Taming a Dark Heart - Ch. 5 - Grandfathers Gift

****Thank-you for all the comments on Ch 4. To Crissy, I don’t know where I’m going either. I'm not one of those people who know the end before the end. I just let the characters take me where they want to go :). To Lilly and H, thank-you for your advice.

Reminder: if you’d like email updates- I send out tit-bits about the story before its published. you can email me and Ill add you to the list

Hope you enjoy this chapter and don’t forget to vote and comment! :)****

(Kara's necklace in pic)

***Danny’s point of view***

You have no idea how painful a gunshot wound is. The people in the movies make it seem like nothing. It’s funny, my pap had taught me how to shot from young yet to be on the other end of the bullet was something I had never thought I would face.

The best thing about the whole thing was that Mr Lombardi was happy with me. I was honored to be working for him. I know you may not understand that but I knew that with the money I would earn from working for him I would be able to even send money to my mami.

I was staying at the villa for the night because of my leg. I needed to go brush my teeth etc and so I hopped along with my crutch trying to find the bathroom. On my way I went past the lounge and did a double take when I saw Kara sleeping in the corner of the couch, hugging a blanket over herself.
I hopped in trying to not make a lot of noise and sat on the couch. She was gorgeous. Her curls were surrounding her face and her full lips were slightly parted as she breathed deeply. Her complexion was olive brown as though she had some exotic blood of some sort.
I was sure Mr Lombardi was smitten with her. Who wouldn’t be?

Then all of a sudden she stirred and began to wake up. She stretched, yawned and had no idea I was there.
I quickly got up and made out like I was only just sitting down.
She opened her eyes and I think was a bit shocked to see me there.
"Hi", she greeted me in quite a daze
"Hey there", I smiled at her
"How’s your leg?" She pushed the blanket off and straightened her clothes.
"The doc said it’ll be fine but I’ll be hopping for a couple of weeks", she just nodded looking at the ground. She looked so down.
"So do you have any plans for today?" I wanted to take her mind off last night but she just nodded again.
"Well if you want me to go I will...." I said and she leant over and held my arm pulling me back down.
"Oh um no, you don’t have to go. I’m sorry for not being very friendly. I’m just so confused"- She gushed when she realized that she had her hand on me and quickly withdrew her hand. I smiled at her. Then I heard my stomach grumble and it made her smile. How embarrassing but at least I had made her smile.
"How about we go and get some breakfast?" she nodded smiling and we walked onto the porch to the breakfast table.

...Kara’s point of view...

Danny and I walked to the breakfast table. He seemed so sweet. I think he was trying to cheer me up and it seemed to be helping. I told him about me studying music and he told me how he was hoping to help his mom by working for Gabriele.

Then Marie-Lou walked in followed by James. Marie –Lou said good morning to everyone and I was sure that she blushed when Danny said hi to her.

"Would you like some fruit cocktail juice Kara?" Danny offered me not knowing my preference.
"No Thanks, I don’t like it. I prefer to make my own see?", I picked up the grape juice and poured half a glass then began pouring orange juice to fill it.

Then Gabriele appeared and I looked up into those emerald green eyes. He looked at me then at Danny and I saw his eyes narrow. He didn’t look happy at all and I don’t know why but I felt like I had somehow cheated him. How did he have the ability to do that to me? I just looked at him. He looked so good. Definitely just shaved and his hair was slicked back making his eyes stand out even more...

"Um Kara, I think you need to..." Marie-Lou started trying to warn me but not soon enough. Danny started jumping back as my juice overflowed my glass and onto his lap.
"Oh gosh, I’m so sorry! Let me help gosh, I’m so clumsy..." I started grabbing paper towels and trying to dab him realizing how difficult it was immediately. How do you wipe a guy’s crotch?

He tried telling me it was okay and that I didn’t have to help but I knew Marie-Lou and James were practically rolling over in laughter on the other end of the table. This was so embarrassing. For a split second I looked up and saw Gabriele. He on the other hand didn’t look very amused.
The workers started rushing over trying to help Danny up to go clean up while I started cleaning the table and shouting sorry over and over to him.

All the while Gabriele sat down calmly and quietly a seat away from me. Was he angry with me? I frowned and continued eating breakfast. All four of us had breakfast in silence. Then eventually Marie-Lou and James left the table to go work.
"Kara, I’ll speak to you later ok?" I nodded as Marie-Lou said as she got up and left.

