Page 28

TWENTY-EIGHT

zina

T he attack doesn’t come in the dark as we expected. It doesn’t come in the quiet, secret hours of the morning while we’re all asleep.

It comes in broad daylight.

It starts with an ear shattering scream from outside.

I spin towards the sound, frozen.

They’re here. My mind whispers.

I bend down to grab the small handgun I’ve been wearing on my thigh beneath my dress. Checking the safety, I hold it security in my hand, hanging at my side as I run towards the garden.

Around me the security force is heading in the same direction.

One of the men grabs me and pulls me aside. “Stay out the way.” He growls, pushing me onto the sofa.

Before I can shout at him to keep his hands off me - he’s gone.

I get up, running again. Romeo and Santino burst through the doors behind me.

Everything happens all at once.

An explosion at the perimeter knocks down a massive chunk of the fence. The bodies of security guards are lifted high in the air and thrown across the garden. More screaming, men writhing in agony, their legs torn from their bodies and blood flowing freely from the wounds -

Through the newly formed hole in the wall enemies run in wearing black Kevlar and dark masks to hide their faces.

I lift my gun and fire.

Two shots, three, one man falls.

“Get inside.” Fabio yells over the chaos. “Get the family inside.”

I run towards Romeo, grabbing the sleeve of his jacket and telling him to follow me. He yanks his arm away, but Santino grabs his jacket too. “Get inside.” He yells to his brother.

We run towards the house and Giovanni runs from it. He pushes his sons towards the doors, standing behind them to give cover fire.

Without hesitation I take my place at his side and aim my gun in the same direction.

A bullet snaps past me, tearing against my side. I cry out, dropping to my knees in fright.

“Are you hit?” he asks in panic, lifting me to my feet. I shake my head. “No, I’m ok. I’m ok.” But the blood is already running over my hip.

His eyes widen in fear as he grabs me and spins me so he can see the wound.

I bash his hand away. “It skimmed past. I’m fine.” I yell, taking my position again, firing at the enemies who are getting closer to our home.

We can’t let them get inside.

The next explosion is louder and closer.

The aftershock punches air against my chest and knocks me off my feet. Giovanni is right beside me, lifting me up, his eyes search my body again. “Please don’t die.” He whispers. I reach up and grab and his face and kiss him. If I’m going to die today - I want to feel his lips one more time. It’s the only thing I ask.

He doesn’t push me away like he’s pushed me away a hundred times in the past week. Instead he wraps his hand around the back of my neck and kisses me harder.

There is no doubt in my mind now that this man still loves me.

A bullet snaps into the stone tiles at my feet and I scream. Giovanni pulls me to the side. “Get inside, Zina.” He demands.

“No, I’m not leaving you.”

“Get inside.” He screams louder, his voice thick with authority.

I shake my head. “I’m not leaving you. If I die, I’m dying right next to you. I’m not running.”

He gives up and drags me to his side. “Stay close.” He says, as we move from the patio, into the garden, staying close to the walls and shooting our way through the swarm of intruders attacking our home.

It feels like hours, but it could have been minutes.

The gun fire slowly fades until the estate is quiet. Deadly quiet. A silence you can feel in your veins. The air smells of gunpowder and smoke. Burning things. Broken things. Bodies scattered everywhere.

It’s like walking through hell.

Giovanni takes my hand, and the small gesture is reassuring in a way he can’t imagine.

“Fabio.” Giovanni shouts, running forward, pulling me along with him.

Fabio has his hand around a man’s throat. The black mask has been pulled off his face and thrown to the side.

“Who sent you here?” he screams into the man’s face.

His prisoner laughs and when he does he coughs up blood, spluttering from his mouth, he gags and spits.

“You’re asking the wrong question.” The man smirks, gasping between words, his lung pierced by a bullet.

Fabio’s anger surges and he punches the guy in the face.

His head snaps back, and he gags again.

“Tell me what you know.” He demands ferociously.

“You shouldn’t ask who sent me - but - who - invited me in.” He’s fighting for his last breath, and even in his dying moments, he’s still gloating. Fabio is about to hit him again, but his body goes limp, his head lolls backwards - his life is over.

Fabio growls angrily and drops him to the ground.

“Who invited them in?” he snarls.

“Is he saying that it came from inside the estate?”

“That’s exactly what the fuck he’s saying.” Fabio screams, the veins on his temple popping out.

“Calm down.” Giovanni warns him. But it’s no use. Everyone is pumped full of adrenalin. Everyone is traumatized by what happened.

Fabio looks across the garden at the bodies of his team, his security force. Giovanni’s eyes trace the same path and both men look broken.

“They were good men.” Giovanni says tightly.

Fabio nods, pressing his fingers against his eyes.

“We’ll secure the property, run a sweep, and clean up - “ he mutters, his mind returning to his job. A defensive instinct, to protect himself from having to deal with the loss of life suffered today.

“I need to check on my family.” Giovanni says tightly.

Fabio walks away from us, shouting commands to his men.

“Check to see if anyone is still alive.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You, grab those two and sweep the perimeter.”

“Yes, sir.”

Giovani pulls me to follow him - towards the house.

As we walk up the patio steps Santino, Dante and Guido walk out. I cry out with relief to see Guido , unharmed, smiling tightly at me.

“Are you ok?” I ask, pulling him into my arms.

“I’m fine, mom.” He says, hugging me close.

“Where’s Romeo?” Giovanni asks.

“He’s inside. He got grazed by a bullet, but he’s ok.” Santino answers.

