Page 91 of The Bonventi Rise
"My hero, Gio," I say, smiling.
He waves his hand. "Don't mention it, little brother. Just try not to make it a habit of getting shot."
"I'll try not to."
"Oh, the press is having a field day," Livia says, rolling her eyes. "Alina and I were looking over the news. They're calling it a failed assassination attempt by an extremist political opponent. Nothing like getting shot to make people sympathetic."
"The things I go through for my constituents," I say, laughing.
Alina makes a small sound, something between a laugh and a sob.
"Come here," I say softly.
The nickname breaks something in her. She takes two steps forward before stopping, tears streaming down her face.
"I should have been there," she says.
"No," I say firmly, despite the pain in my chest. "If you had…" I can't finish the thought. The idea of Alina being hurt brings on too much rage.
"I'm going to get some coffee," Livia says suddenly, catching my eye. "Enzo? Gio?"
They take the hint, filing out quietly. Livia pauses to hug me, whispering, "You'll never find another like her," in my ear before following the others.
The door shuts, leaving just me and Alina together.
"I thought I'd lost you," she says, her voice breaking. "There was so much blood, and you weren't moving…"
"Come here," I say again, and this time she does, practically falling into the chair beside my bed. I reach for her hand, ignoring the pull of the IV lines.
"I'm sorry," we both say at the same time, and despite everything, I find myself smiling.
I take Alina's hand in mine, feeling the warmth of her skin as if it's for the first time.
"I was so stupid," she whispers, her voice cracking. "So fucking stupid."
I try to squeeze her hand, but my strength isn't there yet. "Alina?—"
"No, please, Marco. Let me explain." She takes a shaky breath, her free hand fidgeting with the edge of the hospital blanket. "I continued to meet with Sandra because I thought I could help. You believed in me when no one else did, and I—I wanted to prove I deserved that faith. It was reckless."
She stops and takes a deep breath.
"I wanted to make sure I was the person you thought I was. I wanted to do what it took because I wanted you to win."
I want to pull her into my arms, to comfort her, but the pain in my chest reminds me of my limitations. Instead, I run my thumb over her knuckles, a silent gesture of support.
"When Sandra approached me, offered me that job, I was going to tell her to fuck off. But then I thought, what if I could get information? What if I could find out what she was planning, who was backing her? What she was going to do?" Alina's words come faster now, as if she's afraid I'll stop her before she can get it all out. "I convinced myself I was doing it for you, for us. But the truth is, I was blinded by my own ambition, my own need to prove myself, something I've struggled with since I was young."
I listen, my jaw clenching as I think about how close I came to losing everything. How close I came to losing her.
"I kept telling myself it was just one more meeting, just one more chance to gather intel. But with each meeting, I was digging myself deeper into a hole I couldn't climb out of." Alina's voice breaks, and she has to take a moment to compose herself. "And then I stopped. Ignored her, and she got the message. I know because I think when that man came to kill me, it was because she knew I wasn't leaving you. And then, when you found out…God, Marco, the look on your face. I realized then how badly I'd fucked up, how I'd betrayed your trust."
"Alina," I start, but she shakes her head, silencing me.
"I put everything at risk. And for what? To prove I was smart enough? Cunning enough? I don't even know anymore."
I take a deep breath, wincing slightly at the pain it causes. "I was angry. Hurt. I felt betrayed. But that entire day, up until the moment I blacked out. Heck, even now that I've regained consciousness, do you know what I thought about?"
Alina shakes her head, her eyes never leaving mine.
