She's Going to Be the Death of Me

Chapter Ten

I ordered to have men meet us at the building. I wanted them to clear any threats that may be present in the area.

When we arrived, my men were posted outside the entrance. As I entered the lobby, the staff didn't dare stop me. Even if they tried, I was in too much of a rush to be impeded.

As a couple of men followed behind us, Giorgio and I pulled out our guns once we entered the elevator. The ride was silent as I focused.

Once the doors opened, we proceeded with caution, checking every corner.  We could see that the men who were assigned to guard Drew were lying dead in the hallway. We signaled to the men behind us to check out the door and entryway. Once they gave us the signal that it was clear, we proceeded to enter the suite.

We signaled for them to go right, towards my side of the place while Giorgio and I went left, towards Drew's side. As we stepped closer, we could see a dead body by the bed and another man shot.

I heard struggling from the bathroom and immediately stepped into view, forgetting all logic. There she was struggling and without a second, I pulled the trigger of my gun.

It was like deja vu. Especially when she spazzed on me.

"Where were you?" she asked angrily

She stormed off before I could even answer, gripping her bloody hand. It was probably best because the truth didn't matter. I wasn't here. I was more peeved that I was on the phone arguing with Giselle right before this.

After getting the okay that the suite was clear, I left out of the bathroom to retrieve a first aid kit for Drew. When I returned, I remained silent as I gently grabbed her hand to tend to her wound. I was surprised that she allowed me to. 

Her anger was justified. She's frightened. Out of her element. Drew was used to dominating men with her mental talents. It was because of me that she had to face the harsh reality that no matter how many beers she drank, games she watched, and tongue lashings she gave, she physically could not compare to a man.

We left Drew alone to get ready while Giorgio and I spoke about the next move. We had been planning for the O'Malley's to attack. I told him to call our parents and our sister. We were going to regroup at a safehouse.

When I returned to Drew's room, she was packing a bag.

"I see you're already packing a bag." I noted

"Yea, I'm going home."

I knew it wasn't a good idea for her to leave, but I don't think she trusted my ability to keep her safe. I needed to her to cooperate for this process to be easier.

She began crying and it was not something I was used to seeing from her. I acted on impulse and engulfed her into a comforting hug. I decided that right then and there, I never wanted to see her cry again.

Convincing Drew that it was safer for her to come with us rather than going back to Philadelphia took some effort, but I succeeded.

I grabbed her bag and allowed her to lead us out of the door. Giorgio was at the entrance waiting for us. We led her out to the parking garage, where three SUVs waited for us.

As Giorgio entered the driver seat, I opened the backseat door for Drew. She, of course, had questions about the plan. After informing her that we would be meeting my family at a safehouse, I could tell she was nervous.

After reassuring her that there was nothing to worry about, she placed her head in my lap so that she could drift off to sleep.

Once I was sure she was deep into her sleep, Giorgio and I whispered about the sequence of events that would occur after we dropped Drew off.

After a few hours on the road, we finally made it to our destination. I bought the house a couple of years ago and had it modified for this reason in particular. Although there were many large windows, I knew that the location would be fine for its 360 views.

I brought her inside of the house and led her to the room that she would be staying in. I allowed her to explore the inside of the room and watched her closely as she surveyed everything. I answered all of the questions that she asked, and she had a lot of them.

She was very inquisitive, and I've learned that she rarely ever accepted anything that I said without explanation. It was easier on me to just answer all of her questions, rather than fighting with her.

I left the room to give her some privacy. My family would be here any minute and I needed to greet my mother. I didn't exactly tell them that Drew would be here when we spoke over the phone. My mother could be... dramatic. And given the fact that she just met Giselle a few weeks ago, I didn't want to rile her up before she arrived.

Giorgio was already downstairs, hugging my mother, who was critiquing the house in Italian.

"Mamà." I greeted

I hugged my mother and my sister, before shaking my father's hand.

"Abbiamo bisogno di generi alimentari?" my mother asked (Do we need groceries?)

"Sì." I nodded

My mother and Gabi found their way to the kitchen and began surveying the dry foods or lack thereof. Giorgio bumped my shoulder as a signal.

"Abbiamo un ospite." I announced (We have a guest.)

My mother looked up from her task with a displeased expression.

"It's not Giselle..." I added

Her facial expression transitioned into confusion.

"Is it Drew?" Gabi asked hopeful

"Drew? Oh, Drew." my mother stated knowingly

"Gabi!" I scolded her

"What? I didn't say much, I just mentioned her."

"And judging by the name, she can't be Italian." my mother scowled

I took a deep breath and turned around to pick up some of their bags. Giorgio and my father followed suit. After placing the bags in the respective rooms, my father stopped me in the hallway.

"I already know what you're going to say..." I started

"You don't." he responded

"Then what, Papa?'

"You brought her here and not Giselle." He noted

"I'm figuring things out."

"About her safety?"

"About her."

He took a sharp breath before nodding. He said nothing more before walking away.