Page 4 of Angel
His gaze lingered on me, giving me the impression he didn’t want to go. Which was strange, considering it looked like that had been his plan just a few minutes before.
I didn’t respond, instead just watched him turn and shut the door behind him.
Sophia took a few steps towards me. “Paige, I just want you to know that I’m trying to protect you.”
I blinked fast, my vision swimming. I needed to sit down, get my bearings, but I also felt frozen to the spot. Something big was coming, and I didn’t know just what it was, but it was about to hit and take me under tidal wave style.
“Tell me,” I commanded, in a way I never talked to her. “Who is this Moretti guy?”
Sophia’s shoulders dropped. “He’s head of a big mafia family.”
“And? What exactly does he have to do with us?”
“And… He’s betrothed to you… You’ve been promised to him,” she feebly added, like the first part of the statement hadn’t been explanation enough. The way she averted my eyes said a hell of a lot.
Betrothed.Promised. The words rung in my head. Antiquated words no one used any more.
Sophia looked back up at me. “His full name is Alfredo ‘The Pistol’ Moretti. And you’ve been promised to him for years.”
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. There were too many questions and nowhere seemed like the right place to begin.
Sophia’s words came out faster, spinning all around me, their whirling speed making me dizzy. “I don’t know how much you remember, Paige, about the past. About before Mom and Dad died. I’ve been trying to protect you. I’ve been trying to keep you safe. This engagement, it’s to keep the peace.”
I finally found some breath. “Keep the peace between who?”
Sophia gulped. “Between the Moretti’s and the Salvatore’s.”
My heart contracted. “Angelo’s family?”
“Yes,” she softly whispered.
My head pathetically shook from side to side. “But whyme? How can I be a part of this? And why doyouknow about all of this?”
“Dad worked for the Salvatore’s, Paige. He was kind of their personal tailor. We practically grew up with his kids. You just don’t remember it.”
“Are you saying Dad knew about this?”
She shook her head. “No. I don’t think so. He wouldn’t have agreed.”
I tried to speak but choked instead. A lifelong engagement. Yet another thing I didn’t remember, just like people and events from years ago.
“You should have told me all of this!” I yelled. “You say that you want to protect me. Why the Hell didn’t you tell me about this?” My fingers curled, even the ones around my inhaler digging into my palms. “And why me, huh?! Why not you?”
“I-I don’t know,” she garbled, the flustered person standing in front of me a far cry from the cool, collected, and confident girl I’d known for the last nearly twenty-five years. “I was going to tell you soon.”
“What, on the way to the chapel?”
Her nostrils flared and she reached up to grab at her short red hair in frustration. “It’s not that simple, Paige. It’s not that simple with you! You can’t handle all of this information at one time. You’re...”
“What? Delicate? Is that what you were planning to say?”
Her lips twisted.
I scoffed. “Just how much do you hide from me?”
“I already told you I did it to protect you.”
Tears filled my eyes. I blinked them away. I wanted to feel empathetic for her, but in that moment, was just too pissed.
