Page 32 of Reaper & Ruin
“You had your nails done two days ago. There is no way you would ruin your manicure that soon.” Gio chuckled again, this time a little darker, his dark eyes locking onto mine as I checked out my pretty rainbow nails Atlas had painted for me. “Plus, I think you’d miss me too much. Who else would annoy you as much as I do?”
“Nobody. You annoy me the most.”
His smirk widened, and he leaned forward, the soft glow of the fireplace casting shadows across his sharp features. “You think I’m annoying, Heather? You sure about that?”
“You’re a nightmare.” We both knew it wasn’t true, not really. Despite his constant teasing, his cocky attitude, and the way he could infuriate me with just a look, there was something about Giovanni that made everything feel less heavy. Being around him was a distraction, a welcome break from the weight of everything else going on in our lives.
He made me feel safe, and I loved him.
I would still put a bullet in him for fun, though. Only sometimes. I had to keep our relationship exciting and stop it going stale.
The cabin groaned slightly as the wind picked up outside, the old beams creaking from the sudden gusts. I glanced at the window, watching as the trees swayed against the fading evening light, their shadows dancing across the walls. It was a reminder of just how isolated we were out here. No neighbors. No noise except for nature. And no one to hear us scream if something went wrong.
It was hot as fuck. I could live in the woods forever if I had a beach nearby or a pool to get my swim on.
Gio’s hand brushed against me, pulling me back from the edge of that thought. I turned to him, finding his expression softer now, less smug, more curious. “I do love you, Heather. All of you—even the parts you think are childish or stupid orwrong.” He kissed my cheek again. “You are mine, and I always take care of what is mine. So if you really need another cake, then I will make you more.”
My heart clenched, but I ignored it. Hearts knew nothing. They were just flesh, and flesh was dumb. Dumb like Gio’s stupid, bitch, prick, bastard father, who I couldn’t wait to cut open like a slice of lamb when Atlas had finished stealing all his businesses and finding blackmail to stop the rest of the De Luca crew coming for us. Except Giorgio wouldn’t be delicious with some roasted carrots and mint sauce. He would taste nasty because he was made of dirt, and evil, and blackness from the depths of hell.
“Do you love me even when I have stupid thoughts about stupid things?” I wondered. “Or maybe even if I turned into a worm? A really slimy worm that ate rotten food all day.”
“Yes. I would still love you, and I don’t think any of your thoughts are foolish.” Giovanni kissed me again. “Tell me what you’re thinking right now.”
“That I want you to cook some lamb, pretty please.” I blurted as I yanked on the hem of my borrowed shirt. “Think roast dinner vibes. Like it’s Thanksgiving. With carrots and stuffing and lots of gravy. And something called Yorkshire puddings. I saw them on the cooking channel the other week, and I wanna try some. The English lady who made them said they were ‘bloody lovely’. And I feel like I want to eat something like that. It might help me stop feeling stir-crazy.”
He nodded. “I can do that—I already bought some lamb for a curry, but I can easily change it up. You know I’m a master in the kitchen.”
Just as I was about to say something—some quip about how his confidence bordered on arrogance—the lights flickered. Once. Twice. Then, without warning, the entire cabin plunged into complete darkness aside from the fire.
My heart skipped a beat, my muscles tensing. “What the hell?”
Giovanni shot up to his feet, gently placing me behind him, his posture immediately alert. “It’s just a power cut,” he muttered, his tone dropping an octave. His hand brushed over the gun tucked into the back of his shorts, fingers hovering near it, but not quite reaching.
I channelled my hitwoman again, but this time with a proper weapon, as I pulled my cute switchblade from my bra and flicked it open.
“Did we forget to pay the bills? I know I’m poor, but I figured you and Atlas paid the electric bill… has my trophy wife-ness made me not see how broke you guys were, too?” I asked, though I knew damn well this wasn’t about an overdue electric bill. Especially on a cabin the Montana family paid for.
There was a heaviness in the air now, the kind of eerie quiet that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. But I enjoyed having fun, and it was better to pretend than to live in the real world. Even if other people thought it was immature.
“No,” Gio said, eyes narrowing as he peered through the darkness out the window. “This doesn’t feel right.”
I bit my lip, a chill creeping down my spine. Without the comforting hum of electricity, the place felt entirely different—suddenly vulnerable, exposed, like something was watching us from just outside the thin walls.
Then, as if on cue, I heard it. The slow, deliberate creak of the front porch floorboards.
My breath hitched, and I watched Gio look straight at the front door, his body tense, muscles coiled like a predator ready to pounce.
“You heard that, right?” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “You reckon it’s just Bigfoot coming for tea?” It helpedmy fear that Malivore was still sleeping in the bedroom. If there had been an actual monster, she would have come to save me.
I was sure of it…
“Yeah,” Gio murmured, his hand now firmly gripping the handle of the gun. “Probably just a monster,amore mio. You don’t need to worry.”
Another creak. Then another. Each step was deliberate, sending an icy shiver down my spine. My mind raced, already mapping out escape routes that Atlas had drilled into my brain, potential weapons he’d left around for if we were attacked. But we were in the middle of nowhere—no backup, no help. Just us.
I cursed under my breath, my heart hammering in my chest. “Do you think it’s Daddy De Luca? Should I grab a gun and run?”
“Could be,” Gio whispered back, his voice tight. “Stay close. You run if I tell you to, okay?”
