Solstice sisters

Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Summers POV

I chose a simple teal dress for my date with Leo. Threads of purple and green embroidered my chest. On my feet I wore a pair of flat sandals, they were easy enough to walk in and looked good with my dress. I tied my hair up in a loose bun, it was a bit sweaty from this afternoons training and I hadn't had time to wash it properly. I kept my makeup natural and wore understated jewellery.
The doorbell rang at seven.
'I'll get it!' I screamed as I ran downstairs to open the door before Sandra or Mike could intercept Leo. Too late. By the time I'd flown down the stairs the door was already open and Leo was being subjected to Mikes handshake of authority and Sandra scanning him up and down. After a few seconds Sandra gave a slight nod as if to say she approved of him. Leo was great with the both of them, really charming. The three of them looked up at me as I hurtled down the stairs. A smile broke out across Leos face as he saw me.
'I hope I look okay!' I said unsure as I reached the bottom of the stairs.
'You look beautiful' he breathed as he scanned my outfit top to bottom. His blue eyed gaze finally fixed on my face, his face softened slightly.
'You ready to go?' He asked.
'Yeah sure' I said and began to walk towards him.
'You guys have fun' said Sandra
'And if you hurt her like the last one' started Mike ignoring my eye roll of protest 'I have a gun'
'Yes sir' replied Leo solemnly 'I promise I won't break her heart' he looked Mike dead in the eye, both hands behind his back, he looked like he was standing to attention.
'Good lad' finished Mike 'have a good night, home by eleven'
'Yes sir' said Leo and he took my arm in his and escorted me to the car.

Parked in front of my house was a large black Land Rover. Courteously Leo opened the passenger door open for me and shut it once I was comfortably sat on the dark leather seats. He walked round to his side and slid in with grace.
'It will be about a thirty minute drive to the restaurant' he briefed as he started the engine. The car buzzed to life and settled into a low hum. I ran my eyes up Leos profile, noting his features. His jet black hair looked inky blue in the dying light of the sun, his bright blue eyes were fixated forwards as he gripped the steering wheel with pale hands. He wore a deep blue shirt that accentuated the blueness of his eyes, black dress trouser, he wore his hair combed to the side slightly. He caught me staring and he gave me a suggestive smirk.
'Like what you see?' He asked whilst wiggling his eyebrows.
'I don't know' I said faking disappointment. I raked my eyes back up and down him 'I was expecting....more' I cocked my head to the side.
'I could say the same about you too princess' he gave me a sideways grin as he concentrated on the road ahead. My heart stuttered at the sound of 'princess'
'You alright?' He asked looking slightly concerned
'Yeah I'm fine' I dismissed his worry.
'You put on a great show last night' he changed the subject
'Thankyou' I said with a mock bow
'One question though' he added 'why didn't you call Kelly out as well?'
I looked down at my hands then back at Leo.
'She came to me before the game and apologised properly, I could tell she was really remorseful and I felt cruel to make it worse for her. Sam however didn't apologise at all so he deserved it'
'He did, never feel bad for what you did to him, he had it coming' agreed Leo.
'Still feel kinda bad though' I admitted. I hadn't given much thought to last nights events on the football field, I'd been too busy thinking about almost dying!
'What did you say to him when you went after him?'
'Ohh..I...Er' I faltered at that question 'that he has it coming and then he got mad at me for being so public about the whole ordeal'
In actual fact I hadn't spoken to Sam since the event, he'd avoided me all day, as had Kelly. Not that I blame them! Leo said nothing when I replied, he simply looked unconvinced but he said nothing more on the subject. The rest of the car journey was filled with idle talk and flirting till we arrived at Vitroli's.

