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 as 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, Gia shakes her head. She wipes her slightly wet skin dry and looks up. Even though the driver wouldn't dare budge, Gia would never show herself being this vulnerable.

She lifts her shaky hand to her mouth in disbelief. Biting her tongue to not let the whimpers out, Gia lifts her head and looks outside. Endless meadows pass by. What catches her eye are 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 hears the first thick voice say. Gia looks up to see where the sound is coming from. Once the driver get's her attention, he speaks further, "We have arrived."

With that information she looks outside her window to see that they had indeed arrived at her house. The driver get's  up out of the car and opens her door. She stands up with a grunt because of the discomfort in her stomach.

The doctors informed her that she had been shot just under her lower right rib. Nothing important had 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. Mary makes direct eye contact with Gia.

"They're waiting on you." She informs Gia with concern laced on her face. Gia pulls her eyebrows together and walks through the door. She takes off her vest while asking, "Who are you talking about?"

Mary takes Gia's vest while answering, "The Shelby brothers." Gia nods and walks to her husband's office. "Gia?" She stops when she hears her name and turns around. "Yes?" She questions. Mary looks wary before she keeps going, "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 is 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. The feeling she has isn't the one of being scared. She even feels safe with Tommy in her house.

It feels like somebody broke into her house. Even though, 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.

Gia has the feeling she has to look over her shoulder even though no one is 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 says in the silence of the room. Her voice sounds strong, but not threatening. She could even sense the grin on his face.

He slowly turns his head her way. "Ah, Sorella." He grins. The 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 stands 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 all of the sudden and by the fairly new information. Luca 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 in whisper 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.

For the first time, she has run out of words. Her deepest regret had been used in a sentence by the man she despises most.

From the moment she pulled the trigger till this exact moment, her life has only filled with guilt and remorse.

"You'll get to deal with me now." Tommy voices 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 that look on her face.

"You can leave with John, Arthur and your cousins if they want." Tommy puts one hand in his pocket while gesturing with 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 for 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 can see a regret from a glaze in her eyes.

He never really gets to see this side of her.

So, the only thing he knows to do is to take her into his arms. "I love you. Always will." He kisses the top of her head.