Guns and Roses

08: Baths, Kisses, and Pizza

I walked up from the basement, wiping off the blood from my hands with a wet towel. This was the confirmation we needed to find my mother and grandparents' killers. The California clean-up crew came in and walked down to clean up the dead bodies. Han, Sam, Ami, and Jay were upstairs getting cleaned up. Alex and Luca were following me, quiet for once.

David, one of the crew members, was passing me but I stopped him with my hand. "I want to send James back with a note."

He bowed his head and said, "Yes, Miss Thanos." Then he walked off. The clean-up crew was those who couldn't deal with killing another human being but were not put off by blood. They were most likely born into the Famiglia, giving them little choice of being part of it. The two ways of getting out were death and a really good reason for the Don to give you a pardon. I don't get why they saw us, the soldiers, as a higher power than them. I see them as equal to me, but it's hard to change their minds once they make them. Trust me, I have tried.

I didn't feel any emotions yet other than numbness, leaving me cold and empty. It usually took me about an hour or two before I'm back to a balanced normal. Alex and Luca were sitting around in the blue and white kitchen where I was. The island and drawers were a royal blue while the upper cabinets were white and glass doors. The island tabletop was made out of a butcher block while the countertops were made out of marble.

Alex was digging through our cabinets looking for food while Luca stared at me. "What," I snapped.

Luca walked up to me and cupped my cheek. "Kitten?" He wiped off a little blood from under my eye.

I raised an eyebrow and slapped his hand away. "Leave me alone. I'm busy," I growled. I turned around and grabbed a piece of paper off the island to write the note. This boy has no control over me, emotionally or physically. He has no right to interrupt my work.

"Gaia," Luca growled back, but I ignored him. He gently grabbed my upper arm and spun me around. "Gaiana, don't ignore me."

"I'm just going to go," Alex said nervously as he left the room to God knows where.

"What's wrong, baby," Luca whispered.

I clenched my jaw and looked away from his eyes. "Nothing."

"Look at me then."

I rolled my eyes and made eye contact with him. "There. Better? Now get away from me. I need to call my cousin." I shoved him away and turned to get my phone from the island, but it was snatched out of my hands by Luca. I turned back to him and growled, "Give it back. I have a job to do." I tried to jump for it but my short ass couldn't reach it.

"No. Not until you lighten up." I glared at him and turned back to the letter, ignoring his aggravating ass.

'Dear Silver Bullet,
Fuck you.
You're next.
Signed, Don Thanos'

Short and sweet. Just the way I like it. I felt Luca look over my shoulder. "Classy, kitten."

I pushed him away and growled, "Mind your own fucking business." I grabbed the note and a plain black switchblade with a rose engraved at the end. I walked out the front door, with Luca following, and over to David. He was about to load James into the back of their truck. "Open the body bag." He zipped it open and, with the knife, I stabbed the note onto James' chest. "Go ahead and send it to Silver Bullets." He nodded and loaded James into the back. With a slam of the doors, they were off to wherever they went.

I turned and walked back into the house. "Gaiana." I continued to ignore the puppy that was following me. Damn him and that nickname. I felt arms wrap around my waist and pull me against a hard chest. Luca leaned down and whispered, "Gaiana. Baby, come back to me. You don't need to be so tough anymore, kitten." While his right arm was wrapped around me, right under my breasts, his left arm wrapped around, leaving his left hand on my hip. With his thumb, he slid under the bottom of my shirt and rubbed circles on my hip.