The Enforcer or The Mafia Prince

Chapter 19

Declan stood outside Jess's bedroom door, fist raised to knock on it. He had intended to apologize for snapping at her. He hesitated when he heard her crying and accidentally overheard Jess's conversation with her mom. Declan was going to stop listening and give her some privacy, but then he heard his name. Curiosity got the better of him. He wanted to know what Jessica thought about him.

After hearing Jessica explain to her mom that she likes him more than Tristan, Declan felt an inexpressible sensation rush through his body. He'd genuinely regretted yelling at her, but now he felt like an ass for implying she didn't care about him. Still, that's what he had thought. She only went to him when experiencing extreme emotions. What was he supposed to believe?

Declan realized he was clammy. Jessica's confession to her mom had given Declan goosebumps, but he also felt nauseated. The girl he wanted wanted him, too, but he couldn't let himself want her at all. Should he talk to Tristan about how he'd started having feelings for Jess? How would that go down? Would he be kicked out of the family? No, he couldn't talk to anyone about this. If word got back to Ciaran, he'd be seen as disloyal or, worse, weak. Plus, this was the first girl Tristan had ever shown genuine interest in. He couldn't stand in the way of that. After all, even though Jess liked him more than Tristan, she still liked Tristan.

Pulling out his phone, Declan created a reminder to contact Dr. Malone for Jessica later in the day. It was an unreasonable hour to call someone, but Jess's mom had been right. It was ludicrous to throw Jessica into this situation and think she could handle her emotions alone. He should have realized that when Jess had spent the afternoon talking with Emma. She must feel in a million places at once, that poor girl. Also, he needed to talk to Jess and apologize for listening to her conversation but also for not being more tactful. Declan was supposed to care for her, but he let his emotions get in the way. Shuffling back to his room, Declan fell asleep before he could remember to change his clothes.

Neither Jessica nor Declan woke up until after noon on Friday. It had been a late night for them both. However, the Jessica that greeted Declan was an entirely different person than the one he'd been with the night before. He woke up to find her lacing up her sneakers in the foyer. She was in running pants and had pulled her brown hair into a sleek ponytail. Even in workout clothes, she was a knockout.

"Where are you headed," Declan asked.

"Yesterday, you mentioned something about my training. I thought I'd get a head start on it. I have some energy I need to burn off. Later, I'm going out by myself. I'll be gone for about an hour, but I want to go shopping for some things that I don't care to share with you or Tristan," Jessica told him with a tinge of distance between them. Declan realized she must be taking her mom's advice about getting a s*x toy. He didn't tell Jess he guessed what she wanted to buy, but the thought of her doing that alone in her room made for an image difficult to erase from his brain.

"That's fine. Make sure you wear your bracelet. If you're going to be late, let me know right away. If you are gone for a minute longer without notice, we'll send someone to find you."

Jessica nodded at him, then picked up a gym bag and left without another word. Declan didn't like this feeling between them. However, it'd be unfair of him to mention it when she was clearly trying to do as he asked.

Jessica was pleased to find that the gym was mostly empty. She supposed most people were at work or in school. No one bothered her as she made her way over to a bank of ellipticals that were going unused. Starting off at a slow pace, Jess put in her earbuds and thought about the last week. Her mom was right. She needed a professional to speak with but was unsure if there was someone out there she could talk to. Anyone she found on her own would likely not be associated or familiar with the mob. She would talk to Declan about it later.

This morning, Jess resolved not to let her emotions dictate her actions further. She hadn't before the O'Sullivans and wouldn't let them now. She ran through a list in her head: be professional with Declan, be professional with Tristan, locate a therapist, get noise-canceling headphones in case it stormed again, buy something to take the edge off, clean out the dorm room, visit Drea, find proof that Greg attacked her, learn self-defense, study, and figure out what she wanted to be when she grew up. These eleven things would be her focus for now. She would start wearing make-up and dressing normally again. Wearing yoga pants and flowy tops every day was fine if that's what someone liked, but they made Jessica feel less disciplined, and she was done with that now.

She wondered if her agreement with Ciaran were ready to sign and if she'd visit her parents tomorrow. She wasn't prepared to forgive her dad entirely. However, Jessica missed him and thought they'd gone long enough without speaking. As she wondered if she should mention Greg to her dad or if her mom already had, a young woman about her age tapped her shoulder.

The girl had smooth dark skin and closely cropped hair. Yet it was her arms that stood out the most. Jessica had never really been attracted to other women. Still, this girl's arms were lean and somehow incredibly muscular at the same time. Something about them was beautiful to Jess. The girl motioned for Jessica to remove her earbuds.

"Hi, are you Jessica?"

"I am. Have we me?" Jessica wondered if she was blushing. It felt like she was blushing.

