Bella #1 (Sagatori Family Saga #1) (6 page)

“
Fuck
.
”

I’
d been tense since I left Bella. A bad feeling resonated in my gut about what'd happened to her. God, sh
e’
s fucking phenomenally beautiful.
I’
ve seen her before. Of course she was dressed then, and a little younger, so I did
n’
t put it together right away. She did
n’
t remember me at all.

The car turned onto the highway as it headed back the way w
e’
d come. I was supposed to have a meeting with Salvator
e“
Sa
m
” Casconi two hours ago. Fucking pig.

I relaxed into the seat but all I could see were her grey eyes, full lips, and pink cheeks. Holy fuck sh
e’
d been beautiful. Reaching towards the seat for my phone I saw an unknown number calling
.“
Jax
.
” I growled.

“
This is Sagatori
.
” He growled back.

I straightened in my seat
.“
Yes
?
” Mr. Sagatori was a respected man. Probably more feared than respected, honestly. But I knew my place and so did he. If Anthony Sagatori called me directly it had to be for a fucki
n
’ good reason.

“
I called to give to you my sincerest appreciation for bringing my daughter home safely. But
I’
m curious as to what happened
?
” Did
n’
t Bella tell him?

I nodded
.“
Yes, of course. She was in the middle of the highway, my driver almost hit her. She looked pretty scared and frozen. I put her in my car and took her home
.
”

“
I see." he paused. "Well, sh
e’
s safe now and all thanks to you.
I’
d like to set up a sit down with you
.
”

“
I was
n’
t planning on staying in Detroit but another day
.
” I paused because I was a bit curious what Sagatori was so eager to speak with me about
.“
Can I call in the morning and set somethin' up
.
”

“
Yes call first thing
.
” his voice was firm.

“
Very good
.
” he disconnects the call.

“
Mickie
?
” Sagatori is the king of Detroit and the famiglia. Bell
a’
s his princess. I'm the boss of the outfit, if he had taken the time to call me I needed to show my respect.

“
I heard boss
.
” Mickie gave a glance through the partition.

I nodded to him from the back of the limo.

I reached Cascon
i’
s, buzzing the gate. When it opened, my driver steered the black limousine through the wide metal opening.

We parked and two men walked around the side of the house approaching us.

“
Is Casconi available
?
” I asked as I exited my car.

“
Yes sir, h
e’
s expecting you
.
”

We walked along the stone path that lead to the door, we approached and entered; the two men guided me into Cascon
i’
s office, closing the French doors, leaving me in the office alone. Mickie was left to stand just outside the door, ready to end every mother fucker here if he needed to.

I risked a quick look around. Not much that interestedme until I saw Bell
a’
s picture inside of a silver frame on his desk. I did
n’
t know they were seeing each other.

“
Mr. Moretti, I assume your trip to Detroit was pleasant
?
”

“
Casconi
,
” I replied, turning towards the door.

“
Forgive me for the wait. I was expecting you earlier
?
” He seemed stressed out. His clothes wrinkled, hair was all over the place. Hell, I guess he ma
y’
ve just gotten out of bed. I was really late.

“
Something that could
n’
t be helped, my apologies, you understand
.
” I did
n’
t need to apologize to this fucker for anything, but I would because showing him respect was warranted since he was a Capo under Sagatori and I was seeing that Detroit may have a few possibilities.

He opened the envelope filled with money, releasing all of the papers that I'd come here for. I coul
d’
ve sent Mickie alone or Anthony, but I wanted to see this fucker up-close and personal. H
e’
d caused a lot of problems for business and for
me
.

He flipped through the papers, one by one and yawned as he handed them to me. So fuckin' disrespectful.

“
You and Bella Sagatori
?
” I had the sudden urge to rip him over the desk and stab him in the throat.

“
What
?
” His eyes continued to review goingover the documents
I’
ve paid for.

“
Bella Sagatori
.
”

His head raised holding a glare
.“
What the fuck is it to you
?
” And it all becomes clear to me. This asshole has a hairy trigger. H
e’
d been in trouble for the last few months with a few of the men under my rule and now he was barking at me.

My eyebrows rise. I stood erect with my hand pressed to my gun. My eyes bore into his before he could stand from his faux leather chair. I laughed to myself. Did he think all of this convinced people h
e’
s a boss? Capo? H
e’
s a small boy living in a ma
n’
s world. I did
n’
t care if he was crazy because I was crazier.

His eyes wondered to his left, seeing the picture
I’
d been referring to
.“
W
e’
re promised to each other
.
” He remained seated in his chair.

I nodded.
Well this my change things up.
“
So, yo
u’
re planning on marrying her
?
” I growled

He lay the papers down on his glass desk, running his hands through his hair. Tha
t’
s when I saw the scratch marks on his neck.

