“I am so sorry, bella. You have to come with me.”
Her fingers tangle with mine, and she nods her head quickly. “Okay.” That one word breaks my heart.
Pedro says something that I ignore.
“Will he be okay?” she asks, glancing quickly down at Lorenzo.
“Of course, he will,” Pedro yells. “If we leave soon.”
I begin to pull Shae toward the car along the curb. As we pass, I look at Lorenzo, struggling on the ground, and fix him in my gaze. “Relax,” I tell him. “Don’t bleed out. I still need you.”
“Padrino.” He winces as he says that word.
Shae turns to look at Lorenzo, and I have to pull her along with gentle promises that he will recover.
Promises that make Pedro chuckle.
I add his laughter to the list of reasons The Board will regret taking me in this way.
22GIULIO
THE NEXT DAY
I hopethat when we arrive in Palermo, everything will be explained. I call Salvatore as soon as we land, and his mobile phone is turned off. It doesn’t even ring anymore. Maybe it’s dead.
Maybe he’s dead.
I call Federico while we wait for the plane door to open, but his phone just rings and rings.
I try Lorenzo next; switching back and forth between them like I have since last night.
When I hear Lorenzo’s weak voice on the other end of the line, I stop walking immediately, and my heart starts racing.
“Giulio,” the other man says.
“Where the fuck have you been? Where is Salvo?”
He takes a slow, labored breath while I fight the urge to scream.
“What’s going on?” Alfonso says. “Where are they?”
He’s huddling close to me, trying to hear, but I can’t put the call on speakerphone.
“Where are you, Giulio?”
“Where are you?” I say, much louder and with more force than I mean.
“At the hospital. Are you at the airport?”
“Yes. What hospital?”
“It doesn’t matter. Tommaso will collect you, and we’ll talk when you arrive.” He hangs up, and I don’t scream necessarily, but a woman does clutch her children to her side at my loud grunt. I scowl at her.
“What hospital?” Alfonso asks.
“Yeah, what fucking hospital?”
The sound of Zahra’s voice makes my heart stop pounding for a brief moment. Alfonso and I turn to see Zahra and Zoe staring at us, fear and anger warring on their faces, their arms crossed over their chests.
