He ushers me into the building and the warm air brushes over my skin a moment before the loud music assaults my ears. I look up at Vito but there's something a little more closed off about his face as we enter the main part of the club where there are countless bodies packed inside. He leads me up to the second story VIP section. It's not crowded.
Giovanni is already seated in one of the booths. There's another man sitting across from him. A couple of glasses are on a table between them. Vito leads me over to the booth.
"Vito," the heavy set man says, standing and reaching a hand out to Vito who shakes it. His eyes move to me. "And who is this lovely doll here?"
There's something sleazy about the man's grin as he licks his lips, running his eyes over me from head to toe. A shiver runs down my spine and I find myself leaning closer to Vito.
"She's of no concern to you," Giovanni says flatly, cutting in.
The big man raises a brow before letting out a strained chuckle and sitting back down. "I guess not," he says.
Vito ushers me into the booth before taking the seat on the outside, leaving me between him and Giovanni.
I catch sight of Enzo as he makes his way to the side. He stands against the wall, his hand folded in front of him, his gaze sharp.
I turn my attention back to the booth as conversation starts. But it quickly becomes hard for me to follow along as they start talking about people I've never heard of. The name Valencia catches my attention a couple of times, and I think from the conversation that maybe the big man is her uncle, but I'm unsure.
"She's not going to like you creeping around," the man says as his gaze drags to me briefly. He looks back at Giovanni. "Especially not with someone like her."
The hair on the back of my neck lifts and I shift slightly in my seat. Giovanni's hand comes down on my knee under the table, squeezing. Tingles shoot across my skin. His eyes meet mine briefly and I go still. He looks away, but his hand remains.
"I don't care what Valencia wants," he says.
The man leans forward, his eyes narrowed. "Maybe not, but she is your-"
"Brutus," Giovanni cuts the man off sharply. "I'm not here to speak of Valencia or any of the bullshit that pertains to her. She knows her place and she knows not to question me and what I do. You should learn to do the same thing."
Even though the threat, given in low, chilled words isn't aimed at me, something about it has dread dropping in the pit of my stomach. My head starts to spin and I grow hot. I wiggle out of my coat, but it only draws the eyes of the other man, Bruce. His gaze drops to my chest.
Vito's hand wraps around my waist and he moves slightly in my direction, his hard body pressing up against mine. Giovanni's hand is still holding onto my knee tightly. A fluttering sensation in my chest and stomach has me growing hotter.
"Eyes the fuck up here, Brutus," Vito says dryly.
"I'm sorry," Brutus says, the irritation in his voice clear. "I didn't realize not looking at Giovanni's piece of ass was a rule."
The fluttering feeling morphs into more of a beating, harsh and abrupt.
"And I didn't realize you thought I was going to let you disrespect me tonight," Giovanni states. His hand leaves my knee and his eyes meet Brutus'. "If I did, I would have told Sheffield to come himself, now it looks like I'll be returning his second to him in pieces."
The room is still spinning and my fingers twitch as I try to subtly take deep breaths. The pressure on my chest increases and for a moment I think I'm going to throw up.
There's too fucking much going on right now.
"Are you okay?" Vito's lips just barely graze my ear as he whispers into it.
Pinpricks slide down my neck and I can only manage to shake my head. I feel him pull away, and look over to find him standing up. He holds out a hand for me and I take it hesitantly, my fingers trembling slightly as he helps me out of the booth. I look over to Giovanni and his eyes meet mine briefly, a look passing in them. He looks back at Brutus.
Vito's hand doesn't leave mine as he guides me away from the table. "Is there anything I can get you?" he asks, his voice low when we come to a stop.
I shake my head, "No, I just need to go to the bathroom," I manage to get out
He nods, "Okay, I'll take you-"
"No, I can make it on my own," I tell him quickly. I can barely hear myself over the pounding of my heart.
His eyes narrow slightly and the corner of his lips turn down slightly.
"I work here, I know the way." I rub at my chest. "I just... I.. I'm overwhelmed, I just need a few seconds to myself." I go for the truth. "I promise I won't try to run." His eyes sweep over my face and it does nothing to calm me down. "Please." My voice cracks slightly.