Page 115 of The Temptation

It was the same when I got shot a few years back. My brother had gone underground with Chloe and Giovanni after a threat of retaliation from the Mortellis was imminent, so he wasn’t around that fateful day, which, in hindsight, I’m grateful for.

He was the one who gave Angelina the order to call triple zero. And I know, without a doubt, I wouldn’t be alive today if he hadn’t. I would’ve died right alongside my father and his men.

Death is part of the deal in the Cosa Nostra. I made peace with that a long time ago. But if things had played out any other way that day, I would’ve missed out on the life I have now with Arabella and Caterina … and that’s something I can’t even begin to fathom.

“Shit. Give me a second,” Arabella says after a brief pause. “I need to sit down.”

I fucking hate that I’m not there to deliver the news to her personally, but I couldn’t leave Romeo on his own. I need to know he’s going to be okay. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to handle it if he’s not.

“Listen. Lucia should be there soon. She’s going to need you. She was a fucking mess when they took her away. I spoke to Dominic a few minutes ago, and he said she’s completely checked out now. I’ve called our doctor, and he’s on his way to the house. He might need to sedate her.”

“Poor Lu-Lu,” she whispers through her soft cries. “Poor Romeo. I will pray hard for him.”

That has a small smile tugging at my lips. “He’s going to need all the prayers,Bellezza.”

“She loves him, you know?”

“Yeah, I know.”

“She’ll be devastated if he doesn’t pull through.”

So will I.

I swallow thickly, trying to dislodge the knot that has formed in the back of my throat.

“I’m going to call Angelina when the sun comes up and see if she’ll come and stay with us for a while. Your sister is going to need all of our support going forward.”

I’ve gone from standing to sitting to fucking pacing as I wait for some word on Romeo’s condition.

I’ve been here for hours. I thought I would’ve heard something by now. I guess I can be grateful that he’s still fighting. If he hadn’t pulled through, surely they would’ve told me.

I come to an abrupt stop when my phone buzzes in my pocket. Arabella continues to message, asking for updates.

Lucia is back at home with her, and she’s not in a good way. Even when her sister told her that we were able to revive Romeo and that he’s currently in surgery, she just stared at her blankly.

Like I predicted, the doctor sedated Lucia when he arrived. Hopefully, by the time she comes around, I’ll have some good news for her.

I glance down at the screen of my phone, and see the message isn’t from my wife. It’s from one of my men.

Frank: We went to the house like you asked, but she beat us to it.

Me: What do you mean she beat you to it?

I sent a couple of my men to Romeo’s mother’s house. It was a tough call, but I had no choice. I’ve never liked that woman, but her son has remained loyal to a fault. He was the only reason I struggled with the decision. He said he wouldn’t stand in my way, but when it came to the crunch, did he really mean it?

But in the end, she is the reason why her son is now fighting for his life. We could’ve lost him, we still might, and we could’ve lost Lucia as well. I couldn’t in good conscience let that slide.

Frank: She was lying in a puddle of her own puke with an empty bottle of prescription medication beside her.

Me: Are you sure she’s dead and not just passed out or overdosing?

Frank: She’s cold, stiff, and as blue as my fucking balls.

Me: Do I even want to know why your balls are blue?

Frank: I’m in the dog house with the missus again.

Me: What did you do this time?