His Bambina

Chapter 27

"With all the bodies around here, you wouldn't make it one step towards the door without him knowing." I sigh in defeat knowing Amelia's words speak the truth. I already tried telling him I'm leaving and look where that got me. Stuck in prisoner mode. Nico suggested we just call my father but I don't want to bother him with something as trivial as this. There's certainly no need to start a war over my boy drama.
Nico scoffs, "Which is ironic considering he has his head too far up his ass with planning this event to even pay attention to you."
We all mumble in agreement as we sit in a circle in Emily's room planning my escape as if it were a secret spy mission. The more we plan this out the more it feels like we're children playing super spies.
If he weren't planning this event would things be different? Would he have apologized and cleared things up for me? Would I have forgiven him? No. If he truly cared about me and my well being he would've made the time to make it up to me event or not.
That's it.
"The event." My words come out as a whisper and they all stare at me confused. I muster up the courage, as if when I say this it will all become too real to back out of, "The ball. There will be so many people, too many to keep an eye on everyone. His men will be more focused on crowd control to babysit me."
Nico hums in agreement, "He'll be too busy kissing ass. If we can manage to slip away for even a second it may be all that we need."
We'll be able to escape and go home. My family will be safe, along with my bleeding heart.
"Okay. That means we have three days to fully plan an escape. It'll be tight but it might actually be the perfect amount. We've snuck out with lesser plans." Amelia gives me a smirk and Nico looks at us both annoyed but not the least bit surprised.
Emily stays quiet as we lay out the basics and obvious obstacles. Only nodding at certain statements to give us her input. By the time midnight rolls around everyone leaves to their rooms and I stay with Emily.
This is the third night staying in her room instead of Vincenzo's. I'm not sure if he just doesn't care or has only left me alone to avoid crashing into his cousin's personal space and upsetting her. I'm not sure how long I'll be allowed to continue hiding from Vincenzo, but I'm thankful for Emily being my sanctuary.
I lay on the left side of the bed as she lays on the right. We both stare up at the ceiling in silence, something clearly bothering her. The darkness seems to slither around us. The awkward silence wrapping around our throats. I'm the one to finally address the elephant in the room.
"Emily... if there was any other way..."
She shakes her head and closes her eyes, "No, I know. You need to put your family first, and Vincenzo is being an ass about it. I get it... it just... sucks I guess. I wish it didn't have to be the way it is."
I know what she means, "Well, you can always come with."
We both know she wouldn't choose to run away with us, but she still entertains the idea, "Ooh yeah. We can go to Paris and eat all the French food possible. And maybe I'll even find myself a French Daddy."
She winks at me and we both laugh at her dramatics as she speaks. Then she frowns, "No... I can't leave my familia. Besides, they'd definitely kill us both for trying that."
Yeah me leaving is one thing, taking her which could be used as an excuse for them to invade us and start a war for 'kidnapping'.
"Well, I'll figure out a way to visit you. Don't think me leaving means you can get rid of me."
She laughs and a sniffle slips past, but it's too dark for me to see if she's crying, "Good bitch, because you're stuck with me!"

The next day Emily agrees it might be best she spends the day closer to the boys to try and figure out how to get our hands on the blueprints of the venue.
Nico makes as many phone calls as he can to set up our own security detail for the night. Which leaves me and Amelia to have the day to ourselves.
"Maybe if we can't get him off our backs I can pretend my water broke." I laugh at her preposterous suggestion.
"How will that ever work? You're not even pregnant!"
She rolls her eyes and gives me a wink, "For you I can be."
We both break out into a fit of laughter at her ridiculousness while we try to continue to get ready for the day.
"Seriously though, it might be hard to get him off our backs. I'll have to fake some major boy drama or something too obnoxious for him to want to witness."
She's right. We'll have to be ready for anything. Which is why I'm glad we have enough time to think of solutions. But right now I want to go dress shopping with my best friend as if we were living a normal life for once.
"Speaking of boy drama... How is Sergio doing?" She avoids looking at me as she continues curling her hair. Her silence is deafening and I'm starting to worry.
"We haven't had much time to talk. He's been busy."
As if bad luck and bad timing is on all our sides, her phone buzzes in the bed with a text from the man himself.
"Too busy?" She hums in agreement and I scoff, "Then why is he texting you asking why you've been avoiding him?"
Her eyes snap up glancing at me through the mirror. She bites her lips nervously and my heart instantly hurts for her.
"Amelia... just because my Italian romance was a bust doesn't mean yours has to be too. You're still allowed to find love, with whoever you want. Especially if that man is someone as amazing as Sergio!" My best friend has a heart of gold, and I know she'd do anything for her family and friends. But her heart is so pure and so big she deserves her happy ending, and I won't be the one to take that from her.
"No, I know... I just don't think stealing you away from his boss will go over we'll ya know? I feel like it's just easier this way."
Dammit... the sacrifices my friends are making for me are really making me feel like a bitch.
"You could stay?" She looks at me as if I've grown two heads. Okay maybe a bad idea... "Or like you could play an unknowing accomplice. We can sneak me out without anyone knowing you were a part of it. You can stay the rest of the party, so they think I did this on my own. Your relationship will stay intact but you can still come home after things have settled?"
Her black curls flow down her back as she slumps in her chair, "I don't know about that... sounds like more trouble than it's worth."
I come up to her, once her hair is cooled, and hug her from behind, "For my best friend's happiness? Always worth it."