CHAPTER 2

He grabbed her chin, roughly forcing her gaze down to his. She stared back at him with blurry eyes, absentmindedly.

“Seems like what just happened killed the fight in you,” he smiled. Caressing her face, he continued, “Come on, don’t ruin this moment, doll.” He frowned. “What I like about you D’Amores… I still haven’t smelled the fear.” He leaned closer. “Ooh, I love the smell of fear in a D’Amore.”

Aria blinked, her brain processing his words slowly. She blinked again doing away with the blur, her brows drawn together. Then her voice came, low and shaky. “So, it was you.” A tear slid down, drawing a hot, regretful path down her cheek. “ You killed Elena”

Dante smirked. “Oh. Your sister…” Letting go of her chin, he adjusted the syringe. “Come on, don’t take that personally. It was never part of the plan... it was simply an eye for an eye.”

His words hit her hard, a surge of self-disgust spreading through every vein in her body. The man she'd married to end the war was the cause of it all. In just eight days, her world had gone from heaven to hell.

Eight days ago, she'd been celebrating her twentieth birthday, still believing in happy endings.

……….

The car slowed down.

“Come in,” Aria smiled, sliding to the side as her boyfriend climbed in. Vincent sat behind the wheel, his furrowed gaze following Federico as he entered the car. Federico leaned in, pressing his lips to hers. Vincent’s stern gaze lingered, making him shiver uncomfortably; he quickly pulled away.

Elena smiled from the front seat, her eyes staying sharp as she stared outside, scanning the street behind them. “Come on, give the kids a break.” Her voice cut through the tension as she turned and glanced at her younger sister and her secret boyfriend through the rearview mirror.

“Sis, I thought we agreed on no guards.” Aria frowned, crossing her arms. She rolled her eyes at Vincent, her sister's right-hand man, who was glaring at them through the rearview mirror.

Elena giggled. “From five men guarding you to one, Bella, that’s a massive upgrade.” She turned to the young lovers seated in the back.

“Argh…” Aria groaned in frustration.

“With what’s going on, Vincent is just playing by the rules,” Elena said, tapping Vincent’s shoulder. “Hey, Federico,” Elena added. “Nice to finally meet you.”

He simply nodded, his insides quivering. He gulped down a breath, scared. He had to be; sneaking out with the daughters of Don Lorenzo D'Amore?

“So, I partially fulfilled your first birthday wish, sneaking out without Dad knowing,” Elena continued. “But I fell short on the ‘no guards’ part. So, where to now?”

A smile crept onto Aria’s lips. “Porta di Roma Shopping Mall.” She blinked, intertwining her fingers with Federico’s as she rested her head on his shoulder.

“Vincent, you heard the young lady,” Elena muttered. “Step on it.”

Vincent stepped on the gas, and the car sped up. Aria looked up at Federico; he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. “Can't wait for today’s sleepover,” he whispered, making her blush. They'd only been together a week, but he'd already become her favorite secret.

Ten minutes later, they arrived at their destination. Thirty minutes after that, they walked out, exiting the mall with Aria and Federico holding hands. Elena trailed behind them, while Vincent followed in his black suit, struggling with their shopping bags. He opened the trunk and gently placed them inside.

Aria and Federico stopped, facing each other. They interlocked their fingers, hands fitting perfectly. Aria glanced down at their matching bracelets and smiled.

POW!

Blood splattered across her face. Federico’s hand slipped out of hers as his lifeless body collapsed to the floor. Aria froze, her entire body trembling. She stumbled back a step with a squeal.

“Fuck! Aria, get down!” Elena yelled, dragging her to the ground. She pulled out her gun as they took cover behind the car.

POW! POW!

The shooters kept firing. Vincent scrambled from the trunk side to join them. Aria’s mind shut down, her eyes locked on the bracelet on Federico’s lifeless body.

“How many are they?” Elena asked as Vincent reloaded his gun.

“I didn’t get a clear view, but I saw two Ford Expeditions,” Vincent replied as bullets were drilled into their car.

“Fuck… that’s about sixteen men,” Elena cursed, doing the math. She turned to her sister. “Get a grip of yourself, Aria!” She shook her by the arm.

Screams erupted from inside the mall as five armed guards rushed out, only to fall lifeless moments later.

“They’re well trained,” Vincent said as he rose. POW! POW! He fired back.

Elena locked eyes with her trembling sister. “Stay down, behind me, always.” She nodded to Vincent, and they both rose again. POW! POW! Two masked men fell. They ducked back behind the car.

“Fuck! There are too many, and they’re advancing. This is suicide,” Vincent hissed. Aria’s senses were gone, her eyes still fixed on Federico’s body. 

“Let's fall back, ma’am. If anything happens to either of you, your father will end me,” Vincent warned.

“Figlio di puttana,(son of bitches) ” Elena snarled. “I’ll make them pay.” Her eyes reddened as she took one last glance at Federico. She yanked open the car door. “Aria, get in,” she commanded.

No response.

“Aria!” Elena screamed.

Tears rolled down Aria’s face. With shaky breaths, she slid into the back seat, lying flat on the floor as the car shook violently from gunfire.

“Ma’am, after you,” Vincent insisted. Elena nodded.

A loud screeching sound made them freeze. A Ford Expedition skidded to a stop in front of them. Elena’s eyes widened as seven men jumped out, rifles raised.

“Fuck,” she whispered.

Vincent pulled out ammo. “Don’t even think of it,” one masked man warned, stepping forward.

Aria lay in the car, hands pressed over her ears with her body still trembling. The gunfire stopped, the air thick with gunpowder. She slowly lowered her hands. The door swung open. She looked up, instead, two masked men stood aiming rifles at her. Her heart skipped as fear surged through her veins.

They dragged her out effortlessly. She glanced around. Nearly twenty masked men surrounded them. Elena and Vincent lay on the ground, tied, gagged, and blindfolded. Aria’s lower lip trembled. One man pulled out a blindfold. Her heart leapt into her throat. He stepped closer and covered her eyes.

“Take your fucking hands off her!” Elena screamed, thrashing on the ground.

“Let that one be,” a cold voice ordered from afar. The men parted, making way as the figure approached. His footsteps were slow and deliberate, each one sending terror down Aria’s spine.

He stopped in front of her, crouching to her level. His breath brushed her face as he cupped her cheek gently. “I love the smell of fear in a D’Amore,” he whispered.

She flinched. And then THUD!

A rifle butt smashed into the back of her head. Pain exploded through her body as darkness consumed her. The last thing she heard was Elena screaming her name.