Created by the devil

Vulnerable.

She grips the letter in her hand. A tear falls on the paper, making the ink unreadable. Her hands hold the paper close to her heart. She closes her eyes, and hopes, that once she opens them again, the words would change for the better. This can't be happening right now, she shakes her head. She wipes her slightly wet skin dry and looks up. Even tho the driver wouldn't dare budge, Gia wouldn't show herself being vulnerable. The only man that can see her like that is Tommy.

She lifts her shaky hand to her mouth in disbelief. Biting her tongue to not let the whimpers out, she lifts her head and looks outside. Endless meadows are what she sees. What catches her eye is a couple of crows circling in the air. They're signalling the death that is lurking around the corner, and the new life coming their way. One dies, and one comes to life. That's how things go. She lifts her hand to her stomach in grief.

"Ma'am?" She heard the first unhearable thick voice say. She looks up from where the sound is coming from. Once the driver got her attention, he spoke further, "We have arrived." With that information she looks outside her window to see that they had indeed arrived at her house. The driver stands up out of the car and opens her door. She stands up with a grunt because of the discomfort in her stomach area.

The doctors informed her that she had been shot just under her lower right rib. Nothing important has been touched or moved, but the bullet was stuck in an angular area. Which leaves her in uncomfortable pain. She tries to step out of the car and walk up to her house as steadily as she can. The door flies open before she can walk up the last step. She makes direct eye contact with Mary.

"They're waiting on you." She informs Gia. Gia pulls her eyebrows together and walks through the door. She takes off her vest while she asks, "Who are you talking about?" Mary takes Gia's vest when she answers, "The Shelby brothers." Gia nods and walks to her husband's office. "Gia?" Gia stops when she hears her name and turns around. "Yes?" She questions. Mary looks wary before she answers, "The Changretta's are also in there."

Gia looks for a moment at Mary's facial expression before nodding and turning around. Her heels sound loud as she makes her way over to the office. The door was closed signalling that Tommy is occupied, yet she didn't hear a word coming from his office. All she hears is her unsteady breathing motioning her mental state of this situation.

She doesn't really know how to feel at this moment. She isn't scared. She even feels safe with Tommy in her house. It feels like somebody broke into her house. Even tho she knows she's safe, there is this feeling of uncertainty. She can't find a word for the feeling, but this is exactly how it feels. She has the feeling she has to look over her shoulder even tho there is no one there.

She opens the door and walks in. All the eyes are directly on her. Except those of her brother. The only eyes she wants to meet are those from Tommy. The look in his eyes at first is comforting, but she knows him too good to fall for it. She takes her time looking around the room before she sets her eyes on the back of his head.

"Get up." Is all she verbalizes. Her voice sounds strong, but not threatening. She could sense the grin on his face. He slowly turns his head her way. "Ah, Sorella." He grins. Her expression on her face doesn't show hate or resilience. "Will you not greet your brother?" He questions. She repeats, "Stand up." Making his eyebrow lift.

"I was hoping we could-" He starts but is cut short by her voice. "Your mother is dying." Is all she has to say to get him quiet. She elaborates, "Are you going to get up or not? I will not let you see her without me." She sees pain glaze over his eyes before he puts his hard exterior back on, "You forget who's in power. If I want to see my mother I will." She stays stood before she whispers, "I never forget anything."

"It will probably take a while before she does passes, benedici la sua anima. But the faster you've seen her, the faster you'll be able to leave." She keeps going strong. He seems taken back by how cold her voice is and by the fairly new information. He slowly stands up and takes long strides to stand right in front of her.

"Non credo che tuo marito abbia fatto bene il suo lavoro. I'm aware of my mother's need for medical assistance." He turns his attention to the whole room. His brown eyes dart back to Gia's green ones. "I would check that staff of yours, Tommy. While he does that we can do our business." He speaks louder for Tommy to hear.

"What son doesn't want to see his own mother on her last breaths?" She questions afraid of the answer. "The one that has a reputation to uphold for his family." He answers. "Says the one that chases them away." She mumbles full of sarcasm. "Dice quella che uccide il proprio sangue." His voice is full of venom.

Tommy clears his throat next to her. The siblings have been threatening each other and forgetting about the rest of the individuals in the room. She's thankful that Tommy intervened. Cause she has run out of words for the first time in her life. Her deepest regret had been used in a sentence by the man she despises most. Her cousin's killing. From the moment she pulled the trigger till this exact moment has only been filled with guilt and remorse.

"You'll get to deal with me now." Tommy voiced after the air got quiet. He may not have known and might never know what Luca said in Italian, but he knows that he doesn't want Gia to keep the look on her face that she had at this moment. She looked almost scared at his words that hit her like rocks.

"You can leave already with John, Arthur and your cousins if they want." Tommy puts one hand in his pocket while wising the back of his hand to the door. Luca picked up his Panama hat from the table and nodded his head at Tommy. "It'll be fine doing business with you." He says before turning around and saying a couple of Italian words to Polo.

The men leave the room and as Gia tries to follow them on their way out she feels a hand on her wrist. She looks down and looks at the protective hold he keeps on her before slowly lifting her gaze to his face. He looks into her eyes and leaves a small smile to linger on his lips for a couple of seconds.

"He's a bad man, Tommy. Let me deal with him. My family my problems." She voices with a soft voice. "I promised a long time ago to myself that I'll protect anything that I hold dear till my last breath. What I saw was a scared look in your eyes. I don't want you to feel like that, love. So, I promise to always make you feel safe. And if that means I have to make a deal with the devil then so be it." He cups her face.

"I can't outrun the reason that I'm scared, Tommy." She whispers. "What are you talking about?" He questions while he searches the look in her eyes. She looks down and leans into the touch of his hand before slowly leaving a soft kiss on it. Her under lip trembles before she looks up at him, "I killed him, Tommy." He could hear her heartbreaking as her sobs got louder.

He never really gets to see this side of her. So, the only thing he thought was right to do was to take her into his arms. He engulfs her in an embrace, and keeps a hold of her as if she was leaving and never coming back. "I love you. Always will." He kisses the top of her head.