Chapter 6
SIX
Damiano
For the entire drive back to the palazzo, my brother insists he's fine when he's clearly not.
His cheeks are pale and a thin sheen of sweat glistens on his brow.
As he rests his head against the passenger-side window, I glimpse Olivia in the rearview mirror.
Sitting forward in her seat, she stares at Lorenzo, as worried about him as I am.
Today has been a fucking mess.
Matteo and Giulia's wedding was miserable even before we were attacked.
When I drove my cousin back to the villa, we discovered Reznov had lent Giulia his plane so she could return to New York without her husband.
I barely stopped Matteo from launching himself at Reznov, an act that would have damaged the alliance our family has with the Russian.
"I don't feel so good." Lorenzo's admission startles me. From the earliest age, we learned never to show any weakness.
"We're almost home." Olivia pats his shoulder to reassure him.
"Oh, good. I need to see Lu…cia."
I don't bother telling him the woman he's been chasing won't be at my house. From the slurring of his words, it's obvious Lorenzo isn't thinking clearly. As we drive through the gates onto my property, we go over a bump. Lorenzo groans softly.
When I pull to a stop at the front door, I kill the engine, jump out, and go to help my brother. He's still awake, but his head is lolling about like he can't hold it steady. Reaching across him, I unfasten his seatbelt and drag him out of the car.
"Find Gianni," I tell Olivia. "I'll take Lorenzo to his old room."
I put my arm under Lorenzo's shoulder to hold him up. He's really fucking heavy and he's refusing to cooperate, which makes it harder to maneuver him toward the door. He's a stubborn bastard even when clinging to consciousness.
Tomasz, one of the guards on duty, rushes to help. Together, we get Lorenzo upstairs and into his room, where we drop him on the bed.
"Say nothing about this," I warn Tomasz as I dismiss him. "Not a word."
When Tomasz leaves the room, I step back to give Gianni access as he enters, Olivia close behind. He purses his lips as he looks down at Lorenzo.
"His color's off," Gianni observes. "Has he vomited?"
"No."
"Lost consciousness?"
I look to Olivia, who was with him for some time at the villa before I got there.
"He was okay at the villa," Olivia says, "but he did get shot in the head, so obviously there's that."
"Yes, but I doubt that's what's causing this." Gianni holds a finger in front of Lorenzo's eyes and asks him to follow it as he moves it from side to side. My brother either can't or won't do as he's asked. His frustration clear, Gianni turns to me. "Did he hit his head?"
I shrug. The scene at the church was chaos. "It's possible."
Gianni sighs. "I need to take him to a hospital, run a CT scan."
"You know we can't do that." Hospitals ask questions we don't want to answer and there's always a risk that some employee will sell us out to our enemies. It's harder to protect someone when they're in a public building.
"I wouldn't suggest it if it wasn't necessary. Treating him here carries too much risk. I need to know what I'm working with."
Shit. This is difficult. Glancing at Lorenzo, so pale and helpless on the bed, I'm reminded of the night our brother, Gabriele, was ambushed near his house in Rome.
The left side of his face was slashed with a broken bottle, leaving him horribly scarred.
He rarely leaves his house now. I've failed him. I can't do the same with Lorenzo.
"Okay, take him to a hospital, but be discreet. The minute you know what's wrong and how to treat it, you bring him back here."
Gianni nods. "I'll take him to St. Pietro's. I have friends there. We'll be in and out quickly."
"Fine." I still don't like it, but Gianni clearly thinks it's the right thing to do. I get my phone out of my pocket and message Tomasz, telling him to get back up here and to bring another guard with him. "Two of the men will go with you."
Only two minutes pass before Tomasz arrives along with Andrea. Both men are perfect for this job. They’re discreet and hyper-vigilant.
"My brother needs to go to a hospital. Gianni will go too. You are to ensure nobody gets too close."
"Of course." Tomasz inclines his head in acknowledgement of his orders.
I stand aside as my men get Lorenzo to his feet and half-carry, half-drag him from the room. Gianni gives me a nod, letting me know he'll take care of my brother. They don't like each other much, but since he first came to work here as my butler, Gianni has been a fiercely loyal member of my team.
