11. The Stupidest Thing
CHAPTER 11
THE STUPIDEST THING
I sabella
With one last glance in the mirror, I steel my nerves for possibly the stupidest thing I’ve done in my life. But for good cause, I remind myself. Missing Serena’s going away party, or Buon Viaggio Bash as she’d touted it across social media is not going to happen. So fuck the consequences, and I am certain there will be plenty of them.
Running my hand through my perfect beachy waves, I attempt to slow my racing pulse. Then I smooth the oversized NYU sweats over my black mini dress. Totally unnoticeable. Everything will be fine. I’d convinced my parents and overbearing guard that Matteo was coming over to watch a movie, a totally believable concept as we frequently have movie nights in our home theater.
Moving away from the mirror, I pace the length of my bed before curling a hand around one of the ornate bed posts forcing an end to my agitated movements. The first stage of the plan is already in motion. Serena made accomplices of her parents without them being the wiser. My Uncle Dante and Aunt Rose were already on their way to a Broadway show with my parents. That meant half of the penthouse security went along with them.
Which would make my escape much more feasible.
The only problem is my ever-vigilant guard.
Reaching for my cell on the nightstand, I open the security app. Our home is constantly monitored through a series of hidden cameras. Vinny’s room is empty; he’s gone for the night with his guard to a friend’s house. Flipping through the video feed, I stop at a familiar towering figure. Broad shoulders bar the entry to my room, those eyes flickering across either side of the hallway as if some crazed gunman is going to appear at any moment. I’ve been hiding out in my room for the past two hours getting ready for the party, and the man hasn’t moved from outside my door.
Doesn’t the coglione ever pee?
If I hadn’t planned this diversion so perfectly, I wouldn’t have made it a foot past Raffaele. Despite the elaborate plan, I’m not certain I’ll escape. But I have to try because Serena will kill me if I don’t at least make an attempt.
The sharp squeal of the doorbell through the security app sends the phone flying out of my hands. “Shit!” I squeak as my phone hits the floor with a smack. Dio , chill out, Bella . I get down on all fours and reach for my cell, then watch as Johnny opens the front door and Matteo saunters in. As expected, Raf doesn’t budge.
I follow my cousin on the cameras as he offers Johnny a smile and a wink, then continues into the living area on his own. No one, except my paranoid guard, would expect anything nefarious from one of my closest cousins. With my heart tapping out a frantic beat, I watch as Matteo swings by the kitchen, opens the microwave, sticks something inside and gently closes it.
“Hey, Bells,” Matty shouts, “are you coming out to greet your most favorite cousin or what?”
And that’s my cue. Drawing in a deep breath, I tuck my phone into my pocket then grab my tote bag which hides my strappy stilettos and wrap it in a big fluffy comforter. Then I march toward the door, slipping on a mask of calm. I haven’t quite mastered it, not like Papà . My mom says I wear my heart on my sleeve, but not tonight.
Jerking the door open, I fully expect to catch Raf off guard and drop him on his ass, but the man is like a jungle cat. He gracefully leaps out of the way and even manages to hold the door open for me.
“Your date for the evening is here, principessa .” A wicked gleam lights up his dark irises.
“Don’t be disgusting.” I barrel by him, tucking my comforter beneath my arm.
A dark chuckle echoes behind me as I lengthen my strides to put some space between myself and my domineering bodyguard. Matteo stands in front of our home movie theater, in a pretty convincing pair of sweats.
In fact, my cousin and I are matching in NYU purple and white. Only Matteo could pull it off. He tugs me into a quick embrace with my guard looming over us.
“Is it really necessary for you to touch my client?” he grumbles.
I roll my eyes, shooting Raf a scathing glare before Matteo can answer. “What do you think he’s going to do, shank me?”
My guardian shrugs, the picture of innocence. “You never can be too careful.”
Matty opens the door to the dark room and dips into a theatrical bow. “After you.”
I cross the threshold, and my shadow steps in stride beside me. Whirling around, I waggle my finger an inch from his Roman nose. “I’m sorry. You are not invited. This is a cousins’ only night. Since you forbade me to go to Serena’s party, you do not get to watch The Princess Bride with us.”
“Oh, you wound me so, signorina .” Raf motions a knife to the heart, his expression so melodramatic I barely suppress a grin. But I refuse to gift him that smile.
Instead, I slam the door in his face, ever so proud of myself. As soon as we’re enclosed in the soundproof room, I whirl around to Matteo. “Are you sure you can do this?”
