Helping Mr. Gang Leader .Chapter 20: you have my word .“So it’s agreed, our working times have extended unfortunately” Gianna said, then she was distracted by the vibrating in her pocket.Yara wandered off as Gianna stared down at the number illuminated up at her. It was a private number, or one blocked, and she had no idea who it could be. She couldn’t even see the numbers of the person calling her. Dread filled her stomach that it could be someone from Infinite.But then the phone stopped ringing, and instead a text message came through.It was a simple command, with no pretense, ordering her to open the backdoor to the clinic quickly. There was no name attached, so it seemed like a bad idea.But then a second text message arrived, and with one single word:Emergency.The doctor in Gianna was overriding any kind of common sense she might have felt in that moment, and she moved directly to the back of the clinic. There was no one around, thankfully. It was nearing the noon hour

Helping Mr. Gang Leader .Chapter 22: My name … my real name. It’s Ezekiel.. There was the oddest expression on Rio’s face when Gianna gave him one last look. It was unlike anything Gianna had seen from him before. She didn’t know what the look meant, or why she was getting it. But then there was the barest hint of a smile, and it was even more unsettling than the look before.Upon consideration, it wasn’t as if Gianna could deny that Rio didn’t have a very handsome smile when he let himself. The evidence was there, even if Rio seemed like he didn’t smile a lot. And Gianna thought Rio would be a lot more agreeable if he just smiled more.Eventually, Rio said, “Let me know when you’re ready to go and I’ll take you back to the clinic.”Gianna felt herself go pale. “On your motorcycle?”Now Rio just looked amused. “How else?”Assuredly, Gianna said, “I’ll just wait for Dante.”Rio bristled a little. “You’re too good to accept a ride from me?”“Maybe I’d be more interested in the idea

Helping Mr. Gang Leader .Chapter 24: you are like an empty can .Dante looked pained. “You’re special to me, Gia. If anything happened to you …”“Danger will always be there,” Gianna said knowingly. “And that’s just a part of the life we lead. But I can’t have you standing over me. I can’t have you so scared of that danger that you treat me like a child.”“And what should I do instead?” Dante asked, sounding desperate. “Wait until either of us slips up in the slightest? Wait until someone in Infinite gets a little too nosey and spots something out of the ordinary? I’m supposed to just trust that you won’t get snatched off the street and disappear?”“Dante--”“No,” the other man said quickly, “that is a very real possibility to us associating, and you want me to pretend like it isn’t there. You want me to think that nothing will happen if anyone draws a connection between us, and that’s not the truth. But if Rio is there, or Sal, and Infinite tries to make a move against you, they c

.Helping Mr. Gang Leader .Chapter 26: An old friend, you say? .“He said that if any of Mariposa went around you, if they even just happened to pass by an area they knew you were in, they’d be out.”“Out?” Gianna echoed. “Out of what?”Giovanni’s eyebrows ran high on his forehead. “Out of the gang.”Gianna’s mouth went dry.“Has that ever happened before?”Silently, Giovanni shook his head.Once more Gianna said, “He’s trying to protect me. That means he isn’t learning. Because if he was, if he was paying attention at all, he’d know that I’m not the kind of person who’s delicate or in need of that. I need him to trust and believe in me, to take chances with me, and to be patient with our relationship. Not this.”Giovanni blew out a breath of air. “I think he thinks you’re delicate. He was asking me, you know. About your heart.”Gianna groaned. “That’s my fault.”Her condition wasn’t exactly anything she went around advertising. People who knew tended to either treat her as if she

Helping Mr. Gang Leader.Chapter 28: I feel like Superman when I’m with you.“Actually,” A new voice cut in, deep and tentative, “I was hoping Gianna might want to come with me instead.”Gianna turned so quickly she got a little dizzy, and she could hardly believe that Dante was standing in front of her.Dante, looking dashingly handsome in his own suit, cufflinks shining under the florescent light, was looking over at her with a pinch of nervousness, but a whole lot of hopefulness. His hair was slicked back in a stylish, debonair way, and he looked like someone’s prince charming. God, and the smile, it was still the smile that was getting Gianna.“How … why …”. Gianna didn’t know where to start.“Hi,” Dante said, smiling a little. “You look nice.”“How did you know where I was?” Gianna asked, unable to concentrate on anything but Dante standing in front of him. “And how did you get in here?”.Dante put his hands in his pockets and said, “After your brother got done yelling at me f