As the door closes behind them, Olivia places a hand on my shoulder. "You did the right thing. Head injuries are tricky."
"What do you know about it?"
Ignoring my curt tone, she rolls her eyes. "Oh, please. I have five brothers. They've all had their skulls bashed at some point."
"Yeah." I look toward the door. "Perhaps I should go with them to the hospital."
"You can't."
She's right. Gianni might be able to sneak Lorenzo in under the radar, but my presence would draw too much attention.
"I could use a drink."
"Me too," Olivia says, "unless you're going to get pissy about me not being old enough to drink."
"We're in Italy," I remind her.
We make our way downstairs in silence and go to the living room. I pour vodka for us both. Olivia wrinkles her nose as I hand her a glass.
"I prefer Scotch," she grumbles.
"You should get used to the taste of vodka. You'll be marrying a Russian."
"Nothing has been decided." Olivia scowls at me. "Are you trying to pick a fight?"
"No."
I take a seat on the leather armchair by the window.
"I think I'll grab a shower," she says and walks from the room, leaving me with my thoughts.
Exhaustion, not just of the physical variety, seeps into my bones. It's dangerous, but I rest my head back and close my eyes, telling myself I only need a moment's peace.
A bright light suddenly jolts me awake. I sit up, immediately alert, to find Gianni hovering in the doorway of the living room.
"How is he?" I demand as I get to my feet.
"Resting upstairs. He may be out of it for a day or two, but his injury was not as severe as I feared." He doesn't elaborate. "I will monitor him closely, but he should be fine."
"Good." I walk past Gianni. "Get a little rest while you can."
I climb the stairs two at a time and hurry along the corridor to Lorenzo's room. Olivia is already there, standing by his bedside, stroking his hair back from his face. It's an uncharacteristically tender gesture from my belligerent cousin.
Untroubled by the burdens we carry each day, he looks younger, reminding me of the little brother I played soccer with in our garden back in Rome. It was a lifetime ago. The thought of losing him ignites something ugly inside me. I want to punish everyone responsible for him lying there.
Eventually, I'll get to them all, but right now there is one person I can bring to their knees.
Ignoring Olivia as she calls out after me, I storm from the room and head straight for the room I had Lina install Violetta in. At her door, I pause for only a moment. I should let this go, but I can't. I won't.
When I fling open the door, she's lying on the bed in short pink pajamas.
Her long, wavy hair, now returned to a more pleasing chestnut brown, tumbles over her shoulders.
She glances up at me and a soft smile touches her pale pink lips.
For a moment I can only stare at her. The sight of Violetta so relaxed in my house, so unaware of the trouble she's caused, makes my blood boil.
"Get up."
She hesitates so I march over, grab her arm, and drag her off the bed.
"Damiano? What are you doing?"
I don't answer. Instead, I lead her to Lorenzo's room.
"What the fuck!" Olivia protests as I shove her aside and stand Violetta next to the bed.
"This," I say coldly. "This is what happens when you interfere."
Violetta looks over her shoulder at me, wide-eyed and oh-so-innocent. "I don't understand."
"The boy you allowed to escape attacked my cousin's wedding."
Her face pales. "He did this?"
"He was among the perpetrators."
Violetta turns back to Lorenzo and shakes her head. "I didn't…."
"What?" I spin her around so she's facing me, then put a finger beneath her chin, tilting her head so she can't look away. "You didn't know what would happen?"
"How could I?"
While it's true she couldn't have foreseen Lorenzo being injured, she should have been smart enough to realize that if I had someone locked in a room, it was because they were trouble.
"You could have thought before acting."
"I was only trying to help him."
My lip curls into a snarl. "Your help got him killed."
Violetta's jaw clenches. "He's dead?"
"He is."
Her knees buckle, but I grab her upper arms to hold her up. I won't let her fall.
"Is this more pity for a man you claim you don't know?"
Violetta glares defiantly at me. "You wouldn't understand."
Releasing her arms, I leave before I do something I'll regret. Too close to losing control, I head to my bedroom and quickly strip off my clothes, discarding them on a chair in the corner. I go to the shower and turn the heat up high.
As I step under the scalding water, I'm resolved on what will happen next. Violetta will learn the cost of defiance, one way or another.