“Sure as shit.” He grins as he pulls out his cell.
My cousin is kind of an IT whiz. He studied computer engineering at NYU and in just four years, managed to outsmart most of his professors. There isn’t anything he can’t hack, including my father’s home security system.
Or at least, that’s what he assures me.
“So how is this going to work exactly?” I murmur as his fingers fly over the keyboard.
“It’s simple.” He steers me toward the front row of the small theater and pulls me into the seat beside him. “I’m going to film us like this, then set it on a loop. So if your crazy guard decides to spy on us, he’ll see us sitting right here safe and sound all night.”
“So we’ll have about two and a half hours.” Luckily, Serena’s apartment is only a three-block walk from the penthouse.
“Right.”
“And the distraction?”
“Set to go off in about two minutes when Johnny heats up his nightly cup of Joe.”
My lips slide into an easy smile. “You’re brilliant, you know that, right?”
“I never could have done it without you and your intel.” He pinches my cheek, the annoying habit one that he picked up from his father. My uncle Nico has always had an obsession with my cheeks since I was a kid. Now Matty does it as a joke.
Opening the security app once again, I toggle to the camera in the kitchen. “We do make quite the devious team.”
Right on cue, a loud explosion booms through the phone’s speaker.
Raf whips the theater room door open, his eyes wide and gun clenched in his fist. “Stay here and do not move.”
“Will do.” I shoot him a reassuring smile.
“And lock the door behind me.”
So predictable. I rise, pretending to do as I’m told, and the moment he’s out the door, Matteo springs up alongside me.
“Hurry, we only have a few minutes before he’s back.” Tucking my tote under my arm, I grab Matty’s hand and drag him down the hallway to my parents’ bedroom. Papà had taught me long ago never enter a room without calculating your exit strategy.
Thanks to my dad’s paranoia, there are two elevators out of this penthouse. The one hidden in his room is a direct ride to the garage where Matteo’s car is waiting. We race into my parents’ bedroom and head straight for the secret exit.
My heart punches my ribs as the sleek elevator doors glide closed behind us. Come on. Come on . The security app always loses signal in the elevators, so we’re flying blind. Just a few more seconds...
The elevator dings, and the doors slide open. I race out with Matteo by my side and find Jackson, Matty’s younger brother at the wheel of his new ruby red BMW. It’s a perfect match to his bright hair. “Damn, you guys took long,” he grumbles.
“Sorry, my guard is kind of tough to shake. I didn’t know you were coming to the party, Jax.”
“I’m not. I’m just the designated driver.” Though Jackson is nearly my age, he rarely hangs out with the cousin crew. Matteo says he didn’t get the Valentino-Rossi gene, he’s all Vanderbilt like his mom, preferring to lay low than paint the town red with the rest of us.
The video feed comes back online, and I catch a quick glimpse of the guards filling the kitchen. Smoke darkens the frame, but I can clearly make out Raf with the fire extinguisher.
“Hard to shake is the understatement of the year,” Matty mutters.
We pile into the car, and Jackson guns the engine. As we pass through security, I drop down behind the front seats as my cousins wave at the guard.
The moment we hit Park Avenue I heave out a breath of relief. We made it. “Holy shit, I can’t believe that worked!” I cry out.
No sooner are the words out than a familiar voice blasts through the speaker on my phone. I glance at the camera, at the loop playing of Matteo and me in the home theater. Raf’s voice booms through the speaker as does the pounding of his fists on the door. “Are you okay, Isabella?”
A hint of guilt creeps in at the fear lacing his tone. Am I imagining it?
Dismissing the insane thoughts, I press the speaker button on my phone as Matteo watches warily. “Relax, Raf, we’re totally fine. What happened out there?”
“Nothing. A fuse ruptured in the microwave. There was a little fire, but it’s all under control.”
“Great, then I can go back to watching my movie.”
“Unlock the door first.”
“Nope, I don’t think so. I like it better with you stuck out there.”
“Isabella…” he growls.
“Come on, Raf, just give me this! You already ruined my night by not letting me go to Serena’s party. Can’t you just leave me alone for two hours? I’m perfectly safe in here.”
He mutters a curse, the Italian expletive ringing out in the quiet car. Dio , if I get away with this, I deserve a prize.
“Fine,” he hisses. “But I’ll be right out here if you need anything.”
“Great, thank you.”
I release the speaker button and draw in a breath. “Damn, I can’t believe I got away with that.”
Matteo’s lips melt into a beaming smile. “Tonight is going to be memorable to say the least.”