The Blood Bank

4

I sat next to John on the ride to the grand opening, who was giving me the low down on his jewellery company and how he currently had twelve stores located all over the world, this being the last one he planned to open.

" Like her daddy hasn't already told her this!" Nathan scoffed, before returning to look out the limousine window.

I understood why he was upset with me being here but he was currently acting like a spoiled brat rather than a twenty eight year old.

John passed me a broach as the car stopped, which I recognised off the security mens jackets as the silver diamond shape with the 'R' engraved on the centre so I attached it to the lapel of my jacket.

John explained it was the logo of his company which everyone he employed wore. Apparently his mafia men have it tattooed onto them also.

The security left the limousine first followed by Nathan, the door being open allowed me to hear the cheers from outside which made me suddenly nervous.

I put on 'the front' though, the one I use when I have to do things that scare me, like the high school talent show, moving a spider from the bathtub or shooting a man in the forehead.

When John and I left the car the screams increased massively and I was surprised to see the whole street full of people calling for this man.

Some women were even crying at the sight of him.

I mean, the side of him that I knew about made me want to cry, too.

John pushed me behind him so I was next to Nathan, which he rolled his eyes at, the security followed closely behind as we made our way to the front of the brand new, silver 'Romano: Jewellery ' store, which currently had a red ribbon across the front of its large, glass doors.

John Romano was handed a microphone.

"This is my thirteenth store opening for Romana Jewellery, which to some is an unlucky number, but not for me. I'm so lucky to have all the support from my business partners who made my single store, into this amazing brand I now own, and I am lucky again to be joined by people who I love so dearly," he gestured to Nathan and I, the smile on his face so big you could almost tell he was lying, "who will one day own the company themselves. Before I cut the ribbon I have a few friends I would like to ask to come up here and join me!"

I watched as a middle aged lady led six children onto the stage, who seemed just as awe struck as I was by the crowd. I couldn't help but notice the medical bands that sat around their wrists or the uniform the lady wore with the words 'Children's Hospital' embroidered on the back.

John lifted up the giant pair of scissors and waited until all of the children had placed their hands on to them too, before the crowd counted down from three and they snipped the red ribbon that was over the front door of the shop.

The crowd cheered.

"In celebration of this being my thirteenth store, I will be donating thirteen thousand pounds of income to each children's hospital in the individual stores region!" John laughed as the crowds began to cheer even louder than before as the five of us were ushered inside the store, through a doorway and up a flight of stairs.

"You look shocked?" John questioned as we made our way up the stairs,

"I just didn't expect that from you, that's such a kind thing to do, people like you don't normally.."

"People like me Bella." His voice was harsh, "you don't know me, girl, and you seem to be forgetting you are one of me."

This was the first time John had been angry with me and he was completely right to be.

He had done nothing but be kind to me since I'd arrived yesterday but all I had thought of him was that he was the same bloodthirsty gang leader that I was used to dealing with.

I didn't once presume he would be the type of guy to spend his spare money on unfortunate children.

I mean, he did tell me the first time we met I would have been 'put down' if I hadn't been good enough.

"I'm sorry, John,"

"Don't be sorry, just remember your place."

As quick as the smile had left his lips it returned when we entered a boardroom where there was around twenty people sat facing a screen with three stools in front of it.

John helped me onto one of the stools before sitting himself in the middle whilst Nathan was on the far right.

Turns out it was a press conference and by the end my jaw was aching from fake smiling at the cameras too much.

I smiled when told too and turned to look at John in fake admiration when he began discussing his charity work with the news reporters. He would smile at me occasionally and I noticed Nathan was just as charismatic as his father was.

I also noticed Nathan looked great with a smile.

I had always been envious of people like the Romano's, it was as though they were made to be famous. They had the looks, the personality and the confidence, I actually found myself forgetting a few times that they were leaders in organised crime and had probably killed more people than I had drank glasses of water.

It was dark by the time we left the store and the wind had also dropped completely leaving the street eerily silent as we walked to the limo.

Something was wrong.

I distinctively remember John telling the driver to have the car ready outside the shop, not down the street with the engine cut, but no one else thought it was an issue.

It wasn't an issue until we were outside the vehicle and the doors were swung open to reveal five men who began attacking us.

The smallest naturally went for me, he let two sharp punches into my rib cage before swiping for my face which I dodged, using the weight of my gun to smack him in the temple.

He fell to the ground.

As much as I wanted to help the other guys, my job was to protect John, so without a second thought my gun was raised, aimed and fired right through the kneecap of the man who had his hands around Johns throat.

The gunshot took the others by surprise which gave the security and Nathan chance to wipe them out, but I already had hold of John's attacker.

When John Romano told me that morning we were going to open a new store, I didn't in the slightest expect later that evening to be holding a man in a headlock with his blood dripping onto my extremely expensive, white suit pants.

John, thankfully, seemed fine.

"Well we've blown the cover on that haven't we?" John took out his phone, tapped the screen before holding it to his ear. "It's very apparent you aren't an air-headed romantic interest, I told Mark it wouldn't work!"

The guy below me tried to grab my wrist from off his neck but with a sharp kick to his kneecap he wailed out in pain and stopped his escape attempts.

"Who are you?" Nathan was watching me with the same judgmental glare as usual, completely opposite to the breathtaking smile he had worn earlier today in front of the cameras.

"I answer only to my boss." I responded, my words intentionally cold.

"Mark?" John called into the phone, "yes, clean up on aisle five, thank you!"