"You are not. Quit crying." I laugh as I open the sliding glass door leading into the kitchen. I grab two bottles of water from the fridge and toss one to Gun. Then I chug half the bottle right where I stand.
"Gun, quit checking out my fucking wife!" Baz's voice rings aloud. I lower the bottle and look at Gun. His hands are up in confusion. "I wasn't lookin' at anything."
Through the doorway, I spy Baz, Gianni, and Gianna all sitting at the dining room table.
"Ignore him. He likes to stir up shit."
I strut into the dining room in my spandex leggings, sports bra, and loose tank top. It's not even like I'm wearing anything sexy. And I just had a baby. My body is far from bangin'.
"Why are you trying to cause trouble?" I kiss Baz on the head as I pass by him. Audie is sleeping soundly next to him in her portable rocker. I loop around the end of the table and take a seat next to Gianni, who's sitting at the head, and across from Baz. Gianna is sipping coffee quietly to his left, giving me the stink-eye, of course.
"Did she wake up at all?" I ask Baz as I pour some coffee from the silver carafe.
"This child hasn't batted an eyelash all morning," Gianni takes it upon himself to inform me.
"That's because she had a dance party in her bassinet all night."
"Madone!" Gianni wags his hand in the air. "You're gonna have your hands full with this one." He looks down at her adoringly. She has every man in this house under her spell.
"Both of them." I don't exclude Baz.
He makes a silly face at me, and I laugh.
"Good morning, Miss Stevie." Frederick appears by my side brightly. "What can I get you for breakfast?" I look up at the tall, thin man dressed in black butler attire. I squint from the sun shining through the wall of windows beside me.
"Oatmeal, please."
"With raisins and brown sugar?"
"Yes. You know how I like it." He introduced me to it.
"Very good." His satisfaction is abundant.
I sip my coffee as I watch Baz dote over our sleeping daughter. He can barely take his eyes off her, and I can barely take my eyes off him.
"Where's Desmond?" When he's not off running an errand for Gianni, he usually has breakfast with us.
"I don't know. Still sleeping, maybe? He had a late night." Baz pops his eyebrows suggestively.
"Oh." I nod my head in understanding.
Audie makes a little sound, and he swiftly turns to check on her.
"Is she up?" I peek over the table top.
"Nope, just fussing."
"I need to feed her." My breasts are starting to ache. If she's not up by the time I'm done with breakfast, I'm going to pump.
"Stevie?" Gianni places his knife and fork on his plate. He's dressed neatly in a white Polo shirt, and his salt-and-pepper hair is slicked back like he just got out of the shower. "I have some business in the city tonight, would you be interested in accompanying me?"
"No, she wouldn't," Baz snarls.
"Baz-" I go to argue, but Gianni just raises his hand slightly, telling me to leave it.
I sit there with my jaw dangling. This is an awkward position. I'm married to the head of the family, but Gianni is the puppet master. He pulls all the strings. Makes all the decisions. Baz is essentially a silent partner. Who do I listen to without pissing anyone off? You don't say no when the boss tells you he has business and wants you by his side. If I wasn't married to Baz, I would be no different than Bull or Gun. I'm muscle. A bodyguard, a killer. I have a debt to pay, and Gianni is going to hold me to it. That's how this institution works. And I want to prove my loyalty. I don't want there to be any doubts. I'm committed to Baz and Audie and Gianni, and even Gianna. She may not be my biggest fan, but I'd protect her and RJ, just the same.
"Baz, I think I should go."
"You're not going." The green of his eyes burns in the sunlight. It almost looks like they're smoking.
I don't get a chance to reply because Desmond walks into the room. He doesn't look well. Pale as a ghost, actually.
"Desmond?" Gianni sounds concerned. Desmond doesn't verbally respond, just reaches inside his crumpled jacket.
"Gun!" Bull shouts and chaos ensues.
Desmond opens fire, shooting up the room. We all hit the floor as the bullets fly, shattering glass, destroying dishes, and obliterating breakfast. I scramble under the table. Baz and Audie are too far away for me to reach. Gianna is screaming, Bull and Gun are using their bodies as human shields, all while Desmond creates havoc.
Without thinking, I reach up onto the tabletop and feel around for a piece of flatware. I grab a handle and yank, producing a knife. It's dull, but it will do. I just need a distraction. Sucking in a breath, I raise up onto my knees and fling the heavy sterling silver knife across the room. Then I duck. I hear a pained sound, and the shooting stops. That's my window. As fast as a cat, I climb onto the table and leap across the room, tackling Desmond onto the floor. Bull and Gun pounce as I wail on Desmond's face until it's bloody. It all happens so fast, it takes my mind a second to catch up with my body.