Chapter 18

After a long-ass night of flying, a yawn rips through me. I'm dreading that in just a few hours, I have to stand through a wedding ceremony for my brother. All because our uncle and Marco are backing Gia and Walker into a corner, forcing them to have a small ceremony today before either of them can get out of it.

I glance up at the house that was supposed to be the place I called home for the years I lived here. Yet I feel nothing. No warm, fuzzy feeling for finally getting out of Italy and back here. And no real sense of relief. I guess that's because I'm still a long way away from freedom. A lot of puzzle pieces need to move around and fit together before I can consider myself off the hook from my uncle and the Romanos. One of the hardest things about the next few days is going to be pretending to Walker that everything in my life is fine. But he needs to stay calm. To ensure he does, I'm going to play it off like I've been living the freaking dream.

Gross.

"Whatcha think, girl? Happy to be home?" Rossi drawls, grabbing my suitcases from the trunk.

"I wouldn't go that far," I mutter, gazing up at the window that is my room.

I'm no safer with Beckett than I was with Enzo. That became pretty clear when the asshole left me in Italy with a complete psychopath.

Rushing out of the house, Natasha beelines it for me. She's thinner than she was the last time I saw her a few weeks ago. Her arms look like toothpicks, and her eyes seem more sunk into her head than I remember.

Throwing her arms around me, she pulls me against her, catching me completely off guard.

"It's so good to see you," she says, and I swear she sounds like she's weeping. "I've been worried …" The words die in her throat, and when she pulls back, I see her eyes on Rossi. "I've just been worried that you've been overwhelmed with wedding details, and I've been over here, unable to help."

Rossi doesn't say anything; he just keeps his face stoic before dipping it closer to me. "I will take these to your room, Ms. James."

"Thank you, Rossi." I smile before he takes off into the house, a luggage bag hanging from each hand like they are as light as a feather.

Natasha doesn't know that Rossi is good. And even though I know Hudson and Rossi are somehow working together in whatever they are doing, I don't talk about that to Rossi either. And if he asked me anything about my relationship with Hudson, I wouldn't spill anything, even though he did tell me about Hudson's wife and baby. I have learned you can never be too cautious.

I wish I knew where Rossi and Hudson fit in the Romanos' lineup. If they actually work for them, or maybe it started that way, and then they saw how terrible they were. Or … maybe they never were actually on Enzo and Marco's side. Perhaps they went to Italy with the same goal as me. Take them down. Beckett too.

So many questions I don't have the answers to. And maybe I never will. Who really knows?

"Are you okay?" Natasha speaks in a whisper now. Taking my hands and moving close. "I'm so sorry that I left you there. I … I hope you know I didn't want to."

Her words tell me what I already suspected. She isn't bad. And maybe she doesn't even want to be with someone like Beckett.

"I'm all right." I nod. "And it's okay. I know my uncle enough to know that it wasn't your idea to take his twenty-year-old niece to Italy and leave her as property to a monster like Enzo Romano." I look her in the eyes. "But now … Walker has been brought into Beckett's scheme."

"Yes." She looks around nervously. "Your uncle will stop at nothing to gain power. And Walker … he's expected to become a professional athlete soon. You understand why he was a desirable trade, right?"

Her eyes crinkle at the sides, and I'm shocked to see her skin has the ability to show feelings anymore. Beckett is always poking and prodding her with Botox and other ways to keep her youthful. But her lines? I think they make her more beautiful.

"I hate all of it, Briar. I'm so sorry I didn't speak up sooner. I was …"

"Scared?" I ask, raising my eyebrows.

Slowly, she nods. "Yes. But that doesn't mean I should lie down and take it." She huffs in a breath. "No more though. I'm not letting you or Walker go down without a fight."

I glance around, making sure no one is close by. "Just lie low for now, okay? I think … I think it'll all work itself out." I chew the inside of my cheek. "At least, I sure hope so."

Releasing me, she bobs her head up and down quickly. "Anything you want, Briar."

Taking my arm, she leads me into the house. And even though it's not much, each time I gain a person to fight alongside me, it gives me a little glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe … it will all be okay.

I lie on my bed, looking through my sketchbook. My hands run over the drawing of a dove—a name Hudson has called me since we first met, though I have no idea why. And then he gave me the necklace. I reach up, touching it through my shirt. He said it would keep me safe, but didn't say why.

A swift knock on my door quickly has me closing my sketchbook.

"Ms. James? It's Rossi. You have someone who would like to see you." There's a short pause, but I don't answer. "It's Gia, Enzo's sister. She'd just like to come in for a few minutes. If that's okay, that is."

