Vow to Me: A Mafia Arranged Marriage (The Romano Empire Book 1)

Chapter Twelve

Luca leaves to find a first aid kit, which is completely unnecessary for the fucking scratch on my arm, but whatever. There was no use arguing when he very clearly doesn’t like the fact that I lost even a single drop of blood because of the Russian assholes who shot up the place. Now I’m left sitting alone in a room with his brother Enzo, who’s closer to my age than he is Luca’s, and apparently wants some womanly advice. Well, this should be fun.

“So, you’re a woman, right?” he says, completely serious. I bark out a laugh. “Yes, I’m a fucking woman.”

He looks at me for a beat, empty eyes staring at me. “I need help, I met a woman at a club but didn’t get her name, the asshole owner wouldn’t show me the security feed so I could see her face again no matter what I offered him and I’m really close to trying to fucking sketch her just to see her again.” Okaaaay, this isn’t where I thought this was going.

“So, I was hoping that if I describe what she was wearing, you can tell me the type of girl she is, then from that you might know where I can find her or where she goes so I can see her again.”

I blink at him, then blink again. Surely, he did not just say that?

Jesus fucking Christ.

I bite my cheek to stop from laughing at him. From what I can gather, Enzo doesn’t handle his emotions normally, or act like a fucking human whatsoever, clearly.

And I thought I was lacking in that area, this dude’s on another level.

So, for him to be so fixated on a woman probably isn’t good for her, and the fact that he thinks I’ll be able to know all about her from what she was wearing? Cazzo.

I debate for a second on whether or not I should actually help him, on one hand, I really do feel for this girl, knowing she’s about to become entangled with a man so unhinged he belongs in a mental facility. On the other hand, who the fuck knows what he’ll resort to if I don’t help him. Knowing it’s a lose-lose situation, I decide to just fucking go for it and hope like hell it works out for this girl.

I sigh before getting up to grab my laptop, I sit back on the couch. “Okay, so what club were you at? And where inside the club did you see her? And when was it?” I ask, but before he can answer, Luca comes back into the room. He starts to open his mouth, as if going to tell Enzo to leave but I shush him and turn back to his brother.

“We were at spotlights on Friday, and she was standing at the centre of the bar. Why? What exactly can you do with that thing?” he says while waving at my laptop and clearly underestimating me.

I work my magic and hack into the club”s cameras within ten seconds and then spend a few minutes checking the footage. I finally see Enzo on the screen staring as a small brown-haired girl sat at the bar, he’s looking at her as though he wants to swallow her whole. Guess that’s the girl. She seems fartoo sweet and innocent for the likes of Enzo, but I’m not about to divulge into that right now.

I zoom in and transfer her image over to the facial recognition software I built, it’s so accurate that if a person exists, they’re on the fucking database, I can find anyone, even with a partial shot of their face. Within minutes I’m sending her name, address, work address, phone number and social security number to Enzo, along with her social media handles and eight photos attached, including one of him eye fucking her in the club. His phone buzzes and he checks the screen.

“How in the ever-loving-fuck did you do that? It hasn’t been five minutes and you’ve got fucking everything on her? What the fuck, Isabella! They’re some skills you’ve got,” he says to me, clearly shocked, before turning to Luca. “Careful with that one bro, she’s scary,” he says in absolute seriousness. Then before I even know what’s happening, he’s across the room and pulling me off the sofa, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me into a hug where he squeezes me so hard that I can barely breathe.

“I suggest you get your fucking hands off my wife, you asshole,” Luca barks.

Enzo gives me a smirk, then lets me go, but not before giving me a kiss on the forehead making Luca growl at him.

Huh, I guess he doesn’t like his little brother touching me.

“You’re the best sister in the world!” Enzo exclaims before turning around and walking out without a backwards glance and I can hear him chucking as he walks away.

The whole fucking exchange was weird, but at least my new brother-in-law seems to like me, even if he’s a special brand of crazy. I shoot Luca a confused look and he sighs and shakes his head in a what can you do gesture, before tilting his head to stare at me as if he’s trying to get inside my head.

“How did you get that information so quickly?” He asks and I shrug my shoulders. “I’ve been hacking for years; I’ve gotten pretty good,” I say and smirk at him. He gives me another look as though he doesn’t quite know whether to believe me or not, then he grabs my arm and sits me back on the sofa before tending to my arm.

“Fuck, Izzy, I’m sorry you got hurt. We should have just stayed here and ordered something for dinner. You wouldn’t be bleeding if isn’t for me, fuck, I’m so sorry,” he says, distressed, his eyes are full of guilt, I want nothing more than to wipe away.

He’s gentle as he takes his time to clean and dress the wound on my arm and I find myself thinking about how fucking strange this is.

How can he be the ruthless Mafia heir that he is to the rest of the world, yet he’s sweet and caring with me? It doesn’t make fucking sense. For all of my twenty-four years, every man I’ve known has either been one or the other. My father, while he would be ‘loving’ sometimes, was only ever putting on an act. Alessi, he was always sweet to me, he did everything he could to make me feel safe, he was more marshmallow than mafioso, which is exactly why my father made him my security detail, saving the harder men for himself.

I’m so fucking confused. At first, I thought maybe Luca was putting on an act like my father would, but the look in his eyes is genuine, he really does care. Why does that make my stomach flutter? Is that fucking butterflies? Oh god, I think it is. Either that or I’m losing my fucking mind.

Hello, insanity.

“I’m fine Luca it’s barely a scratch,” I say while I grab his hand and squeeze in what’s meant to be a comforting gesture, but his touch burns, it’s like every time his skin touches mine there’s a fire that lights me up inside and I never want it to end. Which also makes me wonder how it’d feel to touch him in other places, or what he tastes like, or—

Fuck, this isn’t good. Stop it Izzy!

I let go of his hand and thank him for taking care of my arm before saying goodnight and making a hasty exit to my room.

My body is coursing from adrenaline, whether it’s from Luca’s touch or almost getting shot, I’m not sure. But my insides are buzzing, my panties are soaked, and I feel as though I’m about to fucking combust. I go to my nightstand and grab my vibrator, ready to fuck the feeling away myself.