Scarlett nodded. “Dr. Dubois, I understand this must be a difficult situation for you, but make no mistake. If something happens tomyfamily, the same will happen to yours. We’re not out to hurt anyone. We just need help.” Her trembling hand came to Mia’s head, and then Scarlett spoke to Dr. Dubois in French. I recognized the wordbebe.
Dr. Dubois sighed. “I understand completely,” she said. “If the man who is with my family now can handle this, I have colleagues who will help. I know of the Fausti family. I know of Dr. Tito Sala.”
Tito Sala was one of the greatest doctors who ever existed, in my opinion, but he was much too old to practice medicine anymore. He was also blood related to me and married to Mia’s great-great aunt. Tito was the man who put me in the path of the two doctors I trusted. I only trusted them because I trusted him.
Maybe Scarlett had softened the doctor to our cause some. That was the first time she mentioned his name or extra help.
The car hit a bump, jostling Mia’s feet. She screamed so loud that everyone in the car seemed to jump at once. It shocked the atmosphere. She started crying out about her feet, thrashing her arms. All the blood felt like it drained from my body when something wet and warm started to seep through my pants. It was puddling between me and her.
More blood? No. She must have had an accident. That still didn’t make me catch my breath, though, because shewasbleeding. And we couldn’t touch her feet, or the pain would be excruciating. She might go into shock.
I couldn’t stop my heart from bleeding out. I couldn’t stop this.
Dr. Dubois turned in her seat, rubbing Mia’s head, talking softly to her. Scarlett did, too.
A droplet of sweat ran from my forehead, down the slope of my nose, onto her face. It mixed with her tears. Her eyes were wide-open now, staring into mine. She was pale, the green of her eyes almost neon in the darkness. She was holding her stomach. Something I hadn’t seen her do before.
“Kill me,” she said. “Kill me,Saverio. It hurts so bad. If you love me, you’ll kill me.”
Brando let out a noise that sounded like it came from a wild beast. I thought the noise had come from me at first. Maybe it had come from the both of us.
“Evelina,” I said, my voice almost a growl.
“We’re here!”
As soon as she pulled up to the warehouse, the door automatically opened, and the tires screeched against cement as she pulled inside. The door closed behind us as soon as we were in. The darkness swallowed us for a few seconds before lights started to flicker on.
A second later, Matteo and Mariano were in, followed by Rocco and Vincenzo. The lights repeated the pattern.
Tito’s team was waiting with a stretcher. I held Mia to me for as long as I could. Giving her up felt like forfeiting something inside of me. Something I was born with. Something no one got to keep but me.
“Rio!” Mia cried, trying to roll on the stretcher, fighting them.
“I’m here, baby,” I said, taking her hand, kissing it.
“Don’t leave me,” she pleaded. Her hand trembled in mine. “Please.”
“You’re not going anywhere without me. I don’t go anywhere without you.”
“Mamma,” she cried. “Papà.” They were on the other side of her. Brando stroked her head, and Scarlett held her hand, kissing it.
Her brothers hovered around the door.
One of the doctors started an IV, and in the next few seconds, her eyes fluttered, and it seemed like she fell asleep. Dr. Dubois had suited up, and she touched my shoulder before she told us, “We will take care of her.”
None of us moved.
“Saverio.” Evelina pressed her hand to my shoulder. Hard. “Mia is going to be okay. Come on. You need help, too. So does Brando.”
Everything swayed for a second. The florescent lights above my head. The chairs in the waiting room. Even the smell of antiseptics seemed to fade. I looked at Brando Fausti, and there were two of him before they merged into one. There were more doctors surrounding me. One or more?
Drained. I felt completely—I fell forward, like I was sailing from a cliff. I hit the rock-solid body in front of me at the same time it seemed to hit me. We collided in a crash. I heard gasps, and then everything faded to black.
Chapter19
Mia
Warmth on my face. It was so pleasant that I turned toward it. Then I regretted that I did. My skin felt paper thin. So thin that I worried for a second that the heat would set me on fire. My bones felt brittle. My muscles made of goo. My mouth dry and my lips cracked. My feet—too sore to even think about.
