Chapter 21: He likes this girl

Belle Rose

“Leo, are you doing okay?” I ask, stepping into the dining room with Enzo. He guides me to his side and settles me into the chair next to him, pulling it closer.

“Yeah, I’m feeling better. Thanks for sending my brothers away, Belle,” Leo responds, a small chuckle escaping him as he watches us. They all do, smirks playing on their faces.

“I didn’t catch sight of you two yesterday,” Rafael pipes up. My stomach growls, reminding me that I haven’t eaten yet. As Gia and Sofia serve breakfast, I start eating. Enzo’s hand finds my thigh, his touch a constant reminder of his presence. “But we sure heard you.”

Rafael’s comment sends the other two brothers into a fit of laughter, their eyebrows raised suggestively at us. Enzo remains quiet, but a smirk is plastered on his face. I just keep eating.

Once breakfast is over, the guys scatter, each assigned different tasks by Enzo. Leo, however, is ordered to rest, much to his disappointment. He did take a bullet to the heart, after all.

The bullet was from the Morettis, and a bullet means war. Enzo’s family is now at war with mine, if I can even call them family. Only by blood...

***

~“Are you serious?” I gasp, my eyes wide with disbelief.~

~“He trusts me. I can sneak you out. Where do you want to go, tesoro?” Adriano asks, a grin spreading across his face.~

~“Anywhere? I can choose anywhere?”~

~“Well, within an hour, sì,” he replies. “Anywhere you want, Isabella.”~

~“Central Park,” I say. He scoffs, tilting his head at me.~

~“You could choose anywhere, amore, and you pick the park?” I nod enthusiastically and he shakes his head, chuckling. “Alright then, piccola. Let's go.”~

***

“~Gattina~,” Enzo’s voice pulls me back to reality.

“Yes?” I respond, my voice sweet as I turn to him.

“We're going to interrogate the guy who shot Leo, find out why they were ordered to do it. After that, I'll take you anywhere you want, tonight,” he promises, a small smile playing on his lips. He tries to hide it, probably because he’s not used to smiling.

I can't leave here with him. If the Morettis are watching him and one of them recognizes me, I'm done for.

But it will be dark, they won't be able to see me clearly, hopefully.

And then there's Ranger. He's the mole.

“Enzo,” I call out as he reaches the door. He turns to face me, a questioning look on his face. “It's... it's about Ranger.”

“Oh, I heard about that. You two don’t get along. I'll have Marissa keep an eye on you. Ranger's coming with me. I have to go, ~bambina~,” he says, rushing out the door, presumably with Ranger. I need to tell him. But I don't have proof. Would he believe me? I need to find proof.

I head into the kitchen and am greeted by Marissa, who appears suddenly, startling me a bit.

“I'm supposed to keep you entertained today. Whatever that means,” she says, raising an eyebrow at me.

“I’ll just help Sofia,” I reply, giving her a small smile before walking over to the two girls.

“Hey,” I greet, joining in on washing dishes.

“Never heard the boss that loud before,” Joe comments, smirking and glancing over at me from across the counter. I just give him a questioning look.

“We all heard him groaning yesterday. It was like thunder rumbling through the house,” Sofia giggles. “It was kind of scary. We were worried for you.” I stay silent, feeling my cheeks heat up in embarrassment that they all heard us.

“Ah, she’s blushing,” Joe smirks and I flip him off. “Whoa, tesoro, we had to listen to it all day. What did you do to him? I’ve never heard him so... animalistic.” I like his growls and groans. They’re hot. Especially during sex, it was quite the turn on. “But I guess we should be careful what we say around you now. You’re his girl.”

“Why would you have to be careful?” I ask, raising my eyebrows in an accusing way.

“Well, Ranger certainly got an earful after he heard about your standoff with him. All because you don’t like him,” he replies.

“When did this happen?”

“Early this morning. Marissa told him.” Maybe Enzo will believe me if I told him. But how could I be sure myself? He didn’t actually admit anything to me.

He didn’t even hint that he was working for my family. But I just know. I feel it. I know my own family, even if I left a few years ago. Not all of them were the same though...

***

~“We’re here, principessa. We’ve got 40 minutes because we also have to get back,” Adriano says, sitting down next to me on the bench.~

~I open my book and start to read, a book written in French. It’s a collection of poems, beautiful poems. And I’m sitting in a beautiful park. Thanks to Adriano.~

~“Thank you.”~

~“No problem. You deserve something, even if this is the best I can do for you,” he replies with a smile.~

~“Why?” I ask, looking up at him. He works for my father. Why would he show me such kindness? He’s always been polite and sweet towards me, but this is very generous.~

~He is new, he was only initiated into the family last year. He’s young, only twenty. His father is a relative of my own, so he trusts blood family more than his crime family.~

~“You haven’t stepped foot outside that house since you were seven, and now you’re twelve. I think a change of scenery is overdue.”~

~He brushes my hair back, tucking it behind my ear, and I can’t help but smile at him. “How could your dad ever think of hurting you?”~

~“I don’t know. He... he made me be with that man. Why?”~

~“Tesoro,” he starts, his hands cradling my face. His eyebrows furrow in sorrow. “A girl’s virginity is a precious thing, especially for a girl as beautiful as you.”~

~“Will I have to do it again? It hurt,” I confess, biting my lip.~

~“I don’t know. It’s your dad’s call. It shouldn’t be, but it is.”~

~“Why?”~

~“Because you belong to him.”~

***

Now, I belong to Enzo. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. My father started hurting me after my mother passed away when I was seven. After that, I was never allowed to leave the house.

I was a prisoner, with no freedom and no safety. But when I turned twelve, he started selling me. I was nothing more than a tool to him, a means to get what he wanted.

Five years later, I killed him and escaped. Three years after that, I was kidnapped by the rival family, the Calabrias. Quite the life story.

“Did he hurt you?” Sofia’s whisper pulls me out of my thoughts.

“No, why would he?” I ask, puzzled.

“He's never been like that with me,” Gia says, a hint of disappointment in her voice as we move into the laundry room. “He kept you in there all day.”

“We were just sleeping for most of it.” Gia raises her eyebrows at me, but I just shrug. We did sleep a lot. We had sex, then slept, then had sex again, then slept. It was a cycle.

We tried so many different positions and he seemed insatiable, and so was I. But he made me feel wanted, and I wanted him.

“Well, they are all on edge about the Morettis. After Leo got shot, Luca and Rafael went crazy looking for his shooter. The Morettis are all savages. I'd much rather work for the Calabrias than the Morettis,” Sofia says.

“Did you know that the boss was supposed to marry one?” Gia asks. Of course I know. I'm that one.

“He'd never have gone through with it. They all hated Christian Moretti as much as they hate Alfonso,” Sofia states.

“Why would they make that deal then?” I ask.

“Because Tony Calabria, the boss' dad, wanted peace, not war. But I think war was always inevitable,” Sofia replies.

“You two sure know a lot of gossip,” I comment.

“Yeah, when we serve their tables, we listen in to names. And the guys always know more than us,” Gia says.

“I don't really see a lot of the other guys around the house,” I mention.

“That's because they don't usually meet here unless it's a party or official meeting. The Calabrias own a strip club for the guys to pick up girls, they have different bars and restaurants.

“They have their pick of meeting places. They usually meet at the strip club though. I was a dancer there before the boss saw me and decided he wanted me working in his house. But he lost interest quickly.

I think he chose me because I'm Italian. But then he chose other girls and tossed them aside after me, not even letting them work here,” Gia explains.

“He's never kept a girl as long as he has you,” Sofia says, smirking a little.

Why am I so special?