Chapter 27

GIOVANNI

I had my hand on the door, ready to go and get Nova, when something in the parking lot caught my eye. A very familiar truck was in the farthest right stall. Strange considering I brought Nova to work.

My brow arched at the scribbled out word on the hood. How in the hell did that get here? Atlee and I planned for him to pick her up to visit Kato then bring her to my house so she would have no mode of transportation. The last thing I needed was for her to take off in the middle of dinner.

Did Nova go and get her truck? And if so, who took her? I bet it was her blonde friend. I may need to have a word with that guy. Then again it was Nova’s truck. It was probably just as stubborn as her and drove itself here.

My eyes wandered over to Nova who was still talking to the cops. I was caught between pulling her away from them—Simon was mine to deal with, the law could fuck right off—and checking out her truck. It was entirely possible that the cops called her grandmother, who may have come to pick her up. That I wouldn’t have. The only place Nova was going was home with me, which would be hard to accomplish when her legal guardian was here. Meaning, I should deal with that first.

Goddamnit.

With a sigh, I let go of the door handle and headed over.

Someone did indeed drive Nova’s truck here, but it wasn’t her grandmother.

I eyed the girl hunched down in the front seat who was peeking over the steering wheel. And I meant hunched down. That was why I didn’t see her before. Her head was below the bottom of the passenger window. If I had to guess why Nova’s sister was here, I’d say the cops couldn’t get a hold of her grandmother so they called her. That was easy to figure out, but what the fuck was she doing?

Veda ducked down a little more when a man in uniform walked by, and watched him through the gap in the steering wheel.

My eyes swung between her and the cop. He was just minding his own business. He hadn’t even looked at the truck, yet she was cowering like a frightened kitten. Shouldn’t Veda be going in there to be with her sister, instead of sitting huddled against the door?

I’d be in there right now Romeo didn’t pull me away, and I was supposed to hate Nova. Yet her sister, a person who was supposed to love and protect her, was hiding in an old ass truck. Talk about fucked up.

“Hey,” I rapped my knuckle on the window.

Veda screamed, threw something fuzzy, and jumped, banging her back on the door. After which she sat there and stared at me with her wide eyes. I waited for her to move or say something. When she didn’t, I arched a brow and motioned with my hand for her to roll down the window.

She looked from me to the door and back again. “What do you want?”

I was not doing this. Once again, I gave her the motion to roll down the window.

Veda rolled down the window alright, but not the one I was standing beside. She cranked the handle on the driver’s door. Not much, just enough for someone to maybe stick their fingers in.

“What do you want?” She repeated.

This was ridiculous, but what was I going to do? Smash the window? That wasn’t going to help, not that I cared, but Nova would.

With a sigh, I slowly walked around the front of the truck to the other side.

Veda followed me the entire time. Her eyes locked on my movements so intensely that I half expected her to bolt to the other side of the seat when I approached the driver’s side window. But she didn’t. She did sit up and slide an inch back though.

For someone so scared, she was alert. Not once did her attention veer from me. She watched me like a cat stalking its prey. Except in this situation she wasn’t stalking anyone. If anything she was the prey. All tense and ready to bolt at a moment’s notice.

Timid little things like her didn’t realize that we didn’t chase them because we thought it was fun. It was their reactions that made it fun. Men like me could smell fear a mile away. That shit was an aphrodisiac to us. If Nova looked at me like her sister was right now, she’d find herself tied to my bed for a week.

I stepped up to the window and spoke through the open crack, “what are you doing?”

“The police called.”

As I expected, but, “where’s your grandma?”

Technically she had custody of Nova. Not her sister.

“She’s not available.”

That was the exact answer children were trained to give strangers when their parents weren’t home. I knew this because that’s what I was told in grade school during a class on how to stay safe at home alone. Where Nova’s grandma was, I had no idea, but I had a sneaking suspicion that my father had something to do with it. He did mention something about sending her on some kind of golf thing so she would be out of the way this weekend.