I pull my knees to my chest, chewing my lip nervously. I knew she would be here—obviously. Her mom and dad too. I guess I just thought I'd be left alone. I hoped I would anyway.

"Look, Briar. I'm not insane like the rest of my family, I swear." A female's voice comes through the door now. "I just really want to talk to you. Rossi can even stay inside while we chat if that makes you feel more comfortable."

I stare at the door, not really knowing what to do.

"Please, girl. Just let me in. All I need is five minutes of your time," she pleads. "After that, you can have this handsome fella toss me out on my ass."

Slowly, I scooch to the edge of the bed and make my way toward the door. Pulling it open, I think my mouth hangs open when I come face-to-face with the infamous Gia. Her father rarely spoke of her, same with his wife. And I never saw a picture of her either. But of course, she is absolutely breathtaking.

Her dark hair pairs well with her tanned skin and beautiful brown eyes. But her lash extensions take away from how gorgeous her eyes really are, and part of me kind of wants to pluck them off.

Don't do that, Briar. That's just plain weird, I tell myself silently, disturbed by even my own thoughts.

"Hi," she says, the corner of her lips turning up. "I meant what I said. Feel free to have this fella toss me out." She winks at Rossi. "But if you do, make it sexy."

He frowns before shaking his head. "Ms. James, do you want to talk to her in your room? Or would you prefer to go on a walk around the property?"

At the word walk , my ears perk up. "A walk sounds nice." I cringe. "Am I allowed to though?"

"To walk? Um, I hope so, girl. This is your house," Gia quickly says, putting a hand on her hip and looking at Rossi. "She can do whatever she damn well pleases, right, buddy?"

He gives her an annoyed look. "Yes, Ms. Romano. She is welcome to go outside on the property." He stops. "I'll just … keep an eye on you, is all."

She gives him a pointed look. "You're going to follow two young girls around? Really?" She looks at me, rolling her eyes. "Did my brother put him up to this? Fucking psychopath. Just like our dad."

She tips her chin up toward Rossi. "You can run off and tell him I said that too. I'm not scared of him. Unlike everyone else in this world."

His jaw tenses slightly with frustration. "The ceremony starts in a few hours, and I don't see you wearing a white dress." He waves his hand at Gia's current attire, which consists of shorts and a crop top. "So, if you're going for that walk, best get going now."

"I should wear black," Gia mutters. "Because that's how I feel about marrying Walker fucking James."

Ignoring her comment, I nod at Rossi and slide a pair of shoes on. "Ready," I say quickly, heading out my bedroom door and past them.

As I lead us down the stairs, I hear Gia mutter something to Rossi about him being a creepy stalker.

I hear Beckett's voice, but I don't see him. I keep my feet light as I head down the hallway and push the large door open, Gia close behind.

Heading toward the walking path that Beckett put in for Natasha, I feel Gia come beside me. Rossi stays back, as if he's trying to give us some space.

"Is he a spy for my brother?" she whispers, putting her head closer to mine.

"Rossi?" I say lightly. "Don't worry about him. He's probably not even paying attention to us."

As if on cue, we both turn around and glance back at him. Sure enough, he's hanging a ways back, looking out toward the woods instead of at us.

"First off, I'm really sorry for whatever hell you lived in during all those weeks in Italy. I tried my hardest to visit you, but my father has always had a strict rule that I never go to the crew complex. And he wasn't about to bend it just because I wanted to visit my soon-to-be sister-in-law." She stops to take a breath. "But I need to know, how bad was it?"

I look at her, searching her face for any ill intention, but I find none. She looks back at me with nothing but actual concern. Maybe she's just working for her brother or her dad, but something inside me tells me that's not the case.

"I mean, it wasn't all bad. Sometimes, the food was really good. One day, I was allowed to go sightseeing." I shrug. "But then, for close to two weeks … I couldn't even leave my bedroom. Not at all. All meals were brought to me there. No going in or out."

"Holy fuck," she utters, pursing her red lips. "That's awful."

A visual of Hudson's face as I sat on it, with him gazing up at me while his tongue was buried deeply inside of me, assaults my brain before another picture rushes in. A vivid image of the expression on his face when I took him into my mouth and wrapped my lips around him snugly. I swallow hard, suddenly feeling butterflies in my stomach. Among other places.

"Yeah. I mean … for the most part, that really wasn't much fun."

Her steps slow, and she glances back at Rossi, who is now farther away, before her eyes search my face. "Did he … force you to do anything?" She chews her bottom lip nervously. "My brother."

