Bella recognised the sound of the gunshot and felt her heart beating loudly. Marcello was quick to act on his instincts. He grabbed her hand and started pulling her in another direction. They reached a door and he pushed it open. Bella entered the room and looked around. It looked like a lounge room. There was a bed on one side and a couch on the other and alcohol bottles on a counter. Marcello closed the door behind them and locked it.
"You will stay here till I come back. Don't leave this room. Alright?"
Bella nodded. She wanted to ask what was happening but this wasn't the right time . She would ask him later.
"Lock the door from inside." Marcello said before he turned around and left the room.
Bella locked the room and made sure there were no open windows. Once she was done, she stood in the middle of the room and reflected upon the events of the evening.
This is not how she had imagined the night to go. She had agreed to go clubbing with Savannah. Her mom had been very happy that she was going out and said she would take care of Mason for a couple of hours. She had been very surprised when the cab pulled over in front of Avalon. According to Savannah, it was the place where all the classy, rich people of New York hung out. Bella was nervous. She didn't know if she wanted to see Marcello again. The man was intimidating and obviously dangerous. Even though, he hadn't done anything to her in their last two meetings other than some harmless flirting, she was still nervous to look directly into his eyes. Maybe because he was incredibly handsome and there was just something about him that was very attractive. There was a very effortless quality about him. As if he didn't care and wasn't trying too hard. Bella had always found it very attractive in men. But the man screamed danger and she wasn't looking for trouble.
Bella's mind went back to Mason. She just wanted to go back to him and hug him tight. If only she hadn't come out here with Savannah...
Savannah.
Where is she?
Bella took out her phone from her bag and called Savannah. She picked up after three rings.
"Bella, where are you?" Savannah said in a panick-whisper.
"I am hiding in a room. It looks like a lounge or something. Where are you? Are you safe?"
"Yeah, this guy showed up out of nowhere and dragged me into the men's bathroom. I've been hiding here."
"Thank God." Bella said relieved.
"What exactly happened? I heard a gunshot and then everyone started going crazy."
"I have no idea. It could be an attack or something. I just want to get out of here and go back to Mason."
"We will get out. Why would someone attack this place anyway? This is not some bank where you can pull a money heist. "
"I don't know. Who is that guy with you? Is he still there?"
"No, he left after locking me in the bathroom and asked me to not go out. He had a gun too. He could be a cop or something, y'know. Maybe he was doing some undercover operation?"
"I don't know , Savannah. My mind is just going into an overdrive right know. Listen please stay in there and wait for that guy to come back, yeah? Don't go out. It could be dangerous."
"Yeah, you too. Be safe. I'll hang up now."
Bella was relieved after knowing that Savannah was safe. Her mind went back to Marcello. How one moment they were just talking and flirting and then suddenly there was a chaos. She wasn't completely clueless about the situation. She had googled Marcello. She couldn't help it. He was an intriguing man. Google didn't help much. But it did tell her something that Bella had a hard time believing. According to the internet, the Italian Mafia had long been doing business in the US. And their leader currently was none other than Marcello Ricci. There wasn't any information about him other than his name. The only information available was about how the mafia worked, how powerful they were, their history and a few people who had been arrested in the past for having associations with the mafia and their businesses. She also learnt about how these people had a long history of existence, and had rules and traditions that they followed religiously, even had some kind of signature mark on their bodies indicating their loyalty towards their organisation.
Bella had heard of the mafia in films and stories but she never thought that they actually existed in the twenty-first century and were still so active. She couldn't believe she had, not only met such a dangerous man but also spoken to him a few times without actually knowing who he was. Once Bella got to know about him, she started reading and did a whole research on the mafia. She didn't know whether she was curious about the man or his work but she was so fascinated by all of it, she couldn't help herself.
Suddenly the door opened and Marcello stepped back in. She didn't know how long she had been lost in her thoughts. Marcello looked a bit out of sorts. His hair was dishevelled and sweat covered his face. There was also a small injury on his forehead. The first few buttons on his shirt were opened and she could see something written in ink on the left side of his chest. She could only make out the 'S' as the rest of it was covered by his shirt.
"What was it? Are you okay? What happened?"
He didn't answer immediately. He walked to the bed and sat down as if he was too tired to keep standing.
" Yeah, get your bag. I'll drop you home."
He looked tired and Bella didn't want to test his patience. She quickly got her bag but then remembered Savannah.
"My friend Savannah, she is hiding in the bathroom. I have to take her."
"Marco will drop her home. Come on."
"I can't leave her with some man."
Marcello looked into her eyes and said, " Marco was the one who took her into the bathroom to hide. She's safe with him."
Bella still wasn't sure.
" I'll call her first."
She called Savannah who picked up at the third ring.
"Hey Sav, are you still in the bathroom?"
"Yeah, but that guy came and offered me to drop me home. His name is Marco. I don't know if I should go with him alone though. Where are you? I'll come and we can go together."
She came here with Savannah. She didn't want to leave without her.
"I'll come to the bathroom. We could take a cab."
Marcello raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.
"Okay." She hung up.
"I don't offer people free car rides very often. " Marcello said in a casual tone.
"I know. Thank you for that. But I can't leave without her."
He shrugged and lied down on the bed, looking at the ceiling. He had a far off look on his face. He seemed stressed. It was understandable. This was his club. An attack on his property while there were so many people here, must be stressful. Why would someone attack a club, Bella wondered again. Maybe it was the whole mafia thing. Some enemy or something. She decided to try her luck and finally ask him.
"What exactly happened?" She asked softly.
He kept his eyes on the ceiling and didn't say anything. Bella kept standing there, waiting for an answer.
" Some bastards thought they could stop me from doing what I want. Now, their dead bodies are floating somewhere in the ocean." He said in a voice so calm and cold, Bella didn't even know how to react to it. She kept staring at him but he didn't elaborate his vague answer.
"You have an injury on your forehead. You might wanna get some medical attention. I should go." She turned around and left the room, going towards the bathroom to get Savannah.
On her way to the bathroom, Savannah looked at the dance floor that was empty. Everything was a mess and the place had been fully destroyed. Tables were broken, there were pieces of glass everywhere and blood on the floor and walls. It looked like someone's head had been smashed against the wall repeatedly. She heard a noise somewhere and turned to see an unconscious man being dragged inside a room, his blood dripping on the floor. The man dragging him couldn't see Bella.
It was a horrific sight and she just wanted to get out of there. She finally reached the men's bathroom and met Savannah. They refused Marco's offer to drop them home and called a cab. The cab arrived in ten minutes.
As they got into the cab, Bella couldn't help but think about Marcello. The tired look on his face, the coldness in his voice and just how contradicting he was.
On one hand he could flirt with her and tease her and suddenly he could turn into this completely different man who spoke about killing people as if death didn't affect him at all.
He was dangerous but equally intriguing. Even when she reached home at about three in the morning and snuggled next to Mason, she found herself thinking about Marcello as she fell asleep.