“The fuck you got there?” he asked, aiming the gun at me as he walked towards me. I could see his finger on the trigger and the safety off. He was serious. “You going to shoot me down first, Marcello? Try it. Go ahead. I’m fucking invincible!”
He moved towards me. In his state, he needed to get closer to make his shot count. The tension in his arm told me he was about to pull the trigger. There was no other recourse. I raised the gun and shot four times, the sound echoing out into the forest around us. Birds flew up towards the sky and Gianni stared at me, touching the wounds in his chest, before collapsing.
I fell to the ground on my knees, disgusted with what I’d just done. I could hear the passenger door to the limo open and Lucia stepped out, her gown ripped along the bottom. She stared in shock at Gianni’s body before lifting her eyes to mine.
There was an expression of fear and relief etched across her face. Her makeup had run down her cheeks and her lips were quivering. The tears began to stream down her face as she neared me, and there was a deep silence that followed.
I’d killed my own brother.
25
Chiara
The sounds from the paramedics, the refusal from the family to accept the ambulance ride, everything had caused me to find solitude outside of the church. I sat on a bench, contemplating the fate of my sister and her unborn child.
I couldn’t imagine how Angelo Cavetti was feeling. I hoped he regretted what he did to my parents, without having had the proof. We were all led to believe that my parents had been behind the death of Gianni—it turns out he was just in hiding. They didn’t even have a body. Not that I would have known. No one ever told me anything.
It was only when I heard the screeching of tires that I leaped from the bench. It had to be Marcello. He would know what happened to Lucia, and there would at least be one part of the day that had been resolved.
A sense of relief washed over me. There was a pang of hope in my stomach as I walked through the church’s courtyard. The engine to the Escalade turned off and I heard the opening of car doors. Two of them.
I rounded the corner and saw Marcello stepping out of the vehicle. There was an immense sense of relief when I saw Lucia in the car. She was safe. He’d somehow gotten her back to the church, and uninjured. I couldn’t believe it. I was sure that something terrible would happen to her.
Gianni had been ruthless in taking her, as though he’d planned it through. I had visions of him shooting himself and Lucia in order to stop his brother from getting her back.
I let out a deep breath, not even having realized that I’d been holding it in. I waited for them to enter the church before I followed them. I didn’t want to interrupt, especially when I saw that Romeo was still on the ground, bandaged up thanks to the paramedics, but still in a bad state.
Why Angelo hadn’t allowed him to go to the hospital was beyond me, but I was glad to see them both back together. Romeo didn’t question her, nor did he shame her. No one blamed Lucia for what had happened.
Romeo cupped her face in his hands and kissed her deeply and I could see from the expression on his face that he was glad to have her back safe. She cried softly in his arms, checking the bandages around his chest. They’d opened up his dress shirt and fixed the wound, making sure to check everything. He needed surgery, though, to remove the bullet. Angelo refused and told them that he’d set it up at the house. That was, of course, after they made sure that Lucia was safe. We’d likely be headed back to the Cavetti’s home.
I walked into the church silently, lifting my eyes to the back of Marcello’s head. His dark hair had been cut and faded so that it was perfect for the wedding ceremony. Looks were important to the Cavetti’s, and Angelo made sure that everyone appeared perfect, without so much as a wrinkle in their dress shirt.
I brought my attention back to Lucia, who was helping Romeo to his feet. There was blood seeping out from beneath the bandage and I sighed. Of course, Angelo would make it so that his son would have to suffer through surgery at home. The last thing he needed, of course, were the feds finding out that there had been shooting between his sons.
Still. Where was Gianni?
I strode up to where Marcello was standing and couldn’t tell by his expression. He hadn’t fully let down his guard—not in front of anyone. I’d have to wait to find out what happened.
At that moment, he was too busy focusing on his brother, who had love in his eyes as he looked at my sister, holding her as though she could disappear at any moment. Romeo had always been a monster, but it seemed as though my sister had brought out a side in him that was kind. Especially with her.
I felt a sudden excitement when Romeo touched Lucia’s flat stomach. The smile on his face spoke volumes, and I was glad to have witnessed the gentle expression on his face. He was smitten with her.
“Lucia,” I said, causing her to turn to me. “Are you okay?”
Lucia nodded softly. “I’m as good as I can be. How was everything here?”
“We made it through okay,” I told her, and inhaled deeply. “Is it true that you’re pregnant?”
She lowered her hands to her stomach, placing them over Romeo’s. “It is, actually.”
I watched as Alessandra came out from the hallway and brought her hand to her chest when she saw that Lucia was back safe. She came up beside me and placed her arm around my shoulders. I nearly fell over when she gave me a half-hug and brought me in close.
“I’m sorry, Chiara. I should have told you.”
“It’s fine right now,” I said, keeping my voice low. “We’ll talk about it another time. Not today. Today’s about Lucia, and she just had the worst wedding ever.”
It seemed unlikely that things could return to some degree of normality after what had happened, especially after such a short time, but somehow they did. Romeo was going to be okay and Lucia was back safe, so calmness was restored until…
