Page 9 of Bellini Born
But I wouldn’t let myself be sad about that. They were off living their best lives, and maybe someday soon, I would figure out my shit enough that I could stop scraping by and follow in their footsteps.
For now, I poured my focus into completing this lifeguarding job so I could take home the hefty paycheck that would give me the tiniest bit of breathing room.
Jesus. Now I knew why this gig paid so well. It was compensation for the gray hairs I was going to walk away with as a result.
There werewaytoo many kids in this pool for a single lifeguard to keep track of, and none of the parents seemed to care too much about keeping an eye on their children, who were fucking feral. I got more than one stink eye from a wine-wielding, dolled-up housewife when I blew my whistle and reprimanded a couple of older boys who kept cannonballing on top of younger kids.
Restlessly, I patrolled the perimeter of the pool, on high alert, scanning for the tiniest sign of distress from one of the pint-sized partygoers.
So far, so good.
I breathed out a sigh of relief, my eyes sliding closed as I wiped some of the sweat away from my forehead with the back of my arm.
When I returned my gaze to the water, something dark caught my attention near the bottom. Squinting, I craned my neck in an attempt to see around the numerous bodies that kept getting in my way, obstructing my view.
A sharp gasp rolled up my throat when I realized what I was looking at and, without hesitation, I dove headfirst into the pool, kicking like mad to reach the bottom.
My heart shattered when, through waterlogged vision, I saw the too-peaceful face of the dark-haired little girl lying limp on the pool’s floor.
Please, God, let her be okay.
I looped an arm around her chest, then shoved hard off the bottom to accelerate our ascent to the surface. We broke through, and I sucked in a heaving lungful of air, swimming to the edge where a crowd had gathered.
“Call 911!” I shouted, dragging the lifeless body from the water.
Bending over the girl, who couldn’t have been more than three or four, I brought my ear beside her mouth, listening for breath sounds—it was no surprise when I didn’t hear any. Next, I placed my finger beneath her chin to check for a pulse, cursing low when I couldn’t find one.
Immediately, I gave her five rescue breaths to see if I could jump-start her breathing. When that didn’t work, I began to administer CPR—thirty chest compressions before two quick breaths. Repeat.
I wasn’t sure how long I continued that cycle without any results. Long enough that tears began to leak from my eyes and onto her pale skin.
Pressing down rapidly on her tiny chest, I begged, “Come on, sweetheart.”
With my heart racing in my ears, I barely made out the sound of an anguished cry in the background as a male voice called out, “Bianca!”
Hearing that only spurred me on because no parent should ever have to witness this.
Chapter 3
Matteo
Drowning.Iwasfuckingdrowning.
It had been two months since Gio took off for parts unknown, leaving me in charge. Until now, I had never truly appreciated all that went into being the head of the Bellini Family. It made my role as CEO of a multi-billion-dollar real-estate enterprise look like a cakewalk.
Enzo helped guide me the best he could, prompting me on how to handle any situations that arose in a way that was consistent with Gio’s leadership so that the transfer of power appeared seamless. In public, I gave off a commanding presence, but the minute I retreated behind closed doors, the façade fell away, and too often, I got lost in a bottle of the most expensive scotch that money could buy.
That was the only way I could forget how I’d failed Allegra, how I’d failed our daughters in the wake of her death. They hadn’t just lost one parent that day; they’d lost two. Because I’d closed off, kept them at arm’s length, certain that they werebetter off without me—Allegra sure as hell would have been. It filled me with a burning rage that we were no closer to finding the people responsible for that ambush that claimed her life.
Reviewing the casino ledgers was tedious but essential work. Because, every so often, someone thought that since a surplus of cash was running through those doors, they could steal from the Bellinis and it would go unnoticed. Without fail, they always got caught and had to be taught a very painful—fatal—lesson that served as a deterrent to anyone else who might dare to have the same idea.
Until memories faded and another idiot got greedy.
It was so fucking stupid. Everyone within the family and working for it had plenty of money. No one was suffering. We took good care of our people.
But greed was a cancer, infecting the minds of weak men. And in the end, it was never worth it, because they paid the ultimate price.
Cross-referencing the transactions with the balance that didn’t match up, it was clear we had another snake who thought they could skim off the top in our midst.
