AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Watching Bella with Daisy, then with Damien, who comes straight in when he hears Daisy cry.
“I’ll change her.” He insists, taking her from Bella. The love in Bella’s eye’s when she looks at them both is moving. That’s what I want. To love and to be loved. I’m moving to Italy.
When our guests leave, I hobble around the house, looking for Leo. Finding him in the dining room, his makeshift office, I wait quietly while he is on the phone.
“Van! You are part of the Guerra mafia! Not the boy fucking scouts! Now get out there and sort it!!!” He throws his phone on the table.
“Hello, what are you doing there? You should be in bed resting.” Before I can protest, Leo has picked me up and is carrying me to our bedroom.
“Will you lie with me while I go to sleep?”
“Anything for you.” Leo gets in bed beside me, still fully clothed, so I know he will be slipping away once I’m asleep. There is trouble back in Italy, and I know he is eager to get back. Tomorrow I will speak to him about going back.
Just as I am falling asleep, I hear Leo whisper.
“Ti amo.”I love you.My heart is full as I drift into a much-needed sleep.
Something disturbs my sleep. The time is 3:00 am. The room is dark beside a crack of light coming from under the door. Hearing voices, I go and investigate. My legs freeze the spot when I observe the situation in the kitchen. Two men are tied to dining chairs with what looks like extension cables. Their faces are bloodied and battered.
“Get here right now, Damien!” Leo walks around the room on the phone. “You sort this out now before I make all this even more of your business. No police! They will either lose their heads or their legs; that depends on how quickly you get here!” Leo sees me in the doorway and ends the call.
“I’m sorry, my love, come.” He ushers me out of the room, closing the door behind him.
“What’s going on?”
“Everything is ok; you are safe. These chancers just broke in looking for something worth stealing. Marco and I caught them. It’s all over.
“Leo, I know those two men. They’re the ones who broke into Jax’s house that night. One of them came to the salon looking for me.” He takes me into the utility room. Switches on the light and makes a comfortable seat on the bench out of towels and bedding. You sit here until I come back, ok? Here.” he passes me a gun. “You point that at the door; anyone you don’t know, you shoot, understand?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have your phone?” Leo holds his hand out. Taking it out of my dressing gown pocket, I place it in his hands. He must be tracking your phone somehow. Stay put.”
With shaky hands, I wait. The room must be soundproof as I hear nothing until Leo opens the door about ten minutes later. As soon as he does, I hear a lot of people in the house. Damien and Josh are here; the men on the chairs in the kitchen have gone and are now replaced with who I can only assume are Damien’s security team; they all wear earpieces and black jackets.
“I can’t protect her here. We are going back to Italy tonight.” Leo looks at me for approval. Seeing the hope in his eyes, how could I say no.
“I’m ready when you are.”
Chapter 25
Katie
It’s amazing how quickly you can get things done when you’re Leonardo Guerra.
One hour after that very conversation, we are sat on Leo’s private plane about to take off to Italy. We would have set off ten minutes previously if Leo hadn’t requested that the plane be thoroughly searched for a third time, checking for anything untoward. Marco seems extremely inconvenienced by this.
“It’s for your own good too, Marco!” Leo frustratedly fastens his seat belt. Marco grunts, rolling his eyes.
“Why don’t we play a game.” I suggest. Marco's eyes bulge, his nostrils flare. “Eye spy, maybe, or cards? I think I have a pack in my bag.” A necessity when traveling; a deck of cards.
“Are you a child?” Winding Marco up is a little pleasure of mine. Especially now I know he doesn’t actually hate me.
The flight passes quickly. For me, anyway. I’ve never flown on a private plane before. At the front of the plane, there are armchairs that have seat belts. These are where you sit for take-off and landing. The chairs are nothing like what I’ve seen on a plane before; these are leather armchairs you’d have in your living room. The next cabin along has more armchair seats for guests. Following that is the bar area with tables, chairs, and sofas. The bedrooms are right at the back. It is a luxury I have never known existed. I even got to meet the pilot. He was quite shocked when the three of us piled in the cockpit. Nobody’s obviously ever bothered to speak to him before.
When we land, it's early morning. The sun is rising, and the sky looks a beautiful violet colour. The air is already warm; taking a deep breath, I exhale with a smile; this is where I belong. We are heavily guarded by Leo’s men when we leave the plane. Cars surround ours on the way back to the house. There would have been a time when this would have freaked me out. But it no longer phases me. I trust Leo to keep me safe. As long as I’m with him, I’m happy.
I’m greeted with hugs and kisses from Alga and Sergio as soon as I walk through the door. It’s good to be back.
