Page 43 of Vincenzo's Promise
Vincenzo
I pulled myself away from the men of the other clans who were looking to talk business, especially now that I had a foothold in Cosa Nostra territory. Tonight wasn’t about clan business but my new life with Isabella. That was all I wanted to focus on.
I approached Cheryl and Angelo, Angelo keeping her away from most of the crowd. “Have you seen, Bella?” I asked.
While this kind of atmosphere would be something Cheryl had to learn to navigate now that Isabella would be Donna, tonight was not the time to introduce her to our world. There were too many people she could disrespect without even knowing it.
Cheryl had been glued to Angelo’s side since the party began, just like I’d instructed. Even though I thought Angelo would be pissed, he seemed the opposite—he was completely enamored with the feisty nurse. Probably because she could give him shit just as much as he could.
“No, I thought she was with you,” Cheryl responded, with a look of concern.
“She went to my study to use the restroom, but she should’ve been back by now. I’m sure she’s fine, but I’ll go check.”
“I’ll go with you,” Cheryl said, following me to my study.
“That’s not necessary, Cheryl. I’m sure everything’s fine.”
“Well, I would like to see for myself.”
I nodded, and Angelo chuckled beside me. There was no use in arguing. Bella had let me know exactly how her best friend was. Cheryl didn’t take no for an answer. She was like the female version of Angelo.
Right before we made it to the study door, we heard female voices. One was Bella’s, but I couldn’t recognize the other because the large oak door muffled the voice. When I pushed the door open and walked in, Angelo cursed, and Cheryl gasped. None of us were expecting what was happening, but we needed to remain calm for Bella’s sake and my sanity.
“Bella, is everything all right?” I asked.
Her shoulders visibly relaxed at the sound of my voice. I asked even though I knew the answer; I just wanted her to know I was there. Daniella had a gun pointed directly at Bella, who stood a few feet away from her, trembling. Fear, anger, and rage all swirled inside me. All I could see was red.
How in the hell did she get a gun through all this fucking security? Once all this is over, heads are going to roll.
“Wait outside, Cheryl,” Angelo demanded.
“I’m not going any fucking where, Lo. She’s got a fucking gun pointed at my sister.”
Angelo grumbled, but he didn’t say anything else. He knew it would be in vain, so he pushed Cheryl behind him, shielding her from danger with his body.
“Vincenzo, I was just having a talk with Daniella, that’s all,” Bella said, without facing me. Her voice was calm, but I knew she had to be scared out of her mind.
“About?”
“Why are you talking to her, Vincenzo!” Daniella yelled. “Talk to me! I’m right here!”
“She sayssomeonepromised her that if she did everything you asked,” Bella responded, ignoring Daniella, “you’d marry her and make her Donna. Isn’t that right, Daniella?”
As soon as Bella finished, I understood exactly what she was doing. She’d let me know someone else was behind this. Daniella wasn’t working alone, but who would put her up to this?
“Vincenzo.”
When Daniella called my name, I glared at her with all the hate and rage I felt, causing her to flinch. Maybe now wasn’t the time for her to see the real me, but it couldn’t be helped. She was pointing a gun at my Bella and for what? There would never be an us, no matter what whoever she was working for told her. She’d known from the beginning she was nothing to me.
I started to walk forward, hoping to put myself between Bella and Daniella. Her eyes frantically shifted from Bella to me, then back to Bella.
“I told her she would never fit into our world, Vincenzo, and you know it’s true. Look at her. Do you think the clans would ever accept her?” Daniella sneered.
The closer I got to Bella, the more frantic Daniella seemed to become, so I stopped. Although I wasn’t between them, I was close enough to get to Bella if I needed to. The .380 trembled in Daniella’s hand as she moved the gun back and forth between me and Bella.
“Don’t move another inch, Vincenzo, or your new plaything dies.”
“Put the gun down, Daniella. So, we can talk.”
