Page 105 of Captured Innocence

But this time, everything was different. I was eager to jump into harm’s way for one reason.

Because of the love of the most beautiful creature on earth. Should I die, I was doing so without hesitation, without remorse. And with joy in my heart.

No one had the right to play God.

I threw my head back and roared, taking not only a giant leap through the flames but also one of faith, hoping for the miracle I’d never believed I deserved.

“Sophia!”

Pop! Pop! Pop!

Boom!

CHAPTER 28

Sophia

Family.

I remember my mother one Christmas talking about the importance of family. It was the only memory of our grandmother at our house, her death shortly thereafter the first tragedy Lucia, Enzo, and I had suffered as children. But it wouldn’t be the last. The thought weighed heavily on my mind on the cloudy, dreary morning as I stood staring out the window the hospital waiting room.

The memory had actually been a happy one, our father in a good mood, which had been rare but more frequent while I’d been young. Maybe I’d been three or four, the memory fuzzy but vivid enough I could smile from how enjoyable the Christmas had seemed.

Even our father had dressed up as Babbo Natale, Father Christmas, the only time I remembered him doing so. There’d been laughter in the house, fabulous foods and lots of presents. The Befana, the Italian Christmas Witch had even visited us on Christmas Eve, filling our stockings with toys and candies.

Then several enemies had broken into the house, not only burning down the Christmas tree but almost claiming my father’s life in the process. It had been our mother’s love that had kept me from being terrified, her nurturing spirit and her soft voice something I’d never forgotten. The holidays had never been the same afterwards.

Now my mother sat in a chair that she’d turned to face another hospital window, having not spoken a word since being brought to the hospital.

I’d all but abandoned my family after my father’s death. I’d had a chance to reconnect but had refused for selfish reasons. Now all I wanted to do was to make up for lost time, but I wasn’t certain members of our family were allowed yet another chance. We’d likely used up any of our good karma. However, I’d made a promise to my family and to God that if he allowed my family to survive this latest near tragedy, there would never be a day I didn’t savor every single family member.

Hours had passed, enough that night had turned into morning, the dawn bringing storms and ugly clouds crisscrossing the sky. Lucia had fallen into a coma, which the doctors feared she’d never awaken from. My mind was a terrible blur of both good and bad images, the horror of what we’d just gone through seeming a million miles away in comparison.

I felt Mattia’s presence seconds before he appeared in the shadowed reflection just as a bolt of lightning flashed in the distance.

When he wrapped his arms around me, the weight of him and the blazing heat was exactly what I needed. Even if the stubborn man had refused to be treated for smoke inhalation and the few burns he’d received. Thank God they weren’t any worse than they were.

“I just looked in on Joy. She’s just fine. The baby wasn’t hurt at all.”

A slight smile crossed my face as I remembered Joy’s secret. I’d never seen my brother so frantic, Enzo screaming at the EMTs when they’d loaded his wife into the ambulance. The love he had for his family was amazing and heartwarming. One day we’d be able to enjoy that glass of champagne.

Or so I hoped.

“I’m glad,” I managed, my voice almost unrecognizable. He pulled me closer, resting his chin on top of my head.

“Lucia and the baby are going to be just fine as well. I feel it.”

There was such authority in his tone, as if he had a direct line to God. “I’m glad you do. I’ve been praying. I know you don’t believe in God, but he’s given me some comfort over the last few days.”

“I do believe, la mia bella principessa. God was the reason I was able to save you.”

His words brought a smile to my face, something I wasn’t certain would happen again. I pushed away from him, turning around and gazing into his eyes. There were tears in them that he quickly tried to blink away.

“Is Tommaso really dead?” I’d heard the close-range shots, but my screams had almost drowned them out. I’d been certain I would die, the agony of never seeing my family again the only thing I could concentrate on.

“I shot him between the eyes twice, in what was left of his heart once. He’s dead.”

I shuddered from the coldness in his voice, but I certainly couldn’t blame him. What his biological brother had made him and other members of our extended family go through was horrific in every way. Maybe it wasn’t Christian-like, but the bastard had gotten what he deserved.

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