His Caged Dove -Mafia Romance (BOOK ONE)

Twenty-Nine: Dove

Twenty-Nine:

Dove

They say those with a clean house will brighten your mood.

At least, I hoped it would cheer Gedeon up when he sees the greenhouse back to its original state after rigorously cleaning, sweeping, and tending the area. After disposing of every single dead vines, leaves, and debris; the place looked sparkling new again.

All there was left to do now was fill in the pots with seeds now that the soil had been added. Picking up my tools and basket, I decided it'll be best to work on the exterior of the greenhouse first and work my way in. Bending down, I began to tend the soil with a small smile on my face as I wondered when Gedeon would be coming back.

"What are you doing?" A voice snapped me out of my thoughts. For a second, I stared at the ground, stunned and surprised that I thought I was hearing this for a moment. I turned my head, still kneeling on the floor as I peered up at who it was, even though I already knew at this point.

Gedeon was towering over me, both hands in his slack's pocket. His hair was slicked and wet from what I assumed to be a shower before coming back. It made him look like he belonged in some magazine or show that Anastasia loved showing me to keep me company the past few days. In a dark navy suit finished with a black tie that was undone, it made him look handsome, especially with his five o'clock shadow. He pushed his sunglasses up to his head, and I was puzzled by the look on his face and the emotion that swirled in his eyes.

"Gedeon, you're back," I smiled up at him, my heart at peace to see he was okay. He had left in a rush three days ago and no matter what I said, Aleksei and Nicolai refused to tell what was happening.

I thought I would see him grinning or smirking like he would usually, but his face remained cold and stoic. In fact, it looked as if he was glaring at me from where I was kneeling as he gritted out, "I asked you a fucking question, sweetheart."

"Oh," I swallowed and slowly gestured to the garden.

Though before I could say anything, I saw Timor jogging up behind him. His eyes landed on me and widened before he took in what I had done to the greenhouse and the pile of trash bags that were filled with the piles of leaves and branches. "Oh, shit. Gedeon, you –"

"Go back into the estate," he commanded lowly. "And have Aleksei explain what happened to you. I'll meet you in the basement later."

Timor still didn't budge as he stared at Gedeon who's whole attention was on me. "She doesn't know that –"

"Now," Gedeon lashed out harshly, making me unconsciously flinched at his sudden outburst. It had been a while since he had lashed the way he did and I guess I had forgotten who he really was. He looked upset for a moment as I casted my head downwards out of habit. That only caused Gedeon to be more upset as he cursed under his breath. I heard footsteps retreating, which I know Timor had listened to his command. After a moment of silence, I heard him taking a shaky breath and his voice was calmer. "Sweetheart, I asked you a question, now look at me. What are you doing?"

I swallowed the lump in my stomach at his nickname indicating he was angry and slowly peered up at him from the ground. "I'm gardening."

"But why here?" he asked through gritted teeth, like he couldn't believe the words coming out of my mouth. I slowly tried to shift my weight from my knees from the ache that was forming from me kneeling so long in the concrete patio. With a nose flared, he growled as he held out his hand in front of me. "Get up from the floor before you infect your damn knees that isn't healed yet."