22. Isabella
twenty-two
Isabella
I wake up alone in a cold bed. There’s no sign of him being in there. Like I imagined him lying next to me before I fell asleep.
But he was real. He was there.
Is it wrong that I wanted to wake up beside him? Maybe. Except for the fact that this life is what I ran from, he is almost everything I searched for in a man, which is making me doubt everything.
His wanting to escort me is making me even more confused.
As soon as I entered the living room, Salvatore announced he would drive me to work. He didn’t even look at me, not even to say good morning like normal people do. He just kept looking through the window over Manhattan with his hands in the pockets of his slacks.
I pout. “You can’t be serious. I have interviews, and I need to avoid any attention.” His mood and actions are maddening me.
“Too bad. You can either agree or you can stay here and work from here. Better yet, take a vacation until an alliance with your father is agreed on.”
I take a step toward him, my hands balling into fists. “I can’t. I have a deadline and since I can’t investigate you or write about you, I took another story.”
His back stiffens and his demeanor changes. He takes a few breaths before he exhales loudly and shakes his head. “Take the offer, Bella, while you can. It will expire in the next minute.”
“What about your work?”
“I have people working for me. Family comes first. Thirty seconds.”
Family? Am I part of that family? Or am I the problem? I put that thought aside because I know his ultimatums, and his offer will expire. So, when he turns around and before he says something else, I agree. I know where this is going. This is how I got where I am today.
“Fine, you can drive me. But not in your car. It will draw attention to where I’m going. And you need to change. That suit is too flashy. You can lose the tie and jacket.”
With one look at me and my jeans and T-shirt, he walks back into the room without a word and comes back after a few minutes in black jeans and Henleys.
We leave the suite without exchanging a word until we reach the garage, and instead of going for his car, I make my way toward my old 99 Toyota Carolla that I have specifically for my investigations.
“Not a chance in hell,” Salvatore growls from behind me.
I smirk before he can see me. “I’m sorry if this doesn’t fit you, but this is what I’m driving. You can always stay here.”
“First, this car has one foot in the grave. Second, don’t even think about it.”
I turn to him and narrow my eyes. “This car has been my lifesaver for as long as I’ve been here, and I only use it when I need to disguise myself. I have a second car that was left in front of your club last night.”
“Unfortunately. I’m driving.” He stretches out his hand. With a roll of my eyes, I pass him the keys.
“Don’t roll your eyes at me.” His voice slices through to my core, sending chills down my back. Swallowing, I enter the passenger seat and buckle myself in.
The drive to the old and poor neighborhood on the east side of the city is long and silent. A powerful governor used to live in this part of town. I’m going to find out if the rumors are true. Hall Media got a call from a lady saying when the governor was younger, he had a girlfriend who got pregnant, and he left her for some rich girl he met. Long story short, he has a bastard child.
Salvatore breaks the silence first. “This place looks terrible. You sure you’re at the right place?”
“Yes. There is supposed to be a diner here. Bill’s something. We need to go there.”
He glances my way. “You were quiet.”
I raise my eyebrows. “So were you.”
He takes a deep breath, his voice somewhat worried. “I’m doing what I need to do so I can keep you safe and keep Cosa Nostra out of war.”
“Sure.” I don’t ask what I want to, like did I imagine last night or when he left my side? Mostly because I don’t know what to make of our situation.
There is attraction between us, a lot of it. But he also blackmailed me into this marriage, made me choose between him or going back to my father.
Salvatore’s voice pulls me back from my thoughts. “We’re here.”
I look through the window at the old diner with dirty cars parked in front of it. The sign has the letter B missing, so it says Ill’s Diner. From one look at the half-filled diner, I can see the person I’m here to meet. Darcy, a middle-aged blond waitress with too much makeup, probably to cover up the exhaustion on her face.
“You can stay here. I just need to talk to someone. No offense, but if you’re with me, I’m afraid she won’t talk.”
He scans the area before turning to me. “Who are you meeting?”
“The blond waitress. I won’t be long.” I don’t wait for his answer before I exit the car and make my way toward the diner.
The bell rings from above my head, and despite how it looks from the outside, the place is in pretty good shape. Or at least for this neighborhood, anyway. It looks like it hasn’t been decorated since the seventies, though.
I walk toward the front, where the blond is topping up the coffee of a man who sits at the bar. I look at her tag, where Darcy is written. It is her.
“Darcy?”
Her head lifts, her tired eyes meeting mine. “Yes. How can I help you, dear?” A tired smile is on her face as she waits for an answer.
“I have a question about someone you used to know. I was hoping you could help me.”
“Oh? Who are you looking for?”
I motion to an empty booth in the back, away from prying ears and eyes. I don’t want people to talk before I have all the facts.
“Sure, but I can spare only a minute or two. I work alone, as you can see.”
We walk toward the back; I look behind me, not wanting to waste a second of the time she has.
“You went to the school with a boy called Richard Williams?”
