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His eyes left mine after lingering for a moment. They drifted to the piece of paper before him. And I was happy because I did not want him to see my eyes get watery. Because that's exactly what they did. I could see it. He could see it. All I needed to ensure was that Mario Vincenzo could see it. And what I was talking about was Tomaso loving me. But more importantly, I needed to show the world I loved him.
It didn't take long for me to drive to the location. It took long enough. There were moments of sheer terror as I drove. My legs started to tremble even though one of them was on the gas pedal. My breath grew short occasionally to the point where it was almost uncontrollable. But as often as I felt like I would lose control, I also somehow gained the ability over those issues to steady myself. It was either I lived in fear or I faced those fears. And that's what I reminded myself on that drive.
When I got to the building, it looked like a regular home. Except there was nothing regular about it. Upon closer inspection, all the outside cars had people in them. Most of them were on their phones or in a newspaper. The more you pay attention, the more you realize these were his men. This was a house that was protected. It was a business, a front.
Most of the heads looked my way when I parked across the street. But only for a second. A few of those heads lingered, and they looked away the second I made eye contact. It was a very strange environment for a mafia team. They almost seemed timid, like they had expected me to arrive.
When I approached the door, which I had thought was foolish in and of itself, a man popped out of the bushes. Maybe not the literal bushes, but he did seem like he came out of nowhere. "Are you Angelina?"
"Yes."
He opened the door without any question. And then, he began to follow me. The second I was at the stairwell, he said, "Mario has been expecting you. Tomaso's father briefed him."
So much for him not having anything to do with it. I pursed my lips and nodded my head as he escorted me upstairs. I wondered what was in store with every step I took up that staircase. I had this brief thought that I would walk through a door and get killed. Another thought: because this man was ahead of me on this staircase, he would just turn around and push me right down. But none of that happened.
I was eventually led to these giant wooden doors that the man opened up, and on the other side was a far bigger room than I had anticipated. It looked almost like some sort of political room or political library. Because the walls were lined with books. In the center of this room were a wooden desk and a man with slicked black hair lying back in a chair behind that wooden desk. I couldn't tell if his mouth was frowning or smirking. This was mainly partly because of the man's features and how far away the man was in general. There was no doubt in my mind that this was Mario. There went my breath again, going short.
"You have quite the nerve coming here," Mario said. Despite his distance away, his voice felt right next to my ears. It was a booming Italian voice. The English wasn't bad, but you could tell the hint of Italian somewhere. What had I gotten myself into? That was the big question. I couldn't believe where I was. But I didn't have much time to think about that.
I started to walk towards the seat that he was gesturing to. "I figured you would respect my gumption if anything. I don't come here out of pride. And I will come here out of nothing but honesty." Right after the word honesty was said, I plopped my butt in the seat. When I sat down, it all seemed so real. I was really doing this. And I wasn't just doing it for me. I was doing it for Tomaso. I was doing it for many people who couldn't do it themselves. I was stopping a war. Or at least I was trying to.
"I do respect you for coming here by yourself. I could kill you right now. I could have your body hidden. No one would ever find you. And yet here you are, sitting before me."
I swallowed. Never before had words hit me so hard. "Well, I hope you don't kill me. Because I came here to tell you that Tomaso wouldn't be contracted by his fake fiance. He did not want to marry Linda. But even before that, we had chemistry. Something was brewing. I don't sit here today filled with hot air. He and I love each other when I tell you it's true. The contract brought us closer. I've never loved a man more. And he loves me. He only pushes me away because he doesn't want me to be part of his life. I'm not speaking in a general sense. I'm speaking on his forbidden life, for lack of a better term. What we have right now is real. We're not faking it. What he did was stupid initially. But it turned into something else. I wouldn't be here today if I didn't love him. And I mean that. So please, I asked you to spare his life. He has not retaliated against your attack. You made your point."
He raised an eyebrow. There was no way of telling what that eyebrow meant, of course. At any given moment, he could reach under his table, pull out a gun, and put a bullet right between my eyes. He had made that clear.
"When I heard you were coming, I thought you had a death wish. And, I had no idea you could love a man who would put you in a contract like that. But as I sit here–"
Mario was not allowed to finish his sentence, and it wasn't because I cut him off. It's because there was a giant thud at the door. The next thing I knew, that door was flying off the hinges.
In the doorway, with two guns in his hands, was Tomaso.
Chapter 20
Tomaso
Itwasallablur. I hadn't killed anyone in the front. I had taken them down by force and put them to sleep. I held my guns in some cowardly men who put their guns down and let me in. As it turned out, the Vincenzo family wasn't as tough as they were made out to be. I felt like some sort of action hero going through the motions as I went through that house.
When I arrived at the door which Mario sat behind and his guest, everything slowed down for me. I had to think because the last person I had expected to see in that office was Angelina. But there she was with her beautiful brown eyes, busty chest, and little pink lips. Lips. Was it a mirage? Had I been dreaming? Of course not. But as I stared at her, it was the weirdest thing. It felt like I was staring at my future, and everything was in limbo. I was the one that had control. I could have killed Mario right then and there. And then I'd be locked up forever. I will never get to see Angelina again. So this couldn't happen.
Outside, lining the walls, were my men. I put my hand up and said, "Stand down. Stand down now."
The sound of shuffling and putting guns down filled the hallway. Now it could go either way. Was Mario going to see it as me being disrespectful and trying to kill him? That would be how I would take it if I was him. I wouldn't take it lightly if someone came into my office with guns blazing. Then again, what the hell was Angelina doing sitting there? I had so many questions flooding my way and no answer yet.
Oddly enough, Mario wasn't looking at me with this stain. He wasn't even looking at me with contempt. It was like he was looking at me with revelation instead. "A man with pride in himself would have killed this girl without an issue. You would have killed me, but she stopped you didn't she?"
I took a few steps forward into the room. This was weird. How many times in the history of the mafia could a man hold a gun up to a mafia boss and take a few breaths after? " I make no mistake about it. I came here to kill you because I did not want to marry Linda. I did not appreciate being attacked. You struck first. But yes, this girl stopped me because I love her. Be honest here. You would have done the same thing." It was a bold statement. One that I did not know was true or not. It was me just making assumptions. And it was me hoping for the best.
The smirk on the man's face spoke a thousand words without saying them. But then the man did speak. "I would have done the same thing. Except I would have been far grosser about it. I'd hate to admit it, but you're right. I jumped the gun. And I did go after you. Perhaps, this calls for a truce."
Previously, I had my finger on the trigger in case he would pull something. But I could tell in his tone that he was telling the truth. It was hard to believe that this was happening. I couldn't help it. I briefly looked over at Angelina with a smirk of my own. Because in those moments, everything flashed before my eyes. Once again, I felt like she and I could have a future. It sounded hokey. It sounded improbable. But man, I was a happy camper.
"You know she came here to confess her love for you and convince me you loved her. And for a good while. I did not believe her for a second. But when I saw you look at her sitting here and how you pulled your gun down, you don't need to marry Linda. You have a girl right here who's willing to die for you. Any man would be a fool to not understand that."
It was then if there was ever a time for me to pull my head out of my ass and realize what I had before me. I could no longer doubt Angelina. It would definitely be easier said than done. It would also be very challenging. But the challenge was accepted if it meant keeping her in my life.
"No, I'd hate to break up this love ceremony, but I'm done with the both of you. Tell your father to give me a call too, Tomaso." Mario said.
