Page 60 of His Vow
She sucks in her breath, then releases it slowly before bending to kiss me again. Lucia’s kisses are better than the morphine they’re giving me for pain.
When we separate again, she asks, “Do you know who did this?”
“Someone who didn’t want me finding out who has been stealing from the company.”
Lucia knew why I was coming to Italy, but I still wish I could soften the words. There isn’t an easy way to tell her I was targeted and they might come after her too. “Last night, I met with the whistleblower. He had information that we hoped would tell us who was stealing our products from the port and selling them on the black market.” I stop for a moment to let the news sink in before dropping the bombshell.
But she remains silent, only her wide green eyes speaking volumes. “There’s a chance the Mafia is involved,” I add in a low voice.
Her shock is visible. “What the hell, Ant? Do you think it was the Mafia that attacked you?”
“Maybe? We won’t know until we can find the person on the inside.”
“They could come back for you.” Her voice wobbles before she slaps a hand over her mouth to hold back a soft whimper. The fear turning her beautiful face ashen rips through me.
“Luce …” But before I can continue, the door to my hospital room swings open again, less dramatically than before, but she still jumps.
Gasp.The sound from Lucia is so soft that only I’m able to hear as her father follows Gio into the room. And Lucia’s open-mouthed stare is no worse than if someone had come to attack us. All because I haven’t had a chance to warn her.Fuck.
“Lucia?” he booms, making her name sound like he’s expecting something from her other than frozen silence.
Maybe it was a mistake to ask for Franco Romano’s help, but I haven’t been left with much of a choice. Gio can’t protect her when he’s trying to find the people responsible. And I’m a useless, broken mess, not even able to stop them from beating the hell out of me.
No, this was the only choice I had. Her father is the only person who can keep her and our unborn child safe while I’m unable to. I can’t take any chances with their lives. And these fucking animals won’t stop until we stop them.
“Why are you here?” she demands, finally finding her voice.
Chapter twenty-five
Lucia
Finding my husband lying battered and bruised on a hospital bed is shocking. But when my father, who I haven’t spoken to since the wedding party, walks into that very same room, my legs wobble alarmingly. I drop onto the edge of the bed. And Antonio grunts at the shift in the mattress.
“I’m sorry,” I murmur, glancing down at him.
Maybe if I ignore my father, he’ll leave. He has no right to be here.
“I’ve come to take you to my villa in Capri where you will be safe,” Papa commands from behind me, and while his words seep into my brain, I’m glad I’m sitting, as that statement could have had me dropping like a stone.
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” I spit out, turning on him. “I’m here with my husband, and it’s time you realized I’m no longer yours to order around.”
“Your husband asked for me to come.” My father’s voice is low and steady.
What?My head swims with fatigue and confusion in equal measure. I look back down at Ant, expecting to see him call myfather out on the lie. But what I see in his face stabs me in the heart.
“Please leave us. I want to speak to my wife in private.” Ant’s voice rises above the rush of blood in my ears. I silently search his gaze for answers, but he’s the master of shuttering his emotions away from the world at times like this, and I come up empty. Behind me, Gio ushers the others from the room until we’re alone.
“What does he mean?” I ask, staring into his dull eyes laced with pain, drugs, or a combination of both.
He reaches for my hand. “The men who did this to me are now threatening to do the same to you.”
My eyes spring wide with shock. “Why?” The blood rushes from my face, leaving my skin cold and clammy. Tendrils of fear send a shiver through my body, and I don’t bother trying to hide it.
He starts to speak in a low, husky voice, like it pains him to share the truth. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, this isn’t something Gio or I ever envisaged happening. We just needed to find out who was stealing from the company.”
“But you haven’t?” I whisper the question, hoping this wasn’t all for nothing.
An uneven breath lifts his chest, and a wave of pain passes over his face as it tests his injuries. “No.” The admission pulls painfully from his mouth. And there’s no softening in my husband’s tone when he continues. “And until we do, I need to know you’re going to be safe. I can’t do that lying here helpless. Your father can.” His jaw clenches as he closes his eyes. The low hum of machinery the only sound filling the silence.
