Unraveled (Guzzi Duet Book 1)(71)
“If you’re sure …”
“Positive.” Gian took another drink from his beer as Cara slipped the casserole dish, filled with the marinated steaks, into the oven. “I do have a question for you, though.”
“Oh?”
“What do you want in the future?”
Cara straightened quickly as she closed the oven, and leaned against the warm metal to regard Gian as she spoke. “For what?”
“Us, I guess.”
“I want you,” Cara said simply.
“That’s a broad statement, though. I meant … the details, Cara. Of life, you know. The little things. What do you want with me in all of that?”
“What’s brought this on?”
Gian smirked in that way of his. “I told you once that if you asked me for something more, I would try my very best to give it to you. I’ve done that so far, but now I wonder what you want beyond what we have, that’s all.”
“I want you,” she repeated firmer.
“Yeah, but—”
“Everything, Gian. I want everything with you.”
“Everything,” he echoed.
“I mean, yeah. As it comes, you know.”
“With me.”
“Who the hell else?”
Gian gave her one of his usual smiles, leaned forward, and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “All right, then. That’s all I needed to hear.”
“And nothing’s wrong?”
“No, I needed to hear that. From you.”
It was one of the strangest interactions of Cara’s life, certainly the oddest she’d ever had with Gian, but who was she to question the things that roamed around in his mind? Sometimes, he was so quiet, she wondered what his mind must be like.
“I have some shit to do, so give me a shout when the food is ready, okay?”
Cara nodded. “Sure.”
Something was definitely wrong, she decided as Gian walked away.
She still didn’t call him on it.
“Gian?” Cara rapped her knuckles on the opened office door and peered in to find Gian still had his head bent down as he looked over something on his laptop. “Supper is ready.”
“Can it wait for a minute?”
“It’s set out on the table, but it’ll be warm for a bit.”
“Good. Come here for a second.”
Cara stepped into the office, taking a seat on the couch closest to the window. “What’s up?”
“I bought you a ticket. It’s for tomorrow afternoon. To Chicago’s O’Hare.”
She wasn’t sure she heard him right.
“I beg your pardon?”
Gian looked over at her, his expression blank as he redelivered the news. “You’re going to have to leave for a while. I need you to go, for your own safety, as things are not good here on my end of things. Chicago is the best place to send you, considering everything.”
“No.”
“Cara—”
She stood fast from the couch. “Absolutely not, Gian.”
“It doesn’t matter how much you argue with me about this, and I know you’re going to try, mon ange, but it’s already been done. The ticket is bought. You’ll be in a first-class seat tomorrow afternoon, on your way to Chicago.”
“Like hell.”
“I already talked to your brother as well. He knows when to expect you. He’ll be there to pick you up.”
Cara didn’t care, and she was no longer listening. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Gian sighed. “Is that how you want to do this then?”
“I want to stay with you, Gian!”
“If I didn’t have to send you away, if I could choose any other option but this one, I would do that, Cara. I can’t. This is the only option that completely takes you out of the equation. That way, I can focus on the things I need to for a short while. The faster I get you into a safe zone, the quicker I can get you back with me. Don’t you understand that?”
“I said—”
Gian held up a single hand, quieting Cara instantly. “It is for your best interests.”
“Fuck you.”
He barely reacted to her stinging insult. Even she was surprised at the venom that her tone held.
“Are you angry that I’m sending you away, or because of where I’m sending you, Cara?” he asked.
She refused to give him an answer. Instead, she headed out of the office, going back the way she had come from the kitchen. Gian’s footsteps echoed behind hers, albeit slower than her anger induced speed.
“Don’t run away from me,” Gian called out from behind her.
“Go to hell, Gian.”
“Stop swearing at me, Cara.”
“Not likely.”
She held back from calling him an asshole, but barely.
“Is this what you’re going to do, then?” Gian asked, as Cara strolled into the kitchen. “Fucking run because I did something you don’t like?”
“I’m not—”
“You always run when shit goes south, Cara.”
Fuck him again.
She made her way to the plate she had made for herself, and sat down at the table to eat. Gian stood at the other end, in front of his own plate, with his arms crossed as he stared her down.