Taming a Dark Heart - Ch.4 - Keeping a Promise (Pt 1)

****This is kinda the actual beginning of the plot so I've decided to split it into 2 parts. I'm still deciding what to do with Danny exactly so please let me know. Hope your enjoying it because I am :) Haven't had any comments for ch 3 so not sure what you think of it??? Please comment and vote or email me so I do continue writing!***

(Gabriele's car in pic)

Part 1:

The next morning I woke up with the alarm clock on my cell phone. I didn’t really feel like getting up but I did want to get out of this villa where I didn’t know anyone really and they didn’t know me. So I got ready (Jeans and a lilac t-shirt would do), grabbed my stuff and walked down the stairs. I walked to the kitchen which was really huge, checked the fridge for milk and had some cornflakes.

I grabbed my car keys and dashed. My car really looked out of place in this yard but I didn’t care. When you buy something with your own hard-earned money, you will love it – even if it is a really old white ford with a bit of rust in places.

I heaved a sigh of relief as it started (it does have a habit of giving up when it wants...) and took off. The guard at the gate stopped me.
"Miss Rossi, where are you going?"
"I’m going to college for the day, please open for me"
"I will inform Mr Lombardi of your whereabouts", I nodded and rolled my window back up. Did he have to know everything about me?

Luckily the GPS on my cell got me to college which was luckily just 20 minutes away from the villa.
I parked and headed to my first lecture.

The day went relatively normal. I wasn’t your average college student. I didn’t go to many parties and I didn’t have many friends. I had just a couple of people that I thought were trustworthy and that was it. We had all the same classes so Mae-ling and Dakota-or Kota as she liked to be called, were all heading off to music theory when this guy stopped us.

He had been leaning on a tree nearby, smoking a cigarette. I hate smoke... mainly because I’m allergic to it but also because I think it looks so bad. Have you ever kissed a guy who smokes? It’s like kissing an ashtray...yuck.

"Hello mam, could I have a word with you please?" he really looked dodgy. I just didn’t trust him. He looked about 35 maybe 40 and had sandy-brown hair with these thin lips (probably from all the smoking).
"Um, why do you want to talk to me?" My mama had always told me to never talk to someone you don’t know and I was going to stick to it.

Then he reached inside his jacket pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. As he turned it over I realised it was a photo. A photo of me, a couple of nights earlier in the club at the exact point when Gabriele threw his hanky down and we looked at each other. I felt the blood drain from my face and became a bit panicked.

"Where did you get this, I..." - he cut me off as I was talking.
"How do you know this man Miss Lombardi?" He smirked as he said this, like a cat with a mouse.
I slowed down my breathing; I didn’t want this guy to know I was actually afraid.
"I have no idea who he is. He just helped me out that night....Wait how do you know my name and who are you anyway?" I really was panicking now and I’m sure he could tell.
"My name is Paul Keller and I’m with the FBI. That’s all you need to know for now. If you know anything about him then you better tell me now", he was very firm with his wording and it gave me a chill down my spine as he threatened me.
What did the FBI want with Gabriele? I don’t know why but I just didn’t trust this guy and if he was with the FBI why hadn’t he helped me at the club? Mr Lombardi had been there, and for me that made him more trustworthy by a long mile.
"Excuse me but I would appreciate it if you spoke to me in a better tone. I am not forced to do anything"
He smirked that stupid crooked smirk and actually chuckled.
"I could take you in right now for questioning miss, especially on the grounds of an assisted murder charge", I gasped when he mentioned the word "murder". I didn’t want to be involved in this. I knew Mr Lombardi may be involved in some well, unusual activity, but I didn’t want to be involved in this at all.
"I don’t know what you’re talking about Paul. I don’t even know that guy. You can’t question me on something you don’t have proof for, Goodbye", I began walking past him but he caught my shoulder, very roughly I may add. It was really sore and I could feel him digging his fingers hard.
"I’ll see you very soon, don’t wonder too far", he laughed and I shook myself free running back to Mae and Kota.

"Who was that Kara, and why did he have his hand on your shoulder like that?" Mae and Kota both wanted answers that I couldn’t really give. Something told me I shouldn’t tell them the little I did know.

I turned around and saw him leaning against the tree again with the stupid smirk and his hands in his coat pockets, just looking at me.
"Hey Mae, do you mind if I bunk with you tonight? My apartment building is um, being fumigated for um, termites or something ..."
"Ok as long as you don’t mind peanut butter to eat", she laughed but I knew Kota was screwing her eyes. Ok a little white lie was ok right? I wanted to keep them safe. I don’t have many people in my life and I sure don’t want the few that I do to be in any sort of danger because of me.

Kota hugged us and Mae jumped into her BMW X3. Well I guess I’m putting it mildly if say her family is wealthy. Her dad is this famous estate agent and her mother is a model for one of those famous brands you probably can’t afford. Doesn’t sound real right?

I met Mae at her house. It was so cool. Wait, did I say House? More like Hotel. It was really retro but had this cool Chinese flair to it that reflected them so well. I felt like a princess in their house. Kind of like how I felt at Mr Lombardi’s villa except that I knew everyone there and the reason I was there.

That night I jumped into the bed next to Mae’s and we spoke for hours.
"You seem kind of out of it Kara, are you alright?"
"Yeah I’m fine. Just seems like a lot has happened over the last few days. The other day at the club this guy tried to pick me up and I got really upset"
"I guess that happens with that job, but soon you’ll be really famous either singing or writing songs"
"I hope so Mae, but right now I just want to make sure I get to the future..."
I think she carried on talking after that but I fell asleep wondering about the villa.

The next morning I woke up to Mae-ling shaking me. We only had an evening lecture on a Tuesday so she was taking me shopping for the day.
"Wait, is Dakota gona meet up with us?"
"Nah, you know her. She’s up to her neck in David", Mae was jumping around like a flea on a hotplate with excitement.
David is Dakota’s Boyfriend. They have been together since before I met her. They are incredibly sweet together and I know that Mae and I are jealous of them sometimes. But I’m really happy for her. I love romance and they are definitely one of the most romantic couples I know.

Mae and I spent the whole day buying clothes and coffee. I felt really bad to not pay for anything but she really was telling me to take everything I looked at.

I was walking into the change room to try on this really elaborate gown Mae was forcing me to try on. She left me and went to the other end of the store to look at make-up.
I grabbed a number and chose a cubicle in the middle. Just as I was closing the curtain I felt an impact on the back of my head and then I blacked out.

***********************************
....Gabriele’s point of view....

I know she will be fine right? She’s just gone to college. If anything seems suspicious then James and Danny will let me know. I am trusting him to do more now. This was all running through my head but I had a funny feeling and I couldn’t ignore it.

Just as I was thinking my phone rang.
"Sir, Miss Lombardi is missing. We’ve lost track of her". No, I promised to keep her safe...
"What are you talking about James? Explain, Now!" how could James do this? He was normally on top of everything. I had trusted him to watch her when she went to college and to her friend’s house. She didn’t know we were watching her but I had to be sure. A promise is a promise.
"Sir, I think it could be Trey’s gang..." I disconnected the phone and jumped into my black Lamborghini.

I got to the mall and found Kara’s friend in tears in the store James had told me she was in. She was sobbing but showed me where Kara had disappeared. Kara’s bag was on the floor along with a ball gown minus her cell phone but what stunned me was the small smear of blood on the wall. Those sons of bitches were gonna pay big time...
"James make sure all this evidence is cleared, everything. We don’t need more shit from the FBI".

I jumped into my car while Danny and James drove behind.
Keeping this promise may not be as easy as I thought.