The love I choose to keep | manny montana

I'm coming with you

It's been more than a month and all i've been doing for Rio is make deliveries and pick up things. I havent even seen him since that night at the warehouse. He only calls with instructions. It's like he's been avoiding me and i dont know why. I still do work for him, it's not like he's tryna get rid of me. I had to know what was going on so i decided to find him and follow him.

The first place i checked was his favourite bar and of course, his car was there. I kept my distance and waited for him to show up. Not a long time passed before i saw him making his way out of the bar. I followed him around all day and all he did was go to some stores. Literally nothing that could help me. Finally he parked in front of what seemed to be an old apartment building and went inside. I waited and waited but he never got out of the building so i decided i'd go and just look for him so we could talk. I made my way into the building and started reading the labels on the mailboxes. One of them had J.T. written on it. That was it. Apartment number 54. I walked up the stairs and soon enough reached the fifth floor. I started looking at every door until i finally found the one i was looking for. Just before i raised my hand to knock, the door swung wide open, revealing Rio as he was apparently rushing to go out. The moment he saw me, he stopped.

"You found me." he said smirking and made a short pause. "But now, i need to handle something."

"Like you handled the guy at the warehouse?" i asked and raised my eyebrows.

He tried to push me away from his way but i grabbed his arm and spoke again.

"Rio, what the hell is going on?" i asked as i raised my voice.

He grabbed my shoulders and pushed me inside the apartment as he closed the door behind him. He leaned against the door and looked at me before he finally spoke.

"There are people after us. Another gang. But i'm gonna deal with it and i want you to stay out of it, okay?" he said and i sensed something in his voice that i couldn't quite recognize.

"I'm coming with you." i said as i headed towards the door but Rio grabbed my shoulders and pushed me back, stopping me from reaching the exit.

"I said i'm keeping you out of this. You're staying here, understand?" he spoke as his voice was getting more and more irritated.

"Why wont you let me help you?" i raised my voice as i couldnt stay calm anymore anymore.

"Because i dont want you to get hurt." he replied.

"But why?" i asked once again as i genuinely couldnt understand why he was so concerned with my well being.

"Because i care about you, Jane..." he shouted angrily and stopped for a moment. "I care about you more than you can imagine. And i'm not gonna let you kill yourself because of a mess i made."

I care about you more than you can imagine. I stood there in shock as these words echoed inside my mind. I couldnt comprehend what was going on. Did he really just say that? How was that possible? I just stood there, breathing heavily, not breaking eye contact with Rio and not knowing what to say. I felt tears filling my eyes and just as one rolled over my cheek, Rio cupped my face in his hands and quietly spoke again.

"That's why i was trying to stay away from you. I'm trynna keep you safe, mama." he said as he placed a gentle kiss on my forehead.

I didnt realise i've kept my eyes closed until i let out a sigh and opened them. I pulled myself together and gently put both my hands on Rio's face, pulling him even closer. I looked straight into his deep brown eyes and spoke.

"I am not going to kill myself. I am fully capable of keeping myself safe. All i'm asking is for you to let me help you." i made a short pause. "Please."

In this moment, nothing else mattered. Not the investigation, not Graceland. Only him. And the way he made me feel. Right there, in his arms, i felt like i was on top of the world. Like i was capable of anything and nothing could stop me. I leaned closer and gently pressed my lips on his. He slowly pulled away from the kiss and buried his face in my neck, hugging me so tight, like it was the last time he was doing it.

He interwined his fingers with mine and we made our way out of the apartment. What just happened changed everything. I knew my feelings for him could be a problem, but i could've dealt with it if i knew they were one-sided. But now... everything was different. And the worst past of it all was that i was lying to him about who i was. I had to tell him, but how could i? It could ruin everything good between us. It could make him hate me. And the possibility of this happening was my worst nightmare.

xxx

Hello, darlings. This chapter is the beginning of something huge for Jane and Rio. The next few chapters are going to be the last of this story. But as soon as i finish the last chapter, i am starting to work on the sequel. Hope you enjoyed reading. xx