Page 39 of Fight Me Daddy

I'm alone.

Did Gabriele take off in the middle of the night? My heart raced as I searched for him wildly and cursed him out in my mind for being a dog. I looked around for my phone and finally turned to the nightstand. My cell was there on the charger as well as a bottle of water and two Tylenol. I grabbed the pills and swallowed them down with the water before I allowed myself to smile.

Gabriele.

Bits and pieces of the night before came back to me, but I could barely think straight. All I remembered was Gabriele wrapped around me like a vice every time I woke up and me yelling at him that it was too damn hot for his shit. Of course, he hadn't listened. But I never expected him to.

I moved out of bed and padded around looking for some boxers. Apparently, I'd been too tired to even bother getting dressed after the shower. I shuffled over to the other side of the bed and found another phone on its charger. I clicked the side to check the time and a text popped up.

Glancing over my shoulder, I looked for Gabriele, but he was nowhere in sight. He's still here. The weight in my stomach lifted and I turned back around before I dragged my finger down on the screen curiously.

Ama: Are you coming to visit Dad's grave? Gabe I'm worried about you. Call. Or text. Or I'm going to send people after your drunk ass to bring you home.

Ama: Call me.

Ama: Seriously I will hunt you down.

Amadeo sounded worried. But what really struck me was the fact that they were visiting their father's grave. Is he missing that while he's here with me? I frowned and stared at the text. That's why he was all messed up last night, isn't it?

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

I spun around and the phone clattered onto the nightstand. Gabriele stood in the doorway wearing a pair of my sweats that were a size too small for him. In his hands, he carried two plates of food. But my eyes ultimately landed on his pinched expression as he narrowed his eyes at me.

"You're reading my shit?" he snapped as he stepped forward and sat the plates on the bed. Gabriele stormed over and I stepped back. He stared at his phone before he turned on me. "You have a lot of goddamn nerve, Gonzalez!"

My throat felt like it was clogged with sawdust. Why can't I talk? I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

"Answer me," he demanded as he ripped the charger out of the wall. "What the fuck gives you the right to snoop through my shit!"

I swallowed thickly. "It was a mistake, Gabriele," I said quietly. "I went to check the time and I saw..." I closed my eyes and licked my lips before I tried again. "What I mean is uh... I don't know what I mean. But I know why you're pissed off. Your dad-"

"You don't know shit about my father," he sneered as he got in my face. "What's going on in my personal life is none of your damn business. Is it?"

I shook my head. "No, I know it's not. But after last night-"

"After last night you think you have a right to go through my shit?" he snapped. "I swallow your load and in your mind, we're going out now? Are you a moron? Huh?" He shoved a finger into my chest. "Stay out of my goddamn business."

I stared at him as a chill worked its way down my spine. "Gabriele, I-"

"Sir," he snapped. "I'm sir to you and nothing else."

The cold that shot down my back turned to fire. I shoved my hand against his chest and pushed him away from me. The terrifying danger in his eyes was enough to give me the reality check of the century. He was a criminal and a bastard. And I was going to stay far the fuck away from him.

"Leave," I demanded. "You bothered me last night. It was you that broke into my place and you that dragged me out and I'm in your business?" I scoffed. The more I talked the more pissed off I became. "I never wanted you around me in the first place. So grab your shit and get out of my fucking house. Now!" I yelled when he didn't move.

Gabriele moved toward me and I flinched involuntarily. He let out a scoff of his own before he turned and stormed out of my room. A few moments later, I heard the thundering of feet and the slam of my front door. I closed my eyes and sucked in a shaky breath.

Fuck. What was that?

I laid a hand on my chest and tried to calm my racing heart. Anger blazed in my chest, but underneath it was something else. I stared at the door and even though I knew Gabriele wasn't coming back, I waited.

Like a dumbass.

Finally, I sat on the bed and choked back a sensation that I hadn't allowed myself to feel in years. I pushed my fingers into my hair and kicked myself for ever allowing myself to be vulnerable around Gabriele to the point of tears.

This is on me. Naive and stupid.

"Fuck!" I yelled. "Idiot. You damn idiot!"

I shot up from my bed and forced myself to put one foot in front of the other. Gabriele Bianchi was not going to be the reason I fell apart after all these years.

I refused to give him that satisfaction.

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