Chapter 34
Matt
Ruthless men don’t have regrets.
Ruthless men don’t feel remorse.
Ruthless men don’t feel guilty for the blood they shed.
As per definition, I wasn’t as much of a ruthless man as I’d perceived myself to be. It was a mask that had shattered under the pressure of all of those feelings.
Regret.
Remorse.
Guilt…
Love.
“No, no, no, no, no, no. This can’t be happening. God, please!” I cried out, holding Francesca’s body to me as Max secured the place.
Hiro was dead with six bullets carved in his chest, but the war outside hadn’t gotten the memo yet. I needed to take Francesca out of here. Get her to a hospital. But first, we needed to stop the bullets that flew from all directions in the front courtyard.
Francesca’s frame was still covering mine the exact same way we landed when she tackled me. I was afraid to move a muscle. I was afraid to breathe her out of existence. So, I held onto her and my breath.
The thought of losing her when I was this close to getting her back was more than I could take. Warm tears sprung freely down my face, leaving trails of dire thoughts printed on my cheeks.
Life would definitely not be worth living without her, and there was absolutely no way I could. I know that now. If this past month had taught me anything, it was that I was absolutely nothing without my queen.
My hand was pressed firmly against the wound on her shoulder, trying to stem the bleeding, but it was no use. Blood continued to seep through my fingers, warm and sticky, a constant reminder of how close I’d come to losing her.
Never in my whole life had the sight of blood, severed flesh, or any kind of gruesome wound affected me until this very day. This was a newfound sensitivity coming from my heart and messing with my gut. It would have hurt and messed with me a lot less if this wound and pain had been inflicted on me. That I could take with a fucking smile on my face. This? This had me frozen in a fear I had yet to experience.
All the pain and suffering I had caused her during this month, all the hurt and hate I saw in her eyes, should have stopped her from doing such a stupid thing. Selfless. Reckless. Stupid thing.
“What have you done, amore mio ?” My love. I whispered as if any harsh sound or movement could hurt her more as I spoke to her in a gentle voice as if she could listen. “Okay, slowly. Let’s sit up and try to stop the bleeding.”
Gently, I shifted us up, holding Francesca’s body tightly against mine, clogging her wound and compressing her back into my chest. I felt her soft heartbeat beneath my other hand, and I purposely left it there to be sure she was still with me. She was still fighting.
The sound of gunshots had slowed down, further spaced out, letting me know Max was succeeding in putting an end to the slaughter outside. I let my eyes focus on Hiro’s dead body, laying before me like a fucking trophy, yet, victory once again was too bitter to properly savor.
“Matt…” Francesca murmured, stirring in my arms and wincing in pain.
“I’m here, Baby,” I said, my voice cracking as I looked down at her. “I’m right here. We’re gonna get you to the hospital, and you’re gonna be okay. Just hold on, okay? Just hold on for me.”
“My father?”
Fuck. She couldn’t see him from where we sat. At least she was given that small mercy.
I simply shook my head in response. It took Francesca a moment for the information to really sink in, and when it finally did, soft cries made her whole body quiver in sadness. I allowed her to mourn the loss of the man she’d only now recovered, holding on to her tighter and hoping my embrace brought her some solace. He’d betrayed us, but I wasn’t about to stain his memory just to state out the obvious.
“I need you to do something for me,” Francesca said between sobs.
“Anything, my love. Anything you need.”
“Cut off his hand. Please. His pinky is missing, and I don’t want anyone to know. They don’t need to know. He can be buried as an honorable man. Please, Matt.”
It’s as if she’d read my mind. I had no idea Romolo had sworn into the Yakuza to the point of self-mutilation like the others. That severed pinky was enough of an indication of his betrayal of the Cosa Nostra. It was enough for his body to either be incinerated with this house once we left or thrown in a ditch like a stray dog. How deep was he in Hiro’s revenge plan?
My mind was running a thousand miles an hour as I realized that Romolo surely played a part in my grandfather’s death, and suddenly, that shallow ditch seemed too little of a humiliation for a rat like him.
“Matt,” Francesca called again, and as soon as my eyes locked with hers, I knew this small lenience had nothing to do with Romolo. “Please, will you do that for me? My mother, my brothers…” She trailed off.
“Of course. His secret dies here.” I reassured her, swiping her blood-damp hair away from her face, my fingers leaving behind a trail of vivid blood across her forehead. “We need to get you out of here. You’re losing too much blood.”
“Let’s go. The coast is clear.” Max came stomping into the room with the exact words I wanted to hear. Bending down, he placed an arm under Francesca’s knees and tucked the other between our bodies to pick her up.
