Now he wanted to find out the only secret I had left? No, thank you. I’d keep that to myself.
“Yes, we are. There’s nothing to talk about.” I’d storm out of here if his dad wasn’t holding my hand hostage. Why the hell hadn’t I pulled it away yet? I didn’t even like to be touched. When Leo gripped my arm, I freaked out, and now his father was holding my hand for probably a whole minute, and all I wanted was for it to last even more?
“Listen, if you don’t wanna tell me, fine.” Leo switched his gaze toward his father, pursing his lips. He seemed to be struggling with something. “But you can tell Dad.”
“What the…” I bit my tongue on a curse. I wanted to scream. Was he out of his mind? I was beyond embarrassed and angry. “You have no right to do this. You don’t even know me, Leo. Why would I tell your dad…anything?” I finally managed to get my hand back. This was so weird. This family was weird. I was weird.
“As much as I hate to say it, he can actually help,” Leo said through his teeth.
“Help with what?” Mr. Bellomo asked, taking my hand again, this time leading me back to the chair I was sitting in. I had no choice but to sit, out of respect, forever in debt to his generosity. He took the seat next to me, and again he cradled my hand inside his firm yet gentle ones. “Are you in trouble, young lady? Because if you are, I’d very much like to help. It’s what I do.”
Great. Just great. Assuming I could ever tell anyone about him without flipping my world upside down, risking everybody’s lives—he was a psycho murderer whether I liked it or not—Mr. Bellomo would be the last person I’d tell. He’d tell the people at school. I’d live the rest of my junior year and my senior year in endless shit.
Much to my dismay, Mr. Bellomo’s caring gaze and tender touch, those of a concerned parent, those I’d never seen or felt with my own father, tugged at me, urging me to spill my heart out and confide in this man.
No. I couldn’t do that to him. I owed him a lot. I couldn’t jeopardize his life. “I appreciate it, Mr. Bellomo. You’ve helped us more than anyone ever has, but I’m not in trouble or—”
“She’s afraid of someone, a man, so much she wouldn’t dare tell anybody about,” Leo interrupted, and I fixed him with a death glare. I’d never wanted to slap someone more than I wanted to slap him right now.
Mr. Bellomo blinked once, and then he leaned back, abandoning my hand. Okay. I understood. Nobody should get in trouble on my account. Even if I was asking for his help and he backed down, I couldn’t blame him. Just the mention of him was enough to make any sane man, even a powerful one like Mr. Bellomo, bail.
“Please excuse my son.” He, too, glared at Leo. “I think I taught you better than to interrupt a lady like that.” He shook his head, his incredible gaze returning to me. “However, if that is true…Angelina…then Leo is right.” His eyes grew hard, dark, and suddenly dangerous. “I’m the only man you can tell.”
Chapter 15
Lina
My gaze traveled between Leo and Mr. Bellomo back and forth as my head spun with questions and assumptions.
Why would Mr. Bellomo say he was the only one I could tell? Why did Leo say he agreed when I told him only a bad guy could save me? Why would he think his dad and he could?
My mind ran in circles, reaching one conclusion every time. Could Nicky be right? Could the rumors about the Bellomos be real?
Oh my God. The Bellomos were the Mob, and I was sitting at the same table with them.
“Can I please go?” My voice shook. Cold sweat trickled down the back of my neck.
“No,” Leo said, and my heart sank. My eyes darted around, looking for help. Then I remembered Leo knew the Italian cashier who obeyed him without a second thought. Fuck. The Bellomos probably owned this whole place, like they owned everything else in the city.
“Oddio. What are you doing? Can’t you see what’s going on here? You’re scaring her more than she already is.” For the second time Mr. Bellomo—Don Bellomo—scolded Leo for me. His eyes locked on my face, tender and caring. “Nobody is keeping you here against your will, Angelina. But if you’re in danger, young lady, I can’t just let you leave. You’re a student at my school. Your protection is a part of my responsibility.”
How could someone so beautiful, so kind, be a notorious criminal? Why would my heart skip a beat when he said my name in that accent? How the hell did he know my name? “How did you know my name is Angelina?” Lina was short for so many names. He couldn’t have just guessed it.
Here came the smirk again. “The academy recitals. Your name and photo were on the brochures. Our little prodigy. You and your sister are the pride of Bellomo. Like Nicole, I have no doubt you’ll win a scholarship next year.” His smirk grew into a smile. “I knew I’ve seen you before. Your face is impossible to forget…so is your music.”
“You’ve been to my recitals?”
“Each one of them. How could I miss it? You play like an angel.” The admiration in his voice, genuine and heartwarming, put my fear aside for a second. “Have you ever heard her play, Leo?”
“Yes. I’m Lina’s biggest fan,” Leo said, smiling at me.
“Doesn’t seem like it. Looks like I have a bigger fan than you,” I countered.
Leo opened his mouth, his face smug like he had a good comeback, but his dad beat him to speaking first. “I’ve never heard anyone play so beautifully like you. Except for the girl that plays at night. She’s your only match.”
“The girl that plays at night? Is that a stage name?” I asked, intrigued, my fear retreating further, my mind working with more clarity. The Mob wasn’t stupid to harm anyone in broad daylight with all these witnesses around. And I was a student at their school, they couldn’t just take or hurt me, not when everybody saw us together and could tie them to it.
“No. She’s a neighbor. A little girl that plays the violin at night sometimes. I’ve never seen her face to face, but she, too, plays like an angel. Leo heard her once and immediately became a fan of classical music.”
Leo cleared his throat, nudging his dad with his elbow.
Don Bellomo rolled his eyes. “Che cosa?”
“The girl that plays at night…is Lina,” Leo said.
“Cazzo?”
I didn’t understand much Italian, but I clearly understood that one word. The fuck was the right thing to say. “Hold on a sec. What?”
They both just looked at me, Leo growing pale. I cocked a brow at him. “Can you explain?”
He ran a thumb over his eyebrow. “Dad rents the penthouse in the building across from yours. I visited him once, and you started playing…”
“And?”
He opened his mouth and snapped it shut a couple of times, and then he shook his head and shrugged. “This is gonna sound… When I left that night I was…not in the best mood, and you were still playing. The music soothed me somehow, so I…”
Mind spiraling, I quivered. “You wanted to know who the girl was, so you’ve been following me…for months…” My chest contracted with a sob that threatened to burst out. “How long have you been stalking me, Leo?”