Page 13

Katie

“Katherine!” Leo bellows through the house, his voice penetrating the closed bedroom door.

I take one last look at myself in the mirror as well as a deep breath. I feel sick with nerves; maybe this dress wasn’t such a good idea after all.

My makeup makes my eyes pop, and my skin looks flawless. My hair is pinned up in loose curls to reveal the open back and plunging neckline. The designer has done an amazing job. The silk dress fits perfectly. Thanks to Leo’s lotion, my burnt skin now looks sun-kissed. I look pretty good.

I pick up my clutch bag, put my chin up, and confidently walk to the front door, where Leo waits for me.

I purposely made us late, putting on my dress at the last minute so Leo wouldn’t have a chance to make me change.

I walk past a few of Leo’s men, who take second looks; I can feel their eyes on me as I walk.

My high-heeled sandals click on the marble floor, notifying Leo and Marco of my arrival .

“Finally,” Leo states with a half glance before he turns again to look at me, wide-eyed.

Marco is standing at his side. He takes me in and then looks at Leo.

A small smirk appears on Marco's face. A smirk.

It is the first time I have seen any emotion on that sour man's face.

Leo looks me up and down as I walk, noticing my left leg reveal itself with each step.

His eyes on my body make me flush. He looks so handsome wearing a black fitted suit, crisp white shirt, and black bow tie. But his face is thunder.

“Ready to go?” I smile.

“Kat-er-een! This is not the type of dress I had in mind.”

“Oh really? I love it.” I do a little twirl, and as I do, I see we have an audience behind us.

“What is everyone looking at?! Get out!” Leo spins me around, his body obscuring their view. “You need to get changed,” he grumbles at me.

“We have no time for that; she looks fine. Let's go,” Marco says as he walks towards our waiting car.

I follow him quickly before Leo marches me back to our room. I get in the car, leaving the door open for him to slide in beside me. For a minute, I think he isn’t going to come, but eventually, he lets out a big sigh and climbs in.

It takes about fifteen minutes to get to the theatre; Leo doesn’t say a word to me the whole way.

The car pulls up to a red carpet at the front entrance.

He holds his hand out to help me from the car.

I reluctantly place my small hand in his large palm.

A tingling sensation shocks me as our skin touches, making me jump, I try to pull my hand away, but he holds on to it tightly.

His wide eyes meet mine, then he pulls me towards him. “That split in your dress is far too high,” he whispers into my ear.

“Oh really? And I forgot to put underwear on too. Whoops!”

My statement stuns him into letting go of my hand. I quickly make my way up the steps before he can catch me. I hear him roar and slam the car door. Marco walks up beside me and holds me back to wait for Leo.

“You are a bad girl, Kat-er-een. You do not leave my side all night, do you hear me?” Leo growls into my ear.

“Yes.” I smile, greeting the doormen and other guests as we enter.

We are shown into a large reception room. Waiters offer champagne and canapes on silver trays. All eyes are on us while we make our way through the room.

“What would you like to drink, Katherine?” Leo lightly touches the bare skin on my back as he gently directs me toward the bar.

I smile.

“Why are you smiling?”

“It's nice to be asked what I would like for a change. A gin and tonic would be lovely, thank you.”

We stand at the bar and sip our drinks. A couple of gentlemen come over and speak to Leo and Marco in Italian—mostly business.

One man receives a death threat when he comments on my bottom.

With a smile on his face, Leo whispers to the man, still unaware I speak Italian. “If you look at my fiancée in that way again, I will rip out your eyes and feed them to the birds. Now get out before I let Marco take you out.”

He then friendly slaps him on the shoulder and tells him to have a good night. The man was very creepy, so I am glad he sent him on his way.

“Signore e signori, vi prego di prendere posto. Juan Diego Florez sta per iniziare.”

Ladies and gentlemen, please, will you take your seats. Juan Diego Florez is about to begin.

We are seated in a private box with a fantastic stage view. I notice people take a second glance as we claim our seats. Some people in the tiers below us seem to leave the theatre after recognising Leo.

