The Ride Home
1552 Words
The rest of the drive passed in tense silence.
Isabella kept watching the road through the cracked rear window, half expecting another car to appear behind them. Every pair of headlights in the distance made her stomach tighten.
But none of them followed.
Eventually the tall iron gates of the Romano estate appeared ahead.
Relief washed over her as the guards immediately opened the gates and the car rolled inside. Security lights lit up the long driveway, and several guards were already waiting outside the mansion.
The car stopped.
Marco stepped out first, speaking quickly with one of the guards. Vincenzo opened the door on Isabella’s side.
“Careful,” he said.
She stepped out slowly.
Her legs felt weaker than she expected.
“That,” she said, exhaling, “was the worst car ride of my life.”
“You handled it well.”
“I almost screamed.”
“But you didn’t.”
She gave him a look.
“That doesn’t mean I wasn’t thinking about it.”
Inside the mansion, the atmosphere felt different.
Guards moved quickly through the halls, and the staff whispered to each other as if something terrible had happened.
Marco approached them again a moment later.
“We confirmed something,” he said.
Vincenzo looked at him.
“What?”
“The SUV that attacked us belongs to the Moretti family.”
Isabella sighed.
“So it really was them.”
Marco hesitated.
“Not exactly.”
Vincenzo’s gaze sharpened.
“Explain.”
“The driver wasn’t Moretti,” Marco said.
A brief silence followed.
“Who was he?” Vincenzo asked.
“Someone who works for another group.”
Isabella frowned.
“So another family hired him?”
“That’s one possibility.”
Vincenzo’s expression darkened.
“Or someone wants us to believe it was the Moretti family.”
The idea made Isabella uneasy.
“You mean someone could be trying to start a war?”
Marco nodded.
“It’s possible.”
Vincenzo turned toward the staircase.
“I want a full report by morning.”
“Yes, sir.”
Marco left quickly.
Isabella looked at Vincenzo.
“So… someone tried to shoot us tonight.”
“Yes.”
“And we don’t even know who ordered it.”
“Not yet.”
She rubbed her forehead.
“This world is exhausting.”
Vincenzo began walking upstairs.
“You’ll get used to it.”
“I’m not sure I want to.”
When they reached the second floor hallway, he stopped walking and turned toward her.
“You should stay inside the estate for a few days.”
She sighed.
“You’re doing that thing again.”
“What thing?”
“Treating me like I need to hide.”
“I’m trying to keep you safe.”
His voice wasn’t angry, but it was firm.
For a moment she didn’t answer.
Then she looked away.
“I know.”
After a short pause, she added quietly,
“This is just… a lot.”
“It is.”
She looked back at him.
“If I’m going to survive in your world…”
She hesitated.
“I guess I’ll have to learn how it works.”
Something approving flickered in his expression.
“You will.”
As Isabella walked toward her room, the events of the night replayed in her mind.
The attack.
The gunshots.
The realization that someone powerful wanted them dead.
She paused before entering her room and glanced down the long hallway of the Romano mansion.
Everything looked calm again.
Peaceful.
But she knew better now.
Because somewhere out there, someone had already made their move.
And this was only the beginning.
The Romano estate looked calm from the outside, but Isabella could feel the tension the moment she stepped through the doors.
Several guards were speaking quietly near the entrance. When they saw Vincenzo, they immediately straightened.
“Everything secure?” he asked.
“Yes, sir,” one of them replied.
Vincenzo nodded once before turning toward the staircase. Isabella followed him, still trying to process everything that had just happened.
Being shot at was not something she had ever imagined experiencing.
Halfway up the stairs she spoke again.
“Do things like that happen often?”
Vincenzo didn’t slow his steps.
“Sometimes.”
“That’s not a comforting answer.”
“It’s an honest one.”
She sighed softly.
“I suppose honesty is better.”
When they reached the second floor hallway, the mansion felt strangely quiet again. The thick carpets softened their footsteps as they walked.
