Page 27 of Memento Mori
Chapter Ten
THIS IS NOT YOUR FAULT
Aaliyah
Disbelief.
The only way to explain what I felt at this moment was disbelief. I understood a lot of people did not want this wedding to happen, but I never in my wildest dreams believed they would go as far as to try to kill me. And that was what this was—a hit. A hit against me. My husband had shielded me. Laney and Don Rizzo had taken the bullets reserved for me.
“They took bullets meant for me,” I said.
Tony and I were on the way to the hospital, but I wasn’t looking for a response from him. I just stated the facts. I was so unwanted in this family, in this world, that someone wanted me dead.
He squeezed my hand while the other one clenched the wheel of the car so tight his blood-tinged knuckles paled. But he didn’t refute my comment because he knew I was right. If anyone other than me had walked down that aisle today, Laney would still be alive, and Don Rizzo would not be fighting for his life.
My eyes drifted to our hands clenched together, stained with the blood of the ones we loved, clinging to the unwavering love we had for one another. I didn’t know Laney well, but Tony always spoke highly of her and there wasn’t any doubt Alessandro loved her. Now she was dead because of me. Because I wanted to spend my life with the man I loved.
“This is not your fault.”
His deep deceptively calm voice penetrated my thoughts. He’d only responded with what he thought he was supposed to say as my husband. But we both knew the truth. This happened because of me.
I didn’t say a word. Since there was no use in arguing with him, I stared out the window until we arrived at the hospital parking lot.
I dreaded hospitals. Death walked the halls snatching souls from bodies whether they wanted to go or not. Papa Rizzo clung to life, while Death eagerly waited in the shadows to take his soul. You could feel him on the steps of the cathedral just biding his time. This wasn’t going to end well. We just had to wait until Death decided he was ready to do his job.
“Look at me,” he said, his voice filled with anger.
I reluctantly focused on him, hoping I didn’t see hate in his eyes when he looked at me. This was supposed to be a happy day for us. Now it would be remembered for all the bloodshed. Blood that was shed for what? So, I could be happy. Was me being happy worth their lives?
“Whatever you’re thinking, get it out of your fucking head now,Bella!”
“Antonio, if I had...”
“Don’t fucking say it!” He slammed his fist against the steering wheel. “Don’t you dare fucking say it! This isn’t your fault. This happened because someone didn’t want change. This happened because someone is such a damn idiot, they thought they could take you from me and they could bend me to their will. But all they did was gain an enemy. All they did was sign their death warrant. I will fucking die for you Aaliyah, and now the world is going to see I will also fucking kill for you.”
He silently pushed the door open and got out of the car, not saying anything else. Tears filled my eyes. He would stop at nothing to find out whoever was behind all of this. I knew it. That was my Antonio. I only hoped there was something left when all this was over.
My door opened, and I took a deep breath, released it, then grabbed his outstretched bloody hand. “We do this together, Aaliyah. Always together.”
“Always together,” I repeated.
He wrapped me in his arms, and we walked into the chaos of the hospital. Wedding guests with blood staining their clothes sat throughout the waiting room as uniformed police officers stood in front of some of them taking statements. I prayed none approached us. I wasn’t sure how Tony would react knowing his father was in terrible shape and also having to answer questions they wouldn’t get the answers to.
We walked to the reception desk in a state of numbness. The woman, young and flustered, typed on the computer with a phone pressed against her shoulder. We waited for her to finish her call. She took a deep breath and released it, but her eyes widened when she noticed we both were covered in blood. I was sure it looked like we attended a massacre instead of our wedding.
“How may I help you, Sir?” she asked, her voice trembling.
“I’m looking for my father, Antonio Rizzo, Sr. He should have been brought in a few minutes ago.”
Her fingers glided across the keyboard. “Right now, he’s being prepped for surgery.” She looked at Tony with fear in her eyes. “But visiting hours are over. As soon as we get more information, I’ll send the doctor to update you.”
“I don’t give a fuck about visiting hours,” he said grabbing my hand. “I’m going to see my father.”
Ignoring the receptionist’s yells, we rushed through the double doors next to the reception area. We followed the signs all the way to the nurse’s station. I looked over my shoulder, expecting to see security any second.
“I’m looking for information on Antonio Rizzo,” Tony said to the only nurse sitting at the nurse’s station.
“Are you a part of the family?” she asked. “If you’re not family, you can’t be back here. The receptionist shouldn’t have even let you back here because visiting hours are over.”
