Page 76 of Paid In Full

“Bye, Gin!”

I grabbed the plate and slipped out while Enzo and Tex argued. Enzo would definitely be on my ass to give it back, but that was fine. It was fun to make him sweat sometimes. I ate as I drove to the house. I had to get back to Ash and see if he was still there. My stomach turned.If he’s not home, I’ll hunt his ass down.

Even after all the times I told him that he was free to go, I couldn’t go through with it. If Ash left me, I would drag him back, kicking and screaming. My puppy was way too entertaining to ever let him go.

I staredat my cracked phone. My cheek pressed against the wooden kitchen table.

Why hasn’t he called yet?

Maybe Giancarlo’s angry that I freaked out.

I couldn’t help it. Hearing some random guy cry out for help would make anyone freak out. I groaned as I tapped the phone, the light turned on, and the plain background appeared, rubbing it in my face that I had no missed calls or messages.

I flicked it open, and my fingers hovered over Giancarlo’s name.

Call him!

What if he doesn’t answer? What if he’s still busy—murdering someone?

My brain was no help. I groaned as I banged my forehead on the table. The glassware rattled.

How stupid was it that I wanted to call Giancarlo to ask if I should call Giancarlo? The indecisiveness of my nature was ruining my life. His contact sat there haunting me, but what was more pressing was the quietness of the house. My skin crawled. I thought about turning the television on, but I knew it wouldn’t do me any good, not when I’d become used to having Giancarlo’s company.

“What should I do?”

Of course, there was no answer from my phone. I let it slip between my fingers and rest on the table. I closed my eyes as the first ringing sound fluttered to my ears.

“Oh shit!” I grabbed the phone staring at it as I called Giancarlo.

Hang up! No! Yes!

If I hung up, I could play it off as a butt dial later.I want to hear his voice.It had only been a few hours, and I was acting like he’d been gone another eight days.

“Hello?” Giancarlo’s smooth voice washed over me.

I swallowed back the small noise that almost left me. “Hey.”

“You okay?”

No. I had a run-in with my dad. I don’t know what to do about how I’m feeling toward you. I don’t know what you will think.“Yes.”

“Oh.”

My chest tightened at the single-word reply. What did that mean?

“Gin—”

“I’m walking through the door. Let’s talk.”

The line died just as the sound of the front door opening had me jumping out of my chair and racing out of the kitchen. I stopped just as Giancarlo tossed his keys in a small bowl near the entrance. We both froze there, neither of us talking or moving. It wasn’t like we were shocked. He’d just told me he was home, and yet I almost couldn’t believe my eyes that he wasactuallyhome.

“Kid—”

“Where were you?”

Giancarlo stood up straighter. For the first time since he walked in, I noticed the plate he had in his hand. Had he already eaten? I couldn’t squash the uncomfortable feeling that took over me knowing that Giancarlo had eaten without me. It was stupid; of course, he did things without me.

“I went to see Enzo and Tex.”

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