Chapter 19

"Is he gone?" Luca asked as he watched Carla approached him from down the hall.

"Yeah," Carla nodded, taking in a deep breath.

"I wasn't sure if he would live with Daisy around."

"That girl needs to be tied down," Carla said in frustration. "I can't believe you're letting her stay here. She needs to be at home. Off her feet."

Luca nodded. He completely agreed with what his aunt was saying. But the thought of sending Daisy away didn't sit well with him. It made him nervous, his heart would start to beat too fast as if he couldn't keep up. He was always battling himself when it came to her and it was starting to bug Luca.

"I don't know what we're going to do with these two," Carla shook her head. "They're both so young. I don't know where their lives are headed."

"They'll be fine," Luca said. "Gia.....we just have to get her away from all this."

"And Daisy?" Carla asked. "I mean...I know we're not responsible for her bu-"

"She's not going anywhere," Luca said. "She's staying with us."

Carla didn't reply.s he was slightly stunned by the conviction in Luca's voice. He wouldn't look at her but she could tell his mind was made up.

"For Gia," Luca added. "Gia needs her best friend."

"Of course," Carla nodded. "And I love Dee. I can't imagine her going back to Eric or her mother."

"She's not going back to anyone," Luca ran a hand through his hair before his phone began to vibrate in his pocket. He quickly pulled it out and accepted the call. "Hello?"

"It's me," Aaron said from the other side.

"What is it?" Luca turned and stepped away from Carla.

"Manny and a few others are outside the hospital," Aaron announced. "They're not coming in but I think they're setting up a perimeter or something."

"Fuckin' Christ," Luca said through his teeth.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Nothing," Luca pinched the bridge of his nose. "Call Felix. Tell him I need some of his men to come by. Tell him what's going on."

"You sure?" Aaron hesitated, knowing any association with the Latin gang was never a good idea for the Italian, especially not in New York.

"Yeah," Luca nodded. "I just need them until I figure something out. I don't trust my father's men right now. Tell Felix we'll handle his deliveries for a month."

"Alright," Aaron inhaled deeply.

"Also, Daniel might still be in the building. Have someone keep an eye on him."

"Already on it, boss."

"Thanks, Aaron," Luca ended the call and looked down at his screen. He knew Carla was waiting for him to turn and deliver the news. But he didn't want to. If he could handle it, he didn't want to stress anyone out.

"What's going on?" Carla asked.

"Nothing," Luca lied, slowly turning back to face her. "Are you still in touch with the hospital you worked with in Ohio?"

"Yes, why?" Carla arched her brow.

"Do you think Gia is stable enough for us to transfer her there?"

"Luca..." Carla's eyes grew serious. "What's going on?"

"Dad's men are starting to surround the hospital," Luca said, not knowing how he could get them all out of the hospital without being honest about the danger they were in.

"Who's Felix?" Carla wondered.

"Someone I know," Luca said. "A friend of some sort."

"Angelo is losing his mind," Carla shook her head. "Your nona called. She's fueling his anger from Del Mare."

Luca's shoulders tensed. He rubbed his jaw as he calculated the moves in his mind. If there was any chance that he could steal Gia away, he would do it. Especially from Daniel and his father.

"They'll find us in Ohio," Carla said. "It's not a big hospital."

"I'll think of something," Luca said quickly.

"I wouldn't recommend moving her unless it's absolutely necessary," Carla said. "What do we do once we get to Ohio?"

"I'm not sure yet," Luca said. "But Daniel is here and dad is on his way. We have to do something."

Carla nodded. She understood her family and she knew Luca was only trying to do what was right for Gia.

"We can stay in Ohio for a while and then relocate to California," Luca said. "New name for Gia. New address. They won't find her."

"She'll hate that."

"She's more than welcome to stay in New York with dad and Daniel then," Luca said in anger. "She's going to do what I tell her. It's for her safety."

"What about you?" Carla asked. "And Daisy?"

"Leave that up to me," Luca said. "I'll convince her."

"She's coming to Ohio with us?"

"I already said she's staying with us," Luca frowned. "Of course, she's coming with us to Ohio. We can't leave her here. They'll go after her to fi-"

"I get it," Carla nodded, her eyes filled with worry as she tried to think everything through.

"We don't have the luxury of time right now," Luca announced. "We have to leave by tonight."

