Chapter 34 – Vincenzo #2
I shifted in the seat as the bike purred out of the backyard, into the clean, paved alley.
Only when we jumped onto the street did I let the beast roar.
Amanda’s grip tightened. I swore I could hear her muffled screams of terror as I made the bike dance, bending to the side to take tight turns, shooting forward in a wicked explosion.
I didn’t do anything too stupid, not with such precious cargo.
But I did zigzag through traffic at a red light, launching out first the moment green flickered above.
By the time we reached the diner, Amanda was shaking. I cut the engine, kicked the stand, and turned to her.
She kept a death grip on me.
Wrapping my arms around her shoulders, I pressed my forehead against the tinted visor. “Admit it, that was fun.”
“No. No, it was not.” Amanda sounded grumpy. Exactly how she did when she didn’t want to let on that I was right.
Chuckling, I lifted her off the bike. I dropped my arm over her shoulder and supported her wobbly, adrenaline-laced body into the restaurant.
“Take a seat wherever you want, hun!” the toothless waitress called out with a gummy grin.
Amanda fell into a booth and tugged the helmet off her head. Shooting a look over her shoulder, she muttered, “Hannah’s still alive?”
“Seems to be,” I agreed, tipping the ceramic mug up to indicate the need for coffee. “I’m as surprised as you.”
This was it. The memories of better times swirled in the air. Our place felt like a time capsule. Nothing had changed. Hell, the grease in the fryers was probably the same vat of swill from a decade ago.
I hoped against hope that the years apart fell away. In this moment, sitting at the same booth, we could be the girl and boy who’d once been crazy for each other. No prison sentence, no vile family secrets. Just…us.
Amanda turned back. Those blue eyes caught mine. They were wide and open. The emptiness that I’d seen when I watched her in New York wasn’t there right now.
As if she was embarrassed that she let me look into her soul, she blushed and dropped her gaze. Smoothing a hand over her hair, she shook her head. “I can’t believe I let you drag me out here.”
“It wasn’t like you could ever say no. It’s tradition.”
Amanda hummed, turning over her mug as Hannah appeared with a coffee pot. The waitress poured the strong, oily liquid into the mugs.
“Need a minute?” She gestured to the menus with a jerk of her hairy chin.
“Nah, one short stack and one tall. Extra butter on both,” I ordered, reaching for the sugar canister as I smiled at Hannah.
“Coming right up.”
My fingers found flesh.
I jerked in surprise, realizing that Amanda had reached for the sugar at the same time.
This time, the combined weight of our stare was a clash.
We sat there, looking into one another without reservation.
Past and present collided. Our fingers were the starting point, and a tangible energy flowed between us.
I let out a ragged breath. Cavolo, this woman had the power to slay me.
Amanda snatched her hand back, dropping it in her lap.
I bit back a growl, hating that she continually rebuffed me.
I snared the sugar in a vicious grip, defying the greasy coating to let it slip from my touch.
I poured a healthy dose into my mug. Setting it between us, I plucked my spoon and gave the inky liquid a vicious stir.
Amanda reached for the sugar. She lifted it up, considered it, and then sprinkled some in hers.
She used to dump in more than me.
How time had changed. She used to eat whatever, whenever. Through the time spent watching her, I noticed how careful she was about her food choices. It made me wonder if something happened to make her change or if she just wasn’t the same girl she’d been ten years ago.
At least she hadn’t fought me about the pancake order.
Taking a small sip, Amanda choked. “Garh, that’s vile.”
I took a sip and smirked. “Yeah, it is.”
This felt good. This felt right.
“Vincenzo, what are we doing?” Amanda sighed.
“Isn’t it obvious?” I tried another sip of the coffee and grimaced, ignoring Amanda’s head shake.
The small picture was that I was taking my wife out for pancakes. The big picture? I was going to show her we were right for one another. It had always been us.
Two plates of steaming pancakes were set on the table.
“Well, the portion sizes here didn’t shrink with inflation,” Amanda muttered.
The fluffy things were eighteen inches in diameter at least. Three on my plate, one on hers.
“Buon appetito.” I saluted her with fork and knife.
“Vincenzo.”
I ignored her flat tone. If I knew her, and I did, she was getting ready to fight.
“Eat.” And because my tone was hard, I softened the moment by adding, “Fiore.”
Amanda closed her eyes. She reached up and put a hand on her throat. The buttery, cakey goodness turned to ash on my tongue.
“I have to—” The words were a strangled breath.
Amanda stumbled out of the booth.
I caught sight of the tremor in her hands. Heard the stilted gasps for air. Fuck…. I didn’t realize she was this badly agitated!
“Amanda, wait.” I wanted to kick myself. But in my defense, she’d hidden her distress well.
Too damn well.
Porca miseria! She was prone to panic attacks, and the stress of the weekend was likely to send her over the edge. Yet another reason I wanted her close. To make it so she didn’t suffer through them alone—maybe not at all!
Muttering a curse, I climbed out after her. My size and the tight fit of the table slowed the motion. She was already scampering out the door.
“We’ll be right back,” I barked at the waitress, who was about to protest.
Even in pointy heels, Amanda could book it fast. She bolted down the sidewalk. I had to jog, my long strides eating the distance. There was a group of men ahead, lounging outside a bar. The last thing I wanted to do was cause a scene.
But as I closed in on her, some sixth sense rose to the surface. Warning bells pealed in my mind. A car approached from behind. Wheels rolled down the asphalt.
“Mandy! Duck,” I shouted, springing forward the last few steps.
My arms wrapped protectively around her slight frame. I tackled her as gunfire erupted around us.
“Enzo!” Amanda gasped.
We hit the ground hard.
My knee slammed into the pavement. Pain burned up my leg, but I curled into her, covering that precious body with mine. Unholy terror gripped me. There wasn’t even the urge to fight, only to protect.
The rippling menace of war crackled through the dark. Shouts echoed the exchange of gunshots. One of the men at the bar groaned loudly.
I tensed, clutching her tighter. I didn’t dare look up.
It was over in seconds. The car’s wheels squealed as the engine whined and the threat rushed away.
The rapid thump of my heart didn’t hide the panicked gulps of air that stilted from Amanda.
She’s safe.
Nothing hit me, ergo, nothing hit her.
Through the blinding terror, one thought pinged softly in the back of my mind. Its presence was calm. A balm to the rushing, swirling madness.
This could work to my advantage.
And it wouldn’t even be a lie.
“Let’s move,” I muttered into her hair.
If she acknowledged me, it was silent. I pulled her up and hurried her two blocks back to the diner.
She didn’t protest as we slid onto my bike, but her grip was weak.
Growling, I spun her around so she straddled me, draped over my front like a monkey.
I didn’t pause for the helmet inside. She would be safe with me.
I wove the bike down the street, taking the first right, then a left.
In minutes, we were in a safer neighborhood—my neighborhood.
The bike dove into the underground garage of my building, dipping as the entrance sloped. I pulled into a spot, cut the engine, and lifted Amanda into my arms.
She rested her head against my shoulder and sighed. “You didn’t pay for the food.”
A rough laugh caught in my throat. Leave it to her…. “I’ll have Guglielmo take care of it.”
Amanda angled her head to look up at me. “One of your goons?”
“Yeah, but you knew that.”
“Did I?” She snuggled closer.
Dio mio, she felt good right here. And the unfortunate interruption to our date was going to prove to be the exact thing I needed to convince her to move in with me. Which was what I set out to do tonight in the first place.
Still…I wished with every fiber of my being it had gone differently.