The Bodyguard’s Vow (DeLuca Crime Family: South #2)

Prologue

PROLOGUE

GAbrIELLA

“ V incent is driving you, and that’s final.”

I was perfectly capable of going into town by myself since I had my own car and license, but I knew better than to argue with Rafa when he used that tone. He wasn’t just my big brother but also the head of the DeLuca Crime Family’s Southern branches. Although I usually saw his softer side, he’d earned his nickname as the Mafia King of the South, and there were times when he didn’t bend with my sisters or me.

“Whatever you say, brother dearest.” I gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “Just so long as he’s ready to leave now and doesn’t mind waiting around for a couple of hours. You know how Opal and I are when we’re together, and this is my last chance to have a face-to-face gabfest with her for an entire year. I refuse to be rushed.”

“Vincent is already waiting out front for you. Take all the time you need. Even if he complained—which would never happen—you’ll be gone too soon for it to bother you much.”

I beamed a grin at him. “Good point.”

I was so excited to spend an entire year in New York, but I would miss my friends and family. And a certain bodyguard who’d caught my eye, but I’d never admit that to anyone because it would get me into all sorts of trouble with Rafa since Domenico was his best friend and an entire decade older than me.

I hadn’t even told any of my friends or sisters about my crush. Saying it out loud would make my feelings too real…and the pain of him not returning them that much stronger.

While I was thrilled to get a little time with Opal before I left, I also needed to watch what I said to her. We met all the way back in kindergarten, so even though we didn’t see each other as often as we’d like since our homes were about as far away from each other as they could get and still go to the same school, she knew me well enough to catch on when I was hiding something.

Her ability to know I had something on my mind had gotten awkward a few times growing up since my brother’s place in the DeLuca Crime Family meant there were instances when I had to keep stuff that I’d overheard to myself. And it had only gotten more complicated when Opal’s brother joined the crime syndicate that ran the town where they lived because it put Rafa and Oswald at odds with each other. But we never let their issues get in the way of our friendship.

Any worries I had about the secret I was keeping from her flew out of my head ten minutes later as I approached the booth in the local diner where Opal was waiting for me. There were dark smudges beneath her eyes, her hair looked as though she hadn’t brushed it in days, and her cheekbones were more pronounced than usual, making me think she’d lost a lot of weight since I last saw her only two weeks ago.

Rushing forward, I slid onto the bench across from her and reached out to grab her hands. “Have you been sick? Are you okay? Maybe I should put off my trip out to New York for a week or two, and you can come stay with Mamma and me. She’ll make all your favorite foods to put some meat back on your bones.”

“I’m not sick,” Opal whispered, her gaze darting around the diner before she leaned closer. “And going to your house will only help me for a little while.”

My brows drew together. “What do you mean?”

Her lips flattened into a thin line as the server approached our booth. “What can I get you?”

“Just a water for me.”

Opal’s answer worried me even more because she always got a milkshake when we came here. The only exception was when she found out that Oswald had killed someone to prove to the other members of the syndicate that he was strong enough to step in as their leader when the previous one died.

“Two strawberry milkshakes, please.”

The server took down my order and hurried away to fill coffee cups for a few tables. As soon as she was out of earshot, I demanded, “What in the heck is going on?”

Her red-rimmed eyes filled with tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks. “Oswald is trying to negotiate a deal with a crew down in Florida. Their operation is bigger than his, so he apparently doesn’t have the upper hand. And the guy who does wants a big concession from him to clinch the deal.”

My eyes widened as I gaped at her. “How do you know all of this?”

Opal wasn’t close to her brother, and he never shared syndicate business with her. The only reason she’d found out what he’d done to become the local leader was that she’d accidentally overheard the tail end of a phone call he’d taken a week later.

It shouldn’t have been possible, but her skin lost the little color that was left. “He wants me.”

“He wants you?” I echoed, my chest tightening at her answer.

“My brother offered me up to this guy. Like an arranged marriage so that they’ll join forces.”

I shook my head. “He can’t do that.”

“Oswald doesn’t seem to care about what he can and cannot do. Or what I want.” Opal’s soft laugh held no humor. “Heck, how I might be treated when he ships me down there doesn’t even matter to him.”

Her last sentence echoed in my head as the server set our milkshakes on the table, but neither of us reached for them. When she was far enough away again, I asked, “What does that mean exactly?”

Opal’s hand shook as she traced the tines of her fork. “Douglas has a reputation for being abusive. Especially to women. And I’ve heard rumors that he has some, um”—she swallowed hard, and her tears threatened to spill over again—“dark tastes. In…you know…the bedroom.”

I gasped, feeling as though I was frozen in my seat, my eyes blinking rapidly while I absorbed this information. “You can’t go.”

Opal quirked a brow. “You, out of anyone, should know that I can’t just tell my brother no.”

“Come to New York with me,” I blurted, desperate to find a way to save my friend. “I’m staying with Nic and his family. Oswald would be crazy to try to steal you back from the head of the DeLucas.”

“Oswald might not be that crazy, but from everything I’ve learned about Douglas, he is. In the end, I won’t be safe, and your family will end up in a war they shouldn’t have to fight.” Opal reached for my hand and held on tightly. “But there may be another way you can help.”

“How?”

“I need to disappear, and I was hoping your brother could make that happen.”

I had never asked Rafa for a favor as a Mafia underboss, only as my big brother. But there was zero hesitation before I answered, “I’ll go talk to him right now. I’m sure he’ll agree.”

