Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10: Giovanni sighed as he dropped into his office chair, watching Nicholas pace around his office.

"You are making me dizzy. Please, sit." He told him and after a moment Nicholas complied.

"What did you find?" Giovanni asked as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

He was so stressed with everything with Natalie he didn't want to deal with this. He wanted to explore the attraction he felt so strongly for her.

But, duty calls, he thought glumly.

"We found that the assailants shot from just outside of the gate." Nicholas told him.

"What do you mean? We have a lot of protection even outside of the gates there is no way." He said and Nicholas shook his head, grimacing.

"Apparently one of our guys went on a cigarette break." He said and Giovanni tried to tamp down his anger. Natalie could have been shot, because of that one mistake even though they were trying to get to him. She was still in the line of fire and just the thought of Natalie getting hurt like that in any way had his chest tight with panic.

He shoved the feeling away just as Nicholas spoke again, his next words surprising him.

"We...did figure something out though. The shots weren't intended for you. They were all aimed towards where Natalie was standing." He said and Giovanni stiffened, shock spiraling through him in waves.

"What?" he managed.

Nicholas nodded and pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it and took a long drag.

Even Nicholas, Giovanni noticed, was tense.

"All of the shots were meant for her. No doubt. If you hadn't shoved her down her pretty little brains would've been blown out all over the wall." Giovanni flinched, but covered it with a cough.

"Do you have any idea who did this?" he asked and Nicholas sighed, shook his head. "No. We have scoured the fucking place. Up and down. Nothing. Whoever did this was good and knew how to cover their tracks." He said.

Giovanni nodded.

"Keep looking. They had to have left some type of evidence behind. Also, look into Natalie's past. Get a list of the men her mother were dating and send them to me once you have them." He said on a whim of the rage pulsing through him.

Nicholas, confused, nodded and turned to leave when the door burst open.

A very beautiful, and very angry Natalie burst through the door wearing a white sundress and tan cardigan, her eyes narrowed into slits as she glared daggers.

First, though, she turned to Nicholas and took the cigarette from his fingers and put it out in the ash tray.

"Don't smoke in here! The materials and furniture are too nice." She said and surprisingly smacked the back of his head before turning to Giovanni. She was already ordering his men around and taking charge, he realized.

She was acting...wifely.

He ignored the pleasure he felt at the thought. She crossed her arms over her chest and cocked a hip. Giovanni tried to hold back a groan. She really didn't know how tempting she was.

"We. Need. To talk." She growled through clenched teeth.

Giovanni sighed and waved Nicholas out.

"Yes, mi amour?" he asked and her glare deepened.

"Don't you dare start with that 'mi amour' shit. I want to know why we were shot at. Why I was almost killed because of YOU!" she snarled and he was surprised by how much the statement pained him. His jaw tightened as he became angry, angry at himself for letting her little words affect him. He stood and stalked to her, like a panther does prey.

Her eyes widened and she stumbled back until she hit the wall. His arms shot out to cage her in. He noticed, with some pleasure, how aroused she was.

Her flushed cheeks, the fast rise and fall of her chest. "What was that, mi amour?" he asked in a low, deadly voice. She trembled as he lifted a hand and wrapped it around her throat, not hard enough to hurt, but to show who was in charge.

"You do not talk to me like that." He whispered as he ran his nose along her cheek.

"You never...ever talk to me in such a manner, mi amour." He said and enjoyed the anger that flared in her eyes.

She was a spitfire. He liked that about her.

"I can talk however I WANT!" she growled and his eyes narrowed, his grip tightening.

Still not at the point of pain, still soft. He realized with dismay that he couldn't hurt her no matter how hard he tried, how much he claimed he could he wouldn't be able too.

"For your information," he started in a low and calm voice as he pressed soft kisses to her jaw.

"They weren't shooting at me." He whispered and felt the confusion in her movements.

He pulled back just enough to see her eyes.

"They were shooting at you..." he whispered and she froze.

"W-what?!" she spluttered.

He nodded as his thumb absently raced circles onto the soft skin of her neck.

"Stop that!" she said, her voice hoarse with desire.

He chuckled and took a step back from her. She seemed to slump against the wall and he smirked, glad that she reacted to him in such a way.

"What do you mean? They were meant for m-me?" she asked as Giovanni turned away from her.

"I mean...they were meant for you. The shots were all meant for you, but I managed to get you out of the way in time." He said and Natalie contemplated that for a moment, her mind reeling. Why would someone shoot at her?

Yes, she was supposed to be the new wife to Giovanni, the heir to his mafia throne, she thought with an inward snort. So, they could be trying to take her out before that happened, before she could get pregnant with Giovanni's children. But, he could always just get another woman if anything happened to her and what would they do? Keep killing off his wives before they could get pregnant or have Giovanni's child? That seemed like a lot of work and she didn't think they would do that, but then again she was new to people trying to kill her.

She suddenly had the urge to giggle and before she could stop herself it sputtered past her lips. Giovanni turned to her, his face a mask of confusion and shock.

She was laughing?

At a time like this?

It was a wonderful sound, though. He didn't want it to end and happily, it didn't.

As soon as the first giggles were out the rest were ripped from Natalie in soft cackles. She grabbed her stomach, tears streaming down her face.

Giovanni's lips twitched.

Natalie slumped against the wall, her giggles finally dying down until they were just soft hiccups of laughter.

"S-Someone is trying to kill me. Of ALL people?" she gasped out and was sent into another fit of giggles.

"What the fuck?" she laughed. "What has happened to m-my life?! First, everything is normal or at least as normal as it gets and then I'm kidnapped by the don of the mafia. Supposed to be your wife and your baby mama?" she giggled.

"N-now someone is trying to kill me! Lil' old me!!!!!" Finally after one more fit of laughter.

It died down and she sobered.

"Someone is trying to kill me." She whispered softly and Giovanni nodded, his anger resurfacing at the flicker of fear he saw in her eyes. He didn't want her to be scared, he wanted her happy. He pulled her up close to him and cupped her jaw tenderly.

"I will not let that happen. I promise you, mi amour. You are mine. And I protect what is mine." He said as he stroked the soft skin of her jaw. Her eyes flicked up to him and he winced at the tears that misted over them.

"What are you doing to me?" she whispered, repeating his inner questions.

"What are you doing to ME?" He countered as he rubbed his thumb over her lower lip.

"I'm not good for you. I have...demons. Demons that you don't deserve to be exposed to." he said in a soft voice. She didn't look at him with disgust, she only closed her eyes and dropped her head onto his chest.

He gathered her into his arms and sat down on the couch.

Soon, Natalie's breathing evened out and she was snoring softly.

He smiled at the sound.

It was like a soft purr.

He stroked her hair and as he stared down at her, promised on his mother's grave he would find who was trying to kill Natalie. Trying to hurt what was his. He would find who was doing this and he would end them.

Even if he died trying...

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