The next morning, Gia and Alvan stood in front of a mansion waiting for their client. Gia leaned against Alvan's car with her arms and feet crosses in front of her while he stood about 3 feet away with his arms crossed and his feet apart.
Bubba walked out of the mansion with two bodyguards at his sides and he beamed on seeing Gia.
"Gia Salvatore!" Bubba Jenkins exclaimed. "Nice to meet you again. I hear that you are married to Alvan. That night at the Strip, I thought you were there for me. Didn't know you were there for this hunk of a man. Funny how you didn't appeal to me like the type to fall in love," he yapped as he walked towards them.
Gia pressed her lips in a thin line as he approached them and stood in front of her with a smile.
"Such a lovely reunion but we should get going," Alvan said as he glanced at his watch.
"I'm more relieved seeing that it's the two of you that are protecting me today. You two will make such an unstoppable duo," Bubba said.
"Let's get going, Bubba," Alvan nudged the man gently towards the door and glanced at Gia at the corner of his eyes.
Alvan sat in the driver's seat, Gia in the front with him then Bubba and his two bodyguards at the back with him between the two of them.
"Couldn't you go for a more spacious ride?" he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Or the extra security would have taken another vehicle. Maybe you didn't go through my profile but my comfort means a lot to me," the forty year old chubby man whined.
"Sorry for the discomfort, Mr. President," Gia said sarcastically.
"Is that a compliment or are you mocking me? I know all of this is your fault. Look Salvatore, I know that you don't like but as your client, my comfort should be your utmost priority."
"Comfort over safety, is it?" she asked drily.
"You still think I had something to do with what happened in Prague, don't you? Ah! Now I know where this is all coming from!" he laughed loudly, his chubby body vibrating softly.
Alvan noticed how rigid she had become at the mention of Prague. Her eyes were aloof and cold again. Just like they had been when she woke up that morning.
Gia clenched her fist and stayed silent. She placed a hand on her waist, contemplating her next move. Alvan glanced at her, his body was fully on her alert. He was weary that she might reach for a weapon.
"Aren't you going to say something, Salvatore?" Bubba further taunted. "My sources say that you begged for mercy. Oh how the mighty fell."
Gia closed her eyes and just focused on breathing. The tears were so close to falling. She hated the man with every fiber in her body. Now Alvan was curious to know what really happened in Prague and why every time it was mentioned, it seemed to cause a certain reaction from her.
"That's enough, Bubba," Alvan snapped at him.
The next twenty minutes were the longest of Gia's life. Her feet bounced on the floor of the car all through the ride, her small hands were clenched into tight fists in her lap. She felt like screaming, she felt like reaching down for her dagger and sinking it through his meaty flesh straight into his heart. She imagined the satisfaction she was going to get. Her hands trembled with self control. Alvan eyes caught her every struggle to remain in her seat.
She was the first to step out of the car as soon as Alvan stopped in front of a warehouse. She felt suffocated, she felt dizzy, she wanted to puke out her guts.
"Are you alright?" Alvan asked from across the other side of the car.
She just nodded her head and they both scanned the area before letting Bubba and the other two guards out of the car.
There was a guard at the entrance of the warehouse there to lead them to Bubba's client. The guard led the way, Bubba and the two bodyguards were next in line while Gia and Alvan where a few feet behind them.
"I don't know what history you two have together but don't let the man get into your head. He is ours to protect," Alvan said to her.
"Yes sir," she said drily.
She looked so cold and detached that he felt like he was looking at a completely different person. Everything about Bubba set her off, he wondered what happened between them. This side of Gia made him feel very unsettled. He was on his toes at every moment, just in case she lost control.
They stopped at the entrance of the warehouse while Bubba, his two bodyguards and the other guard went inside.
Gia tried to keep her emotions in check. She managed to block off her emotions, she wasn't ready to process anything let alone allow those memories flood back in.
Bubba returned after about an hour and half and he was mostly quiet. Something Gia was grateful for. Something must have happened inside but as long as he was alive, she didn't need to worry about ticking Omri off with Bubba's corpse. The headed back to the car and Alvan drove Bubba home. The two bodyguards stayed back with him at his house while Alvan and Gia left for their flight.
Gia broke into cold sweat at the sight of the aircraft. Staying around Bubba Jenkins had made her even more agitated about her flight.
* * *
Since their return home, Gia was more withdrawn than she usually was. She barely acknowledged Sophia and Camilla's taunting.
She avoided everyone, including Javan whom she was closest to.
"Babe, are you even listening to me?" Diana asked with a pout.
Alvan looked up from his plate of food, "Sorry what were you saying again?"
He was on a dinner date with Diana but he was distracted most of the time. He had a mission in two days. He wasn't anxious about it but his brain needed space and time to think clearly. The events at New York barely gave him time to process his own thoughts because he was mostly worried about Gia. Something he shouldn't do.
"I'm starting to get worried. Did something happen between you and Gia while you two were away in New York?"
"What do you mean?" he asked cluelessly.
"It's been three days since you two returned from New York and you have been acting so weird. You've been acting all different. Is there something you're hiding from me? Did something happen between the two of you?" she stared at him pointedly.
"I don't know what you're talking about. What do you even mean by 'acting all different'?"
"You've been spacing out a lot in the middle of conversations. Even while we're making out or even in the room. Did something happen between the two of you?" she explained herself.
"Oh," that was all he could say.
"Do you realize how unfair to me you have been to me since getting married to her? I have been the one trying so hard to make this work. What happened to all the promises that you made to me?" Diana said to him in frustration. Despite her anger, she knew she couldn't raise her voice at him but she knew she had to say something.
Alvan's jaw locked, "I've had so much going on. You'll need to get used to that. I have more responsibilities now and it's only going to get worse from here," he said to her.
"It's not fair that I have to be the one always adjusting to fit whatever changes that suit you. What about me? Don't you care about how anything affects me? I've been here for you since forever. All I'm asking is for you to show me how much I matter to you. Is that too much to ask?" she asked, her voice breaking with emotion.
"Do you think I'm not trying too? I am trying so hard to please my father and stay faithful to this mafia because that's all I've been told to do all my entire life. I'm trying hard so but you just don't see that either."
"You know what? Get lost! You know where to find me when you get back to your senses," Diana picked up her purse and left the restaurant in anger.
Alvan ate alone in silence and paid up before leaving.
He went straight home instead of going back to his office. His head was throbbing and he was not looking forward to any human interaction.
He went to his room to changed into something more comfortable when Gia walked in with her gym bag. She busied herself most of the time training with Dante.
She barely acknowledged him and went about her stuff.
Alvan picked up his laptop and sat down on the bed to work. Gia went into the closet to grab a pair of clothes. Her body still glistened with sweat. He took his time to look at the tattoo on her shoulder, her sports bra making it easy to observe it. Rose vines were on front part of her left shoulder. It started from the head of her collar bone to her shoulder and crawled to about one-third of her neck. The ivy behind her shoulder covered her scapula and intertwined with the rose vines at the top of her shoulder and the lower one-third of her neck.
She went to the bathroom and slammed the door shut.
She came out fresh and more at ease compared to how she came in. She was wearing grey joggers and a light blue shirt.
"I'm going to be away for a few days," Alvan tried to get her attention but she just walked out of the room and slammed the door. He hissed in annoyance. She was unbelievable.