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“Thank you.” I slipped a few bills in her tip jar and went on my way.
The moment I stepped out on that patio I knew Salvatore was there. I didn’t have to see him, I felt the hairs stand up on my body and that was enough. When I turned, he was staring at me, unmoved by my presence. He knew I’d come.
I went straight to his table and knocked the glass of wine in front of him down like I was a pissed off cat. By the annoyed look on his face, I’d say hedidn’tknow I was going to do that. Well, at least I still had the ability to surprise him.
“You have a lot of nerve, Fiori.”
“Something bothering you, Grazi?”
“I don’t remember asking you for protection, so maybe you want to explain why your gorillas were following me?”
“Ah, come on, Yannis is a sweetheart.”
Not caring that a lot of heads will turn our way, I raised my voice to get him to stop with the damn jokes. “I’m fucking serious!”
“I told them to stay back unless there was a problem. Was there a fucking problem, Grazi?”
“No.” I lied through my teeth. “I was dancing. With a handsome man. I was having a great time before Yannis ruined it.”
Salvatore’s color started to change gradually from neck up. The blood was slowly rising to his head and he smashed his fist on the table. He rose to his feet and came to look down at me. I was more turned on than intimidated by his power move.
“You wanna repeat that, Grazia.”
Oh, you bet.“I was dancing.” I dragged my words. “With a handsome man.”
“Did he touch you?”
“How is that any of your business?”
“No one touches what’s mine.”
“Oh, my God!” I threw my hands in the air. “You are impossible. Your possessiveness is out of control. How reckless could you be to send your men to follow me in Gianni’s club? Do you know how easily someone could have recognized him…”
“So what? What is Gianni Caputo gonna do to me, Grazia?” He leaned in closer and I could smell the wine on him. He’s been here a while. “I’m not scared of your brothers and no one could stop me from taking care of you.”
“I didn’t ask you to take care of me, Salvatore! I’ve asked you the opposite. I keep telling you it’s time for us to stop… for you to let me go, but you don’t listen. You push yourself into my life, you send people after me!” I only stopped for a second to fill my lungs with air. “You need to let me go. For good.”
I wanted his claws out of me, now more than ever. All I could see was red fog, everything in sight tainted by raw anger. Our history? My feelings? The vows we made? In this moment they meant nothing.
“Never. Stop talking stupid.”
“I’m not yours, Salvatore!” I screamed in his face and the words sounded more like glass shattering around us. “I’m not your fiancé, I’m not your girlfriend, I don’t even think I’m your friend. I donotbelong to you!”
I needed to stand my ground, now more than ever.
Salvatore’s face darkened and he turned into stone. He wasn’t angry, he was raging, turning into something I’ve never seen before. His eyes were pinned on mine. He didn’t care about the people around, about anything else –just me. We fought a million times before, it was what we did. Some people have relationships with flowers and candlelit dinners; we get turned on when we butt heads. I’ve said some harsh things to Salvatore, called him some horrible names, but I’ve never seen him like this. This was the first time his reaction made me take a step back instead of running towards him, but the moment I tried to put distance between us, he cuffed my wrist with his hand.
“Walk.” He gave me a one-word command.
“Where?”
Instead of answering, he started moving, dragging me along. We left the bar without him even bothering to pay his bill and marched down the busy streets of the old city. He pushed everyone out of his way like a tank moving through a battlefield. There was no stopping him, not until we made it to his car. We didn’t get inside, like I thought we would, but instead he pushed me on the hood, coming to chain me with his arms, so there was no way to escape. When I found the courage to look up at him, I didn’t see eyes, I saw two pits of hell burning unleashed. My entire body shivered. I was in danger. I was lost.
Chapter 5
I’ve been stabbed seven times. There was a bullet in my arm still from a shootout last year. Countless scars were spread on my body, hidden by the ink of my tattoos – my battle scars. None of it had hurt as much as her words. No sword could cut as deep. No bullet could make me bleed as much as Grazia’s rejection. I felt like a wild animal wounded in the forest and everything in me was yelling that it was time to strike back.
Grazia didn’t try to resist when I took her out of the restaurant, but it didn’t matter because I was ready to pick her up and carry her on my shoulder. Fighting with her was ordinary, but I always won and she always came back to me. Saying anything different was vindictive and I wasn’t going to let it slide like it was nothing.
