Chapter 34

Ihave no idea what I'm looking for, but Gabe seems to think something's in this house that might give him a clue as to why their father killed his brother's fiancée. Wrapping my head around that bombshell is a whole other thing.

I knew Santo lost his fiancée the night before his wedding, but for it to be at the hands of his father? And then for Gio to kill the man in retaliation…

I wonder if Eloise knows about all this? I'm assuming she does. Gio doesn't seem to keep as much from her. Then again, she never tried to run away from him…

I don't know if Gabe ever would have told me if Kristen hadn't shown up. I know that she's hurting, and I understand why she's blaming the De Bellis brothers. I would never hold the sins of a parent against a child, though. I, of all people, know that we have no control over our shitty parents. Mine were nothing to write home about.

Gabe and I have searched the living room, and now I'm digging through all the cabinets in the kitchen. I'm not finding much, apart from a whole heap of high-end appliances that appear brand new. The front door creaks open and I pause and listen. Until I hear Gio's voice call out and walk around the corner to see him, Marcel, and Vin staring right back at me.

"Daisy, you good?" Gio asks while running his eyes up and down my body, not in the same way that Gabe does. No, it's obvious he's looking for injuries.

"Uh-huh, you?" I tell him.

Gio steps closer to me. "I can have one of the boys take you home. I'm sorry my brother lost his mind. It won't happen again. I'll keep him in check."

I have no idea what keep him in check means. But I don't like the sounds of it. "Why would I want to go home? And Gabe didn't lose his mind, Gio. I have no idea what you're talking about." I shrug while doing my best to appear nonchalant.

Truth is Gabe totally lost his freaking mind. That I'm well aware of.

Gio reaches out and grabs my right arm. He inspects the red marks on my wrists. "Sure he didn't," he grunts before dropping my arm.

"It's not what it looks like," I say.

"I just want you to know that we aren't those types of men. We don't force women to do shit they don't wanna do. I don't know what's gotten into my brother, but kidnapping isn't how we do things."

"Who told you I was kidnapped?"

Gio doesn't answer me. He just raises a single brow, as if to say: really?

"He's fine, Gio. We planned to get away for the weekend, and I wanted to make it more exciting. So I asked him to play along, get into a little role play with me. You know, mix things up in the bedroom and all." I don't know where the lies are coming from, but I can't seem to stop my mouth from running.

"Really?" Gio laughs, just as Gabe finally pops into the room.

"What's going on?" he asks.

"Daisy here was just filling me in on your sex life. Didn't know you had a thing for role play." Gio pins Gabe with a glare that gives nothing away as to whether he believes my lie or not, before his shoulders lift into a shrug. "TMI if you ask me, but whatever gets your rocks off." Then he shoves his hands into his pockets and juts his chin towards the back of the house. "Find anything yet?"

I can feel my face heat up. My cheeks must be as red as a tomato. I couldn't have come up with anything better? I had to go with the whole making our sex life the topic of conversation?

Marcel and Vin are both staring at me with strange expressions on their faces. And I want the world to open up and swallow me whole right now. I'm still trying to figure out why I lied to Gio. And come up blank. He wouldn't really hurt his brother. These guys are thick as thieves. Actually, for all I know, they are thieves.

I just had an overwhelming urge to protect him, to cover up the fact that he lost his shit and kidnapped me. I don't want anyone to think he's unstable. I do know that the longer I'm around him, the more I'm starting to think it was a mistake to try to run from him. I don't even know if I would have gotten all that far on my own. I don't want to be without him.

In all honesty, I probably wouldn't have gotten on that plane. I would have turned around and went home. At least I think I would have?

Maybe I've lost my mind just as much as Gabe has. That could be why we work so well together. Because we're both fucked up in the head. This love of ours is too much. No one should love this hard. The fact that I just lied to his brother without a second thought to protect him makes me wonder what else I'd do.

All this time, I've been judging Gabe. But am I any better? How far am I prepared to go if someone hurt him?

"We haven't found anything yet. We've hit the living room. Daisy's started the kitchen, and I'm halfway through the office," Gabe says.

"Okay, let's get this shit done. My wife has plans tonight," Gio grunts.

"You know you can just use her name, right? El, Eloise, either will do. We all know she's your wife, big bro," Marcel says with a smirk.

"I could, but I like saying my wife so much more," Gio tells him. "Go search the bedrooms. Vin, hit the bathrooms."

"On it." Marcel nods before heading up the stairs with Vin in tow.

Then Gio turns to Gabe. "Obviously, you two have sorted out your differences. Next time, do it without kidnapping my wife's best friend."

"You do realise she's my girlfriend, not just El's best friend?" Gabe walks over, drapes an arm over my shoulders, and pulls me against him.

"I'm aware, but this whole kidnapping thing? We don't do that kinda shit, Gabe. And, Daisy, work on your poker face. You can't lie for shit." Gio narrows his glare on us, then disappears up the stairs with the others.

Gabe turns to look at me. "What'd you lie to him about?"

"I told him you kidnapped me because we were role playing to liven up our sex life." I hide my face in his chest while Gabe barks out a loud laugh.

"Why would you tell him that?"

"Because I was scared. He looked really pissed at you, and he offered to get one of the others to take me home. He really thought I was being held against my will and he didn't seem too keen on the idea," I admit.

"You were being held against your will."

"Well, yeah, but our problems are ours. The whole world doesn't need to know about them, and I don't want people judging you for how you reacted to me leaving. Was it a little insane? Yes, one hundred percent. But I don't want everyone else to think you're off your rocker. Only I get to think that," I tell him.

"I couldn't care less what anyone thinks about me, Daisy—well, besides you. I care what you think of me."

"You care about your brothers too, Gabe."

"I do, but their opinion of me doesn't matter. They're going to be by my side no matter how insane I get. You, Daisy, I care about your opinion of me. I don't want you to have to lie for me. I know I asked you to lie to El, but I shouldn't have done that. I was kidding… mostly."

"I happen to love you, even if you are insane. But you're my insane," I say. Because it's the truth. Am I over the whole being kidnapped thing? Absolutely not. But I can't fault him for loving me.

Fuck, maybe I am just as crazy?

Now that I hear that thought in my head, I can see all the red flags waving right in front of my face. Maybe I need to call my old therapist, talk this through with someone rational.Because, clearly, I'm not thinking rationally when it comes to Gabe.

"What are you thinking about?" Gabe asks.

"That I need to make an appointment with my old therapist," I tell him.

"Why?"

"Because I feel like I shouldn't be trying to rationalise this whole thing, Gabe. I love you. I can't deny that. But does love really make everything okay? Where is it going to end? Because right now, I feel like we're destined to burn the world down around us if it means staying together."

"Is that a bad thing?" Gabe questions.

"I don't know."

"If you want to talk to your therapist, make an appointment, Daisy. It doesn't bother me. I already know what she'll tell you."

"And what'll she tell me, Gabe?"

"That you're better than this. Better than me, and that you shouldn't settle for less than you're worth."

"You don't think you're worthy of me?" I ask him.

"I know I'm not. But I'm keeping you anyway. I don't care how many people tell you to leave, Daisy. I'll follow you wherever you go."

"I have no doubt about that. But just so you know, you are more than worthy of me, Gabe." I lean up on my tiptoes and press my lips to his, while hoping he knows I mean it.