Warning: This chapter has triggers and some lines entailing violence.
Matteo’s POV
I stared at the beautiful woman who refused to open her eyes since last night and sadness washed over me. I missed everything about her; her smiles, snide remarks, her meals and how she blushed whenever I said something that made her smile.
“Wake up soon, Mamacita. I miss you so much, don’t worry I’ll make those people pay for hurting you.” I said and trailed my fingers along her arm.
I felt a slight movement, as if she was reacting to my touch and my eyes darted toward her face as her lips twitched like she wanted to smile. Doctor Luca had said that she would wake up but after her body had gotten enough rest.
I had to bank on that and be patient, but my patience had its limits.
The door of her ward creaked open with Giselle and Sofia walking into the ward with their faces pale. Giselle looked more affected as she walked ahead of her daughter and rushed towards Aurora.
“She should have come with us,” She uttered sadly.
“She should have done that, but Aurora isn’t one who can be ordered around.” I replied, pride filling my heart.
“Will she be alright?” Sofia asked softly and I nodded.
Deep inside of me, I was happy that Aurora had people who genuinely cared for her. She was receiving the same kindness that she sowed a few weeks back which taught me something.
Aurora had gradually broken the walls of ice that guarded my heart and it was safe to say that I was falling in love with her. I’d realised it late, but she was my girlfriend and I knew that she would wake up so that I could tell her.
“Angelo is waiting for you outside,” Giselle informed me, but I didn’t make any move to leave Aurora’s side.
I felt like no one could watch her better than I did and she would be in danger if I left her alone.
She noticed my hesitance and uneasiness then touched my arm. “You don’t have to be scared, Matteo. Aurora saved me from death when everyone abandoned me and I’ll always be indebted to her. Apart from that, I see her as my daughter and not just my savior so I will do anything possible to protect her.” Giselle said firmly.
Her words were assuring and convincing. It set me at ease but she wasn’t physically strong enough to defend herself against any intruder that might want to attack them. So I called Francesco and asked him to send some men to guard her room and the hospital.
I asked him specifically to fix a stripper at a strategic spot that could give him access to the building without anyone noticing his presence. If he could stay in the vintage point, he’d be able to see whoever goes in and out of the hospital.
“Thank you, Giselle. I’ll leave now and if anything happens with her, alert me immediately.” I ordered and she nodded.
I pushed the door open and stalked out of the hospital to meet Angelo who was sitting on one of the chairs at the reception. He dwarfed the chair, looking like a hulk and stood up when he saw me coming towards him.
“Angelo,” I called as we shook hands and hugged briefly. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t come in, I had to take Aurora to the hospital. She was shot on her stomach,”
“How did that happen? She wasn’t supposed to be there,” Angelo bemoaned while we headed for his car.
“I know, but she was adamant about following me so I let her. She took a bullet for me, Angelo and without her maybe I’d have been lying six feet below.”
Angelo snorted, “That isn’t possible because you’re as hard as a nut and you have nine lives. Death isn’t for you,” He joked and we laughed.
Then I got serious as we had issues in our hands and my soldiers would want to seek retribution. “What really happened last night? How did they start the attack?”
He folded his arms as he rested on the bonnet of his car. “Well, we were having dinner when the alarm blared loudly and I stopped eating immediately. I asked Ginevra and Ilaria to go into the safe room while I ran to my room to get some guns. Fortunately, they were still trapped at the door so it was easier for me to leave the dining room and head for the facade.”
“At what time did this happen?”
“I can’t really tell but it was around 6:30pm.”
I palmed my forehead as that was the time he called me and ignored me. The message on Aurora’s phone flashed in my mind and I shook it off, ruling out every possibility of her being involved with the attack. Besides, she gave her life for me. She wouldn’t do that if she was a part of them.
“Are you alright? Did you remember anything?”
“No, Angelo. I’m just wondering who would have a motive to attack us when we have a truce with almost all the syndicates in the country.” I wondered.
“We captured some of the men. You might want to question them,” He suggested.
“Sure. I asked Francesco to keep Aurora’s shooter alive, I’ll make him beg for death.” I said icily
?
I hadn’t entered the torture room since I dealt with Alessio and the man who was tied both hands and feet to the metallic rail was a good reason for me to be here.
Francesco flashed a grim smile at me as I rolled the sleeves of my shirt. I was going to get dirty but it would be for a worthy cause.
The man’s eyes were opened and his wounds were covered with plasters. I’d asked Francesco to take care of his gun wounds so that he’d be alive to watch me torture the truth out of him.
“Is he ready?” I directed my question at Francesco who nodded and handed a fillet knife to me.
My captive sneered, baring his blood stained teeth at me. He wouldn’t know what hit him until I carved him out slowly while he watched his life seep gradually from him. His stubborn demeanor wavered as I approached him but he managed to keep his unfazed mask.
“I don’t have time to beat around the bush with you because there are other important things for me to tend to, so, who sent you?” I questioned using my Capo tone.
He shook his head, stifling a smile.
“You don’t expect me to respond to such a question, do you?”
“Well you will, once I make a nice barbecue out of you.”
He flinched but he couldn’t do more than that as he was tied to a stake. I cut his big toe, watching him groan and wince.
“I don’t think you want more of these,” I said and dug the fillet knife at the sole of his feet. “I don’t know your name, Mr… I guess, it will be fun to call your name while I keep up with this.”
He shook his body incessantly, twisting his body as his face scrunched up in pain.
“I won’t tell you anything,” He uttered with a groan and I chuckled drily.
“I wasn’t expecting you to give up so quickly and you want to know what makes me high?” My lips twitched in delight , “Torturing offenders and idiots like you who don’t know when to strike, so tell me, who sent you?” I reiterated and Francesco tapped me at the back, halting me from taking the next line of action.
I wore a frown, showing that I wasn’t pleased with his interference.
“Giselle asked me to inform you that Aurora has woken up,”