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At least we have that in common.
I almost reach up a hand to cup his cheek, comfort him…until I remember all the bodies. And the blood. I clench my fingers into a fist instead and keep my hand by my side.
“Bianca,” he says in a low tone. “Go now with Matteo. Do what he says, when he says it. I will join you when…” He flicks a glance around and then returns to me. “When I can.”
“Are you going to kill them all now?”
His eyes soften for a second. “Do not think about it, little bird. I want you safe. You and…”
His gaze drops to my belly, the contemplation like a gentle caress.
I spread the fingers of one hand wide over my still-flat stomach, like I can protect the little one from the violent scene in which its parents stand. I open my mouth to say something, but I’m not even sure what I intend. I don’t seem to be thinking very clearly right now.
Before I can articulate my chaotic thoughts, a goon I’ve not met before steps forward and grips my upper arm. He’s not rough, though. More insistent than anything.
“Come, Mrs. Agosti.”
This must be Matteo. I guess. I allow myself to be dragged away from Rio and the horrific scene that I will likely see in my nightmares from now until the day I die. But when we reach the door, I can’t help turning back to look.
Like a bystander at a car crash. I don’t want to look. I don’t want to see. But I simply can’t help myself.
Rio stands in the middle of the carnage, still staring at me. He looks like the devil himself, tall, dark, and brooding amidst the fallen in his bloody kingdom of Hell.
Is it worth it, Rio? The price you all pay for power in this terrible world?
I turn to Matteo. “What doesla mia bella mogliemean?”
A huff of breath from the man beside me, then he says quietly, “It means, my beautiful wife.”
I start to turn and follow, then notice the female server from earlier, crawling out from behind the bar on her hands and knees. Back when I last saw her—before the attack—she annoyed the hell out of me with her obvious fawning over Rio. Now, I’m glad to see she made it, as did some of the other serving staff.
Not all did. There are nightclub staff among the bodies on the floor. What did Rio call Dave and Shelley once? Collateral damage. Incidentals.
Is everyone around Rio an incidental?
Perhaps the bar is reinforced, just in case of this very situation. If I were in Rio’s shoes, I’d reinforce everything around me. All the time.
Matteo tugs at my arm, dispelling the random thoughts, and shoves me through the door into the almost-hidden hallway.
As I do so, I cringe at the sudden sound of the now-familiarpop-pop-pop. Is that Rio pulling the trigger, or is it one of his men? Does it matter who? They are all murderers.
But only one of them is the father of your child.
I scurry away like a coward, following Matteo and knowing there is nothing I can do to save those men. As he guides me downstairs and into a waiting dark car, I wonder if this violent world is the only possible destiny for my child.
* * *
Rio
If I could changeanything from today, it would be to ensure that Bianca was nowhere near this bloodbath. The devastation in her eyes when she stared at me…and then that one little comment… It destroyed me.Shedestroyed me.
She’s carrying my child.
I’ve never been more stunned in my life. And in this moment more than any other, I cannot afford to be distracted.
My cheeks paled when she made the announcement. I could feel the blood leach away from my face. Could she sense my shock? I could tell from her expression she didn’t even know what she was saying. Was it the truth, or was her mind wandering because of what she’d just witnessed?
I believe she was telling the truth. I feel it in my bones. I am going to become a father.