Then it was just Gabriele and I.
"I still have some more questions Gabriele and I don’t know who else to ask them even though you seem to be angry with me, and I really don’t know why" I stared at him hard.
He didn’t say anything and instead put his hand in his jacket pocket.
"Why won’t you answer me?" I was beginning to get angry with him.
"You know you talk too much right?" my mouth dropped open from anger and then he leaned forward. His face was getting closer to me and I really thought he wanted to kiss me again. I was still frustrated with him though and wasn’t sure how I felt exactly. His face was so close just like the night before and I could smell his aftershave. I could feel myself melting and I couldn’t control myself. He gently pushed my still open mouth closed and pressed his lips against mine briefly before pulling away still very close to me.

Then his hands went around my neck and he pulled me closer to him, but instead of another kiss his face went past mine and my face was pressed into the side of his neck. Gosh...
But then he pulled away and he looked at me with those green eyes, "your grandfather told me it was very important to give you that".

I looked down and saw a silver necklace on my neck with the letter R attached. It was so pretty.
"Not as beautiful as you", I looked up to see Gabriele actually had a small smile to the side on his face. I was sure I blushed as he walked away giving me one last glance.

*******************
Later that day, I went to college, with James watching on at a distance. I didn’t want anyone to know I had someone following me – not even my friends.

I walked to Composite music class with my keyboard and book bag in tow. I found a seat somewhere in the middle next to Kyle - my music partner. I had to admit was hot but he wasn’t my type. I really just wanted to be his friend and I knew that he knew that too. Well, I was sure anyway. He was really good on guitar and our duet that was due at the end of the week was going to be great. Mae and Dakota were also gona be great. They both played guitar and they sounded awesome from the bit I had heard them rehearse.

"What happened to your head Kara?" Kyle asked me genuinely worried.
"Oh I just bumped my head in the change room yesterday, got quite a bad cut... but I’m fine", and I forced a smile.

I looked out the window and saw James. I saw him talking to someone; well it didn’t look like talking, more like shouting. I looked closer and realised it was that agent who had stopped me the other day, Paul. What was he doing here again?

"Miss Rossi, can you repeat what I just said?"- I looked to the front to see Mrs Avery looking at me with one eyebrow raised.
"Um, I’m really sorry mam...", so embarrassing. The whole class was staring at me.
Kyle nudged me and whispered, "What’s going on, are you okay? You really don’t seem yourself?"
"I just had a rough night, I’m fine..." and I forced a smile again so that he wouldn’t suspect anything. I wasn’t lying?
I realised then that I needed to talk to someone. I needed to vent. And I knew who deserved my explanation the most.

***************
"Hey Kar, I know you told me to trust you but I really wana know what’s going on. Please, pretty please tell me and where did you get that necklace?"
Kyle, Mae, Kota and I were all sitting under a tree practicing for those pieces that were due soon.
I knew what great friends they were and I also knew that I needed to tell them what was going on. I really needed someone to talk to as well.

I proceeded to tell them all I knew. Mae and Kyle’s mouths were wide open and Kota’s eyes were wide.
"Please, say something, your scaring me..."- how would they react? Maybe I shouldn’t have told them?
Kota spoke up, "whoa Kar, does this mean you’re like royalty or something now?"- It would be her to find the humor in everything. I smiled as both girls jumped forward to hug me both at once. I guess they were too stunned to say much.
"So I guess that’s why you have that huge guy following you around?"- I was surprised Kyle had noticed James. He wasn’t close at all throughout the day.
"Yeah, don’t look so surprised Kara, you should know I have your back around here" and he smiled making me laugh as he joined our hug from behind.
"Ouch, ouch, your squashing me guys!" I laughed as the Mae and Kota fell on the grass laughing.

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

Everyone thought he was dead. Even I thought I had killed him that night when he tried to kidnap Kara.
But the shot to his chest missed his heart by mere centimeters.

"Mr Lombardi, there’s a strong chance he may recover. Even though he is in a coma now, he is showing signs of good health and that he is stabilizing rapidly" the doctor told me then left.

I walked into his room. He had a huge bandage tied around his chest and several tubes up his nose helping him breathe. Otherwise he looked better than I thought he would.

I thought of Kara and how this man had nearly killed her. How his intentions were to kill her. Trey’s face was covered when he was gagging her. I realized as I fired the shot that it was him. I knew that he wanted to kill her because of the fact that his father had died because of Kara’s father. I knew that he blamed her father for his death and in turn hated all the Rossi’s.

I also knew that Kara’s father and Trey’s father had been best friends. Friends that had been torn apart by the fact that being a mob boss wasn’t always a choice. It runs in your blood, makes it filthy. I knew that Trey refused to see the true story, he was bitter and it blinded him from the truth. The truth that Kara’s father was simply trying to help, simply trying to be different to his own father. I wanted to be like too.

I looked at Trey’s life support machines and knew that it would be so easy to pull his plug. Just end it now then I would keep my promise to Kara’s grandfather.

I looked and looked at Trey. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t end Trey’s life like that. I couldn’t kill my own brother.