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It takes me forty minutes weaving through traffic to get to the church. To my surprise, there’s no one about – no cars parked, no limo emblazoned with the legend ‘Just married’… nothing. The church area is empty.
I get off my bike and venture further in, my hand ready to snatch my gun. I reach the church doors and open them, peering inside. The church is empty.
“What the fuck is going on?”
I dig out my phone and call Benedetto but all I get is his voicemail.
“What is up with everyone today?”
And then a horrifying thought occurs to me.What if they already got married?
I’m shaking my head even before the thought is complete. Surely Gigi wouldn’t do that to me. Not if she could help it.
There’s nothing left to do but go to her house and see. The Cardinali mansion is just up the road and I leave my bike parked at the church, not wanting to alert anyone as to my approach. I set off on foot, maintaining a light jog as I climb the slight incline towards the Cardinalis. I come to a stop just at the edge of the fence. I can see guards at the gate, but they look preoccupied with something going on inside the compound.
I assess the state of the fence, wondering if I can climb it. Then I hear a gunshot and the guards at the gate are running towards the house. I take advantage of the chaos to slip into the compound. Everything is chaos inside. The cars I expected to be parked at the church are all here, and people are milling about seemingly in confusion.
I need to know who the shooter is and who they shot. Is this part of Father Lorenzo’s plan? I boldly walk forward, pretending to be just another member of the family. I can hear shouting coming from inside the house and a scream that seems to carry despair. Eventually I sidle through the front doors and follow the press of people towards what looks like a living room. There’s a body on the floor and a woman, weeping in another woman’s arms. I recognize one of them as Ludovica, Gigi’s aunt. She’s comforting the other woman while Cardinali himself looks on, his face twisted with displeasure.
I peer into the room, seeing that it’s a man on the floor, much to my relief. For a moment I was terrified that maybe someone had shot Gigi for trying to run away. I back away from the door, giving space to other curious onlookers as I search each face for the one I’ve come for.
This is a hell of a distraction if someone getting shot was part of the plan. I would not have expected that of Father Lorenzo, especially since it looked like the guy was dead.
I spot someone in a maid’s uniform and stop them. “Excuse me, have you seen Giada?”
Her eyes grow wide as she gasps, then covers her mouth, running away from me as she begins to cry. I stare at her, stupefied.
What the fuck is going on here?
Looking around, I spot some stairs and take them two at a time, arriving on the much more deserted second floor. I pick a corridor and start walking slowly, my ears pricked for any sound.
“Giada?” I whisper-hiss and listen for a reply, but I hear nothing. “Fuck.” I reach for the handle of a door and open it slightly, peering inside. It’s clearly a bedroom, but there’s no one in there.
I continue on down the corridor, opening doors and closing them, wondering just how many bedrooms this mansion holds. I reach the end of the corridor and take a deep breath, opening the door. My heart jumps as I catch sight of someone lying on the bed. I blink and the image resolves itself into Giada, apparently sleeping peacefully through the mayhem.
I step into the room, peering behind me to make sure the corridor is empty before creeping towards the bed. “Gigi?”
She does not respond. In fact, she doesn’t move.
Did she take something heavy duty to help her sleep?
There’s something unnatural about the way she’s lying and I have a dreadful sensation rooting in my chest. “Gigi?” I say louder but she does not so much as stir.
I kneel down by her bed, peering into her eyes. “Giada, can you hear me? I’m here.”
Not so much as a twitch of an eyelash.
I reach out and close my hand around her elbow, startling at how cold she feels. “Gigi?” I shake her and she does not move.
I notice how pale she is, the way she’s been laid, facing up, hands clasped together. Her skin is pale and wan, cold.
“No.” I whisper, shaking my head violently. “This cannot be.”
I push aside her robe and reach for the pulse that should be throbbing against her clavicle. I press down hard, but I can’t feel a thing. A sob wrenches itself out of my body.
“No!.” I stare down at her in horror, noting absently that she’s wearing the lingerie I bought her. “What did you do?” I whispered hoarsely.
Why didn’t she wait for me? What about Father Lorenzo’s plan? Did she not think it would work? I shake her again, unable to believe… “Giada!” I call out loud, but she doesn’t respond in any way.
