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I almost smile at the thought of my sister having a sleepover with Marco and me. Not Deputy Superintendent Koffler, I hope... that would be too weird. I expect he has a wife and family to go home to, and he says exactly that when he returns. “There’s an armed officer outside this door and another outside the ICU.” He pauses, and I notice his eyes are red from weeping. “You can go and see the Commissario now, the doctor just told me. They’ve managed to stabilize him.”
We leave Camila to her own devices and make our way to the ICU.
“We’re keeping him under sedation until tomorrow,” the doctor says as we go to stand by Alessio’s bed. “By then, we’ll be able to give you a better prognosis. The next twenty-four hours will be critical.”
I push the heel of my palm into my aching chest.
“He’s in the best hands, tesoro,” Marco soothes me. “Alessio is a fighter.”
After pulling up chairs, we sit beside his bed and hold his hands in ours. Taking care not to disturb any of the tubes and lines running into him, we lean across and brush kisses to his warm lips.
“We’re here, Alessio. We both love you so much. I love you,” I finally say the words that come from my heart.
Marco bends and kisses him again. “Sleep well, amore. We’ll wait at the hospital for you to wake up.”
Then, our arms around each other, sobbing like our hearts are breaking, we lurch out of the ICU and return to the waiting room.Chapter Thirty-FourMarcoCamila grabs her suitcase and goes to the restroom. Sefi nestles into my side as I put through the dreaded call to Alessio’s parents. They’re understandably shocked and tell me they’ll be on the next available flight from Rome. His mother, Bianca, is so upset she can barely speak. His father, Enzo, chokes on unshed tears. He says he will contact Luigi, Alessio’s brother, who is in the anti-mafia force, as well as his other siblings.
My throat is sore from crying so much. I should be strong for Sefi, be the rock she can lean on, and I will be once I’ve gotten through this agonizing period of not knowing if Alessio is going to make it or not.
I kiss the top of her silky soft head. Thank God she’s okay. I wouldn’t have survived both her and Alessio getting hurt.
She loves the two of us...
I suck in a quick breath. When I heard her confession to Camila, I simply had to reveal how Alessio and I feel. He’d have preferred us to tell her together, I know he would, but in the circumstances I’m sure he’ll forgive me for having jumped the gun.
I shudder at the thought of those two bullets piercing his beautiful body. He’s so goddamn strong… a lesser man would have died within minutes.
He’d better pull through. My stomach clenches. How can Alessio, always so vibrant and full of life, be lying inert as a corpse on that hospital bed? Although I’ve seen it for myself, I can’t get my head around it. My heart, though, my poor heart knows the truth and the pain has fucking ripped it into pieces.
The door bangs open, and Camila breezes into the room. She’s taken off her make-up and has changed out of her body-hugging dress into jeans and a sweater. My eyes widen at how much she looks like Sefi now. She tells us she’s hungry. “I’ll go look for a cafeteria. Would you like me to bring you back anything?”
Sefi and I shake our heads in unison. “I’m too worried to eat,” she responds.
“Me too,” I add. “We should keep hydrated, though. I saw a vending machine in the corridor. I’ll get us some water…”
After waving Camila off, I fetch San Pacifico’s finest sparkling for Sefi—I know she prefers it— and a bottle of still for myself. I sit quietly sipping, one hand holding my drink and the other holding Sefi’s hand.
Live in the moment, I tell myself as concerns for the future flood my mind. How will Alessio and I make it work with Sefi? She has a life in America. I shuffle in the hard hospital chair. Again, I’m jumping the gun. First things first. Alessio has got to pull through and then we’ll decide between the three of us how we are going to proceed.
I check my Rolex. Camila should be back by now. A prickle of anxiety strokes my insides. Where the fuck is she? I’m being paranoid, I know I am, but my heartbeats race.
Sefi shifts position on her chair. “I guess Camila has gone for a walk, or something.”
“Maybe...”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck…
“Wish I had my cell.” Sefi chews her lip.
I pull my telefonino from my pocket. “I can ping her on Messenger.”
I’m about to do so when Camila erupts through the door. Her breath rasps and she’s visibly shaken.
