Page 26 of Run

Eight

Vincent

Her lips were soft, warm under mine, and she sighed against me and then wrapped her arms around me. I held her even tighter, kept my lips against hers. There was so much that I hadn’t said, so much that I didn’t dare say, but I hoped she felt what I did when I kissed, hoped she knew that no matter what, I would be with her through this.

After a moment, I broke the kiss and stared down at her, my thumb working against the soft column of her neck.

“I’m ready,” she said.

Her breath wavered but I could see in her eyes that the heavy emotion of the moment had passed.

It was early, but there was no reason to wait. We left the hotel, Giovanna beside me silent, preoccupied with her thoughts, just as I was, my own leaving me confused.

I wanted to comfort her, and it took everything inside me to resist doing so.

How was it possible that I had so easily fallen back into that pattern, the one where I put Giovanna above everything, including my own self-preservation?

Then I decided it was a stupid question. I was still as angry as I had been when she’d left. I knew that, felt those fiery embers of rage burning inside me.

But I still loved her as much as I had when she’d left, maybe even more.

For years I had told myself I had put Giovanna’s betrayal behind me, that I had put Giovanna herself behind me. It had been a complete lie.

Deep down, I had always known, and in those quiet moments when I was alone, I had accepted the emptiness of my life, had accepted that Giovanna’s absence was the reason.

I looked over at Giovanna, saw that vacant look on her face that told me she wasn’t focusing on her surroundings. On instinct, I reached over and squeezed her hand quickly, but let it go just as quickly.

She didn’t look at me, but I knew she’d reacted to what I had done, though I couldn’t tell what it was.

Stop being an asshole, Vincent. And keep your fucking hands to yourself.

I told myself that over and over again, not that I would listen. All of the things I had told myself, all of the days and months and years I’d spent trying to convince myself it had been nothing. That was another lie.

My love for Giovanna was just as deep now as it had been then. There was nothing that would change that. I knew that now, so all I could hope for was coming out of this with only a few more scars to show for it.

“Are we going back now?” she asked. Her voice was steady, but I heard the hurt in it, heard the way she tried to fight through it. I again felt the urge to protect her from that pain, just as quickly remembered there was no way I could.

I shook my head, a signal to her, but more importantly, a signal to myself. “I have to make a stop first. Then we’ll go.”

“Airport?” she asked, seeming more like herself.

“Nah. I didn’t want to wait to get good paperwork, so we’re driving,” I said.

“A road trip,” she replied on a sigh.

“Yeah,” I said.

I went quiet then, but even though her voice was guarded, still weighed by the news I’d just given her, I knew what she was thinking. We’d always talked about taking a road trip. Santo had rarely taken his family away from home, and when they had traveled, it had been in private jets and armored cars. Giovanna had always wanted to see things with the freedom that being Santo’s daughter would not allow.

There was some satisfaction in this moment, grim as it was. I’d be able to give her at least some of that. Too bad the circumstances were nothing like either of us had imagined.

About thirty minutes after we’d left the hotel, I turned down an asphalt driveway and into a parking lot filled with gleaming cars. I continued past and drove to the back of the building. When I parked, I looked at Giovanna.

“We’re switching cars,” I said, forcing my mind to the business at hand. I’d indulged emotion long enough and now would focus on getting Gia home.

I got out and by the time I reached the passenger side, she’d gotten out and stood next to the car. I reached for her elbow and led her to the black sedan that stood waiting. Once Giovanna was inside, I went to the driver’s side and in less than five minutes we were again on the road.

“What?” I asked a few minutes later.

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