“So, the cops called you?”

“Yes.” Veda responded.

“To pick up Nova I assume?”

“Yes.”

“So, why are you sitting out here?”

Her eyes darted to the diner for a fraction of a second then snapped back on me. “There’s a lot of people in there.”

She was fucking kidding, right?

“Your sister was almost shot. Of course there’s a lot of people. They’re called cops.”

Was she fucking afraid of them too?

“I don’t trust them.”

Who the fuck cared if she trusted them? “Your sister seems to be handling them fine.”

“That’s because she doesn’t know.”

“What doesn’t she know?” This should be good.

“That all men are predators.”

Okay, she may have a point there. We kind of were predators in one way or another. Whether it was trying to pick up a chick in the bar, or taking on the opposite team in a sport, we were always stalking some kind of prey. But still…

“Don’t you have a son?”

“My son will be a good boy.”

Or a pussy. Poor kid.

“Now, leave me alone.”

“If I leave, will you go see your sister?”

Nova loved her family. So, for her I would stay back and let her spend some time with Veda. Not because Veda was scared of well, everything, but because I knew Nova needed her sister. I wasn’t always an asshole.

“Nova will find me.”

What the fuck did she mean, Nova will find me?

“She’s right there.” I pointed at the window. “Go see if she’s okay.”

When she looked over at the diner I could see the longing in her eyes, but her fear was stronger.

“I’ll wait here.”

“You sister is surrounded by strangers and probably scared, and you’re going to sit in the fucking truck?”

Unbelievable.

“Leave me alone.”

Fuck that. “Get out of the fucking truck, Veda.”

I reached for the door handle and she shot over to the other side. “You don’t understand.”

“You’re damn right I don’t understand. You are her older sister. When the fuck are you going to act like it?”

“Don’t yell at me. I’m trying.”

“Try harder!”

I was tired of this bullshit. Everyone who should’ve been looking out for Nova had abandoned her or was leaning on her. She should be the one Veda was taking care of, not the other way around. And I’d be damned if I was going to let this shit go on anymore.

“Get out of the goddamn truck,” I yanked on the locked door handle. “and go see your fucking sister.”

Veda lurched back and kicked the door. “Stop it. I’ll scream. Nova! Nova!”

I damn near punched the window.

“Don’t you dare.” I growled and punched the door instead.

The sound of my hit caused Veda to squeak and clamp her mouth shut.

“Your sister was held at gunpoint and you’re calling for her to come and rescue you? What the fuck is wrong with you?”

I wanted to drag her ass out of the truck and throw her at her sister’s feet, but a couple of cops had started to look our way. So, I unfurled my fists and lowered my tone before I drew too much attention.

“Veda,” I took a deep breath and told myself this was for Nova. “Get out of the truck. No one will hurt you.”

“Someone else said that to me once, and he looked a lot like you.”

My eyes locked onto hers. My first instinct was to defend my brother, but I swallowed back my words before they were spat out. If I wasn’t questioning Atlas’s innocence before, then the way she was staring at me would’ve raised some doubt.

Everything I thought I knew was tainted now. Carissa, Aldo and even Atlas. None of them were who I thought they were. I was the reminder of Veda’s monster and she was the reminder of my lost naivety. I hated her just as much as she feared me.

Jarring my shoulder forward I spat out a, “boo,” and shook my head when Veda jolted back. Fucking pathetic.

“Go home, Veda.” I said before any more damage could be done. “Nova doesn’t need you.”

She had me and I would do the job her sister couldn’t. I would be her protector.

The truly sad part came when Veda slipped behind the steering wheel, started the truck, and drove away. She couldn’t look past her own fear long enough to help her sister. I didn’t care what Atlas may or may not have done to her, that was unforgivable. Veda Ford could fuck right off. I wouldn’t let her or her brother hurt Nova anymore.