THIN ICE |BOOK I |BWWM|

•ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 16•

•OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA•

Julia POV

Never.

As long as I have been Monroe Rivers, Andres has never gone missing on us.

Sure there were times when we wouldn't have a full conversations for months; but he checked in, kept me updated, and sent Nicolai and I things.

For a week and a half my heart has been filling with desperate worry and the run-in with Gianni only compounded that festering feeling.

My leg bounced for attention as I picked at the blue polish on my nails. Maybe coming here was a mistake. Everything I did lately seemed to be a mistake.

I ran my eyes over Dr.Sullivan's white pin cushioned couch still reeling from our last exercise. Mid-day sun poured in, attempting to be inviting, but forced me to be more reclusive.

"You're doing very good Monroe, ready for something else?"

My anxiety spiked as Dr. Sullivan's too-calm-for-comfort voice floated across the room -interrupting my racing thoughts. I didn't want to go to her, but even I knew it wouldn't be smart not to get help.

Especially after last night.

~•flashback•~

"Get in."

The exploding sound of Gianni releasing his gun's safety rung in my ears and my neck froze as I turned my eyes from side to side.

"Julia! I shot you once, don't make me do it again. I just want to talk."

"How do I know I can trust you?"

"I think you owe me that gamble. I'm not going to tell you again to get in."

I sighed, hesitantly stepping forward and reached for the door handle.

Taking off sounded so good right about now. Yeah, he might try to run me down, but then who would he talk to?- my corpse? Still, I really wanted to see what he would say to me. Curious Cat syndrome I suppose.

I crinkled my lip and I hopped in, defeated. He locked the doors as soon as it closed behind me and took off down the street. He had a large bruise on his jaw and a dried gash on the side of his forehead.

Gianni and I had about as long of a relationship as me and Andres. He was their cousin after all- a few years older than my ex and possessed investigative skills from Heaven. His father was still back in Sicily, but Franco said Gianni would be more useful in the states- at least that's what Andres told me.

Besides handling territory control and being my stand-in chauffeur, he also had the job of "babysitting" me while I was pregnant with my first child and too sick to do anything.

He was truly family.

As the street transitioned from businesses to a blank highway lined with street lights, my palms, underarms, and back moistened.

Gianni pulled to the side, just shy of one the lights, hiding us within a shadow. Keeping his gaze forward, he turned off the engine and pulled the keys from the ignition.

"I hadn't planned on hurting you back there, but when I saw you...with the Russo boy. It's...I don't understand. How could you go against the family?"

"I'm not going against the family -and what about you? Why are you snooping around Russo territory?"

"I'm handling business for Adrian- didn't think I'd find you."

I gave a curious stare.

"I was there that night, you know. I saw your car get shot up." His eyes squinted as if I would disappear if he looked hard enough.