I Want You Close, I Want You Closer

Chapter Nine

Your front door opens then shuts with a slam, and Shawn comes into the kitchen not long after, panting, red in the face, his eyes wild with anxiety. It's a stark contrast to your calm demeanor as you stand at your kitchen island, mixing cookie dough while the soundtrack to "Cinderella" plays quietly in the background.

"Shawn, are you okay?" You ask, frowning.

He raises a brow, annoyed. "How are you not okay?"

You sigh. You were baking in an attempt to calm your stress. What with the FBI's proposition for protection, and your offer to Agent Connolly of giving the Mendes family the home left to your by your mother's side, things had begin to stir.

Even if they refused to help the FBI, Manuel knew that they would eventually come and knock their door down, whether it be within the next day, week, or year. After Agent Connolly left the Mendes house two weeks ago, the family launched into a heated argument - one that ended with Karen deciding for everyone.

Manuel and Shawn would cooperate with the FBI and tell them everything about the merger with Nikolai Sokolov, hand over every file and document that was necessary to bring Sokolov and the Bratva in New York down, and bring down the Giovanni family as well - including Rebecca and her shoddy makeup line.

Only after they helped would the family decide on whether or not they would take up your offer and leave to your house in Italy.

That decision had you on the edge of your seat for the last two weeks. You didn't want them to leave. Didn't want Shawn to leave. You ran through every option in your head, talked to your brothers about it, asked around to some of your contacts for help, and nothing worked. There was no way the Mendes family could escape this, no way they could stay in New York and not become targets.

No one liked a rat.

But Shawn and his family weren't rats. They were tricked into a shady business deal, and now your boyfriend was about to either leave the country or go into hiding to avoid being taken down.

Neither choice made you feel good.

"I'm sorry." You say. "I'm just trying not to panic. That's why I'm stress baking." You gesture to the tray of brownies and the tower of cupcakes behind you on the counter, and Shawn shakes his head.

"No, I should be sorry. I just...I wanted to come over and tell you that we did it. My dad and I just finished handing over everything to Agent Connolly."

You sigh with relief. "That's great, babe."

"And we're gonna do it. We're going to Italy."

The whisk drops from your hand, clattering loudly against the bowl.

"Babe?" Shawn calls. You can barely hear him over the pounding in your head.

"I heard you." You say, picking the whisk up again, adding in the chocolate chips.

Shawn takes a step closer to you. "The Mendes Foundation can stay, but it needs to be renamed."

He's at your side suddenly, his hand resting over yours, stopping the whisk. "But I'm not staying to run it. I'm going with my family."

"I know." You say quietly, staring into the bowl. You knew this was a possibility, but you still weren't ready for it.

"Baby." He murmurs. Shawn gently turns you to face him, cupping your face in his hands, trying to get you to look at him. When you do, he frowns. "Hey," he says softly. He presses a kiss to your forehead before wrapping you in his arms. "You know I'm not going anywhere without my girl."

You tense up. "What do you mean?"

He leans back a little to look at you, sheepish smile on his face. "I'm not going to Italy without you. Especially if it's your house and you're not there with me."