“Ah, yes. Those were the times. Richard was a handsome guy. My friend Linda and I were head over heels for him, but he had only eyes for one girl. Kelly. They were so in love. Or at least we thought so. We could see church bells ringing for them. Until one day he disappeared, and she was left pregnant and all alone in this place. No one knew why.”
“Where can I find Kelly?”
“Oh, honey, she died soon after she gave birth, leaving that poor baby all alone, moving from foster home to foster home.”
“Where is the kid now?”
“Her name is Hope. Hope had a rough life. She ran from her last foster home. She will be eighteen in a few months. She hangs with other homeless kids down the street in an old factory.”
“So, Hope’s father is Richard Williams?”
“Yes. Everyone here says that Kelly died from a broken heart.” She looks over my shoulder. “Sorry, honey, but I need to go. Hope I could help you.”
“You did.”
And you don’t know how much.
I exit the diner and walk back to where Salvatore is parked. “We need to drive down the street to an old factory.”
Salvatore starts the car and drives down the street.
If what Darcy said is the truth, then there is a big story here that will keep me busy for a few weeks.
“What’s there?” Salvatore asks.
“It’s who is there. If I find who I’m searching for, I have a great story.”
A shadow of a smile crosses his face. “You love what you do, don’t you?”
“Yes. It brings me pleasure. To get pieces of a story and patch them together. And I aim only for truth, something that is important for others to know.”
“Why journalism? Why not law inforcement?”
“Too much corruption.”
“Why does that bother you?”
I look at him, trying to figure out if he’s mocking me somehow, yet the genuine look on his face tells me he really wants to know.
I lean back in my seat, exhaling.
“I lived my whole life in a lie. Don’t read that wrong. I knew who my father was, and that he was important. My sixteenth birthday was a show for his men and their wives. I heard and saw things that night that left me confused.” He says nothing, but I can see the clench of his jaw and how his knuckles turn white from the grip on the steering wheel. “The next day, I was informed that I would be married when I turned eighteen. Just a few months before my graduation. From that day until the day I ran away, I was groomed to be an obedient mafia wife. I saw them for who they really were.”
I didn’t even realize we had arrived. I take a look at the old factory in front of me. There is no way people can live there. I should go and look for the girl, but talking about my past and childhood always takes my mood down.
“What happened between your birthday and the day you ran away?” There is demand in his question.
“I was seventeen when Federico took me out on a first date. My mother dressed me up and put makeup on me to make me look older. He took me to places where he could show me off to people, people who knew who my father was, just to make a statement.” I can feel the burn of Salvatore’s gaze on my face. I turn and meet his eyes. “I never had a choice not to go with him. It was expected of me.” I shake my head and look through the car window. “Sometimes, he would have to deal with Carabinieri. He would use his name and mine, a connection to my father, to get what he wanted. He used our names for extortion, even if it meant to get a seat in a famous restaurant. I remember one time I asked him why he treats people like that. He just laughed and said, ‘Don’t ask stupid questions.’ It was one of our first dates, and that was when I started to pay attention to things happening around me, asking questions and finding the answers. I found out he killed a guy my age. I don’t even know what he did. He just took his gun and shot him between his eyes. While I was panicking and crying, Carabinieri came. I thought Carabinieri would arrest us, but he just gave a man a stack of money and we drove away. That was when I learned about corruption and how dirty people can be.” I turn to him. “You think you’re the monster? You haven’t seen what they did.”
His eyes darkened. “And you haven’t seen what I’m capable of.”
I lean in so we are just inches apart. “True, and it will be satisfying putting all the pieces together.” I pull away with my hand on the door. “I need to go inside. We can continue this heart-to-heart later.” I exit before he can say anything and walk toward the rusty door of the factory, looking around for the side entrance. If someone was inside, there was no way they would walk through that door every day.
Footsteps catch up with me, and I turn to Salvatore. “Where are you going?”
“I’m not letting you go in there alone.”
I huff. “I’ll be fine. I’m used to this part of my job.”
His jaw ticks, and he narrows his eyes at me. “No. I’m coming with you. You can deal with it, or I can drag you back to the car. Then I will drive us back to the hotel and lock you up in that suite until you come to your senses.”
“This is not my first rodeo, Salvatore.”
“Don’t I know it. But in there,” he nods to the building, “I don’t think you can seduce anyone with your looks.”
The shock of his accusation hits hard, making me speechless. “Excuse me?”
“Oh, you’re excused. Gabriel was sure you planned our little encounter in my office. At first, I thought the same, but after I found out who you are, I was sure you didn’t.”
I take two steps in his direction, angry at his assumptions. I stop only when I’m toe to toe with him.
I point a finger at his chest. “You know nothing about me other than what you learned during your background check on me. What I feel, what I want, and who I am here.” I point to my chest. “You don’t know, so before you judge me and say things you will regret, think again.”
He grabs my wrist and pulls me into his chest. “I would advise you not to threaten me, Bella. I’m just trying to keep you safe.”