Relief mixed with the panic that had been in Opal’s eyes. “You really think he’ll be willing to help me?”

“I’ve known you since I was five. You’re practically family, and that means everything to the DeLucas,” I assured her, trying to put a confidence in my voice that I didn’t quite feel. The truth was, getting Rafa to agree was probably going to be a battle. But it was one I was determined to win.

She gripped my hand hard enough to hurt, but I didn’t pull away because I knew she needed the connection right now. “Thank you so much.”

“What are friends for?” I half-heartedly teased, hoping to lighten the mood.

Opal’s lips curved up the tiniest bit, and she reached for her milkshake to take a sip. Determined to get her situation resolved as soon as possible, I tossed a twenty-dollar bill from my purse onto the table and slid out of the booth.

“Rafa is home right now, so I’m going to head back to talk to him. Do you want me to call or text when I know when he comes up with a plan?”

The conviction in my tone eased some of the tension in her shoulders. “I’m not sure which is better. For all I know, he’s reading my texts and tracking my calls. The only reason he was okay with me coming today was because he knows you’ll be gone when he marries me off, so he didn’t want to raise any red flags with you. He warned me not to say anything.”

I nodded. “Okay, wait here then. If he finds out I left and came back, just tell him I got my period and needed to change pants or something like that.”

Her nose wrinkled. “Yeah, that would get him to back off for sure.”

“You may need to be ready to move quickly. I don’t know what kind of timeline you’ll be looking at.”

“I can leave at any minute. I don’t care about anything I’ll have to leave behind.” She jumped from the booth and wrapped me in a tight hug. “Except you. If we can’t talk again, please know how much I’ll miss you, Gabbi. You’re the best friend a girl could ever ask for.”

I sniffled into her neck. “I’ll miss you too, but at least I’ll know you’re out there somewhere, living your best life.”

I was filled with determination as I strode out of the diner and flung open the passenger door of the SUV Vincent had used to drive me here. His brows drew together. “Thought you were gonna be a while?”

“Change of plans. I need to get back.”

The ten-minute drive to our estate felt as though it took twice as long. As soon as the vehicle came to a stop in front of Rafa’s house, I practically leaped from the passenger seat to race inside.

“Where’s my brother?” I called out as I rushed through the front door.

“In his office,” Carmen, his housekeeper, answered from the kitchen.

I dashed down the hallway and flung open the office door without knocking, something I had never done before. Rafa’s head jerked up from the stack of papers in front of him. My chest heaved as I stood in the doorway, trying to catch my breath.

“What’s wrong?” Rafa stood, his dark eyes shadowed with concern.

“It’s Opal,” I gasped. “We have to help her. She needs to disappear, ora .”

He frowned and motioned me in. Shutting the door behind me, I collapsed into one of the chairs in front of his Peruvian walnut desk. “Explain.”

“She’s in trouble. Oswald promised her to some evil guy named Douglas who has a reputation for being abusive. Will you help her? Please?” I begged, the words tumbling out faster than I could stop them.

“ Figlio di puttana! ”

My brother rarely swore in front of us girls, so his reaction didn’t bode well for me. “Please, Rafa. I’d never forgive myself if that creep got his hands on her.”

“Neither would I, sorellina .” He sat down again and leaned his forearms against the edge of his desk. “If Oswald is trying to marry her off to Douglas Snyder, she’s right to be concerned.”

“More like scared out of her mind,” I muttered. “She didn’t even think it was safe for me to call or text about this, so she’s waiting at the diner for me to return.”

He leaned back in his chair. “How much time do we have?”

Relieved, I sighed. “She’s ready to leave as soon as I call. The sooner you get her out of here, the better.”

Rafa ran a hand through his thick hair, his mind already working. “This isn’t going to be easy. I’m sure Oswald is keeping a close eye on his sister if he has a deal riding on her cooperation.”

“But you can do it, right?” I pressed, gripping the arms of my chair.

“It’ll take some maneuvering to make sure our hands are clean in order to avoid a war with Oswald. Luckily, this is what Matteo’s MC specializes in. I’ll reach out to King.”

Our cousin had never been interested in joining The Family, and his mamma would’ve been heartbroken if he had. Aunt Emilia had lost her first husband to the Mafia, and she didn’t want to lose her son, too. But Matteo had grown up as a part of a fiercely loyal, close-knit family, and being a loner was not in his DNA. He’d found his own kind of brotherhood in the Hounds of Hellfire MC. When he patched, it had formed an alliance with them, and I knew Rafa had a strong relationship with their president, King.

I felt a little better knowing we had such a strong connection to the people who would help my friend. “What can I do? I want to help.”

Rafa’s expression was all business as he looked at me over steepled fingers and warned, “In order for Oswald to buy that she’s really gone, we’ll need to take it a step further than just wiping away her trail. We’ll have to make it convincing, Gabbi.”

I nodded, my breath caught in my chest. “You mean she has to die.”

He nodded, but by his stoic expression, I knew there was more to it.

They would probably make it look like Opal had been brutally murdered. “And it will be messy.”

He didn’t acknowledge what I said, which was answer enough. Instead, he opened a drawer and pulled out a cell phone. Handing it to me, he ordered, “This is a clean burner. The Hounds will use this to communicate the plan to Opal. Give it to her, then get your ass back here. I don’t want Oswald to have any reason to think you were involved. And I don’t want you around if things go sideways.”