Chapter 41 Allegra
ALLEGRA
We pull into a gas station and Enzo runs inside to get his cigarettes. I take out my phone and start browsing baby names. We'd talked about our choices, but we'd decided to hold off on choosing a name until we meet our little boy.
I'm scrolling down a list of names when a sudden noise startles me. Raising my gaze, I see Luca being held at gunpoint as he gets out of the car.
At the same time, the door to my right is ripped open and I'm dragged out. I start screaming, my hands immediately going to protect my belly.
The man pushes me to the ground and I fall to my knees, the cold of winter hitting me suddenly, the freezing snow beneath my body somewhat cushioning my fall.
"Shut the fuck up, bitch!" he curses, and the back of his hand catches my jaw, snapping my face to the side with a strength that makes me see stars.
No… my baby.
My arms are wound around my body as I try to shield him.
The other man brings Luca forward, and their movements are so swift I can't follow them, but suddenly Luca is in front of me, taking a bullet to the chest.
A bullet meant for me.
My eyes widen, my mouth opening on a scream that won't come out.
Another slap and I feel myself slipping away.
"This bitch got nothing on her. No cash, no valuables," I hear one man say just before another gunshot rings out. And another.
I open my eyes to see both men on the ground, bleeding profusely.
A crazed Enzo rushes toward me, taking me in his arms and rocking me back and forth.
"I'm fine," my voice trembles as I try to assure him. "The baby's fine."
Taking my face in his hands, he lays kisses all over my skin.
"God, Allegra. For one moment I thought I'd lost you," he rasps, his eyes misty.
Another car pulls up in the parking lot, and I see the rest of our bodyguards run toward us.
Too late.
Enzo's expression changes immediately. Gone is the worried lover, replaced by a cold killer. Even in my shocked state, I can see that he's not thinking straight.
"Enzo, don't. Please don't," I beg him, recognizing he's on the verge of snapping. "I'm fine, really. Let it go."
But he doesn't.
He lifts me up and places me in the car seat, locking the doors on his way out.
"Enzo, don't!" I knock my fists on the window as I watch him walk toward the men—his men—with measured steps. A smile, and he draws his weapon.
The men—three in total—barely have time to react as Enzo executes them on the spot.
I keep screaming and kicking at the glass, even though it's futile.
Why?
Too spent from crying, I continue hiccupping as I watch in dismay as Enzo stuffs the bodies inside the other car before returning. He takes Luca's position in the driver's seat, and I can only stare in shock at the man before me.
Who are you?
I thought I'd seen a ruthless side of Enzo when he'd killed a man in cold blood just for touching me. But this… There's simply no excuse for this.
"It had to be done, little tigress," he says, angling the mirror to look at me.
I feel only disgust as I look at him, so unbothered and unconcerned with having just killed five people.
"Why?" My voice sounds broken under the weight of too many tears.
"I don't expect you to understand. Everything has consequences in our world. Life in the famiglia…" he trails off, but I've heard enough.
The famiglia, the ever-important famiglia that values cruelty over humanity.
When another car arrives, Enzo finally starts driving, leaving the scene of the massacre behind.
I stare out the window, my tears dried up, my heart in shambles—disappointed, desolate, and heartbroken.
But it's not until I feel a sudden wetness coursing down my thighs that I start panicking, realizing that, indeed, all actions have consequences.
And my husband's will be rewarded in kind.
"Enzo, hospital, quick! My water broke!" I breathe in deeply, trying to calm myself.
"What?" His eyes widen, but he's already doing a U-turn. "Are you okay? You said everything was fine!"
I don't answer, focusing instead on regulating my breaths.
"Enzo," I finally speak, between sighs, "if anything happens to this baby, you're dead to me." Almost hysterical at this point, I keep my hands over my stomach, praying everything will be okay.
Dear God, if my baby is fine, I'll do it. I'll take the deal. And go as far away as I can from here.
Anything to make sure my child doesn't become like his father. Because then… my heart would be dead and buried.
I may love Enzo, but I love my baby more.
The moment we pull into the parking spot, Enzo scoops me up in his arms, running toward the ER.
I'm hyperventilating, thinking something might have happened to my baby. His due date is in a few more weeks. This wasn't how it was all supposed to go.
I'm taken to the maternity ward, where I'm told that they have to induce labor to ensure that the baby is fine.
Terrified, I clutch Enzo's hand.
"My baby…" I cry out, the thought that something might have happened to him killing me.
"He'll be fine," Enzo tries to assure me, but I'm past the point of reason.
"It's all your fault," I whimper as they plug me into some machines to keep track of my heartbeat.
"Honey, you need to calm down. Your pulse is through the roof, and it's not good for the baby," one of the nurses tells me, teaching me a few breathing techniques.
I start breathing in and out, still not letting go of Enzo. He's there with me through the whole ordeal—me cursing him out, telling him he should die and that I loathe him with all my being.
He doesn't respond. He continues to hold me and to whisper encouraging words in my ear.
Even when my labor starts, he doesn't budge from my side.
"You can do it, little tigress. You can do this," his voice somehow soothes me, even when my mind is far from this reality.
At some point, I start pushing.
For what seems like hours, or days, I'm in a state of confusion, physical and emotional strain. My body feels at its limit, and my mind is about to snap.
