His Caged Dove -Mafia Romance (BOOK ONE)

Twenty-Nine: Dove

Gently, I grabbed onto his hand that he offered. Once on my feet, I dusted off the soil off of my apron with my free hand. My gaze went to my hand that was still in his and he pulled away as if I burned him. The tension was still there and without another word, I finally decided to pull out the flower seeds. "I've finished planting and cleaning up most of the estate. I thought, since you were gone, I could help you done some spring cleaning since winter is over. The greenhouse seemed to be rundown and it's rather beautiful to not use it. I was hoping to plant some sunflowers, roses, and my favorite flowers inside the greenhouse. Well, it's not just my favorite flowers but also Mother; the hydrangeas."

He sucked in a breath at the flower's name and gripped onto one of the pillars. I bit my bottom lips nervously, especially when I saw his hand was turning white from the way he was gripping onto it. He looked so angry, and I was surprised he didn't try punching something like he usually did. When his eyes found mine, he realized I was trembling, even though I was willing myself to stop. "Shit."

"I..." I trailed off for a moment, trying to gather my voice. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

"Why are you apologizing," he grounded out through gritted teeth. I didn't want to be shoved back into my room and locked away. I should have just stayed doing the two things I enjoyed and didn't anger him like reading or painting. He already gave me more than I thought was possible by allowing me to roam the estate and the outside freely, and here I was cleaning up somewhere I shouldn't be. I didn't even ask for permission. More than anything else, I didn't like the look on his face. It pained me, like someone was holding my heart and squeezing it hard. I didn't know why, but I hated it.

"Because I shouldn't have without asking you," I whispered, tugging my apron as I lowered my head to the ground. I was trained to apologize for anything I did wrong, but right now, I meant it. "I had forgotten to ask, because Aleksei said I could a few weeks ago."

"It's fine, don't worry about it. It's too late now," he exhaled, pain and anger still swarming around his eyes. I wanted to ask what I did wrong, but I knew I shouldn't push him. Judging from Timor before, the greenhouse wasn't meant to be touched.

Did it belong to someone else before me? Someone of that importance and secrecy?

A lover of some sort?

The green-eyed monster clawed its way back up again until he turned back to me. His eyes were guarded and cold. "Did anything happen while I was gone?"

I blinked a few times at his strange question. The three days have been about the same, though about two hours ago, Aleksei left me to tend the greenhouse on his own with panic in his eyes. Yet when I asked, he chuckled and said it was nothing. I shook my head at his question. "No, not that I knew."

"You sure about that?" he pressed on while taking another step towards me. I remained like a deep rooted plant, refusing to give him the satisfaction as I held onto my own ground. I didn't like the cold and hard demeanor on his face. It wasn't like him. He was serious, yet playful at times. Caring in his own way and protective. Right now, it was as if I didn't know who he was. "You better not be bullshitting me."

I nodded. "Why? You're acting strange since—"

"Does Anthony Genovese sound familiar to you?" he asked, cutting me off.

The name made my stomach churn and I had to stop myself from recoiling or holding my stomach from wanting to puke. I did know him, but what did that have to do with anything? Wetting my dried lips, I nodded once more. "He...he's my cousin, adopted from—"

"He was found sneaking around the estate looking for you."

My eyes widened like saucer plates. "What?"