“Franco?” I ask. I’m trying to catch him in a lie. Aurelio has been looking for Franco for weeks, and he would know if Franco was with Giovanna.
Antonio shakes his head. “No. Yes? I don’t know. I didn’t see him.”
“Get up.”
Antonio scowls at me, but stays seated. “Tommy, I wouldn’t be here if—”
“You’re here because you’re on the run from my father and from me, and you know you can’t hide from both of us for long. You must have really fucked up with Aurelio to think that I was your best shot. Now get the fuck up.”
The room vibrates with silence, broken only by our ragged breathing. He grips his side and smirks. That fuck— I don’t think, I just strike, my hand balling into a fist and connecting with his face before I have time to process anything. He’s out instantly, and I set about tying him up. When I’m done, I text Valentina and tell her to put out feelers for Berto.
I’ve got to get Antonio to the Edge where he will wait for Giovanna and whatever my girl wants to do to the rapist fuck.
And then I need to connect with the one person who may be able to extend the time clock on this thing a little longer if I can get him to pull his head out of his ass long enough to listen to me.
My day just got very fucking busy.
15
Giovanna
The rotted wood ceiling looms overhead like a coffin lid, undulating in and out of focus every time I blink.
The nurse is with me, but I can’t move my head to look at her. Maybe I can, but I don’t. I don’t move except to take the shallowest of breaths.
Her words drift to me as if through a fog.
“Good news, dear,” she says brightly. “You’re going to have a baby.”
I hear the words in my head over and over again.
Good news, dear.
You’re going to have a baby.
Good news, dear.
You’re going to have a baby.
Good news, dear…
I feel sick and heave. I don’t even turn my head. I don’t care if I choke. But nothing comes up. And this bitch is still talking.
“I’ve had vitamins in your drip this entire time, but you’re going to have to start eating. Baby needs calories, not just nutrients. We’ll need to get you moving, walking around. You want your blood circulating naturally now that you’re going to have an increase in blood volume. And of course, you’re resting for two, so you want good sleep that allows baby to grow….”
I can’t breathe.
The more conscious and awake I become, the sharper the colors and the smells and the sounds, the more panic grips my body. My limbs are fidgety, my lungs seize up, and I start to thrash and fight against my restraints.
The nurse grabs my arms and holds me down, but when I keep bucking wildly, she straddles me and pins me down with her whole body.
My strength gives out immediately, and I’m panting hard. I open my mouth to scream, but it stays lodged in my throat.
She’s speaking to me again, soothing me, but I look right through her. All I can see is Tommy’s face—how he looks when he’s furious, how he looks when he’s broken. How he’s going to look when he finds out that I’m pregnant with another man’s baby. My heart fractures in two.
This is going to kill him.
I don’t even have the strength to cry.
