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“Liv! Thank you,” she cried.
I shook my head, still not understanding what was happening.
“Olivia. Listen to me. I have to get Toni’s body out of here. I need Marco. Can you go and get him for me?”
I nodded slowly as I stood to my feet. I walked towards the door and opened it.
“Liv! Lock the door after you, okay?” Max shouted from the floor. I did as he asked and made my way up to the playroom in a state of shock. I had no idea how I had just managed to manoeuvre my body through the house and as I pushed open the playroom door, Marco jumped up immediately with concern on his face.
“Signorina Jones? Are you okay?” He asked, walking towards me.
I glanced up at him. “Max needs you. In the kitchen.” My voice didn’t sound like my own as I heard it fill the room. Was that me talking?
He nodded once and raced out the room, clearly sensing something was not okay.
“Liv, we are watching the Gruffalo! Come and sit with us,” Sani ordered from his bean bag in front of the Plasma. I seemed to manage to find my way over to them and perch between these two innocent children that had no idea what I had just done minutes ago. I stared blankly at the screen as the little mouse character said, “Don’t call me good! I’m the scariest creature in this wood.”
A small bubble of laughter formed in my throat and then before I knew it, I was laughing hysterically from the shock. I had no idea why I was laughing but I think it was a coping mechanism to avoid having to deal with the other emotions that were festering in my body. Sani and Raya looked at me with amusement but not really understanding what I was finding so hilarious. As I took some deep breaths and calmed down, I realised I was also crying, tears were streaming down my face and I quickly wiped them away.
“If you think this is funny, wait until the Gruffalo runs away from the mouse,” Sani announced.
I had no idea how long I sat there but the show was over and a superhero cartoon was now playing when Marco and Max finally entered the room. I turned my head on their arrival and saw the concern on their faces.
“Where’s Gio?” I asked. I suddenly felt so fragile. I wanted to feel safe again. And I only ever felt safe in his arms. But he wasn’t here. Where was he? Suddenly, remembering that he had gone to meet the Leones and still wasn’t home, I jumped up from the floor.
“He is on his way back. I just received a call. He is fine, Liv. He’s coming back,” Max said carefully as he rested his hands on my shoulders. Tears welled up in my eyes as the relief rushed over me and my knees went weak. Max quickly pulled me into his chest and hugged me tightly which was exactly what I needed to hide my emotions from the children.
“Everything is going to be okay Liv. Why don’t you go upstairs and lie down for a bit? Marco will watch the children,” he whispered.
I nodded slowly, grateful to have a moment to myself. “What happened to…his…”
“Don’t worry. It’s been taken care of.”
I pulled out of his embrace and stared into his green eyes. He had a swollen eye and lots of cuts and bruises on his face as well as hand marks around his neck but you wouldn’t think it hurt, the way he seemed more concerned about my mental state.
“Where's Cami? Is she okay?” I asked quickly.
“Yes. She is downstairs being checked over by our on-call doctor and nurse.”
“Okay,” I muttered. I had so many more questions suddenly brewing in my mind but I knew now was not the time to ask them in front of the children.
“Do you want me to help you upstairs? Run a bath for you?” Max asked kindly but I shook my head.
“No thank you. I can do it myself.”
He nodded and let go of my shoulders as I walked past him and made my way to our bedroom. As if on autopilot, I strolled into the bathroom and turned on the taps to fill the enormous bath, pouring in some bubble bath as I sat on the side. I stared at the water flowing from the taps numbly until the level was close to the top and turned it off. Shredding my clothes, I stepped into the balmy water and let it sooth my body and relieve the tension every muscle held.
As soon as I closed my eyes the scene flashed in my mind again. The sight of Cami passed out. Max’s face as he was being strangled to death. The weight of the gun in my hand. The feeling of pulling the trigger. The blood.
I splashed my face with the water, rubbing my eyes knowing my mascara would be running below them but not caring in the slightest. I killed a man. And not just any man. The consigliere of the most powerful mafia families in Northern Italy. What was Toni doing? Why was he trying to kill Max? What had happened? What did they do with his body? Will Sal find out? Will he kill me? Will I go to prison?
Closing my eyes, I sank down below the water level, submerging my entire body. Holding my breath under the water was the only thing I could do to stop the panic attack that was rising within me. That and Gio. Where was he?
∞∞∞
Giovanni
I pulled out my phone as Angelo sped down the country roads towards the mansion. In my complete shock and fury, I hadn’t contacted anyone that I was alright and I suddenly felt so guilty, knowing they would all be worrying about me, especially Liv. I rang her mobile but it went straight to voicemail. I frowned. She knew she always had to keep her phone on her or I worried. What the hell.