The lights dim in readiness for the show to begin.

Leo leans in and whispers in my ear. “You look beautiful.”

The compliment surprises me. I feel myself blush. I don’t look at him, but I can feel his eyes on me. I don’t respond with words, but I’m sure he can see the effect he has on me. Why does my body continue to rebel against my common sense?

I’m soon fully immersed in the opera; the emotions I’m experiencing are really unexpected.

It’s so powerful. I’m crying at the tragedy, laughing at the comedy, and gasping at the surprises.

The final part of one of the songs has everyone on their feet; it's incredible how the audience is connecting to the music.

It gets louder, and I can feel the rhythm vibrating through my body.

Bang! Bang!

Painful pressure in my chest brings me out of the emotional trance. Agony shoots through my head. I hear screams. My ears ring with noise, but it is no longer the beautiful music; it’s the sound of panic and pain—high-pitched, frenzied cries.

Bang! Bang!

Terror fills me.

I can’t see anything. I am struggling to get my breath; it's hard to expand my lungs. I’m trapped.

“Stay down until I say move.”

Eventually I realise Leo’s body covers mine, he is the pressure I feel, the reason I can’t fully expand my ribcage to breathe.

My head is pressed against the floor. Why is he doing this to me?

I’m confused. I have no idea what is going on.

A few more minutes pass, and my head feels light with the lack of oxygen.

I want to scream for help, to thrash out, but the weight is too much for my strength.

Just before losing consciousness, I’m lifted into the air.

My body is held close to a chest, my face pressed into a neck—Leo’s neck.

His smell fills my senses. I grab hold of his suit as he runs downstairs and out into the now cool night air.

A car beeps as it is unlocked, the hold on me loosens, and I’m placed gently but quickly into the passenger seat.

Leo fastens my seat belt before quickly rounding the car, jumping into the driver’s seat, and starting the car in record time.

We speed out of the car park and join a busy road.

“Are you hurt?!”

His abrupt question makes me jump. I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. There was pain, but I’m mostly just sore now. I look down at myself; I look okay; there’s no blood. I ache, but that’s about it.

“Katherine! Look at me! You’re okay. You are safe now.”

My body shakes uncontrollably. All I can do is stare out of the window. The street and car lights we pass form coloured streams in front of my eyes. I try to process what has happened. The night's events are jumbled in my memory; I struggle to make sense of it.

Leo opens my door. We’ve arrived back at the house. He lifts me out of the car and carries me in.

We go into the living room. He sits down on the sofa with me on his lap. His fingers gently move across my face, pushing my hair out of my eyes.

“You are in shock. I promise you are safe now.”

Alga comes in, pushing a trolley of refreshments.

“Here, drink this.”

I take a sip of the sweet tea and settle back down on his lap.

“Come, let’s get you more comfortable.”

Carrying me again, he walks into the bedroom, then sets me down gently by the bed. He takes my face in his hands; his eyes are wide. I brace myself for what he is about to say.

A crash echoes through the house.

“Marco is back.” Leo drops his hands, and his hard expression returns. “Get changed. Stay in here. I will be back soon.” He leaves the room.

I shower, get my pjs on, and snuggle my teddy in bed. The TV takes my mind off the night events until I hear Marco and Leo's raised voices. I get up and press my ear to the door, straining to make out what they are saying.

They are speaking in Italian. Marco is furious.

He is accusing Leo of losing his mind. That I am a distraction.

It seems it was a couple of gang members trying to rise in the hierarchy, thinking they’d get a shot at the Don and gain themselves some street cred—only, both men received a bullet between their eyes from Marco.

Marco is furious that Leo did not retaliate, that he threw himself over me, which apparently was a detrimental decision.

After a few more minutes of crossed words, I hear Marco leave.

When I’m feeling more settled after watching some crazy Italian TV show, I settle down to sleep.

Leo hasn’t returned, and I doubt he will now, after his argument with Marco.

Despite the night's traumatic event, I manage to fall into a blissful sleep—until I am woken by the sound of heart-harrowing moans of distress.