Angelo didn’t reply for a long moment, then his grip on my arms eased and he sighed. “Of all the people Ineverexpected you to turn to…”
“I didn’t,” I snapped, shaking off a touch of my initial confusion. Wrapping my arms around myself, I took several steps backwards, away from Angelo and towards the door. Maybe if I was fast enough…
“I’m not here to hurt you, Bella,” he said with a groan, clearly anticipating what I was about to do. “If I was, you’d be dead already.”
A shiver of fear ran through me, and I took another step back. I thought eight years had changed Jace? He had nothing on Angelo. I barely recognized this menacing, tattooed mobster looming over me in the darkness. Almost as tall as Grayson, he was built like a linebacker, and even in the semi-darkness, I could picture his bronze skin and dark eyes so clearly.
“So why are you here?” I asked, forcing more strength into my voice. Curiosity was getting the better of me, and deep down, I just wanted to see if the boy I loved, the Angel who’d saved me after I broke Jace’s heart, was still in there. Somewhere.
He gave a frustrated sound, running a hand over his head. His hair was so short now, not like the shaggy mop he used to wear as an eighteen-year-old boy. “I wanted to talk some sense into you, Bella. What the fuck were you thinking, hiding out on tour with fuckingBellerose?” He spat the band name—myname—with such hatred it made me flinch.
Gritting my teeth, I lifted my chin higher. Light from outside came through the windows—it wasn’t totally dark—so surely he’d see that I wasn’t cowering in fear. At least not on the outside. “You hardly gave me a choice, Angel. You’re a fucking murderer, and you think I was going to just hang around waiting to be killed? Hell no.”
He didn’t say anything back, not straight away. That scared me more than anything because, surely, a more natural reaction would beWhat? Kill you? I was going to take you out for a succulent Chinese meal then walk you home under the moonlight.
Okay. Maybe notexactlythat, but I felt like he should be a little quicker to correct my accusation of murder. But as the moment of silence stretched, a cold dread built within me.
“That night,” he said slowly, like he just planned to ignore the big oldmurderelephant in the room. “My father believes you might have overheard something important. He wants you alive, Bella.”
I scoffed. “Until he finds out Ididn’thear anything, and then what? He’ll let me walk away? Doubtful.” Angelo’s father was a ruthless man and hadneverliked me. No way would I be walking away, even if I could be useful.
Angelo didn’t disagree with me, either. How comforting.
“I didn’t hear anything,” I repeated, drawing a deep inhale. “I was in the bathroom when you started killing people, then when I saw an opportunity to run, I did.”
Angelo shook his head. “You waitressed that whole dinner service, didn’t you?” I nodded. “And you waited on a table of three Italian gentlemen between eight thirty and ten, correct?”
“I have no fucking idea, Angel; it was a busy night in anItalianrestaurant.” Now I was getting irritated.
He made a frustrated sound. “You did; we checked the tapes. Those men—”
“I don’t care,” I cut him off, desperately not wanting any more information about that night. It was bad enough that I’d witnessed several murders, I didnotneed the reasons. “I donot fucking care. Whatever your asshole father thinks I know, I don’t. And I’m sure as shit not being killed to appease his paranoid delusions of, what? That I’ll go to the cops? Report him as a murderer? Unless things have drastically changed, I doubt that would be more than a vague inconvenience to the mighty Riccis.”
Angelo gave me another one of those tense silences in response. Fuck, I hated that. He’d always been the quiet one of the three of us, but he used to wear his emotions on his sleeve to the point that Jace and I could practically read his mind. Not anymore.
“I’m surprised Jace has forgiven you,” he said in a change of subject so swift it made my head spin. “His lyrics seem to imply that heartbreak is still fresh for him.”
My brows hitched. “You listen toBellerose? The songs aren’t all aboutme, you know. I’m not the only one who broke his heart.”
“I remember,” he murmured and slipped back into tense silence. He hadn’t tried to grab me again, nor was he holding a gun in my face. I didn’t feelsafe, far fucking from it, but I also didn’t fear for my life. “You need to come back to Siena. If you don’t…”
“I thought you said your father doesn’t want me dead,” I retorted to the clear threat in those three words.
“Yet,” he corrected. “But do you really want Jace to get hurt because of you? Again? Haven’t you done that enough?”
I inhaled a sharp breath through my nose. “You’re seriously going to come herealoneand threaten to hurt one of the most famous men in the entertainment industry to get your way? There are a dozen guards just outside this bus, Angel; I could scream once and have them swarming this place.”
For the first time since I’d backed away from him, Angelo moved closer. He didn’t touch me, but he was close enough to, making me tip my head back to meet his dark eyes. “But you haven’t, Bella. You could have screamed the moment I grabbed you,but you didn’t.”
A deep shiver ran through me, and I grasped for straws. “I was in shock after nearly being shot by a crazed Bellerose fan. My wits are slowly returning, though.”
His lips tipped in a cold smile. “Sounds like I’ve overstayed my welcome. Think about it, Bella. You won’t always have twelve guards in yelling distance, and I won’t always be alone. The Ricci family doesn’t like loose ends, so take my advice anddon’t become one.” He reached out and tucked a folded piece of paper into the pocket of my ripped jeans. “I’ll be waiting. Next time we have to have this chat, blood will need to be shed.”
Oh, shit. I was going to ignore that. He was joking, right?
“Not to spoil this whole mysterious Batman thing you’re aiming for tonight, but how do you plan to get out of here unseen? The second you walk out that door, my security guys will grab you. Idiot.” I tried really hard to keep a straight face as I said that, but there was something so fucking stupid about this whole plan. He really hadn’t thought it through.
Angelo just smirked. “If they’re still there, maybe.”