As much as she tried to muffle her whimpers for my sake, I heard them all deep down in my soul, and if I could turn back time, I’d find a way to kill Hiro again. And again, and again.
“Take her out to the car. Be careful,” I warned in a tone drenched in danger.
My eyes followed them out of the room before I turned and grabbed one of the swords from the wall above the fireplace. Without a second thought, I swung the blade and cut off Romolo’s hand.
For my wife’s peace of mind, I would order my men to take him back to Detroit for a suitable burial with all the honors of a Made Man.
For my wife.
I picked up his hand by his index and walked out of the building, throwing the damn thing into the thick bushes that lined the stairs to the manor.
“Make sure it’s burned to the ground,” I ordered as Liam and Max came walking towards me. “Wrap Romolo’s body and have it delivered to Detroit. They deserve to say their goodbyes in peace.”
“We’ll make it happen,” Liam replied.
“You okay?” I asked Max. His whole shirt was drenched in blood, but he seemed to be holding up fine.
“Just a few scrapes and scratches. The blood’s not mine.”
“Good. Make sure this is dealt with and leave right after. I don’t want any of ours left behind.”
“Got it, Boss.”
Before stepping into the back seat of the car where Francesca was lying, I dared a quick glance around the courtyard. It was only then that I realized how off my perception of the earlier events truly was.
The Yakuza men had fought with all they had. Turns out they weren’t as weak as I’d deemed them to be.
◆◆◆
“You know who I am, Dr. Mendoza. If my wife doesn’t make it out of this alive, neither do you.” I threatened as soon as they took Francesca from my arms and secured her onto a gurney.
That fucking drive to the hospital was made of an everlasting eternity, even if Carl had cut the time by almost half. And now, more waiting. I watched them wheel her away, nurses scrambling to stop the bleeding while setting up a drip and all kinds of stuff that made my mind sink back into those dire thoughts of losing her.
Until she was out of danger, I had to stay in the waiting room like all the other miserable souls who hung onto a feeble string of hope in this barren room that was crawling with death. I had no idea how they did it. Nothing inside here spoke of certainty. Nothing inside here breathed life and optimism. Nothing inside here was calming despite the white walls and dejected silences.
I stepped outside and lit a cigarette, noticing it was the last one inside the damn pack. If I was made to wait for her to be okay, if I needed to be calm until they brought me news, I was gonna need a fucking crate of nicotine or maybe some of that poison the Yakuza shot me with.
Three deep drags were all it took for me to smoke the damn thing and be left with a butt that had died out. I crouched down against the wall, waiting outside where the air was less drenched in misery for news of a full recovery.
If those weren’t coming wrapped in a white coat, they could euthanize me right here against this hospital wall because this would be where my life ended.
“Max,” I answered my buzzing phone.
“The package has been sent to Detroit, and I’m all out of matches.” We could never be sure who was tapping into our lines, even when using burners, so Max always came up with different codes to say what he needed. He meant the manor was lit and that Francesca’s father’s body was on its way to Detroit.
“Okay.” I merely huffed in response.
“How is she? Any news?”
“Nothing yet.”
“It’s been three fucking hours,” He answered in exasperation. He cared about her, too. They’d bonded during my absence, and I was grateful that his friendship and loyalty to my wife were enough to have him worried and cussing in despair. “I’m on my way back. We might have some damage control to attend to.”
“What do you mean?”
“Jackson. But I’ll deal with it if the need arises.”
“With pleasure, I’m sure. Just act with your brain on this one, Max. I need you sane.”
“Will do. Let me know if you get any news.”
As soon as he cut me off, Dr. Mendoza marched out of the emergency hall, spinning on his heels, looking for me.
“Mr. Battaglia, your wife is out of danger. She’ll be waking up soon, and I’m sure she’d like to see you when she does. We can discuss her condition and care when she’s awake.”
I had no fucking clue what he said. The only thing my ears registered was that Francesca was out of danger. All the rest was sound pollution that my worried brain couldn’t understand.
◆◆◆
“Matt.” Her small voice croaked in the darkness of the room.
I rushed to her side, kissing her forehead. The contact from her skin bringing me the comfort I didn’t realize was enough to soothe my worries.
She was everything. Where all things started, where all things ended.
“Francesca, Baby. You’re alright, you’re gonna be alright,” I said, gripping her fingers tighter and resting my forehead on the back of her hand.
“You’re here.”
“Of course, I’m here. I’m never leaving your side.”
