Page 5 of Vow of Hate

“Yes. It’s far enough away from Florence and we can blend in. No one will question us. We’re white and we know English. We’re going to move to a small town in the state of Ohio.”

“Ohio? What even is there?”

She shrugs. “I’m not sure. But it sounded safe in my research. We’ll use your father’s money to buy a new house. I’ve been taking money out of the account for the past month now in case of an emergency. A lot of it is in cash now. We’ll make this work, Sienna. Or I should say Elizabeth. It has to. We’ll make this work. You’ll be safe. I promised you.”

“But to give up our entire lives…” I wrap my arms around myself as if that will somehow protect me. “It’s scary.”

“I know. But what’s more scary is you being married to a man like Dante Zaneli. We all know what he tried to do to Luciana and her husband. I will not let you be married to him. I will not let you be hurt every day.”

“Would it be better though? If I married him. We could have peace. I know he’s been at war with Gabriel for the past few weeks now. Maybe it would be better.”

She grabs my chin and forces me to look into her eyes. “It would not be better. I will not let you be sacrificed. Over my dead body. This is our chance, Sienna. You know it. I know it. Do you want to be married against your will?”

“No,” I whisper.

“Exactly. So we’re going. We leave tomorrow night. It’s the earliest flight I could get. We’ll stay holed up in this house until then. If any other mafia men come by, we’ll defend ourselves.”

I glance at the gun on the kitchen table. Guns everywhere. Easy access. My mother is not playing around.

“Ok,” I answer, because it’s the only thing I can say as my entire life changes around me.

It’s hard getting sleep knowing it’s the last night in my bed. Tomorrow night, we leave for Ohio to start our new lives. I toss and turn. It’s going to be a long night. I just know it.

It’s around midnight when I hear the floorboard crack outside my bedroom. The hairs on my arms stand on end. My spine tenses. I hold my breath. Surely it’s just my mom getting up to use the restroom or get a glass of water.

No sound. I relax. It’s nothing. I’m safe here. I have to be.

But then I hear another crack of the floorboard. This time, I sit up and grab the gun from my bedside table. I turn the safety off but I don’t point it at the door. If it’s my mom, the last thing I want to do is accidently shoot her.

You’re ok, I tell myself. You’re ok. Just an active imagination. It’s something my dad loved about me. My creativity. I used to come up with stories just for fun but after he died, all of my creativity dried up. I haven’t written a story since he died and that almost hurts as much as when he left me and my mom.

Another crack. I hold my breath but then let it out when I feel lightheaded.

My doorknob turns.

“Mom?” I whisper. Watching the doorknob slowly move is something from a nightmare. “Mom?” I ask in a clearer tone. The doorknob pauses. Whoever is on the other side stops.

I know it’s not my mom. She wouldn’t do this to me. Scare me like this. She would have told me it was her by now.

The door swings open after a beat and a man steps into my room. A man I have never seen before. Tall and broad shouldered. Conventionally handsome if he hadn’t just broke into my house. In the darkness, this man is the most terrifying human being I have ever laid eyes on.

Fear overtakes me and I can’t move. The right thing to do would be to point my gun at him. Get him to back away. But my arms are ground into cement. There’s no moving them.

“So,” the man speaks, making me squeak. “You’re Sienna Lanza, I take it.”

“Who…” I lick my lips. My throat is completely dry. “Who are you?”

“I’m Dante Zaneli. Apparently, Gabriel Romano wants us to get married.”

So this is Dante. The madman. The man I’m trying to escape.

“Get out,” I whisper. “Please. Just go.”

He tilts his head, gazing me over with a look I don’t understand. “Why would I go? You’re to be my wife. At least, that’s what Gabriel wants.”

“And what do you want?” Maybe if I keep him talking, my mom will wake up and come save me. She won’t hesitate to shoot this man. Unlike me.

“I don’t want to be a pawn in Gabriel’s games. I want my own power. I don’t like being told what to do.”