My breath ragged, sweat clinging to my skin, and tears dried on my cheeks, I keep pushing.
Until I hear a tiny wail.
"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Agosti," I hear the doctor say before a tiny human is placed on my chest.
"You can have a few moments before we weigh him and make sure he's healthy, given the late preterm delivery."
I nod absentmindedly. For the first time, my mind clears as I look into the sweet face of my son.
He's moving on my chest, his eyes closed, his mouth half open, almost as if trying to grasp at something.
From the corner of my eye, I see Enzo come closer, offering his little finger for him to hold on to.
"Thank you," his voice is low and full of emotion, tears at the corners of his eyes. "Thank you for the most wonderful gift, little tigress."
I don't acknowledge his words. Instead, my focus is on my little human.
"What will you name him?" a nurse comes to check on us.
Enzo's brows furrow, since we haven't decided yet.
"Luca," I say suddenly. "For the man who saved us." Enzo freezes when he hears that, understanding the double meaning of my words. Enzo may have been the one to save us, but he'd unleashed an unnecessary bloodbath. Luca's sacrifice had been heroic and devoid of cruelty.
"Luca it is, then," he nods, and I detect a hint of hurt in his voice.
"Wonderful name. I'll take little Luca to get him cleaned before we do the health checkup."
When the doctor informs us that Luca is fine, both Enzo and I breathe a sigh of relief. And with that happy tidbit of information, I can finally fall asleep.
It's only when I wake up that I realize Enzo must have called Lia to sit with me. She's propped in a chair, almost dozing off.
"Miss," she jerks out of her chair immediately as she sees me awake, rushing toward me to give me a hug. "Oh, Lord, I can't believe you're a mother now," she continues to kiss my cheeks, saying a short prayer for me.
"Me neither, Lia," I smile at her, happy to have her by my side.
At least Enzo had been true to his word, and he'd gotten Lia to move in with us for my pregnancy. I don't think I could have done this without her—not when I started panicking at every little thing.
"And Signor Enzo adores you. Who would have thought that a disaster would turn into a miracle?" she gushes, and I refrain from telling her that it's the opposite. What had started as a disaster had devolved into hell.
"He does, doesn't he?" I mutter, but Lia doesn't get the irony dripping from my words.
A while later, a nurse returns with Luca, and I cradle his little body to my chest, trying to feed him from my breast.
That's how Enzo finds me—naked from the waist up, Luca's mouth latched onto one breast, suckling. He stops in his tracks, and his eyes rove over our bodies, a satisfied smile stretching across his features.
"This is the most beautiful sight," he whispers as he comes closer, brushing his hand over Luca's brow.
"Do you want to hold him?" I ask when Luca's done feeding, already fast asleep.
"Can I?" Uncertainty is written all over his face as he looks between Luca and me. I nod, deep down thinking he won't have many chances to do it in the future. And as I see him carefully lift the little bundle in his arms, his eyes so full of love, I waver. Just a little.
Dear God, am I doing the right thing?
He walks around the room with Luca in his arms, all the while whispering words of love in his ear.
Tears suddenly flood my eyes, and I avert my face.
"Hey, are you okay?" He quickly comes to my side, caressing my hair.
"Yeah, it's nothing," I sniffle, "just hormones."
That and seeing Enzo with our son is breaking my heart—especially given the decision I've made.
The next few days are the hardest. My body took a toll from the birth, and I'm barely starting to recover. Enzo is a constant presence at the hospital, so it doesn't give me an opening to contact the agent.
At my last checkup, the doctor declares me fit to be discharged in a couple of days, so I take advantage and ask Enzo to get me some clothes, saying I only trust him.
When he's finally gone, I ask Lia to get me some very specific food, ensuring she'll be gone for a while.
I don't want to implicate her in this, and it's better if she doesn't know anything.
The room finally empty, I fish out my phone and dial Agent McNaught.
Luca is sleeping peacefully in my arms, and his pure little face, the way he is still innocent of the evils of the world, strengthens my resolve. I can't let my son be brought up in a culture that looks down on women and glorifies cold-blooded killing.
I won't let him end up like his father.
The agent answers on the first ring.
"The offer," I start, faking a nonexistent confidence, "I'll take it."
"You're doing the right thing, Mrs. Agosti," he assures me after we hash out some details.
"I'm in the hospital now, but I have the list of locations at home. I can get it to you as soon as I leave."
"Can you do that? Safely?"
"Don't worry about my husband, Agent. I can handle it," I answer.
He proceeds to tell me about our meeting place and that I'll be taken into protective custody immediately.
"Just... I need my son to be safe."
"He will be, Mrs. Agosti. That I promise."
Hanging up, I get out of bed and put Luca in his little cradle.
A smile pulls at my lips as I watch his sleepy expression.
My fingers trace his features, noticing both Enzo and me in him.
I know that babies' eyes tend to change color, but Luca's seem to be the same spring-deep green as his papa's.
Somehow this tugs at my heartstrings, as I realize I'll forever see Enzo in Luca.
When he's older, maybe he'll understand me and why I had to do this. Maybe he'll hate me, but maybe someday he'll forgive me.
At least he'll never become a criminal.
I lay a kiss on his cheek and move back to my bed, stopping when someone enters my room.
"What are you doing here?" I ask, shocked to see the one person who should have been my dearest friend but ended up being my worst enemy.