“My name is Dr. Walter. I’m an emergency medicine physician at Grace Memorial. I’m calling regarding your wife.”
My blood instantly runs cold. “What happened?”
Danny straightens, his shoulders going rigid with tension.
“Your wife was involved in an incident,” the doctor continues. “A car bomb detonated just outside the Kingsley Spa.She, along with a friend, were the only two in close proximity at the time. We’re unsure of how?—”
“Is my wife alive?” I’m already on my feet and rounding the desk. Daniele’s eyes go wide; fear floods his features.
“Tell me.”
“She is alive, sir. She sustained only minor injuries—thanks to her friend.”
Everything else dissolves into static.
I blink, looking from my son to the door and back again.
She’s alive. She’s okay.
I repeat the words in my head like a prayer, clinging to them, using them to hold myself together.
“Papa, che?” my son asks, his voice tight.(Father, what?)
I blink again, swallow hard, pushing down the raw emotions plunging into my chest. They press against my ribcage, demanding to be released, but I hold steady.
I can’t afford to unravel.
“I will be there shortly,”I tell the doctor, then hang up.
We are under siege.
“I need to get you out of here, Danny.” I’m already texting one of the guards on his detail. “You’ll go with Enzo to the cabin until I say it’s time to come home. I need the estate and the penthouse checked first.”
“What happened?” he presses. “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me. Is Mom okay?”
I nod. “There was a car bombing, but she’s okay. From what the doctor said, she only has minor injuries—thanks to Valerio. But I think he’s really hurt. I need to go and check on both of them.”
“I’m coming too.”
I shake my head. “No. It’s too risky. I need you somewhere safe. Enzo will take you to the cabin. Not many know about it, and you’ll be protected there.”
He rises from his chair, staring me dead in the eyes. “No. I’m coming with you. She’s your wife, but she’s my mother. I need to see if she’s okay—uncle Valerio too.”
I shake my head again. “You are my heir. My only heir. And if they’ve come after your mother, they will come after you.”
“They? Who the hell is ‘they?’”
I pause, hesitating for a second or two. “Our enemies. They lurk in the shadows, my boy, and if we aren’t careful, they’ll try to topple everything we’ve built. And you, my son—you’re my future, the future of this syndicate. I can’t have you exposed right now.”
He steps toward me. “So you want me to hide while my mother lies in a hospital bed? No. Fuck that. The first lesson you ever taught me as a child was to stand strong as a man. Not to run at the sight of a fight but to dig my heels into the soil and face the barrel of the gun.”
I should be proud he’s carried that lesson all these years. But now is not the time for him to play hero.
"I said you go with Enzo. That’s not up for discussion. Until I know there are no bullets flying, you stay out of sight.”
He remembers who I am. And that this isn’t a fight he wins. Smart boy.
“I’ll go with Enzo. But I need updates. Every hour. Don’t keep me in the dark. And call me when you’re with her. I need to hear her voice.”
