She's Going to Be the Death of Me

Chapter Eight

"You're a stalker." my brother accused

I was in my office actually working when he walked through the door with a smirk on his face.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I played dumb

"I checked your flight plans so you can't lie. Why else would you be going to Philadelphia three weeks in a row?"

"To handle business, you idiot. I was thinking of building a field office there." I lied

"That would be a good reason if you were actually scouting buildings."

"Why are you here?" I avoided the conversation

"To let you know that your little escapades are not going unnoticed."

"What are you talking about?"

"I actually didn't know you were going back and forth to Philadelphia until an ambitious soldier told me he caught some of O'Malley's men lurking around there." he explained, "Then I thought to myself why on earth would they be so concerned about Philadelphia when they've been so hell bent on New York?"

I remained silent as I waited for him to finish his monologue.

"Then I thought you know who lives in Philadelphia? Drew Taylor. But why would they be so interested in her? Unless they knew my brother was interested in her."

"I'm not-"

"Aht aht, you're missing the point, Giovanni." he scolded, "They know where she lives."

I thought I was careful. I quickly put on my jacket and made a few calls to Deacon.

"I'll be at the club." Giorgio announced

"You're not coming?" I asked

"To help my little brother clean up his mess? Absolutely not." he smiled while sauntering out of the room

I was quick to make my way down to the car. I instructed the driver, Samuel, to take me to my jet. I informed the pilot that I would need to leave immediately and make it to Philadelphia as quickly as possible.

I received updates from Deacon about her whereabouts and if there were any present threats.

Make sure they don't get to her. I texted him

When I received the notification that Drew managed to get away from the O'Malleys, I was relieved and impressed. I called her cell phone and she immediately declined. It will never cease to amaze me how smart she was. But now was not the time to be weary of tracking, the O'Malleys already had her location. I called her again and this time she answered.

The sound of her voice, even frantic, was music to my ears. I hadn't heard that voice or boldness in her tone in so long, I hadn't realized how much I missed her.

I remained calm as I instructed her on what to do. I relayed messages to Deacon so that it was timed perfectly when he and his men would crash into the O'Malleys. I continued to lead her closer to me so that I could swoop in like the hero and save the day. She was bound to fall for me after this, I was sure of it.

I leaned coolly against the Range Rover as I waited for her arrival. What would she say when she saw me? God, I hope she wasn't crying or too terrified that this moment would be ruined. Once I saw that she turned off her car, I walked over and opened the driver side door.

"Are you okay?" I asked genuinely

"I was just in a car chase with men who were looking for you. No, I am not okay!"

God! This woman was so hard to please. I just saved her...again. Where was the gratitude? Instead, I was met with attitude. I rolled my eyes before going over to the passenger side and opening the door. I grabbed her purse and handed it over to her. She snatched it away and I was honestly shocked.

Her ability to have an attitude and be mean at a time like this and knowing what she knew about me was... intriguing. She was fearless and for some reason that made me more drawn to her.

I drove us to the jet in order for us to meet my brother in New York. We would need a game plan and I knew Giorgio was already working on something. Usually, I would have a plot of my own, but being around Drew makes me lose my ability to improvise or even think straight for that matter.

Once we arrived at the club, Drew went to the bar to grab a drink. My brother led me upstairs to the VIP sections so that we could talk.

"It's gone too far now." I announced

"I agree."

"What should I do?"

"Are you, Giovanni, asking me for advice?" He teased

"Giorgio." I warned

"You know what you need to do."

"Not about the O'Malley's, about her."

"You have two options: protect her or let her die." He stated

I didn't need to think of which I would choose. I needed to figure out how I was going to protect her. It was clear that the O'Malleys were determined to get to me. I couldn't protect her and watch them if she was in Philadelphia.

"I'll just have to keep her here." I said definitely

"Is she going to agree to that?" Giorgio asked curiously

"I don't know." I answered truthfully

Drew swayed up the stairs, so we continued our conversation in Italian. She didn't acknowledge us as she took a seat with her drink in her one hand and her phone in the other. I was focusing on the conversation with Giorgio, while she was focused on whatever game she was playing. She didn't even notice that I was staring. I could honestly stare at her all day.

I saw her lips turned up into a smile as she sent a text message. It had to be that John guy.

"Who are you texting?" I demanded

"No one." she said quickly

Without thinking, I rose to my feet and demanded that she give me her phone. I saw that John texted her and couldn't control myself. I needed to know what they were talking about. When I asked her for context, she informed me that they were talking about the movies.

So another date... I threw her phone onto the couch and stormed off. I didn't even know I was shaking until I made it out the door.

Was I... jealous? I had never felt this way before. I was embarrassed more than anything.

I was stalking her. Becoming angry about her love life. I was being possessive. It was unheard of for me. And the fact that I allowed her to see me that way...

As cliched as it sounded, I was falling for her...