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“Help!” I yell
I feel a hand on my shoulders. Someone’s probably saying something but all I can hear is this ringing. When the hand grows even more insistent, shaking me hard, I tune into the words being said.
“We need to go, Sophia,” Rico says urgently. “Leave him. We need to go.”
“No!” I gasp. “He’ll die. He’s going to die.”
“Sophia!” my cousin yells, dragging me upwards. I struggle against his grip, unwilling to let go but he’s much stronger than me. “We need to go!” Rico yells.
He has to pull me away. I only get a second’s glimpse of my sisters’ wide terrified eyes before Rico deposits me into a car. I can’t stop my hands from shaking. All I can think about is Michael. And how dead he looks.
But he can’t be dead. He has to not be dead. If he dies, I don’t even want to think about how devastating it would be for Tony.
It’ll break him.
CHAPTER21
Tony
There’s this thing people say when they have a near death experience. They claim to have seen their lives flash before their eyes. I’m inclined to believe them.
Because when I get the call about Michael. His life flashes before my eyes. His life with me. Everything we’ve been through together, all the memories we’ve shared. I stand there in shock for several seconds. And all at once the world comes rushing back. Followed by icy cold.
I never feel cold after a swim. But hearing your best friend is dying is enough to shock your system, filling it with overriding fear. I hurriedly put on my clothes before racing for the elevator. My hands are trembling as I drive to the hospital. I can’t think of anything else but Mikey.
I’m not sure how I got to the hospital in one piece. But I’m there, rushing through the hallways until I find my family. Roman’s on the floor. For some reason that’s what get to me first. He’s seated on the floor, his back to the wall and his head in his hands. Maria and Rosa are holding on to each other. Enzo’s pacing and Kiara….
A shaky breath leaves me at the sight of her. She looks distraught, completely heartbroken. Elena’s holding on to her as she cries. Enzo’s the first one to notice me. He walks forward, placing a hand on my shoulder.
“He’s in surgery,” he informs me. “They’re going to save him.”
His eyes are shining with hope. Meanwhile there’s this bottomless pit of despair in my stomach. I find myself stumbling over to Roman. I slide down to the floor beside him. He doesn’t even look up.
“How?” I have to swallow because my voice is raspy and cracked. “How did this happen?”
Roman looks up then, his eyes are icy and cold, emotionless. “The Mincetti’s.”
My stomach sinks even further. I was afraid of that. Neither of us says anything after that. Enzo continues his pacing. Kiara’s still crying and Roman and I stay in the same spot. At some point, Maria has a rosary out. We’re there for two hours before the doors slide open and a doctor in scrubs steps outside.
Roman and I lurch upright. The rest of the family crowding around us.
“How is he?” I ask. “Is he okay?”
The doctor raises two hands in front of him. “It was a hard battle. But we were able to save him. He’s lucky the bullet didn’t hit any important organs. He’s currently still unconscious but we expect him to make a full recovery.”
I hear exhales of relief all around me. I stumble backwards into the wall and shut my eyes.
“Fuck,” I breathe.
The doctor’s still addressing everyone else while I’m trying to ease the chill inside me. I feel a hand slide into mine and look up into Kiara’s teary brown eyes.
“He’ll be okay,” she cries.
I nod before pulling her into my chest. “He’ll be fine, Kie. He’ll be fine,” I tell her, running a hand through her dark hair.
The two of us just hold each other for a while. When I release Kiara she goes to stand beside Elena. Roman steps in front of me. The look in his eyes are easy to discern. Fury. Like osmosis or some shit, it transfers over to me.
“It doesn’t make any sense,” is the first thing he says. “The only people that knew about the weapons shipment prior to this morning was me, you and Michael. Just us. They shouldn’t have been able to find out. How the fuck did they find out? And why did Mikey go there? We weren’t expecting any trouble. He didn’t need to be there,” Roman says in quick succession.
