Page 32 of Velvet Chains

Can we talk?

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

VINCENZO

The hunt had begun.

After my meeting with Pietro, knowing that arrangements had been made about Luca, I was able to turn my attention elsewhere. Isabelle. I needed to educate her briefly on the people we were going to meet and how she was to behave around them.

I felt bad for alarming her, as I saw her eyes widen with every word I said, but it was necessary. She had to be on guard, because everyone would see her as my weakness and try to get information out of her.

“Are you ready?” I asked right before the team of stylists I hired whisked her off to get ready.

“Stay close to you, suspect everyone, and keep the topics of conversation as shallow as possible. I got it.” She looked up at me as she spoke. Her eyes, slightly red around the edges, were practically screaming her nervousness at me. For all our talks and all my lessons, she was still so easy to read. I felt my hands move and immediately stifled the urge I felt to pull her into my arms.

"And when in doubt?" I asked, as the stylists nearby began to unpack their boxes, pulling out an assortment of makeup containers and accessories.

"Stay silent." She mumbled hurriedly, as one stylist held up a pink hairpin. I shook my head.

"Not that one." I said, before I finally left the room and started my own preparations.

I got ready faster than Isabelle ever could. I had been to many of these events so I had a lifetime of practice on preparing myself for them. The only difference from my usual routine was that I had to pick out my tie carefully. I had caught a glimpse of the blue dress Isabelle would be wearing and I wanted to pick a tie that would match it. We were supposed to be an engaged couple and our clothing had to reflect that. I thought the night would offer no surprises, but the moment I saw Isabelle, I knew I was wrong.

Isabelle looked stunning. The blue dress she was wearing made her skin look so deliciously pale that I wanted to lean in and take a bite. Her moonlight skin contrasted the blush make up on her cheeks. Her hair was piled up and held in place with glittering hairpins and some curly locks framed her face. She looked like a sculpture come to life, and I wanted nothing more than to take her into my arms and hide her from the world so only I could look at her. The thought of other people seeing her like this made my blood boil.

She must have noticed something from the look on my face, because her blush, which was originally just makeup, intensified as her face and neck grew flushed. I stretched out a hand to her, and when she put her hand in mine, I felt my breath quicken. With the way she looked tonight, I wanted to just undress her now, stay in and let the event go on without us.

“Ahem.” My chaotic thoughts were calmed by someone clearing his throat. When I turned around, I spotted Pietro looking at me with a knowing grin.

“Any news about Luca?” I finally asked, choosing to ignore the teasing smile on my brother’s face.

“None yet, but I’ll keep you posted. Just remember to watch your back.” He told me as he slipped me a small gun with a silencer on it. To her credit, Isabelle’s face didn’t go pale at the sight of the gun. Maybe she had gotten used to it by now. I attached the gun to an ankle holster. The unofficial rule was to come to these types of events unarmed, but I had some leeway on the etiquette. The gun was insurance. We hoped it wouldn’t be necessary, but it was always good to be prepared for anything. I had never been caught without a weapon in a dangerous situation and I wasn’t about to start now.

“Isn’t that what I have you for?” I quipped and he chuckled as Isabelle and I walked out the door. I didn’t have to look back to know that Pietro was going to get in another car with some men and tail us. Ever since we got into the business, we had always had each other’s back.

The ride to the venue was quiet, from the corner of my eyes I could see Isabelle beside me. She was fidgeting, her hands seemed to have a life of their own as she absentmindedly tapped the window.

It was an elegant affair. Everyone at the event had allies and enemies present but were willing to set all grudges aside for tonight. However, the undercurrent that hung around in the air betrayed it for what it really was; a gathering of wolves.

The moment I stepped out of the car with Isabelle, I was on guard and on edge. We hadn’t even gotten into the hall yet and it already seemed like there were hundreds of eyes on us. And maybe there were. Every person in there had their own bodyguard waiting in the wings with firepower just in case things went south. Although I thought Antonio would know better than to make a move at an event like this, daring moves were still his type of style.

I took a brief second to let my eyes adjust once we stepped into the hall, the contrast between how dark it was outside and the brightly lit hall almost blinding. What was more annoying was the amount of attention Isabelle received. I still didn't know if her nerves would hold under the pressure.

“Why are they staring?” Isabelle asked me in a whisper, and I grinned.

“Maybe it’s because of how you look in that dress,” I whispered back and watched her face turn pink. I wasn’t lying, but I could also see some of my enemies, the Salvatore and the De Belli clan. Representatives of all the families, friends and foes, were sizing us up, their eyes focused on us like they were trying to pick apart every single detail. If I hadn’t been so focused on keeping things together, I would have scoffed.

“Don Vincenzo, you’re looking well, and your fiancée looks divine,” a shifty looking man walked up to me and said. I did not to simply walk away from him because as much as I disdained him, he was a fool who could be a useful tool if I played my cards right. The man's name was Alvarez and he had beady little eyes and hair that looked too greasy to be real. He was one of the new foreign associates Don Antonio had been working with lately, close enough to be considered Antonio's new right-hand man. Alvarez was from a Colombian cartel and because I didn’t trust Antonio, I didn’t trust him.

“Nasty business, what happened to Don Salvatore.” He sighed theatrically. This was my problem with him. He thought he and Don Antonio were so smart that no one noticed their little moves. That was why he could stand before me, and say something like that while reeking of smugness.

"Yes, it's terrible."

"I only hope things settle down from now on."

“You’re not alone, that’s what everyone here is hoping.” As I spoke, someone else joined us. The woman, Loredana, had blond hair and a polite smile on her face. She was another perfect tool, a favored daughter from the Messina clan, known for feeding the rumor mill whatever she could find, and I was about to give her prime material.

“What are you all talking about?” She asked, her love for gossip making her eyes shine brighter than the diamonds that circled her neck.

---