Dangerous Vows

Chapter 4: The First Betrayal

Tension had hung like dense fog in the air between Isabella and Enzo ever since they had left Nico's bar. Out on the streets now, the darkness inside the city remained silent, mindless of what dark secrets and savage alliances simmered beneath its façade. Isabella looked out of her window as cumbersome questions popped into her brain” whom to trust and what was Marco up to with her? The evidence they found in his apartment told them that the problem was far much bigger than she had deliberated and deadlier too.

"Are you really sure we should head to the estate, after all?" Isabella at last ventured, breaking the tension between them. "What if the mole is somebody near to us?"

Enzo visibly tensed, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly as his jaw clenched in frustration. "Bella," he responded, "we need to go back. We must confront Tony. He's been with us for years, but if there's even a minor chance he betrayed us, we need to know."

Isabella nodded, but the very thought of accusing Tony, a man like family, made her stomach churn. "And what if he's innocent?" she asked very quietly.

"Then we'll know who the traitor really is," Enzo replied grimly. "But we can't take any chances."

Even from this great distance, it was imposing” The dark silhouette was a quiet reminder of the power and danger the Romano family embodied. The closer Isabella got to its front doors, the more she felt an icy chill run down her spine; as it were, the walls watched them.

The atmosphere inside was no less tense. The normal hustle and bustle of activity was subdued as the servants and guards eyed each other warily. More than obvious was that the explosion and the consequent ambush had left everyone shaken, and people did not know whom to trust anymore.

"Where's Tony?" Enzo demanded the moment they entered the main hall.

A guard stepped forward, bowing his head respectfully. "He's in the study, sir.".

Enzo nodded sharply and strode off toward the study with long, brisk strides. Coming up on the thick wooden doors, he barely hesitated to push them open, revealing Tony sitting behind his desk, a frown deeply etched into his expression.

"Enzo, Bella, what's going on?" Tony said, rising to his feet.

Enzo did not beat around the bush. "An ambush, Tony. It's a tip-off. We think there might be a mole in the family, and we need to be sure if it's you."

Tony's face widened, his eyes bulging he jumped off the seat with clenched fists. "Are you kidding me?" he growled. "Betray you after all we've been through?

Tony's voice held an angry edge that made Isabella wince, but her strong resolve did not yield. "Tony, we don't want to believe it, but we have to consider every possibility," she said, her voice steady. "If it's not you, then we need your help to find out who it is.".

Tony's eyes slid from Enzo to Isabella, his face holding hurt and anger. "I sold for our family, God damn it. I would never betray you. Never."

Then prove it," Enzo said coldly, "help us find the real traitor.".

For a few seconds, the room was pin-drop quiet as it held its breath; tension crackled along like an electric live wire before Tony finally nodded his head in defeat. "I will find out who it is," he said quietly, "and when I do, they shall pay for what they have done."

Isabella could just take that release of breath deep into herself. She just wanted to believe Tony; to trust that he was on their side. What nagged at her, though, was doubt” gnawing at her insides.

"Oh, thank you, Tony," she said softly. "We're counting on you."

Tony's nod was sharp, his eyes still flashing furiously. "You can count on me, Bella," he growled out. "I will get to the bottom of this."

Isabella walked out of the study with a feeling settled on her like boulder after they left. She glanced at Enzo, lost in thought, his brow furrowed in concentration.

"Do you believe him?" she asked softly as they walked down the hall.

Enzo didn't answer immediately. "I want to," he finally admitted. "But we can't take anything at face value anymore."

Isabella nodded and felt her heart sink further. "What's our move now?"

"We keep looking," Enzo stated firmly. "There's something else down here we're unaware off, it's time we dropped in on one of my old associates."

Hours go by then comes an unfathomable clue, incredibly. It is very brief” just two words on a crumpled note slipped under the door leading to Isabella's apartment: The answers you seek are at The Vipers Den.