I try to pull my hand free. “By insulting me?” His grip on my wrist is iron-clad. Without a second thought, I clench my fist and punch him on the side of his nose. Things I learned in my self-defense course.
“See, I can use my body for everything.” I make a mocking sound and leave him behind me, clutching his nose.
I make a beeline around the factory, where I find a side door that’s been ripped off and replaced with cloth. Before I can enter, Salvatore catches up with me. He places his hand in front of me, not letting me enter, but this time, he isn’t touching me.
“Let me go first.” He doesn’t wait for an answer before he moves the cloth and enters. He holds it for me so I can come through.
At the entrance, there are a lot of displaced things. However, as we walk inside, the place is clean. The old storehouse has been filled with old furniture. We walk farther inside to the far end, where there are some rooms. One is the kitchen and looks well-equipped. We walk down until we reach the room where voices can be heard. Two girls sit on a makeshift bed on the floor. One is blond with short pixie-cut hair, and the other has wild long red curls. They both startle as they see us.
One of them reaches for something under the pillow, but before they can do anything, Salvatore pulls his gun, pointing at them.
“Put it down. We’re only here to talk,” he says.
“I’m looking for Hope.” I jump in before the situation worsens.
They both look at each other. “Why?” the blond asks.
“I have some questions regarding her mother, Kelly.”
The other girl stands and looks Salvatore dead in the eye. “You can put the gun down.” She raises her hands. “We don’t have any weapons.”
Salvatore looks from her to the other girl before he puts it back behind his back. However, he stays alert by my side.
She takes a step toward me. She is just an inch shorter than me. “Kelly is dead. Has been for years. Why are you interested in her?”
“I’m interested in a story.”
She narrows her eyes at me. “Are you a journalist?”
“Yes, I am.” I raise my chin.
She looks at me, then at Salvatore. “He isn’t.”
“No, he isn’t.”
What I thought would be a scared teenager is a strong young woman who isn’t scared to stand up for herself.
After a minute or two of a staring competition between us, a smile tugs on her lips.
“I was wondering who they would send when I called Hall Media. I never thought they would take me seriously.”
“I’m Isabel.”
“I’m Hope.”
I can’t believe all I heard in there. I walk out toward the car and write a quick email to the private investigator I work with to look into things she said. Some names and places. If there is truth in what Hope said, then I have one good story.
I turn and look at the old factory. Hope is living there with a girl and three other guys who she said were all at the same foster home and ran away.
“I wish I could help them.”
Salvatore stops beside me. “You can’t, and I suggest you leave this be. Give the story to someone else.”
I turn to him, my brows furrowed. “Why would I do that?”
“We need to lie low. You need to lie low. And this isn’t that.”
I hold up a hand. “No,” I say firmly. If he thinks he can boss me around regarding my job, he can think again. “There is nothing that will stop me from doing my job and writing this story. You are not the boss of me.” I watch his jaw tick and his nostrils flare. “I can help that girl by getting to the bottom of this story. You will not stop me.”
I take a step to the side and open the car door, only for them to be locked. His hand wraps around my middle and he pulls me to him, his front pressed to my back, his breath in my ear as he speaks.
“Do you know what happens to people who cross me? I guess you couldn’t find that out in your little investigation.”
I swallow the lump in my throat and shake my head.
“They regret it. I’m what they think about before they breathe out their last breath. I should punish you for punching me in the face, but I’ll let it slide this time.” He grabs me by my throat and tilts my head back so it lies on his shoulder as he looks at me. “I think I will enjoy punishing you. I need to teach you how things work in my world, Bella.” He lets me go and opens the car door for me. “Now, get inside before I decide to punish you on the spot.”
With my knees weak, I slide in, not having the courage to look at him because I might just let him do exactly what he wants.
I try not to think about his threat and what kind of punishment he will use when Salvatore’s chuckle interrupts my thoughts.
“What’s so funny?” I ask.
“You. Where did you learn how to defend yourself?”
“I took some classes. My job is pretty dangerous as you saw. The guys I go after are not Stepford Wives.”
“That was impressive. I didn’t see that one coming.”
“I know.”
He sighs. “Look, I’m sorry I mentioned that you use your looks to get what you want. I never should have said that.”
“I never planned on seducing you. You are the one that kissed me in my apartment and the one that touched me first.”
“I know.”
“Then why are you using that against me?”
“I’m not. I’m trying to apologize, Goddammit.”
“Well, you are doing a shitty job. Stop talking.”
He does until I laugh. If anyone could see us like this, they would say we were crazy. His throaty laugh joins mine, and it isn’t until we stop at a red light that Salvatore’s attention is caught by something.
I follow his gaze to a man who looks familiar.
“Son of a bitch,” Salvatore curses and takes his phone out, taking pictures.
“Is that the man who was at our wedding? The one that spoke of you as his son?”
“Yes, and a traitor.”
“Are you going after him?”
“No. I now know where he’s hiding. I sent Dante the information. He will take care of it. I have better things to do. I’m taking you out for lunch.”