She zoomed in but didn’t say anything. I watched her face, saw her unease, the fear she felt that she tried hard to hide.

“You don’t have to hide from me,” I said.

“Hide what?” Her face closed down.

“Fear.”

“I’m not afraid.”

But she didn’t quite meet my gaze when she said it.

“Of course you’re not.” I stood. “Do you know how to shoot the gun I gave you?”

She shook her head.

I smiled and pulled the weapon out of the drawer I’d put it in. “Figures.”

“I guess you’ve had a lot of experience,” she said.

I glanced at her. “More than you want to know,” I answered, my tone deadly serious.

Her eyes searched mine as if she were deciding whether or not to ask the next question. She dropped her gaze.

No, she wouldn’t want to know just how bloody my hands were.

“Bring the ammunition.”

She looked inside the drawer at the two boxes, obviously not knowing which. I picked up the box and shook my head, leading the way out back. Gia followed.

I realized I’d left my cell phone back in the study when I heard it ring just as we reached the doors.

“I’ll be right back,” I said to Gia. “See if you can manage getting the gun loaded without hurting yourself.”

She took the box and the pistol and gave me a smirk.

“I’ll see if I can do that. I’m just a stupid girl, you know.”

“Nah, not stupid. But definitely a girl,” I said, taking her chin in my hand and tilting her face upward to kiss her mouth. Being around her, it made me want. It was like all I could think of was fucking her, how I wanted to fuck her. The many ways I still needed to fuck her. It was like I couldn’t get close enough. Like being inside her was the only way.

The call went to voice mail, but whoever it was must have bypassed that to call back because it started to ring again.

“Persistent.” I watched Gia swallow, her eyes wide on mine when I released her.

I went into the study and checked the display, swiping the screen to answer the call.

“Salvatore?” I hadn’t expected him to be so quick with the information.

“I have some bad news.”

His voice was so low and grave, my heart fell to my stomach.

“What is it?” I sounded normal, like myself, but it was like I stood outside myself, watching. Like it wasn’t me at all who held the phone and listened to him tell his news.

“It’s our…it’s Franco.”

I sank onto the couch, a sudden chill raising goose bumps all over my body.

“What?” It came out tight.

“He passed away, Dominic. Roman found him.”

“Just a girl…”