The Chronicles of City Lights and Modern Love

I stood up to leave the bar with Carmine. He grabbed onto my elbow roughly and guided me to the foyer, out through the revolving doors and onto the street where a black Maserati was parked. As we neared the luxury vehicle, a boy about my age, and obviously a relation to Carmine, opened the back passenger door.

"You can’t just pull shit like that! If you were someone else I’d smack you one," Carmine said as we reached the car. "I’ve been given orders not to harm you, but..."

He turned to look at me for a moment, his eyebrows knotted together in a frustrated frown. His reaction gave me the impression that he wasn't used to public humiliation, especially not at the hands of a female.

"...I guess I probably couldn’t bring myself to hurt you anyway" he continued before adding snidely, "I wouldn't want to damage your exquisite face."

"I’m flattered, really," I replied, my voice dripping with sarcasm, "but before I get in that car with you, I want you to answer me something."

"That’s not how it works," he said shoving me into the car. He got in after me and closed the door.

"Ask away," he said as the car began to move.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked bluntly, my question useless now that I had no power to change the circumstances.

"Oh," he said, "actually, we’re taking you to get a dress for a ball."

"Your joking," I laughed bitterly.

"Nope, dead serious," he replied, "and it’s actually kind of in your honour."

"Why?" I asked, completely baffled, wondering what reason there could possibly be for a ball to be held in my honour.

"Think of it as your Nonno's way of welcoming you," he stated simply.

"There's got to be more to it than that, surely…"

"In our world, it's traditional for a girl to have a coming-of-age thing," he replied. "Besides, everyone has heard of Neil Evangelo’s granddaughter, but none have actually seen you in person, so it's also his way of showing you off to his people I guess...

"Oh, by the way, these are my brothers Johnny and Freddie," he said pointing to the two guys in the front.

Johnny was driving and seemed to be in his early twenties and Freddie, the one who had opened the door for them, was clearly the youngest. Both looked very similar to Carmine.

"Hi," Johnny said cheerfully, turning around for a second before continuing, "I'm sorry ‘bout all this. Not exactly the best way to meet a person, but it can’t be helped."

I just stared at him incredulously.

"Well, it can’t," he said defensively, balking at the look on my face. "It’s our family that’s involved, not us. We were blackmailed into doing this."

"Whatever," I said, turning to to stare out the window at the city lights that passed by in a blur.

"So, in what part of Australia did you live?" Carmine asked me, in a pathetic attempt to make small talk.

"Northern Beaches of Sydney."

"Like Bondi?"

"Yeah, something like that," I replied in a bored voice. I really wasn't in the mood for idle chit chat.

"So have you always known about your Nonno?" he continued, ignoring my unenthusiastic tone.

"Yep, pretty much..."

Carmine eventually gave up and the car became silent, almost to the point of being awkward. I was left to my thoughts for the first time since I had encountered Carmine in the bar and I realised something I hadn’t before. I remembered my Dad once telling me about an Italian mobster who had shot three innocent people dead in the middle of a crowded street. I remember him saying he felt sorry for the man's grandchildren; he said it was likely that they would be shunned by society.

How naïve.

There names had been Jonathan and Carmine...

"I've just worked out who you are..." I said slowly.

Carmine turned to look at me warily, but he said nothing. If I was right, then their grandfather had been murdered within a month of being sent to jail.

"I’m sure your grandfather would be proud that you’re carrying on with the family business."

"Watch your mouth," Carmine said suddenly, his voice oozing hostility.

"Ooh, sorry. Have I hit a nerve?" I said with mock concern, "What about your daddy?" I continued, realising I actually knew a decent amount of there family details. "Does he give the orders from his prison cell?"

"Shut up before I duct tape you!" Carmine threatened.

"No, I don’t think I will," I replied nonchalantly. "Did my grandfather tell you this was going to be an easy job, abducting me?"

I could tell he was trying to ignore me, but the clenching and unclenching of his jaw as he stared intently out of the window told me otherwise.

"I'm actually quite good at reading people...and my first guess is, you feel like you've bitten of more than you can chew?"

Carmine whipped around to glare at me.

"Am I right?" I continued. "And what else...oh yes, you think by doing this, you can prove to Daddy that you're capable; that you can live up to the family name?...How predictable..."

"That’s it!" he said abruptly. "As much as I love having you insult my family, enough is enough. It’s time to shut that pretty little mouth of yours."

He got a role of duct tape out of his jacket pocket and advanced. He snapped of a strip and tried to stick it across my mouth but I ducked and slid to the other side of the car, but soon Freddie had climbed into the back with a pair of handcuffs. I was no match for the both of them, and before I knew it, I was hand cuffed and duct taped.

"That nasty mouth of yours will get you into trouble one day," Freddie said as he climbed back into the front passenger seat.

I sighed and looked to Carmine, who seemed to have an almost regretful look on his face.

"I’m truly sorry Bella, but you were getting on my last nerve," he said, planting a kiss on my cheek.

I could have sworn my cheek stung where his lips touched.