“Antonio?” I ask after he picks up the call.
“Marco,” he says stiffly.
“I know you don’t want me in your life. I know you’re just trying to protect Arianna. But… I could really talk to you right now.”
“You sound upset. What happened?”
“My wife was shot. She’s in surgery right now.”
He sucks in a breath. “I didn’t even know you were married.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know. You didn’t want me in your life. And I get it. I live a dangerous one. But I just need you to know, brother, that… I have always loved you. And I’m sorry that I pushed you away by being in this life.”
Antonio is quiet on the other end for a long moment until he sighs. “I’ll always love you too, Marco. And I hope your wife will be ok. For your sake. Tell me. Was she shot because of mafia business?”
“Yes,” I admit.
“Then that’s your answer. I can’t talk to you again. I can’t put Arianna at risk. She deserves to live a life away from the mafia. So please don’t call me again.”
“I know,” I say, my heart feeling a thousand pounds heavier.
“I do love you, Marco. Stay safe.” He hangs up before I can say anything more.
I’ve pushed everyone in my life away except for Ciara. I cannot lose her.
After hours of waiting, the doctor who performed Ciara’s surgery finally comes to talk to me and Patrick.
“She’s stable,” she explains. “We got the bullet out and stopped the bleeding. She’ll survive this but she’ll need to stay in the hospital for a few days while we administer her medicine.”
“But she’ll live?” I croak out.
The doctor smiles. “She should. She’s in a good place right now. Still under sedative but you can go see her.”
Patrick and I rush to her private room to find Ciara asleep in the bed.
“I am sorry,” I say to Patrick. “For not protecting her.”
“No. I’m sorry. This is my fault. I never knew Cormac would go to such lengths. You didn’t do anything wrong. If I had known this would have put Ciara into danger, I never would have married her to you. Cormac never would have been so angry.”
“I promise to you, Patrick, that I’ll always keep her safe.”
“You made a compelling argument that we shouldn’t kill Enzo Bianchi or Will Taylor, leading us into a war. And you’re right. Ciara needs time to heal. I need time to deal with my son. Gaining power can wait. The more important thing is family.”
I go to Ciara’s side and hold her hand. “You’re right.”
“You’re a part of this family now, Marco. Know that. You’ve become my new son now that I’ve lost my other one.”
“Maybe you can make Cormac see reason.” But even I know it’s a bullshit thing to say.
Patrick huffs. “I don’t know what my son will do. But I’ll have to be ready for anything.”
Ciara lets out a sigh and blinks her eyes open.
“Hey,” I say, squeezing her hand.
“I’ll go get the nurse,” Patrick says, leaving the room.
Ciara stares up at me for a moment before she breaks down into tears.
