Page 29 of Sacred Blood

She didn’t answer.

I hopped in the driver’s seat and headed out of the Hamptons. Gaby stayed quiet, giving me plenty of time to think. All my well-laid plans this morning had blown up and for none of the reasons I anticipated they would. Keeping her safe had become necessary until we knew who all the players were and their intentions. This, what was happening now, was completely out of sync with my carefully controlled life, and I didn’t like it one bit.

Chapter Seven

Gabriella

As we arrived at the estate, I caught glimpses of the immense property and sprawling home as Tano sped down the driveway and past a massive arched portico. What would it be like to enter the premises through the ornate doors as a guest, instead of the entrance hidden behind trailing vines that required a retinal scan to open the secret sliding door?

Tano escorted me into a connecting series of hallways. It wasn’t dank, but it was cold and dark and matched the outward aspects of his personality perfectly.

“Where are we going?” I asked. It was the first time speaking in almost two hours and my voice sounded croaky.

“Malvasia. Didn’t you hear the call?”

His lighthearted tone did nothing to calm the growing fear since I saw the tracker in my driver’s license. I didn’t know much about tech, but to have something that tiny track me seemed unreal, like something out of a spy movie, and for what? Did she do it on her own or did someone ask her to? I had so many questions, but every time I tried to voice them, the words died on my lips.

I cleared my throat. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do but seriously, what is Malvasia?”

“It’s a wine my family grows on their vineyard in the old country, but here, it is code for this.” He opened a door into what I could only call a high-tech war room. Sitting at a conference table were several men, including my ex-boss from Club Carnage, Giovanni. But the one that grabbed my attention was the man at the head of the table.

Clearly the leader, danger rolled off him in waves. His glittering eyes took me in, and I was suddenly aware that my only covering was the shirt I’d put on for breakfast. Tano seemed to notice too, because he tucked me protectively into his side. An expression of surprised interest flitted over the leader’s face, there and gone so quickly, I wondered if it was only my imagination, but I didn’t have time to think about that before realizing I’d seen this man before.

I’d seen all of them, in fact, at the club where I’d worked that one night. There was Giovanni, my boss for a single shift, and Gaetano’s brother. Were all these men his brothers? He’d said he had six. There were more than six people here, but the resemblance between Tano and some of these men was strong. The men I’d seen at the club had all been turned away, watching the women on the dance floor, and admittedly, once I’d recognized Dr. Vitale among them, my vision turned red and I didn’t get a good look at the others. Now I did. They didn’t all share the same features, but there was something deeper than that, a kind of shared soul that made them look alike in ways mere genetics couldn’t.

“I knew this one would be trouble,” Gio said from his seat near the scary one at the head of the table.

“Perhaps,” Tano replied, “or maybe our father is looking out for us.”

The room went dead quiet. Tano had their full attention.

“Alright, brother,” the scary one said. “I don’t know what you are referring to specifically, but you have our attention, which was probably your intent. Now both of you take a seat and tell us what this is all about. And you.” He pointed at me. “Obviously have something to do with this and you better confess everything you know, or I’ll let Dante here take you into a room where he’ll draw the truth from you, one slice at a time across that beautiful skin.”

Brother? Oh my god, Tano really was related to this guy. Suddenly my erstwhile lover didn’t seem nearly as intimidating when beside the devil himself. Tano’s body hardened into a defensive stance at his brother's words. But instead of telling his brother where to go, I think he surprised us all when he said, “I vouch for her, Don Vitale.”

The room went silent.

I stared at Tano, certain I'd misheard him. Not because I doubted he'd spoken. Because I couldn't understand why he would. The words shouldn't have mattered as much as they did. Yet they struck somewhere deep inside me.

My entire life, men had spoken about me. Negotiated over me. Made plans for me.

Decided what was best for me. But no one had ever chosen me. Not like that.

Not in a room full of powerful men where every word carried weight.

Not when there was something to lose.

Tano could have stepped aside.

Could have protected himself.

Could have let me stand alone and answer for whatever they thought I'd done.

Instead, he placed himself between me and the danger.

“I vouch for her.”

Such a simple statement. Yet hearing it made my chest ache in a way I didn't understand. For one reckless moment, I wanted to lean into him and believe him.