Page 25 of Twisted Obsession

‘Yours.’

Chapter Twelve

Giovanna

Under instruction, I was back in my room with the door locked. At least in here I could pretend things were normal, even though I seriously doubted that my life would never be the same again. As the only person I seemed to be communicating with properly was Dante, I’d counted the hours since our last phone call, which had been before six that morning.

Finally, he’d arrived back at his parents’ villa. He’d sent a text to give me ten minutes warning he would be calling, and I now had the phone pressed tightly to my ear and was hanging off every word he spoke.

‘It’s fucking annoying.’ The exasperation he was feeling was evident. I listened quietly as Dante explained all the places he and his men had searched as they tried to uncover where Enzo had gone to ground.

‘I can only imagine. But you need to remember, you are all doing all you can and sooner or later he will make a mistake and you will flush him out.’

‘Let’s hope its sooner.’ he muttered, as I heard a door closing somewhere nearby.

‘Can you still talk?’ I whispered.

‘To you, always.’ I could imagine the smile on his lips as he spoke.

‘I heard a door.’

‘That was me shutting the rest of the world out for a few minutes.’ He sighed. ‘How’s your day gone?’

‘Oh, you know. I’ve listened to my mama’s companion about the state of her nerves and argued with Salvatore.’

‘Argued?’

‘Yes. I wanted to go and see Mia.’

I thought back to our conversation.

‘Can I go to see Mia?’

‘No.’

‘I could go with Serafina.’

‘No.’

‘What can I do then? How can I help?’

‘Help by staying here and looking after your parents.’

‘And what if I want to do more than that?’

‘Hear me, Gi… you will stay here, where I know you’re safe.’

With what was happening in and around our family, my jail cell doors had been shut just that little bit tighter. Annoyingly, my brother Salvatore now seemed to hold the key and he was a stubborn man, who although he still looked devastatingly handsome, seemed to have aged considerably over the past few days. I understood it was because of the pressure he now felt after stepping up to be the head of our family. I knew he loved me and that love even extended to our brothers, but at that moment in time, he was hell bent on revenge and keeping us all safe and was making demands of us all.

I’d rushed to his side as soon as I’d seen him emerging from our grandfather’s room only an hour before, desperate to find the companionship from him I had felt over the past few years. I needed a hug from my big brother and a few words of comfort, but I could tell by the look on his face that he had stepped up andaway from being my brother and was so far into his new role, I wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to find his way back. My pleas had fallen on deaf ears, and we had not only argued about me visiting Mia, but also my reluctance to be the one who had to look after my parents.

I understood he was under pressure from every side. Secretly, though, I was worried that his rise to power above my papa had gone to his head, and I was finding it difficult to have him referred to as Don when my beloved nonno was still alive. Whereas I had always found Salvatore approachable before, we were now butting heads. It appeared he was set on keeping me locked away so I was safe, but at the same time he was going out of his way to make sure I didn’t get under his feet.

He was driving me mad.

‘And he refused to let you.’ Dante spoke, sounding resigned to my fate.

‘Yes… Now, before you tell me the same,’ I carried on, ‘I understand that my safety must be a priority. I know I could be the next target if this is something bigger than we’re hoping.’ An involuntary shiver spread down my back at my own admission. ‘But your sister is my friend and I have too few of those. I could go with my guards and the hospital is crawling with our men.’

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