The Shadows We Keep

CHAPTER TWELVE

Gabriella's pov

"Today, I want to go to a phone store to get a phone." I said to the guards when I finished my breakfast.

"I'm going to have to check in with Matteo." Romero replied.

"There's no need to check anything with Matteo. Last time we talked, he said I could get anything I wanted, a phone included."

"He agreed." I heard his chair push back. "Would you like to leave now?"

"I said you didn't have to ask him." I gritted through my teeth.

Truth to be told, I was surprised that Matteo had agreed. After our last argument, I wasn't sure he wanted me to do anything but stay cooped up in this place.

"Everything has to pass through with Matteo. I'm sorry, it's just orders."

I gave him a face as I got up to my feet. "It's my life, not his."

I lengthened my cane, and headed outside to where the car was waiting.

On the way there, I kept picking at the skin in my palm. Will I be able to pull this off?

Especially with the way Romero watched me like a hawk?

"We're here." He said, jolting me out of ny thoughts.

"Already? I hope this isn't one of Matteo's men? I'd be pissed if he hands me a bugged phone."

I could hear the amusement in Romero's voice as we spoke. "We're in town, and no, this shop doesn't belong to Matteo."

"Good. By the way you're not following me inside, the last thing is people staring at me weirdly for having a bodyguard with me. I might be blind, but I can feel their gazes."

"But.."

"No. I just want one normal afternoon, even though I know that's a far stretch."

"I'm going to be outside incase of anything."

I pushed the door open. "Just stay in the car, Romero."

I stepped into the store, the bell above the door jingling softly as I made my way to the counter.

"Hi, welcome to Joe's. How can I help you?" A lady with a warm voice said.

"I'm looking for a new phone," I said, running my fingers over the counter to get a sense of the layout. "Something simple, with a keypad would be great."

"Well, we have a whole lot of models. You can start with…"

I listened intently as she recommended a few different ones that would be more convinient. I nodded, my mind wandering to the real reason I was here.

"You know what?" I said, cutting her off gently. I didn't know how long Romero would stay out outside, and I didn't want to mess up my one chance to listen to her ramble about phones. "Just give me something basic that won't be too much of a hassle."

"Alright then."

"I was also wondering if you have any accessories that I could purchase with it. I'm looking for something discreet. A small recorder, perhaps? I tend to forget a lot, and that might just help. Something that's not too noticable."

I could sense the hesitation in her tone. "I'm not sure we have things like that, but I guess I can help you check the back."

I nodded, my fingers drumming on the counter as I waited. After a moment, she returned with a small device that fit in the palm of my hand.

"This is one of our smallest recorders," she said. "It's digital, and can record for up to several hours on a single charge."

I ran my fingers over the device, feeling its small size and smooth surface. "This is perfect," I said, trying to sound casual. "I'll take it with the phone."

She tapped in my purchase. "That'll be 500."

"No receipts." I said to her as I handed her the card. "I don't need one. Can't see it."

"Right." She said and slowly took the card from me. "Will that be all?"

"Yes."

I made my way back to the car, the recorder safely hidden in my purse. As I slid into the seat, I let out a silent sigh. This was just part one of my plan, and the next has to be perfect, or I might just get killed.

***

I waited until I was done with dinner before turning to Romero. "Can you take me to Matteo's study?"

"Uh..he is quite busy."

"But I want to speak to him. Tell him that I need to speak to him. Now, Romero."

He let out a sigh. "Gabriella, Matteo made it clear that he wanted distance."

"Send him a message now." I persisted. "Tell him I want to talk to him. If you don't, trust me to find a way to talk to him and tell him that you refused me."

"I'll be right back." He said and walked off.

A couple minutes later, I heard his approaching foot steps. "Let's go."

Picking up my bag, I followed him to Matteo's study. This was it, I just had to keep my voice steady and hope my fave isn't betraying me. I've never been a good liar.

"We're here." Romero said, holding my arm to a stop. He knocked the door twice before pushing it open. "Sir, she's here."

As I entered the study, I could sense Matteo's presence, his eyes on me.

"Romero, you can leave." Matteo said, his voice firm.

The door closed, and I was alone with Matteo. I took a deep breath, taking a step further into his study.

"It smells like books and cigarettes in here." I said, chuckling lightly.

"I didn't think you'd want to see me again, or talk to me." He said.

I could feel him getting up, heading towards me carefully. "But then Romero said you wanted to see me."

My eyes darted to the side and I took a deep breath. "I just wanted to talk to you."

"What do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know. I just want to talk to you." I sighed. "The last time we saw, it got tense."

"You got angry." He said plainly.

"You lied to me."

I practiced maintaining my cool when I got here, but it was hard, especially with him being here. Especially with him being so close.

He moved even closer towards me, to the point where I could feel the heat of his body close to mine.

"I don't want to argue, and I don't want to fight with you either." I said, taking a step back. "That's why I came here to talk, to clear the air."

"What do you want, Gabriella?" He said softly.

I stood my ground, trying to meet his intensity with calmness. "I want us to be okay." I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I know we didn't exactly end on a very good note last week. But I feel like we need to talk about it, to clear the air."

I could sense his gaze on me, piercing and intense. I could feel him moving closer to me, trying to somewhat intimidate me.

"You came all the way here to talk about our feelings?" he asked, his voice low and husky.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. "I came here because I want to understand what's going on between us. There's no point arguing. This world is filthy, and no one is a saint. No one. I'm blind, Matteo, and extremely pathetic. I'm literally at anyone's mercy, and it's a hard pill to swallow, but there's nothing I can do about it. So, can we just sit and talk? Clear the air?"

"Let's talk then." he said softly, his breath whispering against my skin. "Let's clear the air."