Even though I can tell she's not a monster like her brother, she has so many of the same facial characteristics he has. Their eyes are the same color, and their lips have a similar shape, only hers are fuller. It's hard not to see Enzo when I look at her. But that's not fair because that means I'm judging a book by its cover. And as a girl who came from absolutely nothing and always had dirty, worn-out clothes, I know firsthand what it's like to be judged.

And it sucks.

"He came close a few times. But something always seemed to save me." I think back to the times when he hinted it was going to happen and remember that dread and fear that coursed through my body. Yet somehow, something always came between him and me. "He has a lot of women, apparently. So, I wasn't on his radar much."

"Thank God for that," she whispers. "Women actually throw themselves at him. Can you believe that? He's a pig. And literally the worst person. Yet they see what he has and hear how powerful he is, and they overlook the bad shit." She shakes her head. "It's gross."

"He is your brother though. So … you must love him?" I choose my words carefully. "And I totally understand. After all, family is family."

Stopping me, she puts her hand on my shoulder. "Girl, I wouldn't piss on him if he were on fire." She drops her voice to a low whisper. "I promise you, there are things below the surface about my family that are much, much darker than you know. And I'm going to take them down. Maybe not today or tomorrow. But one day, I will."

Stunned by her answer, I have a hard time forcing my legs to move when she starts walking again. But eventually, they do.

"What are you going to do?" I utter. "I mean … no offense, but your family, well, they are …"

"Evil?" she guesses.

"Well, sorry, but … yes." I grimace. "Aren't you afraid?"

"Are you?" she asks, lifting a brow. "Because something tells me that you're not nearly as doe-eyed and helpless as you make yourself out to be."

Trust no one.

She could be just another terrible person who's good at fooling others. She could be the devil, disguised as a gorgeous angel. I might have a good feeling about her, but I'm not going to trust my gut alone. The next few days are too critical for that.

No mistakes.

" Of course I'm scared," I say dramatically. "Your brother whipped me to the point that my entire back was covered in welts and cuts. And then he locked me in my room for a few weeks, giving me no contact with the outside world." I narrow my eyes at her. "So, if you're asking me if I'm up to something, no, I'm not. I'm simply following the rules and not getting myself killed."

At least, that's what I want you to think.

Then again, I'm pretty sure sucking Enzo's ex-bodyguard's dick in my bedroom isn't exactly following the rules. But she doesn't need to know that.

"Boring," she grumbles. "And also, I'm not buying it. But it's fine. You don't trust me, and I guess I can't blame you there." Stopping when we get to a small overlook that looks out at the pond on the property, she pats my shoulder. "If I had been held against my will by your brother, I probably wouldn't trust you either. I guess all I can do is show you."

"Speaking of brothers," I say, pulling my lips to the side. "You and Walker, huh?"

"Ugh, don't remind me," she groans dramatically, throwing her head back. "Been there, done that. It was fun, but it's in the past."

"Ew!" I whine, shaking my head. "Don't need to know!"

"My bad." She shrugs. "It doesn't help matters that both of us are in love with other people."

At her words, I grin. "Yeah. I don't think he'll ever get over Poppy Wilson. That's for sure." I jerk my chin toward her. "You're in love with someone else too?"

She sighs before leaning forward to get a better look at the pond. "Yeah. But our families don't exactly get along. So, there's that." She blows out a breath. "And who the hell would be dumb enough to fight for me? Hello , look at my family. It's a fucking freak show."

I scrunch my nose up. "Look … I really want to tell you that you're exaggerating. But the truth is, your family is pretty awful. I mean, I don't know many people who lock people inside their rooms or beat them with their belts. So, yeah, they're fucking cray-cray."

She laughs, snorting a little bit. She wipes under her eyes as moisture gathers there, and when she stills, she gives me a small smile. "You know, it probably shows how screwed up in the head we are, right? The fact that we joke about this terrible shit that would scar most people for life?"

I think about my next words for a minute, looking back at Rossi as he stands a short distance behind us, looking out at the pond from a different spot on the trail.

"I think that if we lost our sense of humor in it all, we'd probably never survive the shit life has thrown at us." I exhale. "We'd better head back. The last person's radar I want to find myself on right now is your dad's."

"Same," she utters, and when I start to turn back, she catches my hand. "Briar?"

"Yeah?"

"For what it's worth, I'm really sorry for anything my family has done to you. I can only hope they'll get what's coming to them soon enough."

Giving her a tiny nod, I shrug. "It's all good, Gia. We'll get out of this. Somehow." I give her a teasing smirk. "And if not, at least you get to marry my sweet, handsome … non-psychotic brother. It could always be worse. You could have to marry someone like your brother instead."

"Huh," she says thoughtfully. "Never thought of that, I guess."