Her Safety

Chapter Ten

"Mama, did you pack my blow-dryer?" I shouted over the ruckus of what seemed like 50 little kids screaming. We had been moved into our condo for a few days and everything was a complete disarray. DeAngelo wanted us out of our house immediately. I knew it had to do with Jimmy, but whenever I brought it up, Angelo got angry and asked me to drop it.

Mama tiredly trudged into the bathroom I shared with my little sisters, "Bella, I didn't pack your bathroom, you did."

I scratched my head, wracking my brain for where I might've placed my hair tools. The past few days were a blur to me, with what moving into a new house in a new city and what not. My current mission was to get Angelo to let me work. It wasn't that I allowed him to control me, but I didn't mind depending on someone for once in my life and it wasn't a big deal to me, until now. Right on cue, the doorbell rang.

I skipped over giddily, "Hello!" I chirped, opening the door.

Ang's warm eyes crinkled at the sight of me, "Hi there." He wrapped an arm around me, squeezing me tight for a moment before releasing me.

"Still unpacking?" He mumbled, peering around at all the boxes opened and unopened.

"Yes, it's never-ending, I swear!"

He rolled his eyes at me, "I told you I would get some people over here to help you guys."

"And I told you that we wanted to do it ourselves," I pulled his hand, dragging him to the kitchen. "Hungry?"

He shook his head, admiring the stunning kitchen, "No thanks... I'm really loving the kitchen, babe." He continued to examine the cabinets and the granite.

"Well you did pick it out," I laughed, teasingly.

"I would say I have good taste."

"I would have to agree," I winked, setting down a glass of water in front of him.

"So, I was wondering if you were up for meeting some new people."

I furrowed my brows together. DeAngelo hardly ever talked about the people in his life, so I was a little surprised by this, "Your parents?"

He smiled softly, "No, no. Just some friends. When my sister gets in from Jersey next month, we'll have you meet my parents."

"Sister?" He never mentioned her.

"Just one. She's so annoying that I like to pretend she doesn't exist."

"Don't be rude," I shoved him, internally freaking out over the fact that he wanted me to meet his family and friends soon. I didn't know if I was ready, but I wouldn't let him know I was scared. "Yeah, um sure." I cleared my throat.

"Are you nervous?" He teased, his eyes glinting mischievously.

"Nervous? Pfft, me? Nervous?" I shifted in my seat.

Angelo let out a load laugh, "It's just dinner. I promise they won't bite."

"Who will I be meeting at this said dinner?"

"My cousin Mark and his wife Clara, and our good family friends Leo and Nicholas and their respective dates."

"Okay, I can do that."

"I'm gonna get going, but I'll pick you up around 9?"

Two hours and two shots of vodka later, DeAngelo was holding the door open for me. I shifted in my place, not wanting to show how nervous I was to meet his friends. He smirked at me knowingly, which made me want to prove him wrong all the more. All I needed was for the liquid courage to kick in.