“Stop underestimating me.”
Lombardi’s face falls as he connects the dots.
“You’re not the only one who thought ahead. Do you really think I wouldn’t have a mole close to you?” Giuliano smiles as he raises his gun. “Your time has come.”
I close my eyes and a gunshot rings out, Lombardi falls to the floor. I open them to see Giuliano standing over him, he pulls the trigger again and again, and I screw up my face to block out the horror; I know that it was his life or mine but it’s so brutal and way too real.
Then I feel myself being untied and Giuliano takes his shirt off and ties it around my arm, he lifts me into his big strong arms. “Are you alright, baby?” he says softly.
I really don’t think I am but I nod through tears.
He’s alive.
“Come on, let’s get you to the hospital.” He begins to carry me to the door.
“What about me?” Enrico says.
Giuliano stops and glares at him. “You can rot in hell for all I care.”
Enrico’s eyes search his.
“Get him to the car,” Valentino growls, he wraps a cloth around his leg to act as a bandage to stop the bleeding.
Leon and Val lift Enrico and Giuliano carries me out to the waiting car and his step falters, what’s wrong? I glance up to see the trunk is open.
“Where is he?” Val snaps as he looks out into the forest. “He was fucking dead, I made sure of it.”
Giuliano looks around at the surrounding forest. “I don’t know.”
My face falls, there are bodies everywhere. The forest is eerily still and deathly quiet.
Giuliano carefully places me in and climbs into the back seat alongside of me. “Worry about him later, just get us to a hospital.”
The boys lift Enrico into the front seat and he winces. Giuliano reaches over and punches him in the back of the shoulder. “What the fuck where you thinking going in there alone? I should kill you myself for being so fucking stupid.”
Val starts it with an urgent rev of the engine and takes off fast. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
We drive up the track at speed and I can feel the panic coming out of Valentino as he looks around in the darkness.
“Where the fuck is he?” he cries as he punches the steering wheel.
“Calm down. He’s injured, he’s going to be in hiding,” Giuliano says as he wraps his coat around my shoulders. He leans in and kisses my temple. “Thank God,” he whispers as he holds me tight. “I thought I lost you.” He screws up his face in tears as he holds me. “Thank you. Thank you.” He kisses my face all over. “We’ll get you to the hospital. Hold on baby,” he whispers. “It’s okay now, I’m here.”
“There’s no blood,” Val mutters under his breath as if thinking out loud.
“What do you mean?” Giuliano asks.
“There’s no fucking blood in the trunk,” he cries.
“Where did you shoot him?”
My eyes widen, dear God. Valentino shot Carlo and he didn’t die.
Where is he?
Now the panic is making sense, I begin to look around at the forest as it flies by too.
What if he’s coming back?
“In the chest.”
“Fuck,” Giuliano mutters. “He was wearing a vest. Why wouldn’t you check that?”
Valentino punches the steering wheel again and again as he completely loses his shit. “This is just the fucking beginning,” he cries. “He will come back again and again.”
“Just drive the fucking car,” Giuliano screams. He takes out his phone and dials a number. “We’ve got her.”
“They’ve got her,” I hear Lorenzo scream, I hear cheers in the background.
“We’ve got Enrico too. He’s shot, we’re on our way to hospital. Listen to me and listen carefully,” he says in a rush. “Carlo is the new head of Lombardi.”
“What?”
I can hear every word they are saying.
“Just as you heard me. Carlo is the mole. Carlo is the one who organized this. You need to get on the computer and change every fucking password. He has had access to everything for a long, long time.”
“Dear God,” I hear Lorenzo whisper. “Carlo?”
The car takes the corner at speed and we slide to the left. “Ahhhh,” I cry.
“Slow the fuck down,” Enrico growls as he grips the dashboard.
“What’s happening?” I hear Anna say. “Is Carlo alright?”
Giuliano’s and my eyes meet and my heart constricts.
Poor Anna.
“Change the security codes to every Ferrara building and put a public ten-million- dollar bounty on his head.”
Enrico looks over to the back seat. “Twenty million.”
“Twenty million,” Giuliano snaps. “Did you hear me? Twenty-million-dollar bounty to whoever kills him, Lombardi’s men and all.”
“Yes, yes,” Lorenzo stammers. “Is Francesca alright?”
I take the phone from him. “Dad?”
“Oh, dear God.” He sobs.
I get a lump in my throat, hearing his voice brings me to my knees, I thought I was never going to hear it again. I didn’t realize how much I loved him until I thought it was too late.
“Francesca…are you alright, my darling?” Lorenzo asks.
“I am.” I smile up at my beautiful protector as he stares down at me. “Giuliano saved me.”
“What about me?” Enrico says from the front, half joking.
Giuliano reaches forward and punches his shoulder again. “You got shot, you dumb fuck.”
Val begins to feel under the dash as he drives.
“What are you doing?” Enrico barks as his eyes flick between him and the track. “Concentrate on the road.”
Val keeps going and then reaches over and feels some more. “Son of a fucking bitch,” he cries as he pulls something out and holds it in his hands. It’s black and small.
The car falls deathly silent.
“What is it?” I stammer as I look between them. “What’s wrong?”
Valentino holds it to his mouth. “You listen here, Carlo Bernetti,” he growls. “I’m going to tear you limb from fucking limb!” he screams. “Do you hear me!” he’s completely losing control.
My eyes widen.
A bug.