'Here we are' he said as he held me door open for me again.
'Wow' I said as I slid out the car 'you know the people that own this place?!'
'Yep' he smiled and took me arm once again. Leading me toward the restaurant.
Vitroli's wasn't like your average Italian. It was a large stone house that looked like it had once been a barn that had been renovated. The lights inside were dulled down enough for it to be romantic but bright enough for you to still be able see what you're doing. We entered the restaurant and Leo left me sat on a worn leather sofa while he went to find the manager. I gazed around the large barn. There were two floors to it, the second floor was like a terrace that didn't cover the entire top half of the barn. An iron staircase lead up to it. Fairy lights were wrapped around the railings and banisters, they looked pretty but weren't enough for you to be able to see where to step on the dark staircase. Minutes later Leo returned with his fri d in tow.
'Summer this is Ricardo Vitroli'
A tall, slender man held out his hand for me to shake. He had dark brown almost black eyes and a well groomed moustache. He wore a black dress shirt and slacks. His teeth were perfectly straight and white, they reminded me of a shark for some reason. I grasped his hand in my own, he immediately shook it, he had a very firm grip.
'Welcome to my restaurant' he said in a wavering Italian accent. I felt my forehead pull into a slight frown.
'Thankyou for having me, it's lovely' I replied politely taking back my hand from his iron grasp. Hesitantly Ricardo looked at Leo.
'Ricardo why don't you show us to our table?' Prompted Leo.
'Ah yes of course, this way please madam' he led the way through the tables and up the iron staircase. It creaked under our footfalls. I scanned the restaurant and noticed how still and few the customers were, I couldn't make out anyone's face. A buzz of quiet conversation just exceeded the melodic Italian music that floated throughout the space. On the upper level there were even less people seated at the rustic tables. Ricardo placed Leo and I at a table furthest away from the stairs.
'Enjoy your meal, I'll be back in a minute to take orders' and with that he left the two of us alone with a set of menus. I reviewed the menu, everything looked delicious, I couldn't decide what to have. I looked around to see what other people had ordered. But to my surprise no one seemed to have any plates of food on their tables. A strange feeling filled my chest and weighed it down.
'What are you thinking of having?' Leo asked, his menu lay untouched on the table top.
'Probably the antipasti to start with and then a pizza, what about you?'
'Do you want to share an antipasti?'
'Yeah sure' I just went with his suggestions the feeling on unease began to heighten.
Ricardo returned and took our orders then as quickly as he appeared he disappeared back into the dark depths of the ground floor. He moved with predatory grace and silence. It was a bit unsettling the way he appeared almost soundlessly.
'You enjoying th-?' He began but was cut off by my phone ringing like crazy. I apologised quickly and looks at the caller ID. Ivy. I pressed the red button and the phone stopped ringing.
'Sorry,You were saying?'
'I said-'
My phone rang again. I shut it off and placed it screen down on the table.
'Are you enjoying the restaurant?' He finally got out.
'Yes it's-' this time I was cut off.
The screen flashed Jace's name. I had two, now three missed calls and about twenty messages from him and Ivy. What did they want? With a huff I switched my phone off.
'As I was saying' I began again 'the restaurant is lovely'
'I know, wait till you taste the food.' He smiled 'in fact here it comes'
That was fast I thought. Ricardo reappeared carrying a tray with three plates on it. We were both presented with a pizza and a platter of meats. I took a bite of my pizza, it didn't look authentic Italian but I wasn't here to judge their food standard. However after my first bite I knew it wasn't authentic Italian. It was store bought. I started to get a bit scared.
'So how did you say you knew the Vitrolis?' I asked trying to distract myself from how worried I suddenly felt.
'Family friends' he said dismissively
'Aren't Italian families supposed to be big?' I asked. Leo looked at bit confused at first.
'What?'
'Why have I only met one Vitroli? Aren't there more of them?'
'Oh yes of course' he replied
'Where are they?'
'Probably in the kitchen or not working this evening, they take alternate shifts. You were lucky to get Ricardo and not his wife..Rosa' he hesitated slightly as if he'd forgotten Ricardos wives name. But how could he if he'd known them for years! I decided I was being paranoid and got on with eating my pizza. Leo took my silence as I believed him.
'You do look stunning tonight Summer' he complimented me and I couldn't help the blush that rose to my powdered cheeks.
'Thankyou' I said shyly 'you look very handsome too'
'Aw thanks' he said making a bashful face.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw one of the customers slump forwards, they didn't move to right themselves. My tension immediately returned.
'So how did your families meet?' I asked trying to distract myself.
'Our dads fought together in the army' he said casually
'Where's your dad now?' I ventured.
'Same place as yours' he replied straightaway. He'd stopped eating adm was sat upright facing me.
'At home?' I tried
'Not Mike' he said with a laugh 'your real dad'
I froze at those three words. My heart filled with ice and slowly I looked up into his gaze. Shakily I said
'Leo' by voice barely above a whisper 'I never told you my dad was dead'
'I know' he said dangerously. Very slowly I stood up from my seat.
'I'm going to....Er....go. I'm gonna go now' and I began backing away towards the stairwell. Leo stayed seated and watched me with a look of amusement. I bumped into something or rather, someone. I whirled around and found my escape route being blocked by Ricardo. He was no longer wearing a shirt, his dark eyes flowed dangerously, his bare chest was splattered with red liquid. Maybe he split red wine on himself I thought lamely. I knew he was covered in blood, whose I didn't know and I didn't want to find out.