Run But Don't Leave Me

Giovanni Romano was not a stupid man. Ask anyone who knew him, friends and enemies alike and that is what they would tell you about him.

At least Gio hoped so. Anyways, the point was that, Gio was quite smart, able to adapt quickly and very good at reading people and situations. 

Elle was going to leave him.

Gio could read that in her as clear as day. He had seen her from time to time looking at job advertisements. Ads for actual office jobs, that would put her formal education to good use, not jobs for dancing at clubs. And she had every right to. Elle was smarter than a lot of pompous know-it-alls put together, she was dedicated, and hard-working. She deserved only the best and should not be chained to club M.

Gio knee all of that logically. But for her to do that, she would have to walk out of club M, out of Gio's life and never look back. That was the part Gio was having trouble with accepting.

What they had was a no strings attached agreement. Something to pass the time, to scratch an itch. At least it had started that way. But then the days had turned to weeks, the weeks to months and out of nowhere Gio had been sleeping with Elle, only Elle, for five straight years. The thought of seeking comfort elsewhere not even the least bit appetizing.

That would not have been so bad, monogamous friends with benefits situations existed afterall. But Gio had long ago realized that what he felt for Elle went beyond just the physical.

He loved her, plain and simple.

And with the realization of his feelings had come another one… he could never have her in that way. And now, five years later it was happening. Elle would move on soon. So far, whenever that determined yet slightly guilty look came over her face he had used his body to distract her. But in the near future she would no longer be distracted by mind blowing sex, she would tell him to his face, the truth he saw in her eyes everyday.

'Gio I am leaving' He dreaded hearing those words, but they were headed right for him, and soon there would be no dodging them.

She would leave, and shatter Gio's heart as she left. The impending end to their relationship was bothering Gio so immensely it consumed him to the point of him being so lost in thought, he was completely caught off guard by trio of idiots, strong arming their way into his office.

Any other person would have been terrified, but after an initial burst of surprise, Gio gave a single slow blink, taking in the intruders.

"Gentlemen, you appear to be lost, turn around and walk out. I will pretend that this never happened," He told them. His calmness must have rubbed the intruders the wrong way because the next thing Gio knew one of the men ( a bald one in an awful store bought, one size fits all suit) had reached over and backhanded him. The man's cheap ring scratched at the flesh above Gio's eyebrow. He hissed in pain and surprise, glaring at the men as he felt the slow trickle of blood coming from the wound.

"Don Romano, we have a proposition for you. Now, unless you want to end up like your guard out there, you are going to listen and at the end of it, your answer had better be yes,"

One of his people had been killed! A surge of rage overcame him, his lips twisting into a snarl as he glared.

Luke…it had to be Luke, Gio had sent Big L and the others to his home. Clearly the years of relative peace had made him soft. He was so used to the safety of the club that he had not thought twice about dismissing his security detail…clearly that would be changing now.

But Big L had only gone to make sure the others were thorough in their duties. He would be back soon. Gio could reach for any one of the weapons concealed in the office, and on his body, or he could wait for Big L.

Fighting meant risking injury, and killing the men( it was not overconfidence, Gio had taken one look and known the men were far below his fighting ability). But not fighting and waiting for Big L meant he could glean as much as he could from the intruders. It also meant injury would not just be a possibility, but a reality.

Someone'd had the balls to try and rattle him on his home turf…he had to find out more.

So pain and torture it was.

"How is this, for an answer?" He held out both hands, his middle finger out in each one.

The men stared, dumbfounded " Just so we are clear, I am insulting you," He made sure to talk as slow as possible, not hiding the fact that he thought they were dumber than bricks.

Sure enough, the fools took the bait. The two who looked like they were made of entirely of muscle grabbed Gio on either side, hauling him from his chair.

Satisfied that Gio would not be able to fight back, the bald man in the awful suit stepped forward and got to work. For each punch delivered, each slap, each kick, Gio had an insult. To someone untrained, the words sounded like the desperate pleas of a helpless man. But Gio was actually goading the man, his hits were not even that painful. The man was clearly more of a shooter than a fighter. The gun he placed on the desk before beginning his assault was more evidence of that.

Gio let him continue with his weak hits, and he would have let him continue a while longer had he not caught sight of someone looking through the slightly ajar door.

Elle!

Her terrified green eyes met his brown ones and Gio's heart plummeted.

She was supposed to be long gone. Why was she still there?!

Gio forced himself to look back at his attacker before the man noticed. But every chance he got, he made sure to catch Elle's eye. He was aware of the gun being picked up and then put back down, but he did not care. His attention on only one person.

Go! Run!

He tried to say with his eyes, but he must have failed spectacularly because instead of running, she burst into the room taser in hand. The next thing Gio knew, he was free.

Protect Elle! His mind screamed, and the knife strapped to his leg agreed. It cut through his enemies with ease, and when left it buried in one of the men, his hands took over.

Must protect Elle! Must protect Elle! Must protect Elle! 

The chant helped him push past his pain, and when he finally stopped moving, only he and Elle were still standing.

Good, she was safe. 

The knowledge that he had been able to protect her quelled some of his rage. The red in his vision pushed back enough for him to be able to think clearly…right, it was time for a cleanup.