“Dad…” He rushes to me and gives me the tightest hug he’s ever given me, preventing me from saying anything more.Rafaelle releases my arms so I can hug him back.
“Gianna, my darling, my sweet daughter,” Dad is saying, his voice cracking with emotion.“You’re safe now.Everything will be all right now.I’m taking you home now.”
I can hear Matteo still talking to Dante, who doesn’t sound as mockingly menacing as he did all afternoon.He sounds scared.
“I am home.”I tell my dad, but he doesn’t hear me, just keeps repeating that I’m finally safe now, that he’s taking me home, how happy my mother and Lidia will be to see me, how we’ll be a family again soon.
He releases me just in time for me to see Dante fall to his knees in front of Matteo, blood gushing from his throat.
It’s done.It’s finally over.
I try to move past my dad to run to Matteo, because all I want is to wrap my arms around hm, feel his arms around me, hear his heartbeat, tell him everything will be good from here on out, hear him tell me the same.Hear him tell me the nightmare is finally over.
My dad turns too and by the time I register that he’s aiming his gun at Matteo, the bullet is already flying.I barely hear the shot this time.I just see the bullet hit Matteo.Watch him stumble back as though in slow motion.Watch his blood flow.
And I’m still stuck in that happy thought where the nightmare is finally over.
“No!”I hear my voice screaming as I run to Matteo, catching him in my arms before he can fall.
But he falls anyway.All I can do is cradle his face in my hands as I go down with him.
I look around the room, but everyone’s frozen.My dad with his gun still pointed at Matteo and me, an ugly grimace on his face, Rafaelle beside him, all of Matteo’s men with nearly identical looks of shock on their faces.
But then I feel the sunshine on my face and look at Matteo, whose eyes are fixed on mine, caressing me with their warmth.Maybe for the last time.
“It’s over, I won,” he says smiling at me.“You’ll be fine now.You both will.”
“No,” I whisper.“Don’t leave me.I love you.I love you so much.”
The men around us all have their guns trained on my father and Rafaelle now.
“Me dying after this war was always a very real possibility,” Matteo says to me.“But at least I had you.”
“Haveme, youhaveme,” I say.“Forever.”
He smiles then looks at his men.“Don’t kill the old man.”
Then he looks at me again, still smiling, but it’s fading.
“You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” he says faintly.“Make sure our child knows about me.”
“You’ll tell him,” I say.“Stay with me.Stay with us.Fight.”
But his eyes are fluttering shut.
Then they close.
And they don’t open again.No matter how much I beg and plead.No matter how much I pray silently in my head.No matter how tightly I’m holding onto him.
And I feel no sunshine of his gaze caressing me anymore.
I never will again.
Chapter39
MATTEO
I didn’t wastemuch time getting home.Ignored all of Caputo’s, Nico’s, and everyone else’s good advice to get the forces together first, surround the house, go in slowly and with a guarantee of success.
