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"He’s going to make it." Penny takes my palm between her warmer ones. "He’s strong; he’ll be fine."
"And if he doesn’t?" The rock on my chest seems to increase in weight, until I feel like I’m being crushed under a mountain. More tears squeeze out from my eyes. I haven’t stopped crying since I took in Luca’s fallen body. And even then, he reached out and comforted me. Me. The woman responsible for landing him in this life-threatening situation in the first place.
"I knew there was a chance they’d come after me."I knew he would protect me.It hadn’t even occurred to me that he might get shot in the process. He always seemed so larger-than-life, so invincible, so able to withstand any threat and come out of it on top. To see him lying there, vulnerable and with his life force pouring out of him, had sliced me through my heart. A trembling grips me. I glance down at my dress. I’m still wearing the gown from the scene where the mob descends on the Beast and I’m unable to stop them from hurting him. The gown is soaked with blood. His blood. Only a day ago, I sat here with my clothes crusted with Olivia’s blood. Is my career worth having if it means hurting two people in my life who are so important to me?
"If he... If he...” I pause, unable to say the words aloud. "I’ll never forgive myself," I say in a low voice.
"He’s going to be fine, Jeanne." Penny pats my shoulder.
I hear the sound of footsteps and glance up. Karma sweeps in, with Michael on her heels. She’s wearing a bright red dress that’s snug enough to show off her pregnant belly. She marches over to me, then sits down on my other side and opens her arms. I fall into them.
"Oh, god, what am I going to do? What if he..." I stop myself again. I will not say the words aloud.
"Hush, he’s strong and pigheaded. Don’t forget, he’s a Sovrano. He’s not going to submit to a bullet that easily."
"I shouldn’t have stepped on that stage. I should have known it would endanger his life—"
"You still would’ve done it."
I pause, then glance into her features. "What do you mean?"
"If anyone understands what it means to be ambitious, it’s me. Before I met Michael, I was focused on building my credentials as a fashion designer. I was all set to take over the world with my designs. Then, Michael kidnapped me and brought me to Palermo, and my life changed. I still fought him. I continued to create, in my own way. I stitched my wedding gown, then designed Aurora’s gown when she got married. Given a choice, I’d have designed Elsa’s and yours, as well, but you guys gave me the slip." She shakes her hair back from her face. "What I’m trying to say is, you don’t need to sacrifice one for the sake of the other. If you hadn’t taken the stage today, you’d have always regretted it."
"And if anything happens to him, I’ll hate myself forever."
Within seconds of Luca being shot, as I held onto him and screamed for help, Christian and Massimo had appeared with Aurora in tow. They couldn’t have been far away, I now realize. Aurora had proceeded to give him first-aid until the medics had arrived on the scene.
"He knew." I pull back from Karma’s embrace. "He anticipated this happening. In fact, he was counting on it. It’s why he was acting so strangely just before the performance started. That's why I couldn't see him in the audience. He was positioned by the stage. He knew I'd be targeted again and he was going to make sure he took the bullet for me. He knew there would be an attempt on my life, but rather than stopping me from going on stage, he decided to protect me with his life."
Karma doesn’t reply, but I read the confirmation in her eyes.
"I’m right, aren’t I?" I squeeze my fingers together. The pressure builds behind my eyes. "He put himself at risk for me."
Footsteps approach, and Massimo appears in front of me. "You shouldn’t blame yourself. Once Luca makes up his mind, nothing can stop him."
"You could have told him his plan was stupid." I rise to my feet and brush past him. I take a few steps forward, then train my gaze on the men and women clustered on the other side of the room. "You should have urged him to stop me from taking the stage today. If all of you had pushed back on his plan, he wouldn’t be lying in there injured."
Michael, the Don stays seated, no change of expression on his face. Christian and Aurora, who had been conferring in low voices, glance up at me. Adrian, who stands a little separated from the rest of them, folds his arms across his chest.
"I’m right, aren’t I? If the lot of you had insisted, he'd have stopped me from taking part in the musical today and then he'd be safe and not fighting for his life."
"As I said, once Luca gets something in his mind, there’s very little we can do to change it." Massimo moves closer and stands next to me. "He’s the hot-headed one, the impulsive one, and the most stubborn of all of us. Also—" Massimo leans forward on the balls of his feet. "Do you think he'd have stopped you from fulfilling your dream? Do you think he'd have held you back from taking the stage when it means so much to you? He made it clear to us that he would never stop you from fulfilling your dream, but he'd make sure to watch out for you. He was determined to protect you and ensure no harm came to you. It was about your safety. His wife’s safety. It wasn’t our place to hold him back."
I whirl on him. "And now he’s injured. Do you take responsibility for that? If something happens to him, can you live with it on your conscience?"
Massimo winces. "I understand you’re hurting, but Luca would have done this, with or without our help."
I pivot, close the distance to Michael. "You’re the Don. You could’ve ordered him to not go through with his plan. You could’ve stopped this from happening."
"He made it clear your life was of more importance to him," Michael replies.
"So, you stood by and watched him get shot?"
"We took precautions."
"Like what? Making sure the ambulance got there after he’d been shot? Getting to him after his blood had already stained the stage? What kind of a Don are you, if you can’t protect your men? What kind of a brother are you, if you allow your own kin to risk his life unnecessarily?"
"Jeanne." Karma walks over and places her hand on my arm. "You have no idea what you’re talking about."