Isabella's heart raced as she read the note. She had heard of The Viper's Den before, an exceedingly dangerous and secretive underground mafia club. So, basically, this meant that Marco had gotten involved in something much more seedy than she had initially calculated.

She was acutely aware she couldn't possibly ignore the tip, but she similarly felt it was far too risky” far too risky” for her to be looking around by herself. She found Enzo in the library, deep in discussion with one of the guards.

"Enzo," she cut in, shoving the note right up into his face view. "We have to go to The Viper's Den."

The note seemed to make his eyes narrow further, his face darkening. "Who sent this?" he said in sharp tones.

"I don't know, but this might be our only lead," Isabella replied.

He felt torn, murmuring his curse just loud enough for her to hear. "This is too dangerous, Bella," he said to her. "That place is a death trap."

"You're coming with me," Isabella demanded, putting as much of an argument in her voice as possible. "We need to find out what Marco was planning, and this could be the key."

Enzo hesitated for just a moment, then relented with a jerk of his chin. "Alright," he agreed, getting stubborn now. "We'll do it my way. We go in, get the information, and get out. No risks."

Isabella said, "Agreed," feeling an enormous relief.

They dressed quickly, for they knew time was of the essence. The drive down to The Vipers Den was silent; neither of the two discussed much. This was a club that existed in a part of town most people tried strenuously to avoid, in the basement of some abandoned warehouse. The entrance was guarded by some hulking bodybuilder who eyed them suspiciously as they drew near.

"We're here to see someone," Enzo told him suavely, palming him a wad of cash.

All the guard gave them was a grunt as he moved out of the way to let them through. Isabella's heart raced as they made their way down the narrow staircase into the club. A thick air full of smoke and the smell of booze filled the room, the light coming in shadows that stretched over the walls in a dancing motion.

"Stay close," Enzo murmured, again brushing his hand against hers as they pushed through the crowd.

Isabella nodded. Her senses were on high alert as they wove through the maze of tables and booths. The patrons in question were a rough-looking lot - men and women who exuded danger and suppressed violence barely. Isabella kept her head down and avoided making eye contact with the other party as they went to a secluded corner of the club.

"There," Enzo whispered as he nodded to a booth. Two men conducted deep in a conversation.

Isabella's breath had literally caught in her throat when she saw one man, high in the Moretti family” Alessandro Moretti. And the other man's heart almost stopped as she identified the other” Marco.

"He worked with the Morettis." Isabella said softly.

"Yeah," Enzo said under his breath. " We need to figure out what they had going on."

Slowly, they inched closer together, trying to catch the conversation, but the noise in the club seemed to swallow a lot of it. Isabella pitched her listening in, able to catch bits of the conversation, referencing things like a 'double-cross' and 'taking out the Romanos' that way.

One of them suddenly raised his gaze; his eyes narrowed onto them. Isabella's heart leaped into her throat as Alessandro rose to his feet, his hand slipping inside his jacket.

"We're blown," hissed Enzo, catching hold of Isabella's arm. "We need to get out of here. Now."

They turned to leave but found themselves blocked by a line of Moretti goons who seemed to have materialized out of thin air, their faces gargoyled into evil grins.

"What have we here?" drawled Alessandro as he came closer to them with a sneer on his face, "Spying on us, eh?"

Isabella noticed in a shock that they had been cornered. Yet even before she could think of reacting, there was a figure, appearing from behind Alessandro like a ghost, who gave him a smashing, precise blow on his head. Alessandro went down unconscious.

The tall figure in black saw her, then turned toward her” his face veiled in shadow” and spoke low and urgently. "Go," he ordered. "Now."

Enzo didn't need telling twice. He dragged Isabella toward the exit, knocking aside anyone who got in his way. The mysterious figure fended off the thugs as they made space to slip away.

They bolted out the doors of the club into the cold night air, gasping for breath. Isabella's heart was racing, adrenalin-fuelled.

"Who was that?" she gasped.