We had so much to talk about. So many issues to clear and solve, but we had our whole future to do it. My heart was still tight, but it was squeezed a little harder as the thought that she might not forgive me for what I’d done ran through my mind.
“We need to talk.”
“I need to tell you everything,” We both said at the same time.
“You go first,” She conceded.
“I love you.” Were the first words that left my mouth, earning a spontaneous smile from her that illuminated her beautiful features despite the pain. “I made a mistake! I can’t live without you, Francesca, and I don’t want to. I don’t care what it takes to be with you, I will do it. I will abandon my position if that’s what I need to do, as long as, at the end of the day, I’m with you, and you’re mine. My wife.” I brushed a strand of hair away from her face, holding my gaze to hers.
I saw her eyes sparkle in reaction to my words, and I knew that, even though it didn’t seem like the perfect timing, I couldn’t risk not telling her exactly what I felt. She needed to know what she meant to me and just how stupid I was to throw away the only thing that brought me real happiness.
“It wasn’t real. The divorce. I did it so you could have your dream. Your uncle offered me his place in The Commission, but I knew you deserved it so much more than I did. I wanted to give you the world because you are my world. I am so sorry, I wasn’t think–”
“I know,” She whispered, cutting me off and earning a surprised glare from me. “Alison had a clarifying chat with me after the meeting.”
“I’m sorry,” I said as she smiled back at me. “I know this is the worst timing ever, but I need to right this wrong immediately.” I reached into my pocket and took out Francesca’s wedding ring, holding it out in front of her.
I had kept it on me ever since she took it off. I wasn’t sure to what end, but I felt like I was holding onto her somehow.
“Francesca, will you do me the honor of being my wife? Of marrying me, by your own choice this time? Will you take me back?”
I saw the tears that spilled from her eyes, the never-ending smile hidden beneath her now thin veil of pain. Waiting for her answer was pure torture, but I would never again force her into anything.
“Yes!” She finally cried out. “We will take you back!”
“What?” I asked, confused.
She took my hand and placed it over her belly, repeating her last words, which now had a world of meaning and added a whole new meaning to my world.
“ We will take you back!”
There was nothing on this earth that could prepare me for the overflow of happiness, excitement, and pure joy that took over every piece of me at that revelation.
“Are you… Are you serious?”
“Cross my heart and hope to die.” She tried to chuckle.
“That’s not funny!” I admonished in a serious tone while she smiled right at me, my hand resting on her still-flat stomach. “God, how I love your smile!”
I finally kissed her, refraining from spilling all my enthusiasm into that kiss so that I wouldn’t hurt her. I rested my forehead on hers when we broke apart, breathing her in and admiring her new glow even though she was still pale and dainty.
“I’ll be right back,” I told her, moving over to her stomach and placing a tender kiss on it, Francesca’s hand stroking my hair as I started my first conversation with my unborn child. “Hi, Baby! It’s your father. I just want you to know that I love you and your momma more than I could ever explain. I will protect both of you as long as I live. I can’t wait to meet you.”
I smiled up towards Francesca and saw that her tears of joy matched mine. I was the happiest man on this planet.
“Shall we go?” A nurse asked from the door, making me swing my head in her direction.
“Go where?”
“I’m taking Mrs. Battaglia for an ultrasound. Would you like to join her?”
“Of course.”
I followed the woman through the narrow hospital corridors, turning left, right, north, south until I was completely lost, only to quickly find myself again as soon as I laid my eyes on Francesca’s candid smile.
“How are you doing?” She asked me in a frail and shallow voice.
“Me?” I chuckled. “I’m a mess. But I wasn’t shot! How about you? How are you doing?”
“I’m worried. I want to know how the baby is. I just found out the other day. I haven’t done any check-ups yet, and now this,” She said, visibly shaken by haunting thoughts. I smiled as convincingly as I could because my words and voice would surely betray me.
I was worried, too.
The doctor sat down close to Francesca’s feet, asking her to slowly scoop down with my help and open her legs. I was profusely puzzled since I thought she was doing an ultrasound. She pulled out an odd device before opening a condom and placing it over the plastic shaft. I was eyeing the woman, suspicious about what she was going to do with it before she squeezed some gel over the tip and pushed it inside my wife.
“I thought ultrasounds were done on your belly, not up your…” I whispered before I widened my eyes towards the doctor while Francesca tried her best not to chuckle, to avoid both pain and awkwardness.
“Ah… there you are! Perfectly safe and sound.” The doctor sang the only words I wanted to hear before ripping the lyrics straight out of my lungs. “Say hello to your twin babies, Mom and Dad!”