"We have not. My name is Georgiana. I go by Gia. Please look at your phone. Declan should have sent you a photo of me with my name to verify I am who I say I am," Gia's tone was exacting and professional. Jessica quickly reached for her phone and confirmed Gia's statement. Declan had texted her, explaining that he was sending Gia upstairs to meet her. Gia would be her new self-defense instructor and trainer.

"Ah, he did. I must not have heard my phone ping. It's nice to meet you, Gia. Thank you for coming," Jessica didn't know what to say to the woman. Gia was very intimidating and beautiful at the same time.

"The group workout room is empty. Would you join me? Before creating a training program for you, I need to assess your fitness level." Jessica followed Gia to the classroom. As they walked, Gia explained she was twenty-four and held a master's in kinesiology, something Jessica didn't even know existed. Curious, she asked Gia how she chose that program.

"Growing up, my parents worked for the O'Sullivans. When I was in high school, I was really interested in working out and overall fitness. My father asked around and got approval for me to train with some security team members. As I improved and my grades in physical sciences were really high, the organization agreed to pay for my bachelor's and masters in exchange for agreeing to come back and work for them. Now I train most of the new recruits on the security team and teach some general courses to the community at large, especially for families that don't live in one of the buildings. It's harder for them to access the facilities here, so I will do park meet-ups and things like that," Gia was lively as she spoke about how she got into her career field; her passion for her work was admirable.

Unfortunately, that liveliness turned into strictness during the assessment. Gia wasn't just looking at things like height and weight. She made Jessica do endurance, strength, and flexibility tests; you name it. By the time they were done, Jess was lying on the floor, unable to move. Gia laughed and returned to her previous personable self. She gave Jessica some cool-down pointers so she wouldn't cramp up later. When she heard Jessica was vegan, she said working with that wouldn't be a problem. As she worked out, Jess would have to eat less sugar and more natural proteins to refuel, but Jessica didn't mind.

Back at the condo and in the shower, Jess figured she didn't have a crush on Gia. However, she did really admire the woman. Her zeal for life was infectious. Still sore, Jessica couldn't help but smile, thinking about how she might really make friends with women like Emma and Gia here. Jessica stuck to her plan and went to the adult store. She wasn't sure what she wanted or liked, but the sales clerk was very well-versed in their products. After asking a few questions about Jessica's needs, which were more clinical than s****l, the clerk recommended a few products that Jessica might like. After reviewing the items, Jessica asked the clerk about the noise level and discreteness, which ones were easier to take care of, which could get wet, and which shouldn't. It took a little longer than Jess had anticipated, but she settled on something she thought she'd enjoy, was easy to take care of, could be used in the shower, and had low noise levels.

Seeing the discrete package when she walked in the door, Declan realized he'd been correct about what Jess would buy and wanted to back his head against a wall. The thought of her doing that mere feet from him drove him crazy, but this is what he asked for. When Jess put away her things and returned to the living area, Declan asked her to join him at the table. He needed to tell her something.

Declan cleared his voice, "Jess, last night I went to apologize and overheard you talking to your mom." Jessica blushed but didn't say anything and waited for him to continue. Declan felt disappointed that she didn't react or ask him what he heard. A tiny part of him hoped she'd mention that she liked him again, but she didn't. "I overheard the part about her recommending you speak to a therapist, so I wanted to give you the contact information for Dr. Malone. She's worked with our team a long time."

Declan handed over the doctor's business card. He'd spoken with her while Jessica was in the gym and explained a little about the situation. Dr. Malone said she'd have time in her schedule to meet with her the following Monday since she had a cancellation. He'd tentatively reserved it for Jessica, but she'd need to confirm it with Dr. Malone directly.

"Thank you, Declan. This saves me the trouble of figuring out how to ask you about it," Jessica gave him a genuine smile. Still, Declan didn't like the change between them.

"Also, Jessica, I wanted to apologize for last-." He didn't get the chance to finish speaking before Jessica cut him off.

"You have nothing to apologize for. You have every right to set boundaries between us, and I'm going to respect those boundaries," Jessica didn't elaborate or chastise him for eavesdropping. She seemed to understand that accidents like that happen sometimes. She was pulling away from Declan to protect herself.

"Did Ciaran mention if our agreement was ready to sign yet?" Declan noted the abrupt change of subject.

"He did. He'll meet with you here, with Tristan, tomorrow morning for brunch," Declan repeated what Ciaran's assistant had told him earlier.

"That's perfect. Afterward, I'd like to visit my parents. Then I'd like your help cleaning out my dorm," Jessica's tone was instructive rather than inquisitive. She wasn't asking Declan if she could do those things. Jessica was telling him what she'd be doing tomorrow. He'd forgotten entirely about the dorm thing. Jessica pulled out her phone and checked the time. It was three in the afternoon. If she left now, she'd have enough time to visit Andrea.

"Declan, is Jimmy available right now, or is he ferrying Tristan around?"

"He's working. Why do you ask?" Declan didn't know what she was thinking.

"Can you take me to visit Andrea? She's still in the hospital, and I haven't seen her since Monday."