Chapter 49

Gio and Xavier sit in front of me in the tiny fucking room. Although it's slightly bigger than the cell I've been locked inside for the last two weeks.

"How is she?" I ask my brother, because the first and most important question I have is how my wife is doing. I still haven't told him that I married her, but that doesn't matter to him. He will look out for her as if she were his own flesh and blood either way.

"She's doing okay. She really doesn't come out of your room much," he says.

"What's going to happen today?" I direct to Xavier.

"We're going to apply for your bail. But I gotta be honest. The chances of getting it approved aren't great. You're being charged with arms trafficking, Gabe, which carries a minimum sentence of ten years." He sighs.

"And I'm paying you to get me the fuck out of this hellhole," I remind him, my voice rising in volume and my tone telling the fucker in a suit that I'm less than pleased with his assessment. I'm fucking tired is what I am.

"Gabrielle," Gio says my name. His way of warning me to keep my cool.

"If I have to spend ten years behind bars, then so be it. I can't see any other way out, unless you find the fucking loophole of all loopholes." I rake an aggravated hand through my hair.

"We're working around the clock. I don't like this any more than you do," Xavier says. "Their case is pretty fucking ironclad. You were caught red-handed, so to speak."

I nod and pin my brother with a glare. "And what about that fucking rat? You deal with that yet?"

"Alex and I handled it," he says.

"Santo know anything?" I ask him.

"No."

"Good." I look from Gio back over to Xavier. "You get that scholarship set up?" I don't go back on my word, ever, which means I needed someone on the outside to handle the school issue for Carly.

"It's done." He nods. "When we go out there, I need you to keep your mouth shut. Don't utter a fucking word unless I tell you to do it."

"Okay."

I'm led into the courtroom in handcuffs. My feet stop on the spot when I see her. I wasn't prepared to see her. I didn't fucking know she was going to be here. She shouldn't be here. I don't want her to see me like this.

The guard shoves at my back, forcing me to keep walking. And when I finally get to the desk, my cuffs are removed and I lower myself onto the chair next to Xavier.

"What is she doing here?" I ask him.

Xavier turns around and glances over one shoulder to where Daisy is sitting on one of the benches behind us, sandwiched between Gio and Vin. "I didn't know she was coming."

I pivot in my seat and my eyes connect with hers. I don't say anything, but I can see how much of a toll the last couple of weeks has had on her. She has black circles under her eyes. I can tell she's been crying, and she looks like she's lost weight too. I don't like it.

"I'm sorry," I mouth.

"I love you," she mouths back.

I try to offer her a smile. It's forced. I have to find a way to let her go. How can I expect her to wait ten fucking years for me?

I don't tune into a lot of the proceedings once they start. The only words that ring loud and clear through my head are when the judge announces, "Bail denied."

I peer over at Xavier. He looks as pissed as I feel. Then I turn around and see a fresh wave of tears flowing down Daisy's cheeks. I go to get up. I need to comfort her. But Xavier's hand lands on my arm.

"Don't," he says.

I force myself to turn back around. Away from her. And it fucking hurts. I couldn't give a fuck about being locked up like a wild animal. What fucking kills me is being separated from her, seeing the hurt I'm causing my wife.

"I'm putting in a request to transfer you to Melbourne," Xavier says.

I nod my head. It doesn't matter where I am. It won't make a difference to me. Not as long as I'm not with her.

One week later, I walk into the visitation room, expecting to see Gio or one of my other brothers. And realise it's not them waiting for me. It's Daisy. She jumps up when she sees me, and her arms wrap around my neck.

"No touching," a guard yells at us.

I reach up and grab her hands. She doesn't want to let go, but I'm not going to sit back and watch as they pull her off me either. "Daisy, sit down," I tell her before lowering myself on to the seat and forcing a table between us. I have no idea what to say to her. "How are you?"

"How am I? I'm visiting my husband in jail, Gabe. How do you think I am?" she throws back at me.

"I'm sorry."

"You keep saying that." She shakes her head while her eyes focus on anything but me. "I'm sorry too. I didn't mean that. I'm just… exhausted. I need you to come home."

"I know."

"Xavier says your trial is being expedited. I don't know if that's a good thing or not, but it could mean you're home sooner if it goes in your favour," she says.

I don't have it in me to tell her it's not going to go in my favour. Like he said, the evidence they have against me is ironclad. There's no denying what I was doing at the docks. "Did you get the accounts all sorted? And the house? Gio mentioned that it's going to be yours in another week."

"Ours. I'm not moving into that house without you, Gabe."

"The house is yours, babe. I need to know that you at least have that. That you don't have to worry about working or money."

"I will work three jobs if it means having you back. I don't need anything else. I just need you," she whispers.

"I love you. But I don't expect you to wait for me, Daisy. I can't ask that of you. I have no idea how long I'm going to be in here, and this isn't a place you should be coming to visit me," I tell her.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you shouldn't be here. That I understand if this is too much. I get that it's not something you wanted."

"You don't mean that. You promised me forever, Gabe," she says, her lower lip trembling when she looks at me.

"I will always be yours, Daisy. No matter where I am. You will always be the only person to own my heart. But it fucking breaks me to see you hurt like this."

"It's not exactly a walk in the park for me either. But I promised I wouldn't run again. I'm not going anywhere," she says with a little more determination in her voice.

"Tell me what's happening at home? How's it living with my brothers? I know how fucking annoying those assholes can be." I force a grin.

"It's actually been good. They're struggling with this too. I do think Gio's going to send the whole empire into the red if he keeps breaking shit, though. Marcel isn't around all that much. But when he is, he's trying to feed me. And Santo is… well, he's Santo. While Vin thinks it's his job to be my shadow. I'm not sure why, but he acts like I'm a little sister who needs coddling." Daisy laughs.

I smile. "Good." I have no doubt that my brothers will look out for her. I just hope she accepts their help when they offer it. "I like knowing that you're there," I admit.

"I'm going to start applying for jobs. I need something to do to keep busy. I'm not made to be a trophy wife."

I run my eyes up and down her body. And smirk. "You sure about that? Because you look like the ultimate fucking trophy wife to me."

"Why haven't they tried to make a deal or something with you? In the movies, they always try to make a plea deal or something," she asks me, and I wish I didn't have to tell her the truth. At the same time, I'm over the whole lying to her thing.

"They did try. I didn't take it."

"Why not?"

"Because they wanted me to rat on my brother," I explain. "I can't do that. I'm not a rat, babe."

Daisy looks at me, her expression serious. "What about breaking out?"

"You need to stop watching movies, baby. That's not how this is going to work."

"A girl can dream." She shrugs. "And just so you know, if you do want to disappear and become different people, I will follow you."

"I love you," I tell her as I push up from the table. I need to leave. I can't sit here and let her think this is okay. Nothing about this is fucking okay. She should not be in a goddamn prison visiting me. She deserves so much better than all… this. Than me.

"Where are you going?" Daisy asks, rising from her seat.

"Time's up, babe. I gotta go. I love you. Don't you ever forget that, Daisy," I tell her before walking out the way I came. I nod to the guard and he opens the door for me.

I don't look back at her. I can't.