Page 52 of Bound By A Promise
Seventeen
Camila
The insulated walls deafened the whirl of the helicopter and blasts of gunshots. From inside the safe room, it was impossible to know what was happening outside. No way to know who was safe and who wasn’t. It seemed unreal that once again I was hiding for my life.
Wedding day.
Wedding night.
We went from our ceremony to a safe room.
Not the wedding a little girl daydreams about.
The small room where we hid contained two twin beds, a desk, and chair. There was a small refrigerator stocked with water. And currently, it also contained four people. As Mia and I sat on one of the twin-sized beds with our backs against the wall, I pulled my knees to my chest and hugged my legs. Her hand lingered protectively over her midsection, a momma bear guarding the tiny life within. Looking around at the four walls, itwas easy to determine that this room was a lot different than the sauna where I hid the last time a home was attacked.
The biggest difference was that I wasn’t alone. Sitting across from Mia and me was Viviana. Father Gallo was seated on a straight-backed chair near the small desk.
Mia reached out, covering my hand with hers. “The men will be safe. Silas replaced all the windows with bulletproof glass.”
Bulletproof glass.
Safe room.
“It hasn’t even been a year since our house was attacked.” I turned and looked at my new sister-in-law, seeing pity in her hazel stare. “Your house was attacked that same night.”
Mia nodded. “We weren’t home. This is the first time we’ve needed this room.”
I took in the basic furnishings. “I don’t want to live like this.”
She grinned. “Dante’s apartment is bigger.”
“I mean in fear, fear that my husband will be hurt or worse. Fear that our privacy will be invaded. Fear of calls in the middle of the night.”
Mia smiled a sad smile. “You just married the wrong man.”
“I married the right man.” Looking down, I saw the ruby ring and splayed my fingers. “This ring is beautiful.”
Mia took my hand in hers. “It fits you. I thought it would.” She tilted her head. “You don’t have to wear it forever. I’m sure Dante will buy you a big diamond once things settle down.”
Twisting the band, I watched the way the red stone shone under the ceiling lights. “I don’t want to get rid of it.”
“Oh, that’s not what I meant.”
“Do you know where he got it?” I asked.
“Funny, it’s like Em’s story of the ring he brought you.”
The mention of my brother’s act of kindness and acceptance brought a grin to my lips.
Mia went on, “That ring belonged to our grandmother, Nonna Luna. She was our mother’s mother.”
I exhaled, appreciating Mia’s story and wanting to learn more about Dante’s family.
“Nonna Luna and Nonno Alessio were closer to Dante and me than to Dario. Dario had the attention of our father’s parents. Even when my two brothers were young, Dario was the chosen one. The prince of the Lucianos.” She turned my way. “Things haven’t changed. There’s no way that Andrés or Jorge would have changed their mind with Catalina as they did with you. No one would do that to the future capo.”
“He’s now capo.”
“No longer a prince,” Mia said. “He’s the king. Our mother’s parents gave Dante the attention he didn’t receive from the Lucianos. I was born later and by that time, our father was capo. His father was gone. Our mother was dealing with the horrors of the man she married. Nonna and Nonno would take me for extended periods of time in the summer and on vacation with them.”