I’
m the boss of the Chicago outfit and must consider the famiglia and men when I react, but all I saw was red. Fucking red. I rounded the desk with deadly silence, I gripped the asshole by the throat, I lifted him off of his feet
.“
You ever disrespect me with that mouth again,
I’
ll tie it shut. You disrespect me with those hands and
I’
ll cut them off. You understandi
n
’ where
I’
m going with this
?
” I'd work my way to every part of his body until he was a bloody unidentifiable blob.

“
Looks like someone else already had a piece of you
.
” I laughe
d“
Looks like it hurts
.
” I grinned, digging my fingers harder into his throat. The bastard deserved a lot worse.

He nodded and I released him, I straitened my sui
t“
My apologies Mr. Moretti. I meant no disrespect
.
”

His hand drew to his neck, his eyes became dark
.“
What can I say? Sh
e’
s a wild one
.
”

“
Bella
?
”

“
Yeah, she was here just a few hours ago
.
” He cleared his throat.

“
And she did that
?
” My thoughts traveled to her in the car. Her fingernails were covered in blood and she was on the other side of this property. He just confirmed that sh
e’
d been here. She was running from
him
.

I cleared my throat as I wondered if her father knew this. My face fell flat with anger.

I felt my facial expression contort
.“
As always i
t’
s been a pleasure
.
” He rounded the desk
.“I’
ll walk you out
.
”

I nodded as I adjusted my cuffs.

I followed Casconi, I slipped my hand behind my jacket gripping the cold metal. I could do this quick, right in the temple. We were at the door in a few seconds and I choose to save it for another day as I stepped out into the cold.

I wondered why Bella had been running and why she woul
d’
ve scratched him. I do
n’
t know her and I knew that I shouldn't even consider getting involved.
I’
m intrigued, though. He pretty much said sh
e’
d been spoken for so, I guess it'd be moot point. Salvatore Casconi deserved what he had coming. When he's finally taken out i
t’
ll be sweet revenge.

When I slipped into the limo I was ready to get this day over with. I
t’
d been interesting that was for sure. The car drove away from Cascon
i’
s house towards downtown Detroit.

  I woke to an ice-frozen window
I’
d fallen asleep against. The sun was shining brightly and I watched as the snowflake shaped ice melted away piece by piece from the warmth of the sun.

My head followed to the alarm clock, seeing that it was only seven A.M. I Stretched my arms and legs. I finally stood and shuffled my feet to the door.

Pap
a’
s door was open, peaking in, I saw he wasn't in his room. I followed to the stairs as I dragged myself one sleepy step at a time.

“
Good morning
.
” I yawned as I entered the kitchen in search of coffee.

“
Good morning
.
” Papa took a sip from his mug, his eyes barely rising in acknowledgement
.“I’
m not going to have the time to take you home this morning. I have a meeting and need to get back to the city. Tony will take you home
.
”

I nodded, while holding the hot mug in my hands
.“
No problem
.
” I tapped my foot against the stone floor
.“
Would it be okay if I came by for lunch? I could bring Galleys or we can go out somewhere if yo
u’
d like
.
” I bit the inside of my cheek hoping he would
n’
t refuse. The disappointment circled him and
I’
d never wanted to disappoint my Papa.

“
Fine
,
” He answered flatly not looking up from his newspaper.

“
I was
n’
t making that up, Papa
.
” I stood and turned towards Sal
.“
I was
n’
t
.
” I glared at him.

He shrugged as he stood holding his body against the counter.

I’
d known Sal and Tony my entire life. They were only a few years older than I was. If anything they were like really annoying big brothers.

“
If h
e’
d wanted to hurt you Isabella, he woul
d’
ve. His story checks out. Ther
e’
s nothing that I could do without proof. You know that
.
”

“
Because h
e’
s made? Are you
serious
?
Yo
u’
re
the boss Papa
.
” I began to walk from the kitchen. Flippantly I added
.“
You know he thinks h
e’
s going to marry me
.
”

“
And would that be so bad? H
e’
s a good boy. A good Sicilian boy Isabella
.
”

What the fuck
?“
H
e’
s not my type and h
e’
s not a good boy, Papa
.
” I answered with maybe a bit too much sass.

“
Isabella watch how you speak to me
.
” Papa growled. I jumped. I may be an adult but that sure as hell did
n’
t matter to him.
I’
d always be his baby and h
e’
d always know best, so he kept telling me.

“
Sorry
.
” I was
n’
t.

“
Your type is a tattooed musician, Bell. You should find someone that could protect you.
Provide
for you
.
” Sal chimed in.

I purposely rolled my eyes
.“
What about love
?
”

Papa made a noise with his throat
.“
Love is over rated in this world Isabella. People do
n’
t know how to love one another anymore
.
” he flipped the page of the paper loudly.

“
Like you and Momma
?
” I leaned against Sal, resting my head on his arm.

“
Exactly. Your momma was one of a kind
.
” His eyes fell distant. He missed her so much. Sh
e’
d been gone for ten years. H
e’
d not even looked at another woman, that I knew of anyway. Of course I knew h
e’
d never tell me if h
e’
d found someone. But he'd married momma for life, Pap
a’
s old school.

