Eve had been one thing, this person however was something totally different. What was it with suddenly seeing so many familiar faces in one space? Had Lena honestly called in the whole Calvary to help her deal with this problem?
"My oh my. What an unexpected situation we have here." A tiny twitch of the lips into a smug smirk was all it took for the sour expression on Gabrielle's face to return. The newcomer, a tall, lanky man seemed much more thrilled to see other than Gabrielle did of him. This had to be some joke.
"Inviting the whole party here, are we? I had been looking around to see if there was anyone else I might recognize, but I didn't expect to see this one." The Italian caught the hand before it could make contact with her hair and mess it up.
"Surely princess, you didn't think it would be any kind of a good idea to bring all these people here after contacting me to help." The icy edge to her tone didn't go amiss. The princess, however didn't have a proper response that she could off to the other.
"I didn't invite this one to come along and help. I don't know what he's doing here, seeing as he hasn't been welcome near our family for quite some years." Lena's tone didn't hold such a sharp edge, but her eyes said more than enough. A muted sound escaped the man, followed by a gentle chuckle.
"Oh, come now. I am sure we can work on setting aside our differences for now. It isn't like I came here with any ill will geared toward anyone. I heard what happened and thought that I might be able to offer some assistance." Without being invited into the room, the man pushed past Gabrielle to step closer to Lena. That didn't stop the Italian woman from sending her sharp look.
"Gabrielle. Even you should know that I only came here with the best intentions to help out. Some little birdies have been informing that there are many interesting things going on." Did he honestly think that standing next to Lena would keep him safe? Gabrielle did an about-face as the door slammed with more force than necessary.
"After five years, you think you can march in here. No apology or explanation. You have a lot of nerve, Dino." The last name was spat like one trying to get a bad taste off their tongue. A rich, effected laugh fluttered through the room. Unfazed, Dino ignored Gabrielle in favor of Lena and the young man lying in bed.
"My. So the elusive male heir of the Red Scorpions truly is here. I knew he'd come back for a visit, but I thought surely his daddy would've made sure he'd returned to safety." Dino barely had a chance to finish speaking before the air was effectively knocked out of him. A harsh thud met Leo's ears. The younger sibling didn't need to see to know what that sound meant. Lena wasn't in the mood to be playing games.
"Dino." Cold and calm, the name passed through Lena's lips in a tone that did not match their current position. A gun pressed harshly into Dino's stomach as an elbow against his throat kept him in place. However, neither fear or intimidation shone back in Dino's eyes. Eagerness? No delight. This was mirrored in the way his tongue swiped across his bottom lip much like a child waiting to get their hands on a tasty morsel.
"So glad to see that you haven't gone about losing your edge, Lena. It would've been such a shame to come back after so long only to find out that everything I used to know ended up changing." The limited amount of oxygen from the elbow pressed harshly into his throat didn't stop him from rattling on.
"I heard a few rumors that a little puppy had come along and tamed the fierce scorpion. I can see for myself now though that it obviously was nothing but a rumor." Lena's eyes narrowed to a dangerous point. Dino couldn't quite tell however which of his words struck a nerve.
"Oh but there is indeed a puppy. Except he's ten times cuter than even the cutest of puppies that I've ever laid eyes on." Dino's gaze shifted to the corner of his eyes as Leo intruded into their conversation.
"You have been effectively replaced." Replaced? Dino's lips twitched in an erratic manner, brows furrowing and unfurrowing as his eyes darted between the two siblings. What did he mean replace?
"Leo, it would be better if you didn't' go about saying too much. Such things aren't anything for him to be concerned about. If anything, he should be more concerned about how he's going to craft a quick and heartfelt apology before I hand him over to Gabrielle?" These words were met by an echoing sound of cracking knuckles. The tall Italian woman needed an excuse to get rid of some anger. What better way to get rid of it than on someone who actually deserved it.
"An apology? Now, now. I thought that when everything we don't we agreed to put it all behind us." Dino suddenly found it rather difficult to swallow as Lena pressed her elbow further into his neck. Despite feeling how close his wind pipe was to being crushed, Dino didn't push the small woman away.
"You were the only who said that. Like always, you try to direct the show the way it best suits you. We didn't actually come to any kind of agreement before you scuttled off with your tail between your legs." Gabrielle took one threatening step forward. Luck for her, the Italian woman had enough common sense and trust in her instinct to avoid accepting an omerta with the other mafioso. She knew all along that Lena was the right person to go about selling her soul to.
"And since you were the only one who agreed to those terms, there is nothing stopping me from what I want to do next." She didn't want to have to wait until they stepped outside of the room, she wanted to lay her hands on him right then and there. Five minutes was all Gabrielle needed to let the other know how much he'd gone about messing up.
Except she hadn't counted on the fact that Lena would stop her.
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