I glance at Giovanni, stepping away from Guido ’s embrace - and run inside. I go straight to the bathroom and grab the first aid kit. My family needs me.

Kneeling down next to Romeo, who is lying on the sofa, groaning in pain, I gently touch his arm where I can see blood soaking through the fabric.

“I need you to take your shirt off.” I say quietly.

He glares at me, but winces at the effort of this slight movement. Residing to the fact that he needs help he lets me assist him.

“Cut it off.” He sighs.

Using the scissors from the first aid kit I cut up his sleeve, pulling the fabric open to reveal a jagged line, cut deep enough to need stitches.

“The bullet grazed him.” Santino says, leaning over to see for himself.

“It did, but it’s deep enough to need stitches.”

“Do you know how?” he asks.

“She’s not fucking giving me stitches, are you fucking crazy?” Romeo shouts, terrified.

Giovanni sets his hand on his son’s shoulder, gently calming him. “She knows how. She took an advanced first aid course last week.” He reassures Romeo.

I narrow my eyes at him. How does he know?

“I pay attention to everything.” Giovanni says to me, answering my silent query.

“I was just trying to be prepared - for - this.” I shrug.

He smiles at me. “I’m grateful.”

My heart somersaults in my chest.

I turn to Dante and Guido . “Will you two please get the black first aid kit up in my bathroom? It’s better than this one.” They run off immediately.

I turn to Romeo. “It’s ok, I have local anesthetic in that one. You won’t feel anything.”

“ You’re not injecting me with anything.” He snarls.

His dad chuckles. “Well, then she’s going to stitch you up with no pain relief. It’s your choice.”

I’m not sure when Giovanni decided to trust me, but it’s clear that something has changed.

Romeo sits on the sofa, looking relieved, but angry at me. He keeps glaring at me and shaking his head. I did five neat stitches over his arm, then disinfected the wound again and bandaged it up.

I’m so glad I could help. I’ve finished repacking the first aid kit, but when I try to stand, my head spins and I fall backwards.

Giovanni is quick and moves to catch me in his arms.

“What happened - “ he stammers, but with his hand wrapped around my waist he fingers feel the wet, sticky blood, still oozing from my side.

“Fuck.” He growls. “She’s losing blood.”

“Let her die.” Santino snaps. “Fabio told me what one of the attackers said - we all know it was her.”

Giovanni lays me down on the sofa. I grumble that I’m fine and try to sit up, but he pushes me back down.

Santino leans over his father, trying to see if my wound is bad enough to please him.

“Why are you helping her?” he huffs to his father. “She’s the one who caused all of this. Let her die.” He says again.

Giovanni stands up and grabs Santino. He yanks him forward, slapping a backhand across his face. “One more fucking word.” He growls. “She saved my life today. She fought right at my side. She protected this family, and she protected me. I decide who we trust - and I trust her. And it’s time for you to fucking accept that once and for all.”

Santino is staring at his father in shock. His eyes are wide, and his brows raised high.

He reaches up to touch his face, stinging from the slap.

“You’re making a mistake.” He murmurs.

Giovanni pushes him away. Santino stumbles backwards.

“This conversation is over. If you aren’t going to help, then get out of my sight.”

Santino tugs his shirt straight and turns towards Romeo. “Let’s go.” He snaps. They leave the room, marching upstairs, and Giovanni turns his attention back to me.

His hands are gentle as he peels away the torn edges of my dress, around the wound in my side.

Quietly he reaches for the scissors and cuts away the fabric, enough so that he can see what’s going on.

“Is it bad?” I ask, as the adrenalin simmers down and pain begins to throb through me.

“You’ll live.” He chuckles. “But you need stitches.”

“Damn.” I sigh.

“I can do them.” He reassures me.

“Really?” I ask, confused. “Then why did you let me do Romeo’s stitches - why didn’t you do them?”

“Because - “ he sighs. “I trust you, Zina.”

I swallow away the tears lumping in my throat.

“You - you believe that it wasn’t me?”

He lets out a slow breath, pouring disinfectant over my skin that fizzes as it cleans the wound. I wince, clenching my teeth together.

“I’ve been thinking about everything that happened. I’ve been thinking about all the moments with you. Nothing you’ve done has given me any reason not to trust you. It’s only fear that’s pushed me away from you. Fear, and letting other people’s opinions cloud my judgement. I have no reason to doubt you, no evidence against you.”

He looks at me and gently brushes his hand over my cheek. “I love you, Zina.” He says quietly.

Tears are running freely down my face, but I’m smiling.

He leans close and presses his lips against mine.

“I love you, little firefly.”

“I love you too.” I whisper back.

Giovanni carefully does seven very neat stitches in my side, then covers it with clean gauze and bandages.

“No sudden movements, or you’ll tear the stitches out.”

“You better tell my husband that, he tends to be a little - rough.” I grin.

Giovanni chuckles, sitting down on the sofa next to me he pulls me onto his lap, gently wrapping his arm around my waist.

“I’m so sorry.” He nuzzles his face in my neck.

“I’m just glad to have you back. I thought I lost you - that I lost your love.” I murmur.

“No matter how hard I tried - I could never stop loving you, Zina.”

We sit quietly for a long time, until Giovanni stands up, cradling me in his arms, to carry me to bed so that I can rest.

“Do you think it’s over?” I ask with my head resting against his broad chest and his strong arms holding me safe.

“I don’t know, my love. But I won’t let doubt come between us again.”

His words flood me with happiness.

All I want is his love.

All I want in this world is him.