Page 13

13

Bonnie

I f I were writing a book, I’d name this chapter “Pete”. Because the second I see him step out of the car, I know he’s about to stand centre stage. And I’m okay with that. Far too much focus has been on me lately and I’m ready for a break.

We’re heading to the airport soon, but I refused to leave until Pete arrived. I’ve got Kelley, who makes up one half of my friend support system. She’s like me: introverted and a massive geek. She is my logic. Pete makes up the second half. He’s outgoing, spontaneous, and extroverted. He’s not afraid to challenge my reserved personality and sometimes I need that—like in a situation where you’ve been kidnapped by mobsters. If anyone can help me get through this, it’s Pete, with Kelley reining him in when needed.

“Well, fuck me, honey. I know I told you to get a life, but I didn’t quite mean this,” he says, waving flamboyantly at the giant house. “Love the look, by the way,” he finishes, grabbing my shoulders and looking me up and down.

“Not my choice,” I reply, tugging him into a hug.

“Which part?”

“All of it. I’m sorry you’ve been dragged into it, P.”

He sucks his teeth. “Fuck that. This is excellent. I would have been super pissed if you’d left me out. Hey, what happened to you, Frizz?”

Kelley jabs him with her good arm. “I got shot, you arse!”

Pete clutches his imaginary pearls. “My, my, it’s all happening here, isn’t it? So, when are we leaving?”

Rubbing my forehead, I let out an exasperated chuckle. “Aren’t you going to ask what all this is about? I’m pretty sure you’ve just been forcefully removed from wherever you were, and you’re not even bothered.”

Dropping the pearls, he flicks his imaginary long hair. “Some big, gorgeous bloke turns up at work telling me I’d won a trip, and I had to leave with him immediately, no questions asked. Fuck, colour me intrigued.”

“How have you not been murdered yet?” Kelley asks, and I wholeheartedly agree.

“Whatever. So, when and where are we going? Oh, hey, your dads are here too. Oh, wow, who is that silver fox?”

Pete is like a child after ten Red Bulls sometimes.

“That’s Lorenzo Ferrante,” I say quietly. Lorenzo is talking to my dads again. They shake hands and Lorenzo slips into the back of his car. Pop turns and ushers us over.

“Hey, Pete, good to see you, kiddo.”

“Hi, Mark. Looking good. I like that cardigan.”

“Thanks, it’s new. Anyway, are you all ready to go?”

“Ready and raring. Let’s get this show on the road, darlings.”

I notice Toni’s eyebrows lift. I doubt he’s come across someone like Pete before.

Pete, Kelley, and I take one car, with my parents following behind. It would feel like we’re celebrities if the people chauffeuring us weren’t carrying pistols.

“So, who is Lorenzo, and how can I get a meeting with him?”

I grimace automatically. “Eww, no, Pete. He’s off limits, okay?”

“Why? What am I missing?”

“He’s Bonnie’s bio dad,” Kelley says, shifting in her seat to get more comfortable. “He’s a major mobster baddie.”

“Fuck off,” Pete laughs. He stops when we don’t share his enthusiasm. “You’re being serious?”

“Yes, Pete, dead serious. Trust me, I know how it sounds. I thought you’d hired the woman who took me, as part of a joke at first.”

“I wish,” he laughs. “That would have been epic.”

“Sure, a real fun time,” I deadpan. “Anyway, my mistake got Kelley shot, and I quickly understood we were in real danger.”

Kelley rubs her shoulder before piping in. “Until we arrived at the house. Lorenzo explained everything to Bonnie. Allegra, that’s the scary woman who has a penchant for violence against innocent bookworms, didn’t know who she was, and I don’t think she was supposed to scare either of us to death. Or, you know, shoot me.”

“Where’s this Allegra, then? Is she hot?”

“Keep it in your boxers, buddy,” I growl. “She’s awful. Like the worst. Ice queen on steroids, and with a firearm.”

“So, she’s smokin’, right?” Pete says, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Oh, yeah, super-hot,” Kelley answers, “and she left for Italy yesterday. You’ll meet her soon. Or if you’re lucky, not at all.”

“Italy, where? Rome? Florence?”

“Sicily,” Toni gruffs from the driver’s seat.

“Well thanks, handsome,” Pete replies. He flirts with everyone, I swear; however, I didn’t expect Toni to blush. Interesting.

“According to Allegra, the villa we will be staying at is super secure.”

“Right, yeah. So, I get you’re related to a mob boss…but why are you and the fam being shipped off to a secure location?”

I spend the rest of the journey to the private airport explaining everything that has come to light so far. If Toni weren’t in earshot, I’d ask Pete and Kelley to give me some advice regarding Lorenzo and his wish to speak with me. I’m still on the fence about it.

“And how are you feeling about all this, Bon?” Pete is the only one who gets away with calling me that. Although, he’s the reason Janice started calling me Bon Bon, so maybe I should rescind the permission.

“Overwhelmed. How else would I feel?”

“Uh, I don’t know…pumped? This is exactly what you need, my friend!”

“Did you hear any of the story I just told you, Pete?”

“Hell yeah, I did. And from what I can see, you might as well milk it for everything it’s worth. You’re going to a beautiful country, and staying at what I guess will be a luxurious villa. Food, drink, and hot people. It’s a gift from the gods.”

