond, he turns and slams the door shut behind him. I sit there, frozen, my breath coming in short gasps, my body still betraying me with this strange weakness.
I close my eyes, willing sleep to come, even though it's the middle of the day. Maybe when I wake up, this will all have been a bad dream.
But I know better. This is my new reality, whether I like it or not. And somehow, I need to find a way to navigate it without losing myself in the process.
9
GIO
