“I’ve got their location,” one of our men says, showing me his phone.
“Good. Let’s go.”
I turn to leave, and Angelo calls after me.
“Hey, Romeo.” His gaze drifts to his wife and daughter in the SUV.
“Yeah?”
“Now we can go scorched fucking earth.”
34
GABRIELA
“He’ll be okay, Gabi.”Mariella’s voice draws my attention from the entryway I’ve been staring at for hours. “You should try to get some rest.”
“I can’t.” My voice comes out raw. “Not until he’s here.”
“They’ve got this,” Abella tries to reassure me.
How she’s so calm and collected, I don’t know. I’m not used to this the way she is.
I witnessed violence growing up, and sometimes Michael came home with blood on his shirt. But it never affected me like today did. Because today, it was Romeo’s blood that I saw.
He’s out there injured, and I have no way of knowing if he’s alright.
“He was shot.” A fresh wave of tears tracks down my face.
“Rafe took a good look at it,” Mariella says. “It’s just a graze. He’s survived much worse.”
I close my eyes as the memory of the lightning strike assaults me. Seeing his lifeless body on the ground fractured something inside me, and I don’t think it ever healed. I’ll never forget how long those seconds felt, waiting for his heart to beat.
It may have taken him nine years, but he came back to me. This can’t be the way our story ends.
When I think about the last two weeks and how horrible they’ve been, I drown in my regrets. He was miserable, but he was there—because he didn’t want to leave me.
Maybe he’ll never be able to say it, but he’s shown me how he feels in a million little ways. Right now, I don’t care about the words. I just don’t want to lose him.
More time passes as Abella and I hold vigil on the sofa. At some point, Nonna shows up with another tray of tea and cookies, urging me to eat something. I don’t want to, but I choke one down just to focus on something else, even for a few seconds.
Outside, darkness slips away, and dawn arrives. Beppe curls up under a blanket beside me, and I fight the exhaustion weighing me down. I don’t want to succumb to it, but at some point, I do.
Someone taps on my arm, and it jolts me awake.
“Hey. They’re here,” Abella tells me.
I open my bleary eyes to see Cristian and Rafe entering the room first, and I sit up straighter. Michele comes in behind them, and I don’t miss the blood on their shirts. It triggers a fresh wave of panic as I glance at Rafe, searching for an answer. He smiles, nodding over his shoulder as Angelo enters, and then finally…Romeo.
I’m on my feet, charging at him before I can process a single rational thought. I skid into him, and he grunts as he catches me around the waist, peering down at me in concern.
I open my mouth to say something, but all that comes out is a sob.
“Hey.” He shelters me against his chest, kissing the top of my head. “It’s okay.”
“I didn’t think you were coming back.” My voice fractures.
He swallows hard, rubbing my back as he holds me close. “I’m here, and it’s over now. Those men will never hurt you again.”
