Page 33 of Vita Mia

“You need to see to your wife. She comes first Renaldo. Always.”

Renaldo nodded in agreement.

“Why all this family nostalgia bullshit?” Renaldo chuckled. “Something up?”

Nico smiled. He opened his mouth to answer and an explosion nearly knocked him on his ass. For some people, it did. Glass and other debris rained down upon them. Nico looked up and saw fire and flames above. It was a blazing inferno. The explosion blew off the roof and the walls. What was left of the top floor of Melanzana was covered in flames. Part of the third floor crashed down on the second. Nico dropped the bottle of beer. He stood there stunned, for only a second. Then the screams of staff and friends erupted. Everyone ran from the house.

“Cecilia!” Nico yelled.

***

WHEN THEY MADE IT TOthe hall the explosion hit them from the back. Mirabella was knocked to the floor face first. The fall was so sudden she nearly blacked out from the severe smack to the head. Giovanni swept her up to stand at his side. The heat and smoke strangled her. But he went down the stairs fast, as if he knew the way. He half-carried and half-dragged her with him. She barely could keep her silk robe closed over her nudity. She held to her husband dazed, and mad with fear. There were plenty of screams. Once they made it to the first floor of their family home Giovanni made sure she could stand without swaying.

“Can you walk?” he asked.

“Yes, yes,” she said and he took her hand to run with her out of the house. The fire hadn’t reached that far but pandemonium had. People, guests, family and friends were rushing to flee the premises. All Mirabella could think of wasvilla Rosso. All she could think of was her children.

“Gio? The babies!”

He nodded. He shoved aside several guests in his way and together they went for villa Rosso. To Mirabella’s relief Zia was out the door holding her infant daughter, and one of Giovanni’s men carried both twins. Mirabella nearly wept with relief.

“Thank you, God!”

“Where’s Eve?” Giovanni demanded.

“I thought she was with you?” Zia asked.

Giovanni frowned. They looked back across the lawn. The only ones left were his men. Nico was shouting for Cecilia, and Renaldo was ordering them to get the long hoses and to aim water at the flames.

“Cecilia? Maybe she has her?” Mirabella said in a pleading voice.

Giovanni ran for Nico. Mirabella couldn’t hear what they yelled at each other. She held her baby girl to her breasts and felt dread so raw and complete she was shaking all over. Blood trickled down her face and dripped from her lashes to her infant daughters face. She must have hit her head really hard. She didn’t care. She needed her family to be safe. She needed Eve.

“Where is she? Where is she?” she repeated over and over again.

“They’ll find her,” Zia said, but Mirabella heard doubt in Zia’s voice and the fear brought her to her knees.

––––––––

“NICO?” GIOVANNI GRABBEDhis enforcer by the shoulder.

“I’ve checked everywhere, I think Ceclia’s in the house, Gio!”

“Does she have Eve—?” he asked as they both ran inside. Nico didn’t answer. It didn’t matter. If Cecilia and Eve were in the house they needed help and they needed it fast. The smoke had managed to cover the downstairs floor. Giovanni’s eyes burned from it. He used his arm to cover his mouth and nose. Nico yelled for Cecilia. Giovanni yelled for Eve. They reached the stairs and looked up in horror. The fire had consumed the entire second floor. It was spreading fast. The walls and photos warped and melted under the heat. Orange and bright yellow flames licked down the banister and covered the stairs. None of it mattered to Nico who charged forward into the fire screaming for his beloved wife. Giovanni knew in an instant his lifelong friend would be dead if he didn’t act. He grabbed him by hooking his arm around his throat and they both went down. Nico was stunned. Either by grief or fear. Giovanni wasn’t sure. But that temporary lapse they shared surged his strength and he was able to drag Nico to the door and out of it before the roof collapsed on them both. Nico recovered. He fought Giovanni and the other men trying to hold him down. Giovanni had to leave the madness. His heart would not let him believe that hislucciolawas in that fire. He couldn’t conceive it. But, where was she?

“Eve!” he yelled. “Where is my Eve!”

“Gio! She’s up there!” Renaldo said.

Giovanni took several steps backward. Out of the third story attic on the other side of the house black smoke shot through the window. He saw Belinda and Leo leaning out to keep from inhaling it. Belinda held Eve. The rescue wagons were arriving but they wouldn’t have time to reach them. The flames had all but destroyed the West wing.

“We got to get them out of there. They have to jump!” Giovanni yelled.

“It’s too high!” Renaldo said. He saw the men with a large quilt from villa Rosso. Someone had thought and acted quickly. They held it on all sides. Almost sixteen men in total.

“Gio! Oh my God!” Mirabella screamed. She apparently had arrived with the others to the front of Melanzana.

Giovanni couldn’t comfort his wife. He went to the men to help. The drop was at least thirty feet. Could any of them survive it? Could a blanket be enough? It was an impossible solution.

---