Page 19 of A Vendetta That Ruins

The warehouse lights come on and a large garage-like door lifts right before we drive into it. Three identical cars sit in front of us. After the door closes, Vincenzo pulls my cap off and fluffs a finger through my hair and takes his jacket from around me and hands it to another man who opened the door, and Terry gets out of the car and someone else gets in. Vincenzo clears his throat. “Thanks for your help tonight.”

“Anytime, boss.”

The new driver gives my cap and jacket to someone in the back seat of the car next to us before getting into the driver’s seat. It’s barely been a minute, everything happens fast. The garage doors go up and sirens begin to blaze again.

All of our cars come out at the same time, but they’re looking for the same people and the minute they see Terry pull out with that backward cap on, and my cap in the back, they go for him, those circling as we come out put their foot to the floor to go catch up to the first car and very few stay behind to see who’s in that third car as our driver makes his way opposite of all the traffic, and doubles back to the highway with all of us safely in the back.

Terry pulls off the road and enters a rest stop along the highway. He drives around the circular road and pulls to a stop by some trees. Vincenzo pounds out a message and gets an immediate reply. “They’ll be onto us now but we’re off the main road. Terry’s about five minutes out.”

“Roger that, boss.”

Vincenzo turns to me. “You doing okay?”

My heart is kind of in my throat right now. There was a time when the only men I felt safe around were my pappa and Barcelo and each of them in their own ways failed me miserably. I honestly never thought I would trust a man with my well-being again but that’s no longer true. “I feel the safest I’ve ever felt with you, Vincenzo. I’m more than okay. I’m loved and protected.”

Vincenzo draws me close, kissing my forehead. “You continue to amaze me, princessa. We’ll be there soon. Lanah just texted me. She said they just put her under.”

I draw in a breath. “With this surgery, it can take a little time before we know how she’s going to do, but in my heart, I think she must be a fighter if she is a DeLuca. She will pull through. Your mamma has so much to live for.”

“I hope you’re right.” He points in the distance. “Terry’s car?” he asks the driver.

“Yes sir,” he says as it gets closer and turns into the road stop, driving slowly until he reaches our vehicle.

Our driver turns to us. “Good luck. It’s been a privilege to drive for you,” he says before getting out and swapping places with Terry, who gets in the car and pushes the seat back to account for his length. “Ready to roll, boss?”

I can tell Vincenzo is visibly relaxed having his own driver back. “Damn straight. Thanks Terry,” he says, hitting the button that allows the privacy glass between the back seats of the limo and the driver to be divided. He turns to me. “When you were taken from my casino was there any indication, any red flags that you may have missed, anything that seemed off?”

My mind replays everything again and again. “No, just stupidity on my part. I ran from you because I was scared. You were on the phone with someone telling them that you had the package. I thought I was the package. I ran and ended up getting into a car that I should have never gotten into.”

Vincenzo nods. “Right, Addie told us that she had a ride come for you, but another driver got to you first.”

“She always warned me to ask share ride drivers for my name, you know, to confirm who they were picking up. It was my fault when he didn’t have all the answers, I thought she probably didn’t disclose them trying to hide my identify. Delz is probably so ashamed of me after all the precautions he’s taught.”

Vincenzo snakes a hand around my nape, drawing me close. “You are the most courageous woman I’ve ever met, princessa. Something about that night, it’s still not adding up though, but we are going to get to the bottom of it.”

18

Vincenzo

I should have told her sooner but something about that night has had me and Nicolo up nights trying to figure it out. There could have been plenty of people who saw my angel walk into the club the first time, or even the second time, but the fact they had a driver there at the very same time that she ran. Now that we’ve had time to think about it, it sits heavily on my mind.

Terry pulls into the warehouse and waits as the hidden garage door opens before moving the vehicle forward. I turn to Saint. “This is the safe hospital. You’ll spill your blood and your life before you ever disclose the location, capisce?”

Saint’s dark eyes meet mine. “Understood, boss. I’ll go to the grave with it.”

I nod and the doors close behind us. The cameras are in place for our security teams watching to ensure that we’re safe. The voice on the overhead speaker says “You’re in, proceed.”

Best thing we ever did was to invest in the military trained bodyguards who have more skills at protecting us and taking our targets out than we would have alone. But still, walking into a land mine, a trap, or a deal that I know could go bad in a blink of an eye with an enemy is nothing compared to knowing I’m bringing the love of my life into danger when I swore to love and protect her at all costs.

The closer we get to the hospital the worse I feel. Pa told me so many years ago to trust my gut well right now my guts are tied up in a bunch of knots. The phone only Pa uses rings. I pull it from my pocket. “Where the fuck are you?” I growl, noticing Anna’s upraised brows.

Pa sounds tired but resolute. “I got caught up, but I’m clear now.”

“Ma’s been taken back to surgery. She’s not doing well but with surgery we’re hopeful.”

Pa is silent for just a moment. He knows he doesn’t have much time before the secure line is traceable by our enemies or the feds. “Have someone pick me up at the spot we use to fish.”

I inhale a deep breath and don’t even answer. One place where no one fucking knows but the two of us. The very place that Anna almost got captured only so many nights ago. I send a message with the pick-up spot to Ice, who has to already be free of the chase by now, to pick my father up.