Taste of revenge

10

Chapter Ten
Noelle

"I 'm serious, Noelle. Don't give Cisco any ideas to lock you away, because
he will," Amo decides to give me one last warning as the car pulls into
the parking lot, next to Carlos' car.
"And I told you I'll be on my best behavior," I sigh as I turn to him. "I
know he's exasperated with me, so I won't push my luck."
Exasperated would be putting it mildly, though.
Since he'd moved me from our mother's house and into his own, I've
been under constant surveillance—be it from my family or my guards. The
only time I'm allowed to go out is when I have my therapy appointment, but
even then I have an entire entourage that accompanies me to and from the
location.
"Good," he nods at me, quickly parking and making to leave the car.
Opening the door, I jump down, my feet making contact with the
pavement.
Taking a deep breath, I realize I've missed the fresh air of the night.
Being cooped up in the house has definitely given me a new appreciation
for freedom and for open spaces. And so I take full advantage of this as I
bask in the light breeze of the evening. It takes me a while to realize
everyone's already moved away.
Amo is ahead of me, and as I swiftly turn to follow, I bump into a hard
chest. Reeling, I stumble back, almost losing my equilibrium.
And as I raise my eyes up, it's to be met with chilling blue ones.
He's standing still, his hands behind his back as he simply watches me,
coldness emanating from every pore in his body. It's in the way he's

perusing me with a glint of arrogance, his mouth slightly curled up in
disgust.
I teeter on the heels of my feet, barely stabilizing myself as I put a hand
on the car door, gripping it for support.
He doesn't move. He doesn't make any effort to help me, though it
would be the polite thing to do. He's just staring at me with unnatural
stillness, his muscled arms bulging even under the suit he's wearing.
I blink, disconcerted.
It's almost as if he's holding himself back from doing me bodily harm.
"Sorry," I mumble, the silence doing a number on me as he just keeps
on staring.
He doesn't answer. He merely tilts his head, as if studying me.
"Why?" He finally replies, his gruff voice sending a shiver down my
back. "Why are you sorry?" he continues, narrowing his eyes at me as he
awaits my answer.
Frowning, I give him a look of confusion.
What's wrong with him?
"For bumping into you?" I ask tentatively, watching for any signs of
amusement on his face.
"How sorry are you?" he inquires in a bored tone, an eyebrow raised as
he regards me with condescension.
"What?" I croak.
"I asked," he says, taking one step towards me. It's pure instinct that has
me backing away from him, retreating as he's advancing. He notices that
too, a low smirk pulling at his lips. "How sorry are you?" He rolls his r's in
such a way his throaty vibrations resemble a purr.
"Uhm," I purse my lips, taken aback by the entire exchange. "Very?" I
answer and his lips stretch out in a full, languid smile as he takes another
step forward.
My eyes on his, I feel lost in his gaze, a prickling sensation of
familiarity gnawing at me. He notices it too, and it amuses him to have such
an effect on me.
It's even worse, though, when he takes one more step, placing himself
directly in front of me. Still holding eye contact, he grabs a strand of my
hair, rolling it between two fingers. As if hypnotized, I feel frozen to the
spot, unable to break eye contact.

"Noelle!" My brother's voice barely registers, but it manages to tug me
out of the mental fog created by Rafaelo's presence.
Without tarrying longer, I mumble something as I bypass him, rushing
towards my brother.
It's not before I hear him say three words. Three perplexing words.
"You will be."
Chills run down my back as I hurry to Amo's side, his voice replaying
in my mind as I try to understand why he's behaving like that with me.
From the very beginning his attitude had run hot and cold, and now I'm
adding creepy to the mix.
The entrance to the warehouse is on the other side of the lot, so I thread
my hand through Amos' elbow as we walk the small distance.
"What do you know about Carlos and Rafaelo?" I ask him, since I know
he, more than Cisco, would be willing to share some information.
"Why?" He frowns.
"Because we're visiting their place?" I roll my eyes at him.
He grumbles something under his breath, but proceeds to give me a
short account about Carlos and his association with Jimenez, one of the
biggest drug lords on the East Coast, and how he's come back to reclaim his
father's legacy.
"Rafaelo, though, is a bit more complicated," he takes a deep breath.
"He's a Guerra."
I still, my fingers clasped over his coat as I tug him towards me, seeking
his face for confirmation this is a bad joke.
"You're not serious."
"Afraid so."
"But we don't mix with Guerra," I frown.
"Usually, I'd agree with you," he chuckles. "But things have changed. At
least according to Cisco. Rafaelo's brother, Michele, is currently the head of
the family. He dispatched their parents and did something to Rafaelo that
I'm still unsure of," he mentions, nodding thoughtfully. "But as it stands,
Rafaelo's enrolled Cisco's help to destroy Guerra once and for all."
"What if it's a trap? It could be," I suggest, since why would a Guerra
help us destroy his own family?
"No," he smiles. "Not a trap. The brothers' enmity is pretty legendary,
just like the DeVille-Guerra conflict. No, he's serious about this. And Cisco