Chapter 1

Beth POV

“Don’t be nervous, my parents are nice people. You'll soon see for yourself,” Arianna reassured me for the umpteenth time as we pulled up at their house.

I nodded without replying as my mind was fixed on another issue. As soon as I opened the passenger’s side door to Ford, I regretted my choice of clothing. I was wearing my Ralph Lauren wool coat but I might as well be wearing a sheet of paper because the wind seemed to go right through me.

“You okay, Beth?” Arianna asked. “You’re not cold, are you?”

I turned to her to say no but then I saw her lips twitch and we both burst out in laughter together.

“I'm such a fool, I should have taken your advice,” I said sheepishly looking at how snug she looked in her pink ski jacket and big boots.

“Yeah, you should have, you mule,” She said, still giggling. “It's 9 PM, we're pretty late so let's go in.”

We walked past the snow covered front lawn with our luggages, all the way to the front door. Thankfully, the porch had been largely shielded from the snow. We both shook snowflakes out of our damp blond hair and then Arianna rang the doorbell.

The door swung open almost immediately and we were enveloped in warmth, both from the house and from Signora Rossi’s radiant smile.

“Arianna, Elizabeth. We've been waiting for you both. We’re so glad you could join us for Christmas.”

She pulled us both into a tight bear hug which felt so comforting after our long ride. She smelled of lemon and rosemary, and I breathed it in, surprised at her warm welcome.

“Benvenuta! How was your journey?” Signora Rossi asked, finally freeing us from the hug.

Before I could reply, Arianna squealed excitedly and ran into the arms of Signor Rossi, who had just appeared from behind his wife. He grinned widely and mouthed ‘welcome’ to me over the shoulder of his daughter.

“Come in already. Dinner is already set,” He said in a gruff voice as he ushered me into the house which smelled more inviting the further I walked in.

I was startled by a massive Saint Bernard who lumbered over and sniffed me curiously. It gave a bark when it sighted Arianna and ran to meet her.

Bruno, the dog rejoined us after we had settled in and gathered around the dinner table. After Arianna said the grace, Signor Rossi carved the roast and we began eating.

“Beth, you're quite famous. Those tweets about the mafia. You practically broke the algorithm and gained many followers, eh,” Signor Rossi said and I looked at Ari surprised that she had revealed that much to them.

However, I could see that she was just as surprised as I was. Her father chuckled as he saw our expressions.

“You think I'm not on Twitter? It's the most unfiltered and biggest news platform right now. I see the amount of death threats you get daily. You'll have to be careful while you're here though, this city is full of the Mafia.”

I nodded then took a sip of orange juice to avoid talking. No use telling them that that was the main reason I came to Italy. Just so I could understand them more and see how they operated.

“Not at the dinner table, you're making her uncomfortable,” Signora Rossi said in Italian not knowing I understood the language.

“No, it's fine. My brother was killed by the mafia and he was the only family I had left which is why I hate them but I'll be careful.”

The table fell silent and I could see how uncomfortable they all were. Ari was the most shocked as she was also hearing it for the first time. I never talked about my family. Mrs. Rossi reached across the table and squeezed my hand in comfort.

“Oh, Elizabeth, we're so sorry to hear that,” she said, speaking on behalf of the family. “You can regard us as family. Our home is your home.”

Under her motherly warmth, memories I had buried long ago surfaced and I forced a smile to keep them at bay. “Thank you ma'am for your kind words and generosity. Can I be excused? I need to use the restroom.”

“Sure, it's the second door down the hallway,” Signor Rossi said warmly.

My legs carried me down the hall to the bathroom and I splashed some water from the sink on my face to join the tears that had started streaming.

I sat on the toilet seat as my body began shaking and it grew worse the more I tried not to dwell on it so I just sat there for some minutes.

After some time, I heard a faint commotion from outside which jolted me to my feet reminding me that I needed to join them back at the dining table.

“You weak pussy,” I berated myself in the mirror in a bid to pull myself together. “One day around a happy family and you're a mess. You'll go back there and smile like the strong lady you are.”

Done with the self talk, I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand, arranged my dress then opened the door.

The noise that hit me made me question if I had been magically transported to a market square. Apparently the door had been soundproof as I didn't hear anything while inside.

There were angry yells in Italian and I was halfway down the hallway in confusion as I went to investigate when a loud sound paused me in my track, nearly giving me a heart attack.

I didn't need anyone to tell me that it was a gunshot and I pressed myself against the wall instinctively as a thousand thoughts raced across my mind.

The thought at the front of my mind was that the house had been broken into by thugs and I could only wonder why.

“È solo una ragazza, non dovevi ucciderla!” Signora Rossi cried out and I covered my mouth in horror as I realized that Ari had been shot.

There was an aggressive bark and the sound of a scuffle after that. It only lasted a minute before the gun went off again. This time, twice. I knew instinctively that Signora Rossi and the dog, Bruno had been killed too.

There was no protest after that so I assumed that Signor Rossi had been the first to be killed before the others.

“She’s in here somewhere. Find her,” one of the thugs said menacingly in Italian and my breath hitched as I realized that they were actually here for me.

“Forget it,” another voice growled. “We need to skip. My boys will later scour the place and clean up the bodies.”

There were sounds of retreating footsteps and I remained rooted in place until the door was shut and silence settled.

I then forced myself forward which was hard as my legs were wobbling. I was afraid of what I was going to find as the metallic scent of blood grew stronger with every step I took.

My eyes were blurry as I entered the sitting room and made my way to the dining. The first sight that greeted me was Bruno in a pool of blood with his intestines spread out all over the floor.

I staggered backwards at the sight and before I could even gather my thoughts, a hand settled on my shoulder. As I made to turn to see who it was, the powerful hand stopped me, rendering me immobile.

“Easy there, kitten, any sudden movement and I will blow your head with this beauty here.”