Screams in New York - Book Three

~Chapter Twelve~

Chapter Song

Secrets – One Republic

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"I'm thinking coffee and breakfast at this hour." Stefano stated glancing over Adriana now in the front passenger seat. He knew Salvatore didn't want her travelling up front, not after her incident with Luca, but if there was one thing Stefano was learning about Adriana, if he wanted to stay ahead, he'd have to let her have her way on occasion.

"So? What are you feeling?" He continued, "pancakes? Eggs? Pastries? Please say pastries! I know the best place!"

Adriana squirmed in her seat a little awkwardly shifting the material of the yellow sundress between her legs. "I'm not hungry... Pretty beat actually!"

"I bet..." An awkward cough leaving him as he sped down the dark streets rapidly, the city lights coming into view in the far distance. "And I don't need to hear about it! Just a thank you will suffice!" He stated with a playful wink tilting his head towards her. "Now come on and choose something or I'm taking us straight to pastries and coffee!"

"No, really..." Adriana insisted bringing one leg over the other clearing her throat. "Just drop me off at the penthouse, I ah, I'm just going to go to bed..." Stretching her arms up with an overly exaggerated yawn, "so tired..."

"You're acting strange..." Stefano stated, slightly cocking his head to the side momentarily, giving her a once over before focusing back on the road ahead. "Very strange Ade... Holy shĩt!" Switching his tone to one of surprise as if coming to a monumental realisation. "The condom broke, didn't it!?"

"WHAT!?" Adriana screamed, her eyes stretching wide with a look of complete shocking surprise. "It did not!" She continued insisting on just how wrong he was. "Nothing like that happened at all Stefano!"

"Well something happened..." He responded almost sarcastically with one raised eyebrow, "because I'm reading all the signs. Like that squirmy behaviour..." Releasing one hand off the steering wheel to wave towards her, "trying to keep your legs shut like you've just received a cũm sho-"

"WOAH! BASTA!" (ENOUGH!) She shouted, involuntarily squeezing her thighs together once more at the thought. "He took my pântĩés ok? I can't go to breakfast with you because your âsshõlé boss took my fũckĩng pântĩés!"

And just like that, Stefano very abruptly pulled the vehicle over to the side of the long road, flicked the gear stick into neutral coming to a halt and threw his head back bursting out laughing from deep within his chest. There was no way he could contain himself, he didn't possess the strength as he filled the car with his deep unrelenting laughter, gripping the steering wheel as his body shook over and over trying to get it all out of his system all while Adriana sat awkwardly almost pressed up against her door while giving him death stares.

"Are you kidding me right now?!" She asked with anger, clearly not requiring a response. "You think this is funny?" She continued feeling the sudden urge to destroy his beloved vehicle interiors. "Stop laughing!" Her voice stern and demanding, "there's nothing funny about this right now Stefano, and to be quite honest y-you should be driving faster!" Momentarily stuttering in protest.

"That so?" He wheezed barely taking any notice of her uptight behaviour.

"Do you REALLY want me sitting like this on your precious leather seats?"

"Oh Ade..." Finally placing a hand on the gear stick as he pressed down on the clutch preparing to finally compose himself and take back off. "You wouldn't be the first one to come on these seats..."

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By mid afternoon the next day, Adriana was surprisingly feeling considerably better. It was amazing what some time with Salvatore would do to her, how he would calm her, re-centre and focus her thoughts all with one meeting. It was how she knew she had agreed to marry the right person, even if her parents were yet to feel the same way.

It was clear time had finally proven to favour her. In the beginning, it was almost like the more she got to know Salvo, the less she saw a future with him. He had been reckless, indecisive and far too much trouble than he was worth with the strange love triangle he had dragged her into.
Although he was still reckless, with time, he had finally decided and ironically, now that the love triangle was no more, they were trying to find Elena once again all while time, was something Salvo had far too much of and Adriana was desperately trying to regain control of.

Standing in the phone booth with various overturned photos on the small ledge, she grasped her international phone card trying to decide which number to call next, her previous four phone calls proving all to be pointless as her frustrations grew to a slight simmer knowing very well she only had a maximum of three calls left before she'd have to abandon the payphone once again to purchase another.
Finally deciding on a number, her fingers punched away inserting the phone card details knowing them off by heart before glancing over at the phone number and punching them in shortly after.

"Pronto?" (phone greeting for hello) A male's voice beamed into Adriana's ear as she disappointedly went over todays speech impersonating a competition provider.

"Pronto, stai parlando con Graziella ed oggi avremo un offerta per lei!" (hello, you're speaking with Graziella and today we have an offer you for!) Adriana beamed attempting to sound as up beat as possible when all she really wanted to do was hang up and call it a day. This man wasn't Elena, but to not alert any of her family to suspicious behaviour she always followed through with her call raising no suspicion as far as she could tell.

"Allora..." (Alright then...) Adriana continued enthusiastically. "Per essere eligible per questa offerta devi avere un'neonato meno di sei mesi..." (To be eligible for this offer you must have an infant under six months old)

"Scusa signorina, ma che tipo di offerta é questa?" (Excuse me miss, but what kind of offer is this?) The man responded politely but with a little reluctance towards her.

"Lei puo vincere il nuovo passeggino da Chicco!" (You could win the new Chicco (baby brand) stroller) And just as the sentence left her, the distant sound of a baby squeal in the background filled her ears with a pleasure she hadn't expected at the beginning of this phone call.
"Per caso Lei ha un'neonato?" (By and chance do you have an infant?)

Please. Please. PLEASE! Lie to me...

She thought to herself, hope slowly but steadily filling her by the second. What were the odds that someone from Elena's family also had an infant under six months old? If he had nothing to hide surely, he would tell the truth?

"No..."

The response had her grinning from ear to ear as she picked up the photo flipping it around to reveal a very old looking Italian woman. "No?" She repeated wanting to be sure they were both on the same page.

"No... Non c'è ne sono bambini in questa casa!" (No... There are no children in this house!"

And with that the phone suddenly disconnected, leaving Adriana that happiest woman to ever be hung up on.

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I'm gonna give alllllllll my secrets away...

Oh it is ON!

Predictions guys? What's Ade about to do?

Call the guys? Let them know about her possible discovery? Take matters into her own hands?

Oh I am SO READY!!!

Missing you guys so much! It's killing me that I've been unable to update as much =( I have sooooo many plans for this book and oh my word the excitement within me is REAL!

Comment. Vote. Comment ;-)

x

P.S - Buon Natale / Merry Christmas to you all if I don't get a chance to pop back on here x