“
She was
.
” My eyes close. We all had a moment of silence until it was interrupted by Pap
a’
s phone
.“
Sagatori
.
” He hissed.

“
Tha
t’
s my que
.
” I said to Sal as I turned towards the stairs.

Tony was sitting on the bottom step when I approached from around the corner
.“I’
ll take you home today
.
” 

I nod.

“I’
ll hurry
.
”

He stood, without another word then walked into the kitchen.

When
I’
d showered and changed into an oversized sweater, leggings, and boots, I pulled my long dark hair into a messy  bun on the top of my head, popped some gloss on my lips, a smudge of cream blush to my cheeks, and a few strokes of black mascara to my lashes and I was ready.

I turned the cell phone off and tucked it back into the bag and hid it back inside the closet and left the room
.“
Until the next adventure
.
” I breathed.

“
Ready
?
”

“
Jesus
!
”
I jumped
.“
You scared the
shit
out of me Tony
!
” I said smacking his shoulder.

“
Sorry, but i
t’
s getting late and we need to go
.
”

“
Okay
.
” He followed my steps down the stairs
.“
Papa gone
?
”

“
Yeah
.
” He opened the door to the five car garage through the back of the house.

“
The Mercedes
?
” He asked rhetorically. Tony and Sal told
me
what to do, not the other way around. Like I'd said before, annoying big brothers.

I stared at the reflection shinning off of the blacked out windows as he opened the white door for me to enter. I seated myself inside and flipped the visor down, taking a peek at my makeup. The lighting on the visor was fantastic.

He stepped into the car
.“
Seatbelt
.
” He ordered.

“
So wha
t’
s up
?
” I asked, curious. H
e’
d been hiding something from Papa, I could tell and h
e’
d only do that if it was important enough that he not know, which never happens.

“
I think that Casconi is planning something
.
” He slowly backed out of the garage, stopped to watch the door close and set the house alarm with a remote.

“
You believe me
?
” I tilted my head surprised.

“
Oh yeah. I know you do
n’
t make shit up, Bella. If you said it happene
d
…” His narrow eyes met mine
.“
I believe you
.
”

“
Why does
n’
t Papa believe me
?
” I asked as we turned into the winding road.

He took a deep breath
.“
You were gone for an entire day. He only called right before you were found. If yo
u’
d ran through the woods to the highway, I guaranteed it took you at least thirty minutes to get there. H
e’
d have plenty of time to call your father. He knew you got away and had to come up with something to save his ass
.
” He raised his right brow as he pulled onto the highway.

“
Did you tell Papa
?
” Maybe I hadn't been crazy after all.

“
Yeah, but he did
n’
t want to believe that he could try something like that
.
”

“
Fabulous
.
” I leaned my head against the head rest.

“
I'll be guardingyou so don't protest
.
”

“
Why
?
” I hated having a guard.

“
Because I said
.
”

I watched the seriousness in his face. "Okay," I hesitantly agreed.

“
I specifically want Casconi to know you have someone with you at all times. If he knows that, h
e’
ll probably trip on his own feet. I really do
n’
t get why Anthony does
n’
t see that idiots intentions with you
.
”

“
Neither does Sal, so annoying
.
” I watched out the window as the bare trees flew by
.“
I scratched Sa
m’
s neck. I still have the blood in my nails. I could
n’
t get it all out. So gross
.
” I extended my hand to show him.

“
Damn Bella
.
” he sucked in a breath.

“
Yeah
.
” I sank into the seat
.“
Oh, my bag and phone are still at his house. Could we go there so that I can get it
?
”

“
Oh,
I’
d love to see that bastard
.
” He smiled.

Out of everyone that works for my father, Tony and I are the closest. He was still an ass, but in comparison to the other guys, he was the coolest and best to look at.

The drive took us another twenty minutes until we arrived at Sa
m’
s house. I reached for the door.

“I’
ll go
.
” Tony pressed his hand on my arm.

“
No,
I’
d like to see this assholes face and those scratches
.
” I smirked.

“
Do
n’
t say anything
.
” He pleaded.

“
Really
?
” A laugh slipped from my lips.

Tony opened my door, I stepped out and approached the huge front door. I bang on it and then rang the doorbell a few times hoping to piss someone off at nine in the morning.

“
What the-
?
” A large man answered
.“
Can I help you
?
” A large man with a twitchy eye answered. I do
n’
t know this man, but remembered seeing him before.

“
Yeah, you sure can.
I’
d like to get my belongings
.
” I snapped.

“
Umm, Mr. Casconi could you please come to the front door
?
”

“
Ca
n’
t I come in? I
t’
s freezing out here
.
” I started to push my way in.

He opened the door allowing Tony and me to pass.

“
Bella? Wha
t’
re you doing here
?
” Sam hopped down the stairs in a hurry.