Savannah

TRAPPED. The second I saw him I felt trapped. When he fucked me I felt caged. All Luciano Vitale stands for, to me, is captivity.

Imprisonment.

He took me back, and now, he's trying to butter me up, by giving me a little freedom to breathe before caging me again.

At first, I started plotting, other Mafia Families be damned. But then I felt it. The shift in power. The shift in attitude.

As I hear the bullet rip through the air, I realize why I'm being hunted.

Luciano Vitale was in my hands.

And he, along with everyone else knew it.

After breakfast, he took me to the bedroom.

"I am sorry," He starts as soon as the door closes. "I didn't know-"

Unwittingly, a smile flirts on my lips.

"I know, Lucy."

He smiles, disregarding my nickname for him.

"Then... You're not mad at me?"

I shake my head, grinning. He grins back, unaware I'm laughing at him, not with him.

"I am glad. So, what do wish to do today, Kitty?"

I thought. I hadn't heard that question in-since my Dad died.

"Can I go swimming?"

"Of course you can!"

"I can't swim."

"Then I'll teach you."

I looked at him, my eyes narrowing.

"What?"

Hesitantly, he took my hand. "I'm still an asshole, I just try to be more considerate of you and your feelings. Your Wants. So if you like being in the water, I will teach how to swim."

He smiled sadly, his eyes drinking me in.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Like what?"

"I dunno. Like you don't want to take your eyes off me for fear id disappear."

"Well, Kitty. I know you still hate me. And, it's okay. I understand why. I just... I don't think I'll ever be anything but a cage to you."

I didn't respond because he's right. Instead, I held his hand and wrapped my arms around him.

"I can never make up for what I did."

He stops. Because we both knew it was true. That was the period at the end of the sentence. Everything stopped there.

°

"Kitty, just like I taught you! I won't let you drown."

I'd never learned to swim because I never thought I'd need to. I'd been drowning all my life, at first, I was fighting the current and then I just began to sink.

"Gattina, you can do it, baby. Let's try again."

So I did. I didn't actually expect him to teach me to swim. But he'd been here all day, teaching me. He lost his temper only twice and he immediately apologized.

Luciano stood beside me, smiling softly, his strong arms under me.

I tried again.

"Don't forget to kick! That's it, gattina. You're doing it!"

I was doing it.

I wasn't drowning for once.

Then I realized he'd let go of me. He was right beside me the whole time but he let go. And I swam.

"Look, Lucy!"

"Excellent. I knew you could it! C'mon its getting dark and the mosquitoes are killing me."

I nodded, treading the water. Luciano came behind me and lifted me out of the water.

He handed me a towel to dry off with.

"Don't go swimming alone yet, Kitty."

I nodded. We walked into the house, heading to our room.

"Listen, I got a meeting. But I want you to have this. In case you want to leave or, talk or-"

"Just let me know." Luciano placed the latest iPhone in my hand.

He lifted my chin before i got absorbed in the device. "Really, let me know. People will be killed, Kitty."

She had no doubt about how serious he was.

"Can you give me a good-bye kiss?"

I reached up on the tip of my toes to kiss him, the giant. His brown eyes glowed, and he gave me a soft kiss back.

"See you tonight."

"Tonight."

I smiled at him. I knew it was killing him to leave me alone. To give me free rein.

Luciano Vitale was a control freak. He always wanted everything in order.

The fact that he let me mess up that order, made me give him a small chance.

But I have learned not to let a seed fool you. Potential and reality are two vastly different things. I needed to remember who is, not who he can be.

The man I knew, of course, was still there. He was still violent, hot-headed, tactless, vulgar and other things. But the effort counted.

I didn't want to get to invested until he'd won the game.