Page 2 of Velvet Chains

“Hey! Signorina!” I heard someone yell behind me alongside a pair of frenzied footsteps running in my direction. The voice was in a thick Italian accent, and although I hadn't seen the speaker, I could practically feel the magnetism rolling off the low voice.

I looked around briefly, but the crush of the crowd made it hard for me to see anything, so I quickly put it out of my mind.

My arm felt weighed down a bit by my bag, but I didn’t think anything of it. I was tired and cranky, and no doubt that made my luggage feel heavier than it had when I had checked it in.

“I just need to get to the hotel and rest.” I mumbled to myself, feeling quite exhausted from both the trip and the crush of people all around me.

As I walked, I kept my head down, relying on spotting the feet before me to avoid bumping into anyone. It proved to be an efficient method until I spotted a pair of black leather shoes blocking my way. Without looking up, I moved to the left, intending to sidestep the person, but the person moved to the left too. When I moved to the right, the person did the same. Finally, I lost my temper and looked up so I could face whoever it was squarely.

At first glance, I was stunned. A man stood before me with tanned skin, broad shoulders, dark hair and even darker eyes. He had a sharp look in his eyes, like an eagle looking at its prey. He was wearing a dark suit that sat on his body so well that I had no doubt it was tailored. A had a gold watch on his wrist, and his hands were clenched into fists.

“Who sent you? Where are you going with my bag?” He asked, making me raise an eyebrow. I turned my gaze to the bag I was pulling behind me. It was black with a bright red tag dangling from its handle. It was a distinctive thing, so I knew that I was not mistaken. It felt like the interruption from the man before me was some kind of scam.

“This is my bag. You need to get lost and try your scam somewhere else.” His eyebrows raised at my words, and the look in his eyes grew even sharper, like an unsheathed blade.

“American?” He asked in a thick Italian accent.

“What’s it to you?” I asked.

“Lady, you have my bag and you’re refusing to give it back,” he said as in one swift motion, he stepped forward and grabbed the bag.

“Lady? Buddy, I’m saying you’re trying to scam the wrong girl. You think I don’t know what my bag looks like? I just had it on the carousel.” I felt like the unreasonable one as my voice grew louder, but I didn't take kindly to being called lady.

Something about how loud I was being must have frightened him because he took a step back before looking around. However, he couldn't move too far because we were both clutching the bag.

“Let’s be reasonable, why would I want your bag?” He asked after taking a deep breath.

“I could ask you the same thing, pal.” Him telling me to be reasonable just managed to piss me off even more.

“I've tried to be nice but I don't have time for this, lady, let go of my bag now.” All traces of patience were gone as he spoke. Something about his aura shifted as he looked angry and dangerous. The shift scared me for one moment before I felt a quick rush of courage.

“This bag is mine, and since you're not going to listen, I'm just going to prove it to you.” I finally snapped, tired of going back and forth with him.

I swiftly pinched the zipper before pulling it open so he could see the contents of the bag.

“All the stuff in here is mine…” My words trailed off as my gaze fell on the contents of the bag.

Money. Stacks of it. Clear bags of white powder. Maybe drugs. And worse, four black handguns. There was no mistaking them for anything else.

I could feel the blood drain out of my face. Immediately after I saw those things, I let go of the bag as fast as I could. My hands started trembling and I slowly lifted my gaze from the bag to the man holding it. I couldn't see the expression on his face through the blur of the tears that were forming in my eyes.

“See? Definitely not my bag.” I managed to stammer. However, I didn't need to see the look on his face to tell that I was in serious trouble.

CHAPTER TWO

VINCENZO

Ihad just met this woman, but she was already getting on my nerves in ways that I couldn’t have imagined. I could see the fear in her hazel brown eyes and I couldn’t help but sigh. All of this could have been avoided if she had not been so stubborn. I had started to get suspicious when she had been so adamant to claim that the bag was hers. Who had sent her?

I looked into her eyes and I thought I saw a hint of a plea there, but I knew I couldn’t let her go. This woman might not have just been a random stranger. Who knows which one of my enemies may have sent her?

I zipped up the bag quickly, making sure not to take my eyes off of her. She had already seen its contents, who knew what she would do next?

With one hand I picked up the bag and slung it over my shoulder, with the other, I pulled her close to me, her brown curls coming loose from her updo and cascading down her back. Quickly, I brought out my gun from my jacket and held it firmly against her small waist. I could feel her whole body go stiff the moment she felt the cold metal against her side.

“Don’t make a scene,” I whispered, moving even closer to her. I took in a whiff of her scent. She smelled amazing. I could feel every hair on my body standing straight. Who the fuck was this strange woman, and why did she have such an effect on me’ I liked it and hated it at the same time.

“Focus,” I thought, snapping myself out of it. Now was not the time to bask in this strange woman's scent, or even admire how beautiful her hair sat in soft curls on her shoulders.

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