Isabella stopped suddenly.
“Wait.”
Vincenzo turned slightly.
“What?”
“That dinner,” she said slowly. “Alessandro knew something.”
His expression didn’t change.
“Maybe.”
“No,” she insisted. “He warned you.”
“He enjoys making dramatic comments.”
“That didn’t sound dramatic. That sounded like a warning.”
Vincenzo studied her for a moment.
“You’re observant.”
“I try to be.”
He looked down the hallway before speaking again.
“The Moretti family and mine have not exactly been friendly over the years.”
“That’s a polite way of saying you hate each other.”
“Yes.”
“And now someone just tried to kill us.”
“Correct.”
Isabella ran a hand through her hair.
“This marriage is getting more complicated every hour.”
“That’s one way to describe it.”
She stared at him for a moment.
“You’re very calm about all of this.”
“Panicking would not improve the situation.”
“Maybe not,” she said. “But normal people panic after being shot at.”
“I stopped being normal a long time ago.”
The quiet way he said it made her pause.
For a brief moment she wondered what kind of life he had lived to reach that point.
Before she could ask anything else, Marco appeared at the end of the hallway.
“Sir.”
Vincenzo turned toward him.
“What is it?”
“We checked the road cameras near the restaurant.”
“And?”
“The SUV that followed us was registered under a Moretti associate.”
Isabella crossed her arms.
“So it was them.”
Marco shook his head.
“Not exactly.”
Vincenzo’s eyes narrowed.
“Explain.”
“The driver works for a small criminal group in the city. He’s not directly connected to the Moretti family.”
Silence filled the hallway.
“So someone hired him,” Isabella said slowly.
“That’s our assumption,” Marco replied.
Vincenzo’s expression darkened.
“Or someone wanted it to look like the Morettis were responsible.”
Isabella felt a chill run down her spine.
“You mean someone might be trying to start a war between your families.”
“It’s possible,” Marco said.
Vincenzo thought for a moment.
“Keep investigating.”
“Yes, sir.”
Marco nodded once and walked away again.
When he disappeared down the stairs, Isabella looked back at Vincenzo.
“I really hope this isn’t going to become a normal part of my life.”
He met her gaze.
“It shouldn’t have been tonight.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means someone made a mistake.”
“And that someone is going to regret it?”
A faint, dangerous smile appeared on his face.
“Yes.”
For a moment she almost felt sorry for whoever had ordered the attack.
Almost.
But another thought suddenly crossed her mind.
“You know,” she said slowly, “there’s something that still bothers me.”
“What?”
“They knew exactly when we were leaving the restaurant.”
Vincenzo didn’t answer immediately.
“That could be coincidence.”
“Or,” she continued, “someone told them.”
His eyes sharpened slightly.
“You think there’s a spy.”
“I think it’s possible.”
The silence that followed felt heavier this time.
Finally he spoke.
“I’ll handle it.”
“You say that like you already suspect someone.”
“I suspect everyone.”
That answer didn’t make Isabella feel better.
She took a slow breath.
“Well,” she said, trying to lighten the mood slightly, “if I’m going to survive in your world, I guess I’ll have to get used to things like this.”
Vincenzo studied her face carefully.
“You handled tonight better than most people would have.”
“That’s because I was too shocked to react.”
“Still.”
She shrugged.
“Maybe I’m tougher than I look.”
“That may be true.”
Isabella finally turned toward her room.
But before she opened the door, she paused and looked back at him.
“One more question.”
“Yes?”
“Are you sure marrying me is worth all this trouble?”
For the first time that night, Vincenzo didn’t answer immediately.
Then he said quietly,
“Yes.”
Isabella held his gaze for another second before stepping into her room.
But as she closed the door behind her, one thought refused to leave her mind.
Someone had planned that attack.
Someone powerful.
And if her instincts were right…
This was only the beginning.
- Writer
