72
"As soon as I found out, I called Mike and then he called you." Vince leisurely walked to the massive oval table and leaned his back against it. "I got as much information I could get out of them. Federigo has been sending her to training behind your back and that too at night so that you wouldn't know. They all kept it a secret in fear of your father."
"Federigo is to blame here for her abduction, Leo," Mike chimed in to back the man up.
"Is that so?" A deep voice boomed through the humongous room, making all our eyes shoot to the door behind me.
Federigo's face was crimson in fury while he chest heaved up and down. We all quietly watched as he walked to Mike in slow, long leaps until he was only mere inches away from his face. The glares darted back and forth between the two men; their heights inclining with one another. Being only a foot away from them, my heart raced as I anticipated their next move while my feet wouldn't budge.
"Yes, it's your fault," Mike spoke in a low seething manner with his head held high. "If you would have never gone against Leo, this wouldn't have happened."
"Why does this bother you?"
"Because she's my family too." Mike inched closer to the glaring man, challenging him silently. "And it's all on you and you know it."
Federigo raised his fist and brought it down to Mike's face in a brutal impact. Since I was only a few inches away from Mike, Federigo's punch glided down to my face, forcing me to fall to the ground from the blow.
"Arie!" Mike came to my aid immediately and lifted me up to my feet when I watch Leo stomping towards in utter rage.
Leo jerked me from Mike's arms and cupped my face, his thumbs circling my cheeks while his soft eyes distressingly scanned me. "Are you alright?" A whisper barely passed through his lips as I could sense him holding back his anger.
"I'm fine," I feather my fingers over his hand and squeezed them reassuringly.
"You're hurt, love," his thumb scraped off a drop of blood that trickled down my busted lip before he turned and faced his father. "First you send Lina to your sick training that I forbade you from and then you have the nerve to hit Arie!" His voice roared and his hand trembled in fury as he intertwined his fingers with mine.
"Let's not forget I'm your father and not the other way around," Federigo clenched his fists tight and glared at me. "I didn't intend on hitting your new and temporary interest."
"Father!" A thin voice bellowed out as heels clicked on the floor along with other footsteps that echoed through the place. Arabelle grabbed my wrist and stepped in front of me like a protective shield. "I think you've said and done enough. You need to leave before each one your child loses it for your ignorance."
"Get out," Gus yelled at the men who immediately scurried out the room.
"Belle..." Federigo began to talk, but Arabelle stopped all the murmur with a lift of her finger.
"How could you do this when we made it clear that Lina wouldn't go through the training hell that you put each one us through," Gus stepped in front of his seething father and glared at the man.
"She's my daughter and I know what I'm doing, so I don't need any of you to tell me otherwise," Federigo stepped back and glared at each one of his raging offspring that stood before him.
The tension in the room urged me to shift uncomfortably as silence crawled in with anger and loathe screaming loud and dismantling everything slowly. Even with their backs towards me I knew each one of the siblings exuded a ferocious vibe just with their tense body language and clenched fists. Taking a few steps backwards, I run into Mike as he lets out a little snicker only audible enough for me to hear.
I look at him with confusion etched onto my brows. Mike glances at me with a grin and comments, "Don't judge me. This is my personal entertainment."
Rolling my eyes, I tune back to the drama as another family member decides to join the party. "Give your father some room here. He was just thinking in the best interests of Evelina, but unfortunately some very horrible turn on events got the best of her."
"Mother, quit talking like she's some kind of fucking business deal that slipped through our fingers," Gus yelled at Amelia who stood on the front line with her husband.
"Gus, watch your mouth," Leo warned his brother and then turned to his mother. "Mother, you knew about this?"
Amelia shifted a little next to her husband while her brown eyes never faltered. "Yes, I did."
"And you endorsed it?"
"Leonardo, he's Evelina's father. He wants the best for her so she can protect herself in such situations," Amelia wrapped her hand around Federigo's bulky, tatted arm. "It's not his fault that they attacked the vehicle she was traveling in and abducted her."
"How can you stay so calm right now?" Gus inched closer to his parents, his voice dripping with anger and his hands curled up.
"That's because she's..."
"Don't you dare say it!" Leo interrupted Arabelle, his eyes shoving enough daggers into her chest. "Don't you fucking dare."
"What?" She scoffed and glared at Amelia. "We all know it's true and there's no hiding in it."
"I don't care," he spat through his gritted teeth. "Don't you ever bring that up again."
Arabelle shoots back in Italian and all hell breaks loose. The three siblings begin arguing amongst each other like little kids with their father chiming in with his thundering voice. My distressed eyes absorb the entire unfolding of the mess with no inkling as to what they were shouting about.
Through all the ruckus I hear a little snicker to the right of me. Rotating my head in that direction, I notice the man from earlier with a grin planted on his face. He dipped towards Mike and whispered, "Very entertaining. This is better than the action I get in bed from Fiona. Gotta shag her soon. Bitch has been strangling me with her horrific blowjob skills."
"Jesus!" Mike lets out a chuckle while I gaze in bafflement at the man who shook his head in horror as he pondered deeply.
"It's a mystery how her mouth can salivate over my badonkadonk, while my junk looks like a flaccid turd on a dry summer day. I could fill up two buckets with her saliva in just an hour and give it to a needy man in Zimbabwe. That way she'll be of some use to the world rather than being a useless piece of dried up white meatless chicken."
Mike swatted the back of the man's head in a swift motion. "How many times do I have to tell you to look around and then speak, puta!"
The man's dark eyes fall on me as they grow wide. "I'm so sorry, Ms. Noelle. I really need to heed Mike's advice."
"It's okay." I turn away from the man and look at the feuding family.
"I'm Vincent. You may call me Vince," he shook my hand excitedly and smiled genuinely. "I'm the boss man's favorite man."
"That's an amazing joke, Vince. I'm dying of laughter," Mike said with a straight face and narrowed his eyes at the man.
"You're just jealous that I'm more efficient than you."
"Wait," Mike turned to Vince and looked at him innocently. "Who's the second in command to Leo?" He begins waving his index finger in the air before bringing it down to his chest and wiggling his brows. "That's right. Me."
Vince rolled his eyes and shifted his gaze back to me. "Moving on, I'm the guy who cleaned up the kill at your house, the mess at your graduation, and the one in that filthy warehouse."
"Thanks, I guess?"
"You're welcome, Ms. Noelle. Anything for the boss man's boss lady."
"Boss lady?" I chuckle and look at him.