“The answer is still no,” Gio replied through his teeth. “And quite frankly, I can’t believe you have the gall to show up here and ask. You should have known better, William.”
“How many times do I have to apologize? Why do you always have to be so stubborn? Please. Have dinner with me. We can discuss this, and you’ll see—”
“No.”
“Goddamn you, Giovanni. Just fucking listen. I want—” William reached out to grab Gio, and Joker caught his wrist. The man stared down at him.
“He said no.” Joker let his voice go low, the warning clear.
“Who the fuck are you?” William jerked his hand out of Joker’s grip.
“Don’t be rude, William.” Gio narrowed his eyes at William before turning to put a hand on Joker’s shoulder. “Thank you, Sacha. I’m fine.”
“You sure?” Joker didn’t take his eyes off the asshole, who glared at him.
William moved his gaze to Gio, then sucked in a breath, his face draining of color. He looked like someone had punched him in the gut, and then he let out a harsh laugh that sounded somewhat unhinged.
“Oh, this is good.” William shook his head, his lip curling up in disgust. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
Joker was lost. What the hell was this guy’s problem?
“This is who you replaced me with? A prepubescent mall cop?”
Joker’s eyebrows flew up near his hairline. The fuck did he just call me? He opened his mouth, but Gio placed himself between Joker and the douchenozzle.
“Sacha is a military veteran. You will show him respect.”
“That guy? Let me guess; his job was to polish the real soldiers’ boots.”
Anger flared through Joker, but it was swiftly replaced by stunned disbelief when William went stumbling back into a crowd of people and landed on the floor on his ass, his nose bloodied.
Holy fuck! Joker gaped at Gio, who shook his hand out, his murderous glare on William. Ace had joined Saint, waiting for the word.
“Gentlemen, please escort Mr. Deveaux out.”
They grabbed William and hauled him to his feet. With a snarl, he jerked his arms out of their grasp.
“You can’t be serious,” William spat. His eyes darted to Joker, and if looks could kill, Joker would have been annihilated on the spot.
“I would choose my next words very carefully if I were you, William.” The low, menacing tone was one Joker had never heard from Gio before. It was kinda hot.
“This isn’t over,” William growled, stomping toward the gallery exit. Ace and Saint grabbed him again, and Joker ordered Chip to stay with Gio. He quickly caught up and took hold of William’s elbow in a bruising grip, ignoring the man’s snarl as Joker escorted him outside. William snatched his elbow away and whirled to face Joker, who got up in his face to murmur quietly.
“If you go anywhere near him, I will end you.”
William scoffed. “You think I’m scared of you?”
Joker’s grin had William taking a quick step back. “You should be.”
“I don’t know what your angle is, but if you think giving him your ass is going to get you a rich daddy, you’re in for a disappointment. Giovanni Galanos is a frigid, selfish son of a bitch.”
“If your ass isn’t gone in the next five minutes, you’re going to learn the real meaning of frigid,” Joker warned. He left security to keep an eye on William and went back inside, hurrying to Gio, who assured guests everything was all right. They believed him and quickly went back to schmoozing. Everything might be all right, but Gio wasn’t. Joker put a hand to the small of his back and led him to one side.
“Are you okay?”
Gio inhaled deeply through his nose, then exhaled through his mouth. He smiled warmly and nodded. “Yes, thank you. I need a moment. Would you mind accompanying me?”
Joker was going to suggest Saint since he was Gio’s personal protection, but Gio looked a little pale all of a sudden. “Yeah, sure.” He turned to Saint, murmuring, “Stay close.”
Saint nodded, and they trailed behind Gio as he made his way through the crowd, assuring everyone everything was okay, smiling, excusing himself, and promising he’d be back soon. Gio picked up his pace, and Joker knew something was wrong, especially when Chip whined.
Gio headed for a door at the back of the art gallery, and when they stepped through, Joker frowned. Whatever he’d expected, it hadn’t been the small empty room with the lone couch. A large plastic bottle of water sat on the floor beside it.
“Thank you,” Gio said, sounding breathless. He turned and sat on the couch. Joker had been about to ask what the hell was going on when his pulse picked up. Chip stared up at Gio and whined.
“Shit.” Joker pressed his PTT button. “Red, I need you. Now. And bring your bag. We’re in the room at the end of the gallery.”
“On my way,” Red replied.
Saint looked from Chip to Joker and back. “What’s going on?”
Joker quickly sat next to Gio. “Talk to me.”
The soft smile Gio gave Joker squeezed at his heart. His face had drained of color, and his brow was beaded with sweat. He shivered, but his smile remained. “It’s okay. I’ll be okay. But I’m going to pass out first. You’ll be here when I wake up, won’t you?”
Joker nodded. “Of course.”
“Thank you.” Gio closed his eyes, and Joker’s reflexes kicked in, catching him before he could fall forward. Getting up, Joker carefully laid Gio down. Red slipped into the room and hurried over.
“What happened?”
“We were out on the floor, and he suddenly went pale. He got all sweaty and shivered and told us he was going to pass out. Chip tried to tell us something was wrong. I think he knew.”
Red quickly went to work checking Gio’s vitals. “His heart rate and blood pressure have dropped, which would explain the fainting. Check his wrist.”
Frowning, Joker did as Red asked. “What am I looking for?”
“A medical alert bracelet. If Gio was prepared, it’s because this has happened enough times for him to know the signs.”
Joker checked both wrists. “No bracelet.”
“Okay. If he doesn’t come out of it in the next few—”
Gio stirred. “Sacha?” He reached out, and Joker took his hand.
“I’m here.”
Red helped Gio slowly sit up, and with a quiet “Thank you,” Gio took the water bottle Red handed to him.
“What’s going on, Gio?” Red asked, concerned.
“I’m so sorry I worried all of you. I was so busy making sure everything was perfect for tonight that I forgot to eat. I should have done better at hydrating as well. It’s not the first time, I’m afraid.”
“Drink,” Joker growled at him, exchanging discreet glances with Red as Gio quickly gulped down the water, all in one go. This was more than dehydration. Did Gio believe they were that naive? That kind of bullshit might have flown with someone else, but not with them, and certainly not with Red, who’d been a Special Forces medical sergeant.
When Gio was done, he handed Saint the empty bottle. “Thank you.” He made to stand, and Joker grabbed his arm.