Page 161 of Say I Do

“Gin, don’t do that. See you soon, baby.”

* * *

I climbedout of the car and glanced around. The building was deserted, way out on the edge of town, where there were no cameras, no prying eyes, and no way for anyone to know what we were doing. I walked inside. My eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness as my lungs squared with the dankness and dust.

“You here?” I called.

The sound of footsteps caught my attention. I put my hand on my gun as I turned to the left. Someone emerged from the shadows. As the hood was pulled down, I sighed at Gianpaolo’s familiar face. He glanced around before he jogged over and pulled me into a tight hug.

“You’ve turned into a real creeper,” I said as I slammed my hand against his back.

“Have to,” he chuckled. “If you don’t know how to creep around, you can’t be a good FBI agent, you know?”

When we pulled back, I stared at my little brother. The hair dye, the contacts, and the small alterations Gianpaolo created with makeup made him look so different. It was hard to believe that underneath it all, he looked just like Giancarlo.

“How is he?” Paolo asked tentatively.

“Gin’s fine,” I assured. “As crazy as ever. Currently complaining that he doesn’t have a baby and that I’m married before him.”

Paolo shook his head. “Good ole Gin,” he said. Pain flashed across his face before it disappeared. “I miss him.”

“I know.”

“Hard not being near your twin,” he muttered as he rubbed his chest. “Like a piece of me is missing.”

“I—” I started to say I know, but I had no idea. I didn’t have a twin, so I had no idea what Paolo was going through after being away from Gin for so long. “I’m sorry.”

He waved a hand. “It’s what we agreed to,” he said. “Enzo?”

“Currently calling my daughter disgusting while staring at her curiously.” I chuckled. “He’s nuts too.”

Paolo’s shoulders dropped. “A baby, huh? Thank God, though. I worry about you all.”

“She’s getting bigger every day,” I said as I passed my wallet to him. Emica was dressed all in white. “Harlow is in love with her, even if he’s cranky as fuck lately.” I chuckled. “I can’t believe this is my life. Everything’s so… normal.”

Paolo smiled. “She’s beautiful,” he whispered. “Normal is good.”

“I know," I said as I took the wallet back. “We can’t be long, Paolo.”

“Yeah. Right,” he muttered as he stared at the ground. Something was on his mind that was clear to see. However, he didn’t talk about that. “Shit has officially hit the fan. Darla Shamers coming up missing, the church, the rumors; it’s all turning into something ugly. The local police have called us in to investigate.”

“Shit,” I muttered.

“There were a lot of charred bodies in the fire. It was bound to get someone’s attention.”

“Why did it have to be the FBI?” I mumbled. I wiped a hand down my face. “The triads?”

“Quiet,” Paolo said. “For now. That doesn’t mean the war is over. It won’t be anytime soon. Your husband just had to—”

“Don’t,” I said shortly. “He didn’t mean to start this.”

“And yet he did.” Paolo folded his arms over his chest. “I don’t think you understand how bad this is going to be, Benito. The war is on. There’s no going back. My boss wants me on this. That puts me at risk, and if I’m at risk—”

“All of us are,” I added. I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Do you need to get out?”

He shook his head. “Not yet. I might be able to help this thing from the outside. I can protect you guys and track the triads better if I have access to the information I have now. Just... be careful,” he said. “This thing is going off the rails. There are these rumbles that big shit is coming. I don’t want my family in the crossfire.”

I nodded as I absorbed his words. Gianpaolo was right. Things wouldn’t end well. I knew it deep down, even if I didn’t want to admit it right away. Harlow had done what he could to protect me and our family. Now I had to make sure I did my part to keep him and Emi just as safe.

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