Carla didn't answer right away. She sat in disbelief for a while before slowly looking back at Luca.

"I'm going to need your help," Luca said. "With both of them."

"I'll go call the hospital in Ohio."

__________________________

"Will you please sit down," Luca said as his gaze flickered up to Daisy pacing Carla's office.

"My blood is boiling," Daisy said, her brows furrowed and her mouth set in a deep frown. "I can't believe him. Is he fuckin' stupid? He wants to see her? After everything that he did?"

"It doesn't matter what Daniel wants," Luca flipped through the last few pages of the patient transfer file in front of him as he signed his name with the fountain pen in his hand. "He's never going to see her."

"Damn straight," Daisy huffed. "I want to crush him under my tires and then beat him to pulp."

"Good luck to the man who breaks your heart," Luca muttered.

"Please," Daisy rolled her eyes. "As if I'll ever give a man that kind of privilege."

"Privilege?" Luca arched his brow and looked up.

"Yes," Daisy nodded. "You can't break anyone's heart if you never have access to it."

"I see," Luca said wondering if he should tell her you also couldn't break the heart of a man who didn't have one anymore to give to someone.

"How are you so calm?" Daisy clicked her tongue, her eyes filling with irritation. "Shouldn't you be sending someone after him? Beat him up in the allies or drive by shooting. Something!"

"What is it that you think I do, Daisy?" Luca couldn't stop the small smile that appeared on his lips despite the tension in the air.

"I don't know," Daisy sank into a chair in front of Carla's desk. "I just...I want him to suffer. It's not fair that Gia's in the hospital right now and he's walking around. We have to do something."

"My priority right now is Gia's safety," Luca announced. "Not revenge."

"So we get revenge later?" Daisy asked. "What if they release the video?"

"I already took care of it," Luca said, thinking of his words to Daniel.

"How?"

"Don't worry about it."

"What did you do?" Daisy's eyes narrowed.

"It doesn't concern you."

"It concerns my best friend."

"Who is my sister," Luca looked up once again. "Who I will do anything to protect. So don't worry about it, Daisy. It's been handled."

"I hate that you're so bossy," Daisy's eyes narrowed farther and she shook her head.

"Really?" Luca asked, the small smile coming back. "Well, guess what? You're about to hate me a little more."

Daisy looked at him suspiciously, "If you tell me to leave the hospital, I will stab you with the pen you're holdi-"

"You don't have the strength to push the pen past my skin or tissues," Luca said calmly, amused by her aggression. "I'm not going to tell you to leave the hospital. I'm going to tell you to take my car, go home and pack your things."

"What?" Daisy asked in confusion.

"The hospital is preparing to transport Gia to Ohio as we speak," Luca explained. "Then from Ohio, once she's better she will be moving to California. New York isn't safe for her anymore. Our father won't just give up."

"I'm going to Ohio with her?" Daisy asked.

Luca's heart sank with a sigh of relief at how quickly Daisy accepted the idea without freaking out.

"Yes," Luca nodded. "And to California."

"Like moving forever?"

"Yes," Luca said. "She needs you, you need her...."

I need you.

Luca cleared his throat and sat up, "And staying in New York won't be safe for you either once they figure out she's no longer in the city. They'll use you to get to her. I don't want to take that chance."

"So you just made the decision that I was moving to California?" Daisy arched her brow. Her hazel gaze filled with a challenge.

"Yes," Luca said, knowing he wasn't going to lose.

Daisy stared as she let the news slowly sink into her mind. Luca couldn't take his eyes off of her. For a few seconds, his heart contracted wondering what he would do if she refused. There was always the option of kidnapping her, but she wouldn't make it easy. Would she go back to Eric? Decide life with Luca was too much, too dangerous, too unpredictable and go back to her safe, boring boyfriend.

The air in the room thinned, torturing Luca as he waited for Daisy to answer. He knew in his bones she would say yes to moving with Gia....but did that mean she was also saying yes to him?

After minutes that felt as if they would crush Luca's insides, Daisy nodded her head slowly before catching Luca's gaze. Her heart hammered in her chest and the events of the day were beginning to weigh down on her shoulders.

"I know you don't like me telling you what to do," Luca began slowly as the silence stretched on between the two. "But it's-"

"It's for Gia," Daisy swallowed and sat up slowly. She let out the breath she was holding and nodded her head. "I'll go with her to California."

