17. Anna
Anna
The minute we’re in the armored limo, Vincenzo introduces me to Terry, a man wearing a bright white backward cap, and to Saint, a tall dark-haired man with tattoos all over the place who gets into the passenger seat beside him.
I gather that Terry knows exactly where we’re going and needs no further instruction from his boss.
Vincenzo’s eyes meet mine from across the seat. I lean over and touch his knee. “What did Nicolo say exactly? I only heard bits and pieces.”
“When you were eavesdropping and should have been asleep without a worry in your mind.”
I roll my eyes. “It was hard not to hear.”
“Mitral valve repair or replacement. Something like that.”
“She’s going to be okay. You would be surprised at the number of times someone has to go back into surgery for one thing or another.
I’m not saying it’s not serious but it’s a surgery that’s very common and there’s no guesswork involved.
Lanah must be beside herself though. Has she even left your mom at all? ”
Vincenzo shakes his head. “No, after we know that Ma’s okay, I’m demanding Lanah come home. It’s been too long.”
He’s such a good big brother. “Your sister is where she wants to be, Vincenzo. Her heart is where your mom is, that’s where she needs to be or she’ll just be worried about her the entire time, like you, right?
It’s only that you’ve had so many things to deal with, saving me from Gallini, our wedding, Massimo and getting things set up to be safe for your family that you’ve been able to deal with it differently.
She doesn’t have all those things to occupy her mind right now.
She may need to be there just as much for herself. ”
“How did you get to be so insightful, Anna DeLuca?”
“I lost my mom, remember. It’s something Sophia and I have talked about a lot over the years.
Everyone has different experiences but wishing that you were able to really be by her side, and remember the love and comfort you provided, not everyone gets that.
Don’t take that away from her Vincenzo, because if something were to go wrong you would never be able to live with yourself. ”
To my surprise, Vincenzo just nods and stays silent the rest of the way, but I see the way his eyes are constantly moving, watching the cars around us filled with his men who protect us.
They’re watching for danger because of me. Maybe I shouldn’t have forced the issue of coming along but I should be by his side, and perhaps there’s something I can help with, not to mention I feel the safest when I’m right next to Vincenzo.
The driver clears his throat. “We’re coming up to the swap.”
Vincenzo nods. “You’re going to hear police sirens in a few minutes, we’re going to be in a small chase and then we’re going to be on the road again. Don’t be afraid.”
My eyebrows lift, watching with interest as sirens begin to blare and the car picks up speed, but not a dangerous speed by far, and then turns off an exit ramp, takes a right and then another sharp right, veering down a treed road in the middle of nowhere until I see a huge warehouse up ahead.
The warehouse lights come on and a large garage-like door lifts right before we drive into it.
Three identical cars sit in front of us.
After the door closes, Vincenzo pulls my cap off and fluffs a finger through my hair and takes his jacket from around me and hands it to another man who opened the door, and Terry gets out of the car and someone else gets in.
Vincenzo clears his throat. “Thanks for your help tonight.”
“Anytime, boss.”
The new driver gives my cap and jacket to someone in the back seat of the car next to us before getting into the driver’s seat. It’s barely been a minute, everything happens fast. The garage doors go up and sirens begin to blaze again.
All of our cars come out at the same time, but they’re looking for the same people and the minute they see Terry pull out with that backward cap on, and my cap in the back, they go for him, those circling as we come out put their foot to the floor to go catch up to the first car and very few stay behind to see who’s in that third car as our driver makes his way opposite of all the traffic, and doubles back to the highway with all of us safely in the back.
Terry pulls off the road and enters a rest stop along the highway. He drives around the circular road and pulls to a stop by some trees. Vincenzo pounds out a message and gets an immediate reply. “They’ll be onto us now but we’re off the main road. Terry’s about five minutes out.”
“Roger that, boss.”
Vincenzo turns to me. “You doing okay?”
My heart is kind of in my throat right now.
There was a time when the only men I felt safe around were my pappa and Barcelo and each of them in their own ways failed me miserably.
I honestly never thought I would trust a man with my well-being again but that’s no longer true.
“I feel the safest I’ve ever felt with you, Vincenzo.
I’m more than okay. I’m loved and protected. ”
Vincenzo draws me close, kissing my forehead. “You continue to amaze me, princessa. We’ll be there soon. Lanah just texted me. She said they just put her under.”
I draw in a breath. “With this surgery, it can take a little time before we know how she’s going to do, but in my heart, I think she must be a fighter if she is a DeLuca. She will pull through. Your mamma has so much to live for.”
“I hope you’re right.” He points in the distance. “Terry’s car?” he asks the driver.
“Yes sir,” he says as it gets closer and turns into the road stop, driving slowly until he reaches our vehicle.
Our driver turns to us. “Good luck. It’s been a privilege to drive for you,” he says before getting out and swapping places with Terry, who gets in the car and pushes the seat back to account for his length. “Ready to roll, boss?”
I can tell Vincenzo is visibly relaxed having his own driver back.
“Damn straight. Thanks Terry,” he says, hitting the button that allows the privacy glass between the back seats of the limo and the driver to be divided.
He turns to me. “When you were taken from my casino was there any indication, any red flags that you may have missed, anything that seemed off?”
My mind replays everything again and again. “No, just stupidity on my part. I ran from you because I was scared. You were on the phone with someone telling them that you had the package. I thought I was the package. I ran and ended up getting into a car that I should have never gotten into.”
Vincenzo nods. “Right, Addie told us that she had a ride come for you, but another driver got to you first.”
“She always warned me to ask share ride drivers for my name, you know, to confirm who they were picking up. It was my fault when he didn’t have all the answers, I thought she probably didn’t disclose them trying to hide my identify.
Delz is probably so ashamed of me after all the precautions he’s taught. ”
Vincenzo snakes a hand around my nape, drawing me close. “You are the most courageous woman I’ve ever met, princessa. Something about that night, it’s still not adding up though, but we are going to get to the bottom of it.”