Arianna POV:
Gio had been heavily distracted the past couple of days. I thought his night out and the dazed day afterward was a one off occasion, instead, it had become normal. He would drop me off at work in a stupor and then be whisked off elsewhere. Only every couple of days would he sleep in and then make a normal appearance in the office. What bothered me was not the erratic behavior, it was the calm acceptance everyone had towards it. Luca told me not to worry, that Gio was handling something important.
I wanted to ask, to know what was so important he was killing himself over it. The only reason I didn't was I knew the answer, he had discovered something about my father and was working hard to uncover it. He was gathering evidence, finding leads, endless nights doing god knows what to someone to get what he needed to know. I didn't mention it when I saw the blood splattered on his collar in the morning, and it didn't make me as sick as I thought it would. Not when I spent my days correcting the horrors of my family. I was far too busy helping businesses sort out their finances after years of financial abuse.
"He's exhausted," I stated aloud, but it was clearly directed at Luca as I was once again dropped off at the office in the morning.
Luca opened the door for me. "He's doing important work, but it's almost done," He looked down at me with a reassuring gaze as I passed him.
"He'll burn himself out going like this, if it isn't done soon like you say, I'll get involved," I warned him.
He gave me a small smile. I had come to the conclusion Luca was supportive of the pseudo-relationship Gio and I had formed. I believe he wanted his cousin to have something more than his vendetta against my father.
"Morning," Becca met us but not in her usual cute dress she had her coat on and my coffee was in a to-go cup.
I grabbed the cup. "What's wrong,"
"The tailors," She replied and we turned around heading back out to the cars where an SUV met us and we went off to the tailors.
On the way there Becca explained what had happened, "They tried to smash it up last night luckily our men were there and they stopped it, but they still got some damage done first,"
I felt horrible for the poor tailor who had been put in this situation because of me. I knew my sister needed to be taken down a notch but I didn't want any collateral damage. This woman had suffered enough and I wouldn't have her blood on my hands.
We pulled up and only one of the windows was boarded up with some red paint splashed on the blue storefront. I sighed and looked down, of course, my sister would be petty and take this out on someone who hadn't done a thing wrong.
I stepped out onto the cold street brustling and pulling up my collar. I smiled at one of Gio's men who was cleaning off the paint. "Becca please get them some coffee," I asked her and she nodded along.
"Oh Miss Caputo," The tailor shot up as I walked in. "I'm so sorry,"
I held up my hands and stepped forward. "It's alright, I'm the one who should be apologizing," I stopped her from panicking. "This was because I took her fabric my sister is petty and it's my fault you got caught in the crossfire,"
"Arianna," Luca shouted coming up to us our men outside stood up, cars screeched to a halt I grabbed the woman and put myself in front of her. They jumped out of the car, but where I thought I'd find my sister instead I found my father.
More of our SUVs showed up as he entered the store men came from the back door and I gripped the arm of the tailor behind me as she hyperventilated. I took her and wrapped her in my arms straightening my spine. Something I found involuntary when I was scared, was some sort of facade to trick myself into choosing strength.
The men behind us had their guns drawn and my father still waltzed in like he owned the place.
"My, my, you are certainly hard to find darling," He grinned at the men behind me.
"Whatever issues you have with me, you let her go," I told him.
He laughed looking at the shivering woman in my arms and shaking his head. "She gave up your sister's wedding dress how can I forgive that? It's made my life hell your sister is on the warpath," He rubbed his temples with his thumb and middle finger, I knew was telling the truth.
"That was me and you know it," I called him on his fake anger towards the woman, the one person in this world I knew who would never fall for Giulia's bullshit was him.
He stopped his rubbing and stood up straight. "But she let it happen, she's one of his. He's filled you with these lies and kept you locked up in a cage, what am I to do as a concerned father," He began his elaborate tale of why I had no blame in all of this.
I rolled my eyes, I certainly knew where Guilia got it from.
I thought of her face the childish joy she took in her orders, I pictured her snapping her fingers at the restaurant.
An image of her face contorted and sneering appeared to me in a haze, for some reason it made me think of my mother.
We had been talking about my mother.
Just as I was about to focus on my father and the reality around me, Gio walked in the door.
"Domenico," He cordially nodded his head walking over and taking Luca's place beside me. Luca in turn took the tailor out of the back of the shop.
"So nice of you to join the party, now you can return my daughter to me," He demanded, there was no give in his words, but we weren't on his territory.
"You have no say in what goes on here," Gio told him the men behind us pointed their guns at my father. I hated to admit it, but part of me was scared. That small child in me was scared to see her father die, even if he was horrible.
My father was one to know when to leave, he didn't stop as he walked out the door. "You will return to me or more of this will follow," He called to me.
I watched as he got into his car and drove off his men scurrying back into the sewers with him. Just as quickly and swiftly as they came they went. I leaned into Gio exhaling a shaky breath.
He held me against his chest and I grabbed onto him.
"Don't worry he's bluffing," Gio told me, but we knew that wasn't true.
My father was now aware of how close Gio and I were, he knew I had at least some information on him and he was determined to know it. He was grasping to find something to pull at, and Gio was gaining traction at an incredible rate.
He took me home and I decided to take a bath to calm myself down. The tailor had been taken to her children, they were all safe. Becca and Luca were downstairs with Gio discussing whatever it was they were discussing.
I sat in the bathwater, as shaken as I was by my father's threat to hurt innocent people, my mind wasn't focused on that. I curled up my head resting on my knees watching the image of my sister in my head contort and redshift. I watched the water ripple as I poked at it and skimmed my hand across the top. I did everything to remember what I was forgetting. I cursed the sake I had imbibed in.
Such a shame you know that I never got the same love and devotion you did before it was too late
The proud smirk on her face as she said it, a chill went through my blood and I got out of the tub. I put on my bath robe and dried my hair as best as I could but the thought was running in my head.
I walked downstairs and into the den, as they sat drinking the odd look on my face must have said it all. Gio stood up and resigned himself to the question I had to ask. Luca and Becca excused themselves.
"Do you want a drink?" He walked over to his bar cart.
"Where have you been this last week?" I asked him, not giving in to the distraction. I didn't want to forget this conversation.
"I have been working on something impor-"
"Something important," I finished for him. "I know," I walked over and sat down. "I remembered something from our lunch with Guilia…the way she said it…I" I stopped because this was something awful. Awful to ask and awful to know.
"Are you sure you want to know?" He sighed pouring a glass and then pouring another coming over and setting it down in front of me.
"I don't, but I think I already know," I felt my eyes prickle, I looked up at him waiting for him to tell me, but even he didn't have the heart to break it.
"Did he have my mother killed?"