“But—”

“No buts, Bonnie. Look, you’re going to be safe. Let the tough guys sort out the shit. You, Kelley, and I can just lay back and enjoy a holiday. You need it, Bonnie. I know I joke about your sad life.”

“Harsh.”

“True. I joke, but part of me worries…about you both,” he says, glaring at Kelley, too. “There’s a quiet life, and then there is acting like an octogenarian at thirty. You feel me?”

“I do not,” I protest, but Pete cackles like a witch.

“Yes, you do. By all means, do the whole reading thing, but maybe try to balance it with actually experiencing life. That’s all I’m saying.”

“We’re here,” Toni grumbles.

“He’s a big bear of a man I’d like to climb,” Pete murmurs, licking his lips. Snapping his attention back to Kelley and me, he smiles. “You’re about to board a private jet,” he says, pointing out the window where a very expensive-looking plane stands waiting for us. “Life is passing you by, ladies. Time to grab it by the tits and ride it out.”

“That is a horrible turn of phrase,” Kelley replies, “but I get it.”

“Bonnie?” Pete asks.

Two sets of eyes bore into me.

“Fine. It’s going to be a holiday. There—happy?”

Pete claps excitedly. “Fucking ecstatic. Let’s roll.”

None of my worries have gone away, but having agreed to treat this less like a kidnapping and hostage situation, and more of a holiday away with friends, I have to say I’m feeling better. The complimentary Cristal doesn’t hurt either.

Pop and Dad are sitting up front with Lorenzo. I guess they’re trying to give us “youngsters” some space. My parents are pretty good at reading my needs. After yesterday’s little temper tantrum, they’ve given me a wide berth. It’s how they helped me get through puberty.

Before I know it, we’ve taken off and landed, and I’m positively tipsy. Kelley is looking a little glassy-eyed too. We’re such lightweights. It’s only when Kelley and I start singing, that Pete hands out water bottles.

We disembark and ungracefully fall into the back of another blacked-out Land Rover. Toni doesn’t look so happy with being our driver again, especially when Kelley starts singing.

I don’t usually drink that much, and even when I do have a tipple, I know my limits. Unlike now, as I’m well and truly over my two-drink limit, but I’m also well beyond caring.

“Toni, you delicious specimen of a man, do you have any music?” Pete calls. Without saying a word, Toni turns up the radio. I’m guessing he wants to drown us out.

We sing and boogie in the backseat with water and more booze Pete pilfered from the plane. It’s Kelley’s gasp that stops us from warbling. I practically climb over my friends to see what the hullabaloo is about.

We’re driving up to the most beautiful building I think I’ve ever seen. Fields of vines surround us, and the view of the ocean is incredible. If there’s a pool, I might just die. It’s a dream come true.

And then I see her: the dark angel that ruins my newfound happiness. Allegra stands on a balcony, looking down on us. I can’t see her eyes, but I know they will be trying to drill a hole into the car.

“Who is that ?” Pete whispers.

“Allegra,” I reply, a little breathier than I’d like. Clearing my throat, I sit back in my seat. “Stay out of her way, Pete. She’s bad news.”

The cars pull up outside the old-looking wooden doors. I wonder if they are the originals. I’m guessing the villa is longstanding. It has a kind of charm to it that makes me think it’s seen a lot through its time. Maybe that’s the romance reader in me trying to put a positive spin on the situation.

Embarrassingly, I fall out the side of the car and land at the feet of Rosa, who chuckles, “Allegra is waiting to see you.”

“Oh, how wonderful,” I sneer.

God, can’t I just have a day, or even a few hours, to settle in? Maybe just clean myself up from the drunk mess I seem to be right now. The last thing I want is to give the horrid woman any more ammo. I’m sure she’ll revel in mocking me.

Ignoring everyone, I stumble behind Rosa into the villa. It’s as gorgeous inside as it is out, but I don’t have any time to stop and take it in. Rosa is on a mission. She stops us outside a dark wooden door. Two sharp knocks and then she opens the door, pushing me through it. I whirl around, ready to give her a piece of my mind, but she’s already gone.

“Welcome to Sicily, Bonnie.”

Blimey, that voice. It’s so wrong I find it attractive.

“I said I’d come if my parents agreed, didn’t I?”

I’m not expecting the tired sigh she lets out, or the dark circles under her eyes.

“You did, and I appreciate you keeping your word. I apologise for taking up your time. I know you’ve probably had a long day travelling. I presume Pete arrived without incident?”

She seems…different—resigned—and I don’t like it.

“He did. Thank you for agreeing to take him in as well.”

She bows her head slightly. “I’ll skip straight to it. You dislike me, and that’s fine, but you are in my home now, and I hope you will treat it, and me, with respect. I’ll leave you alone unless there is an issue, so please go where you like inside, however, I need you to venture no further than the interior garden when outside. I don’t ask this of you lightly. Our land is vast and too big to fully secure for you to go out any further, alone. The security personnel have specific jobs they must maintain, so I need to trust you’ll not do anything to put yourself or anyone else in danger.”

I don’t like it, and I naturally want to do the opposite. I won’t, though. As much as I hate all of this, Allegra and Lorenzo have promised to keep us safe, and they’ve brought Pete here without question.

“I’ll do as you ask.”

“Appreciated. Now, please go and enjoy the house. The pool is out back, and the chef knows to give you anything you want.”

I stand there for a second, not knowing what to say. This is the most normal interaction we’ve had since meeting.

“Thanks,” I manage. I suddenly need another drink.