“What did you say, Tommy?”
“Gi, it took a long time to find you. Along the way, different…information came out. So I know fucking Antonio was—”
He’s working so hard to control himself. My throat locks up. I can barely breathe through the panic clawing at my chest.
Dr. Rossi steps in, calm but firm. “We don’t know. She was unconscious for most of it. The point now is recovery, not vengeance.”
“I do know,” I whisper. “I was conscious when it…when he started. Before the nurse drugged me. It was Antonio.”
Tommy looks like he might explode. His fists curl. He buries his face in my neck and drags in a deep breath before setting me back on the couch. He kneels in front of me and takes my trembling hands in his.
“Baby, look at me.”
I do, even though it hurts to meet his eyes. They’re full of grief, of something helpless I’ve never seen in him before. “You’re safe now. Nobody will ever—” He stops, jaw locking. He squeezes my hands and swallows hard.
Dr. Rossi clears his throat. “I’ll need to run several tests: bloodwork, tox screen, infection panels, and a pregnancy test.”
My stomach drops, and I start to hyperventilate. No. No, please.
Tommy looks back at Dr. Rossi. “Yeah, do it. I want to know that she’s getting any treatment she needs right away.”
I shake my head hard. “No. I don’t—”
Dr. Rossi meets my eyes again. He understands. I can see it. I blink at him once—please don’t.It’s the only thing I have control over right now.
He hesitates and glances at Tommy. I know he’s weighing his duty to Tommy against my begging eyes. Then, almost imperceptibly, he nods at me.
Tommy doesn’t notice. He moves to sit by me on the couch, his arms around me, still trying to keep me from falling apart. “Giovanna, it’s just to make sure you’re okay.” His voice cracks on the last word.
I nod faintly, but inside, I’m crumbling. The wordpregnantechoes in my mind like a bomb that’s going to blow us both up.
Dr. Rossi gathers his tools quietly, giving us a moment. Outside, the sea pounds against the rocks, steady and relentless. When I catch Dr. Rossi’s eye, I mouth the words “wait outside” and he nods, stepping out to give us privacy.
I’ll do the tests, but I’ll do them without Tommy knowing so that he won’t get the results. The door clicks shut behind Dr. Rossi, and the silence wraps around us, thick and sacred.
Tommy presses his forehead against my hands. His breath shakes.
“I should’ve found you sooner,” he whispers. “I should’ve burned this city to the fucking ground until the only thing left standing was you and me.”
I lean down until my forehead rests on the back of his head. “You did,” I whisper back. “You did.”
He exhales shakily, wrapping his arms around me, pulling me into his chest like he’s trying to fuse us into one person. His heart beats hard beneath my cheek, and mine races right along with his.
Tommy strokes my hair. “I’m not leaving you. Not for a second.”
And I know he means it. That’s what terrifies me.
Because when he finds out what else they took from me, from us, and what they left behind, he really is going to burn this city to the fucking ground.
22
Tommy
Steam fogs the mirrors around me, beads of water dripping down their surfaces as water flows into the bathtub. This bathroom is huge, with marble counters that glint under the dim lights and heated tile floors.
Giovanna is sunk in the tub, water up to her collarbones, black hair pasted against her neck. The giant tub dwarfs her, making her appear smaller, hollowed out, her ribs a map under her wet skin. Her wrists and ankles are a smear of purples and yellowish-green bruises. I wish I could wash away every mark.
Gi’s eyes are closed, her arm draped over the edge of the tub. She’s holding my hand. I text Vin with my other hand while I sit on the floor leaning against the tub and gently rubbing her fingers.
