Page 71

ENZO
BythetimeAlessioand I reach the vineyard, the firemen have already arrived.
“Goddammit.”
Something I have worked for for the last thirty years of my life is burning in front of my eyes, and there’s nothing I can do but watch.
Alessio puts a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t, Dad. If you go any further, you might end up hurting yourself.”
Another stream of water jets out onto the fire, as the firemen try their hardest to put out the flames.
“Who was behind this?” I bark as other members of the team join us.
“All of our safety measures were in place,” Marcel says. “It’s highly unlikely that this was an accident.”
The corners of my mouth twist into a snarl. “It’s another sabotage attempt.”
Marcel frowns, “Do you think that the Salvatores would stoop as low as to try and destroy our property?”
“You know the answer as well as I do.”
Marcel pulls out his phone. “In that case, I need to make some phone calls. We cannot let him go free.”
Alessio holds out his hand and lowers Marcel's arm holding the phone. “Wait. Do you have any proof that Silvano is behind this?”
I growl, “A fire in a vineyard is a one-in-a-million type of event. The worst of the summer is already over, and temperatures here do not nearly get hot enough for natural fires to occur. It’s obvious.”
“Enzo, maybe Alessio is right.” Marcel sighs, “We need solid evidence.”
“Then pull up footage from the CCTV cameras,” I bark.
The fire is beginning to diminish now. The fire department have done their job impressively fast. One of the chiefs begins to make his way over to us and shakes my hand.
“You’re the owner?”
“That would be correct.”
“We’ve put out ninety percent of the flames. While there has been significant damage to this section of your property, we have at least ensured that the fire does not spread to the neighboring vineyards.”
“Thank you.” I nod. “We do not know what we would have done if you had not arrived with your team at the right time.”
The chief presses his lips together, looking over the site of the burned wood. The air is thick with smoke, and visibility is low.
“It’s unfortunate that this happened to you. In all my years of working in the area, I have not seen a case this bad. The heat damaged the wines that have been left untouched, as well.”
“The output for the next year will be affected,” Marcel adds. “We will have to wait till the smoke clears to find out the real extent of the damage.”
“Surely, the land’s insured?” the chief asks me. “I cannot imagine that it isn’t for an operation as large as this one.”
“It is.”
I don’t tell him that isn’t the monetary value I care about losing. So many of these plants had been planted personally by Valentina and myself. Having them burn to ashes like this feels like a personal loss.
“Don’t worry about it, Enzo,” Marcel puts a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “If there was any sort of foul play involved, then we will get to the bottom of this.”
“It’s going to take us a few more hours to clear the area. Best go home and rest now,” the chief tells me.
“I cannot just leave.”