XII.Promises

Italian voices,one concerned,the other dark and low floated into my tortured subconscious.I groaned,Elena liked to watch her romance Italian movies loudly all the time.It was annoying and rude and honestly my sister deserved to be hit in the head with a fricking stick.

I whimpered and turned over dragging my duvet over my head to cover me from the world,but this duvet smelt different.Instead of the usual vanilla and cleaning agents it smelled of mahogany and something deeply pleasant my foggy brain couldn't quite place a finger on.

Where was I?!

My eyes flew open and a sharp pain shot through my skull immediately.

"Don't sit up,Bellisima"A silver haired man,lab coat,latex gloves and round Harry Potter glasses that sat on his boxy weathered aged face that scrunched up as he fussed over me with worry.

I sat up groaning,the sunlight streaming from the parted curtains hurt made matters worse as i clutched my aching head,the duvet slid to my laps,a familiar tingling feeling shot through me,one of prickling awareness that only popped up under a specific gaze and my sight flew to the brooding man leaning against the doorway,his muscly arms crossed against his chest.

And then everything came back to me.

The casino

The gun.

The splattered blood.

I choked,suddenly out of breath and clawed at my neck,the silver haired man quickly shot to action but i thrashed kicking my legs to avoid him as I punished my own throat gasping for breath.

Luca snapped to action and suddenly I was flat on the bed,my hand pressed above the bed and dark eyes zeroed into mine as he hovered over me.

"Mirabella breathe"He commanded"You're okay"

I don't know how long it took before i was finally able to gulp a lungful of air but by the time he let go of me I was embarrassed,sheepish and really wanted the ground to swallow me whole.

The doctor looked at me with pity as he checked my eyes and pulse and asked me few questions,I mumbled that I had a headache and he smiled at me,I remained flat on the bed peeking at the two men who now stood at the doorway discussing about me.

Luca nodded side eyeing me so harshly I looked away till he saw the doctor off and came back to the room,the same room I had gotten all dressed up in earlier,i blushed when I realized he must have seen the mess I made before we left.

He dragged the big chair in front of the vanity and placed it beside me,sat on it and with his elbow on his legs glared at me.

"If you ever faint on me again Mirabelle,I'll lock you up in a cushioned room"

I winced and murmured"I'm sorry"

He expelled a large breath like he was worried but he probably wasn't,was he?It was obviously my mind playing tricks on me"No,it was my fault,I should have known you have a weak heart"

He ran his hands through his hair,Luca was so effortlessly handsome it hurt to even look at him,he wasn't

I literally had a weak heart,one that failed me multiple times when I was out through anything that stresses me,i didn't always have one,not till after my kidnapping…I clenched the white duvet and glared at my fist

"Who's Clara?"

I stilled"No one"

"I would like you to know that I hate liars,Mirabella.You were mumbling that name while crying IN your sleep!"

"Clara is me!"I yelled,he looked shocked at my outburst and I could see why,I looked crazy,sounded crazy,yelling at someone just because he asked a question.

"If I tell you this,"I fiddled with my fingers"Promise you won't judge me"

His brows lowered"I'm the last man worthy of judging you"He replied "If you're not comfortable with sharing this-"

"No…you'll need to know.So you would understand the random panic attacks and fainting you'll start seeing when you live with me"I sighed and flopped on the bed keeping my eyes glued to the ceiling,I didn't want to see his reaction to my story.

"When I was six,i was kidnapped by a man.He took me to this lady who thought I was her daughter,she used to call me Clara,i guess it was her daughters name.I don't know much,maybe the daughter died but I do know i was tortured"I paused,it was happening again,that lack of air and water filling my lungs but suddenly a large hand clamped onto my neck,not squeezing but with enough pressure for me to be aware of his grip.

"She was…trying to change me,to convince me I was Clara till I had no option than to play along but before I did…the man would drown me,Luca"My voice cracked"He would shove me in this large blue pool and hold me under for as long as the woman wanted.But by the time my eight year old brain learnt how to play along it was already too late,the damage had already been done,I was already having nightmares,panic attacks,even dying till the Pakhan's men finally found me"

He was silent,so silent if it wasn't for his grip on my neck to stop me from injuring myself i would have assumed he was gone.

"So yeah,that's why I have panic attacks,a weak heart,nightmares and pneumonia,also I'm hydrophobic"I blurted out trying to fill the awkward silence,maybe trauma dumping a man I had known for a day wasn't a good idea.

Then he did something that shocked me,he removed his hand from my neck and patted my head,like I was some dog!He might as well have threw me a treat,I brushed his arm away and sat up with a glare.

"I'm sorry for not being able to comfort you properly"He cleared his throat with a fisted hand to his mouth"but Mirabella…I promise that would never happen again,I did not know about your condition"

"It's not your fault…it's not like we know anything about each other enough to be careful"I shrugged

"Then let's go to know each other"He quipped and laid back in his chair with a shrug and folded arms,the epitome of casual arrogance.

He was dressed in navy blue shirt and black trousers,his hair a mess which it never was,a tell tale sign of his worry even though he hid it well.

"Is that a good idea?Being completely vulnerable with a man that threatened to break me?"

"It isn't but isn't that cowardly?Would it be so easy for me to break you by getting to know you?"He tilted his head slightly,grey storms brewing like a warning tell of danger.

Luca always looked at me like I was a mission,like something that he wanted to dissect.

He was baiting me,his question a clearly manipulation to get me to play along but also a tell to inform me that his threats still stands,I straightened my spine

"Promise me you won't go through with that threat of yours…"

"I can't promise that"

I deflated

"But one thing I can promise you is that I'll help you live life"He started"I know you lived a sheltered life and i can change that,i can promise you'll make good memories with me before I make you crash and burn"

Luca had this brutal honesty factor about him that he stuck to,it elated me,pushed me pass my boundaries into discovering what he had to offer

It was something I never did,took a bold step into something out of my comfort zone but i wanted change and that was why i asked instead of storming away"Tell me your sad story"

His hands formed into fists,his posture immediately became rigid like a tight spring,shallow breaths became deeper

"You should rest"

"Seriously?!"

"Don't fight me on this"

"Oh I will!I literally told you why I'm fucked up and you leave me hanging!You know,that's actually really selfish of you but I guess it runs in your blood doesn't it?!If your family were satisfied with having three territories and not all I wouldn't even be here!"I was mad,my chest heaving with deep breaths as I yelled at him,he was growing angry with every word spewing out of my mouth,his furious glare was enough tell.

"All the territory belonged to my family in the first place,there is honor in getting back all we owned!"

"No,it's selfish!"

"Selfish?"He darkly chuckled,I hated that chuckle of his,something so foreboding that slipped out when he was pissed"Your people took Manhattan the most popular borough where business is better and The Bronx!The one borough where everything illegal is prevailing.Gang fights,Drugs,money laundering and everything illegal that fuzzy little head of yours could think of"

"My head is not fuzzy"

"Is that all you gathered from my outburst?"

"I'm kinda feeling a little dizzy,spare me!"

He huffed and stood up whilst pinching his nose in frustration"I'm taking you somewhere tonight"

"I swear on whatever you serve Luca,if you take me to a casino-"

A sly smirk curved up on his lips"Trust me,it's better,something a sheltered daughter like you would only dream of"

That did nothing to ease my worries

"You're going through with your promise aren't you?"

A new side of him seemed to bloom right in front of me,a side of him I only saw from afar when we were younger.

He appeared fueled,his eyes sparkling with mischief,an excitement that stemmed from his promise and it made me realize that that was what kept Luca going,tasks.

"Fuck yeah"