"Thank you," Luca's chest tightened.

She said yes.

She said yes!

Daisy slowly held out her hand, holding Luca's eyes as they sat across from one another in the small dim office. The light from the lamp on the table made her face glow like the moon. Luca's breath got all kinds of stuck inside his body as he wondered what she wanted.

"Keys?" Daisy wiggled her finger.

"I'll take you home."

"No," Daisy shook her head. "Stay with G."

"My dad's men are outside," Luca slowly rose from the chair. "You're not going alone."

"I can go with Aaron."

"I would feel better if you went with me," Luca turned towards the door. "I'm assuming all of your things are at Eric's?"

Daisy shook her head, "Most are still with my mom."

"Where would you like to go?"

"To my mom's," Daisy stood up. "I just need a few things."

Luca nodded. He held the door open and guided her out of the office and down to the underground garage. Daisy quickly settled into the passenger seat as Luca spoke to Aaron and a few others. Her heart pounded in her chest as her mind ran in circles. She wasn't sure what she was doing. Nothing made sense to her. She wasn't used to having to think about another person. If she wasn't having a baby, her yes would have been solid proof. But as Luca got into the car and Daisy stared at him, she began to wonder if she would regret her decision. What kind of life did she want to give her baby? What would she do in California?

"You're quiet," Luca observed as they began to drive down the city towards Daisy's old apartment.

"I feel as if today I've lived a hundred different lives," Daisy said, leaning her head back against the seat and staring straight ahead at the road.

"What's on your mind?" Luca asked.

"A lot."

"Care to share?"

"You never tell me what you're thinking," Daisy rolled her eyes. "Why should I tell you anything?"

Luca couldn't argue with her point. They fell back into silence but it didn't feel right to Luca. His eyes kept wondering back to Daisy as she gently rubbed her belly and watched the cars passing by.

"I'm worried Gia will be angry with me when she wakes up in California," Luca said after a while.

Daisy slowly turned her head towards him, "She might be."

"I'm worried I won't be able to protect her," Luca continued. "Our dad will find her and I'll have to bury another woman I love."

Daisy's heart softened as she listened to Luca speak. She could feel his anxiety in her system as she thought about what his words meant.

"You won't fail," Daisy said.

"I did before," Luca confessed.

"What do you mean?" Daisy asked.

"I couldn't save my mother or Stella."

"It wasn't your job to save them," Daisy said. "How old were you when your mother passed?"

"Seven."

Daisy frowned, "How could a seven year old save someone's life? You can't blame yourself for that. God only knows, Gia carries enough guilt about that already."

"She does?" Luca's gaze shifted to Daisy and watched her nod her head.

"She never says anything but when she gets drunk she talks about it sometimes."

"How often does she get drunk?" Luca arched his brow.

"I will not be answering any more questions," Daisy zipped her lips.

"Daisy," Luca scowled.

"Do you want to know what I'm thinking?" Daisy asked to change the subject.

"No," Luca said, frowning.

"Well too bad," Daisy said. "I'm worried I'll regret my decision to move to California."

Luca's head snapped back towards her. Even in the low light of the car, Daisy could see the way his eyes sharpened.

"It's dangerous for you to stay here-" Luca began to say.

"I know, I know," Daisy sighed. "I'm not saying I changed my mind. I'm just....worried."

"About?" Luca asked as if he was impatient.

"I'm going to have a baby, Luca!" Daisy frowned. "I'm moving across the country without a job or knowing what I will be doing there. I still have a few more classes left, I don't know anyone there. It's a lot."

"They have college in California."

"No, really?" Daisy gasped. "I had no idea."

"You can finish school there," Luca said.

"What about work?"

"You can work for me."

"Work for you?" Daisy snorted. "No, thanks."

"Work with me."

"And do what exactly?" Daisy asked. "I don't know how to fire a gun or sell drugs or.....do a drive by shooting."

"I don't do that," Luca said calmly.

"Your men do," Daisy said.

"You would not be doing that."

"What would I be doing?"

"I started a real estate business," Luca reminded her. "You can help me with that."

"I don't know anything about that! I'm an art major."

"Don't worry about that," Luca said. "I'll handle it."

"Why do you think it's your job to handle everything?" Daisy asked curiously. "Why do you always feel responsible?"

