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Anger surges in my blood, but I stay calm. There will be many opportunities for vengeance later. “What about her baby?”
The doctor purses his lips and gently shakes his head. “By the time she was brought in, she had already lost it. I’m so sorry, Mr. Barone.”
The baby is gone. Our child is dead. A strange coldness moves into my chest. I take a deep breath and turn to Vance. “Call Francesca’s mom. There’s something I have to do, but I must make sure there’s someone here with her.”
“Yes, Boss.” He walks outside to make the call.
In twenty minutes, Louisa, Franco Barbieri, and Francesca’s mother rush into the room. Francesca’s eyes are still shut, and except for the steady rise and fall of her chest, she looks lifeless.
“Oh, God.” Her mother breaks into tears when she sees the state her daughter is in.
“Senora, don’t cry. She’s going to be okay.”
She glances at me with swollen eyes. “I don’t know what I would do if I lost her.”
Me too. But I don’t say this aloud. Instead, I promise, “You won’t have to find out.”
I plant a gentle kiss on Francesca’s forehead and pull away. While she sleeps, I’m going to exact vengeance on those who did this to her and be back before she’s awake.
“There’s something urgent I must do now,” I tell her mother. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. If there’s any change, call me immediately.”
“Yes,” she whispers, taking my place by Francesca’s bedside. As I head towards the door with my men, Franco Barbieri follows me.
“Where are you going?”
“Stay with your granddaughter.”
“I know what you’re planning,” he says. “I want to be involved.”
“No. This is Barone's business. You can’t?—”
“Please,” he rasps. “She’s my granddaughter.”
I hold his gaze briefly before nodding and exiting the room. The further I walk away from Francesca, the heavier my heart becomes, but I know this is a journey I must take for her. I was wrong to think I could come to an agreement with Sal. Until I wipe him off the face of this earth, Francesca cannot be safe.
The hospital's underground garage is deserted.
“Vance, give me everything you have.”
“The driver is here in the hospital,” Vance says. “He can explain better.”
“He can talk?”
“He wasn’t the target, Boss,” Vance explains, getting the hidden meaning in my question. “He did his best.”
“Bring him to me.”
Vance reappears seconds later with a trembling man who has a bloody bandage around his head. “I am so sorry, Boss. I failed you, but I really tried my best to keep her safe. Forgive me, please.”
I watch him silently. This driver isn’t my enemy. “Romero, isn’t it?”
“Yea, Boss. My name is Romero.”
“Okay, Romero…” I nod. “Tell me everything that happened.”
“We had a smooth ride from home…” Romero shakes his head as if he still cannot believe what happened. “But when we got to Westside, I noticed a car trailing us. I tried to?—”
“Westside?” I frown. “What were you doing in Westside?”