“Don’t think the worst.”
“But he’s not okay, is he?”
“I have the same information as you; after we leave, I’ll try to get more information.”
“Without hiding anything, I’ll be your boss one day; you owe me respect.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I didn’t like the look Francesco offered me, playing with the fact that I’m marrying Luca and demanding something from him, which isn’t something I really like, but I need to know how he’s doing.
Minutes later, a green light comes on above the vault door, and it slowly opens. I quickly get up from the sofa and see my father, accompanied by six security guards.
“Are you all right?” He turns away from me, examining my whole body, looking for any trace that I’m not well.
“Everything’s fine; how are things outside?” I hold his arm and walk with him toward the exit of the house.
“There’s been a lot of confusion, many people injured, a few deaths, and the news keeps going on and on about the attacks. It’s going to be difficult to explain what happened, after all, to the public the Di Santis are just businessmen, and there have been too many attacks, even on places that people had no idea belonged to them.”
Bodyguards are waiting for us outside; I make a small sign with my head to greet them, which everyone quickly responds to. I see Francesco heading toward them, probably trying to get information.
“Are they being treated?”
“Yes, I’ve put a large medical team in one of our safe houses, the most serious cases are going to hospital, but everything that can be controlled is being treated there. They’re still checking the bodies to notify the families and prepare the funerals.”
“Dad, Luca… Where he is, Paolo hasn’t given any information.”
My father’s face becomes tense, and I notice him exchanging glances with Francesco. He’s hiding something from me, and Francesco already knows what it is.
“Dad, where’s Luca?” he remains silent, still assessing the situation. “You’re my father; I need to believe that I can trust you. Don’t make me go to one of those men and use my status as Luca’s fiancée to get information.”
His face is still serious; I see Francesco slowly approach and look in my direction, giving my father a little nod. I look at them impatiently; my father gestures for me to get into the car waiting for us. I look at it in disbelief and end up getting in; he and Francesco sit next to me. I see my father’s driver start the car, and we are protected by six cars with soldiers in them.
“Can someone tell me what happened, please?”
My father pulls my hand and intertwines it with his; I look at him without understanding the gesture. “Luca is in hospital undergoing surgery; he has suffered some injuries, one of which was a gunshot wound to the chest near the heart; the bullet pierced the lung and grazed an artery. The bleeding was contained, but he was admitted to hospital unconscious. Don Henrico is also undergoing surgery, but more than a gunshot wound, one of them could leave him without movement in his legs.”
My breath gets stuck, my mind is foggy, I can’t think straight, and I feel I’m on the verge of losing control; a tear runs down my cheek, and I know I have to control myself; the DiSantis family is in crisis, and the eyes of the soldiers will be on me.
“Where are we going?”
“Home, you need to rest, Principessa.”
“Change the route to the hospital.” I see the driver look at my father, asking for confirmation, and anger surges through my body. “Now!”
“Chiara…”
“My fiancé is in surgery, probably on the verge of death. My place is in the hospital, and if they don’t let me go, I’ll be forced to get out of the car and make the soldiers respond to my orders.”
A heavy sigh leaves my dad’s lips, and he nods. “To the hospital.”
The driver quickly changes course, I look at Francesco and he gives me a small smirk and nods in agreement with my decision. At the hospital, I see several soldiers with guns drawn and I spot six snipers at strategic points. The soldiers escorting us get out of their cars and go to meet the soldiers present on the scene, confirming that the place is safe and gesturing positively for me to get out of the car. Francesco gets out first, looking in all directions and holding the door for me.
“Good evening!” my voice comes out loud and sure; all the soldiers greet me, bowing their heads slightly in respect. “Take me to Luca.”
Paolo comes out of the hospital, bows his head in respect, and gives me an approving look. “Luca and Capo are still in surgery; it may be a few hours before you can see him. Lady Milena and Bella are in the VIP waiting room, we can take you to them.”
I nod, following him to the hospital entrance. “What’s the current status?”
“They both lost a lot of blood. Don Henrico came inconscious, but Luca didn’t, which makes everything more complicated.”