"I don't know," Luca looked away, knowing very well Dr. Ford had asked him that question a million times before.

"You can't help everybody, Luca," Daisy frowned. "Sometimes people need to handle their own problems."

"Are you suggesting I leave you alone and let you handle your own problems?"

Daisy wanted to say yes. She wanted to tell him she had done a damn good job raising herself since she was a kid. Sure, she panicked and worried about the baby and the move. But that didn't mean she wouldn't be able to handle it. She just needed some time to get her footing right.

"You can't always do everything on your own," Luca said, his eyes moving back to her briefly for a few seconds. "Sometimes people need to be taken care of."

"It's not your job to take care of me," Daisy shook her head, not liking the idea of being dependent on him or anyone. It was frightening.

"I want it to be my job," Luca said.

"We've been down this road," Daisy let out a sigh and closed her eyes. She leaned her head back against the seat as Luca came to a stop at the traffic light. "I need stability in my life. And you can't give me that, Luca. You're saying this now but as soon as the moment passes you will step away."

Luca turned away to look at the lights outside. His jaw was clenched and the tips of his ears red as if he was thinking too hard.

"Can we be friends?" Daisy asked.

"What?" Luca's brows furrowed as if he couldn't fathom what kind of question she was asking.

"Yeah..." Daisy laughed. "Let's try being friends."

"I don't want to be your friend," Luca said. "I want you on my lap. I want my hands on your body. I want to hear you calling out my name like you did in this car the other day."

"We can't do that anymore," Daisy felt the sides of her stomach tighten from his words.

"Why not?"

"Because friends don't do that!" Daisy said. "Not normal friends."

"Normal friends," Luca snickered. "Fuck that shit. Go be normal friends with someone else. I can't do it."

"Why are you getting so mad?" Daisy asked.

"Because you say shit that makes me mad," Luca snapped. "Friends? You want to be fuckin' friends? What kind of logic is that?"

"Calm down," Daisy glared. "It was just an idea to keep you in my life."

"I'm going to be in your life whether you like it or not," Luca said. "You're going to be in my life whether you like it or not."

"You sound crazy," Daisy shook her head.

"No, you sound crazy," Luca said. "What did you think would happen? I would just forget about you and we would never see each other again? What the fuck does that even mean? Keep you in my life."

"Oh my god, you psycho!" Daisy complained. "Shut up!"

"You started this!"

"Are you a child?" Daisy asked. "What are you? Seventeen?"

"Why do you like fucking with my head?" Luca asked, shaking his head furiously and muttering under his breath.

Daisy didn't know why she found his sudden outburst so hilarious. She wanted to be mad at him for everything he said, but something about the way his wall fell and his eyes panicked made Daisy feel as if she was seeing him for the first time. Really seeing him. The Luca that he didn't allow himself to be. The Luca he kept locked away and replaced with the cold, responsible grown up that thought he needed to save everyone in the world.

"I like fucking with your head because you won't let me fuck with your heart," Daisy reached out and pushed her hand into Luca's hair at the base of his neck. She felt his body tense for a split second before surrendering to her touch.

"I don't have one to give you," Luca said, letting out a quiet sigh.

"Is that why you won't tell me what I want to hear?"

"Is it really important for you to hear me say it?"

"I don't know," Daisy shrugged. "I want to know if all the books and songs are true."

"They are," Luca said as if it was painful to admit. His forehead was creased and his brows knit together.

"What was it like being in love?" Daisy asked quietly. "Is it really how everyone makes it out to be?"

Luca nodded, "Yeah."

Daisy felt her heart pinch inside her chest. She slowly pulled her hand away from Luca, her chest hurting even more when she realized he didn't even notice. 

"It's not always like the movies though," Luca said.

"I'm smart enough to know that," Daisy rolled her eyes. "Forever is a lie. I've watched too many of my mother's relationships fail to know that."

"Yet you still want to hear me say those words?" Luca looked at her. "Why?"

"I don't know, Luca," Daisy shook her head. "Maybe there's some part of me that thinks you could make me believe it."

"Why me?"

"I wish I knew," Daisy looked down at her hands.

"You want something from the one person who can't give it to you," Luca swallowed the irony.

"Life has a way of always disappointing me," Daisy smiled. "I don't know why I never learn my lesson." 

Hope you liked it.