Break All Ties

In a dark, professional looking land rover, I sat beside one of the most dangerous men in the world, feeling more nervous than I had done in a while. We'd be in an Aston Martin if I hadn't driven it directly into a tree. But the reason was all the same. We were waiting.

Tonight, the plan was going to be put in action.

Turtle had parked the rover in one of the allotted spaces for the fancier guests outside of the Columbo mansion. Sensing that I needed a bit of time, Assante sent him on his way. I sat in the back of the car, playing with my gown.

Tonight, I wore a fitted black number, with a long slit in the thigh. It felt like a second skin, sticking to me. I dreaded to know the price. The chances were it costed more than the entire farm I'd grown up on. My husband liked to spoil me, regardless of the occasion.

Assante and I were going for dark and elegant, predicting the turn of events the end of the ball was bound to bring about. In my heels, I was feeling a bit wobbly, but it wasn't so bad right now.

My mind was elsewhere.

"Bellezza," The mafia boss whispered, his hand tight on my exposed leg. "Tell me what you're worrying about. Let me help you."

It was hard to decide what I was worrying about with so much going on in my brain at once.

"Last time we came to a ball..."

It hadn't ended particularly well. That time- like this- was mostly my idea. My idea last time was successful, but I regretted it in the end. In the end, it bought me more trouble than it did good.

We'd gone to the Romero absorption ball on the night of the Romero rampage. When the police had come to start picking up criminals, Assante and I had evacuated. Then Giuseppe died. Things only went downhill from there.

It was all my fault, too. I was communicating with the police. I pretty much set the entire thing up.

It was one of those nights I was never going to forget, forever engrained into my memory.

"That won't happen again," He promised me and pulled me up into his lap. With my legs either side of him, I placed my hands on his shoulders and tried to focus on breathing. "It's me and you this time," He promised. "I've got your back and you've got mine."

He'd had my back at the last ball. I remembered his ruthlessness to get me out of there. A criminal on the floor had grabbed my ankle, vising me to him in his hopes of getting up. I'd kicked and flaied hopelessly, stuck in place. Assante hadn't spared him so much as a glance as he came down with his foot and stole me away.

"What if something goes wrong?" I asked.

"It won't Charlie. And if it does, you know I can fix anything."

I nodded slowly.

Sometimes, it was hard letting the truth out. I was too prideful. But in the same regard that I could be bad with him, I could be vulnerable too. I could trust him not to judge me.

"Lorenzo," I whispered, holding his shoulders tight. "I'm scared."

His eyes met with mine. "You have nothing to be scared of love. No man in there would dare to touch you, and my men wouldn't let it happen. I won't let it happen. We'll be together all night. Look at me Bellezza." I did, staring into the green depths of his eyes as he peered at me intensely. "I won't let anything happen to you."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay."

"Good girl." I leaned down for his lips, closing my eyes as I felt his brush against mine.