Chapter 22
MADALINA
“ W hy do you look so miserable?” Dario asks as steps into the living room and finds me on the couch.
“Let me think about that for a minute.” I stroke my hand over my ever-growing stomach and roll my eyes. “I feel like the size of a house and still have at least four months to go. I’m not getting any sleep because these babies don’t stop wriggling around and I’m married to an arrogant asshole.” I try shifting myself into a more comfortable position.
“An arrogant asshole who has arranged a party for you.” Dario looks pleased with himself.
“I don’t want to celebrate my birthday this year, it doesn’t seem right.” I shake my head.
“Your father wouldn’t want you to think like that.” He frowns at me as he takes a seat beside me.
“Well, it is how I feel. Besides, I don’t want to have to perform. It was bad enough last week when I had to go to that awful luncheon. Every single one of those women had a horrific birth story they couldn’t wait to tell me.” I feel another flutter in my lower stomach.
“You shouldn’t listen to them. Everything is going to be fine, and when these little ones decide to come I’ll be right there with you.” He pats my belly affectionately.
“That day seems so far away.” I throw my head back against the couch. I expected to be a little bigger since I’m carrying twins, but I didn’t expect to be so big, so fast.
“I like this look on you,” Dario circles his palm over my bump. “ If it were up to me I’d keep you constantly knocked up— Woah! ” Dario’s eyes widen at the exact same time that one of the babies moves. “Was that…?”
“You felt it too?” I stare back at him in excitement.
“I did.” Dario quickly shifts position so both his hands are on my stomach and after a few seconds when I feel more movement, he looks up at me and laughs. “They are getting stronger.” His thumbs stroke me affectionately.
“I should think so, the amount of space they’re taking up.” I let a smile lift my lips, I can’t even pretend to be miserable, at a moment like this. Dario looks so happy and it proves, among everything else he does, how much these babies mean to him. It’s time I started looking forward to this next step. And, as much as I hate to admit he’s right, my father wouldn’t want me to spend my days sitting around feeling sad.
“Can you arrange a car for me? I was supposed to be meeting Lorna for lunch today but I canceled on her again. I miss her.”
“Sure. I can get you a table at The Vineyard too, they do the best gelato in the city.” Of course, he uses the fact I’m obsessed with the stuff, right now, to try and tempt me to the restaurant his family owns.
“Sounds perfect.” I shrug, not even letting myself get annoyed by how overbearing he can be, we have a long way to go and I get the feeling he’s going to get worse.
“You make the reservation and I’ll go find something to squeeze into.” I take his hand and let him help me off the sofa while he presses his phone to his ear.
“Madalina,” I stop and look over my shoulder when he calls out to me.
“Thank you.” He has a serious look on his face and I have no idea what exactly he is grateful for, but I smile at him anyway
I sit at my table waiting for Lorna and start to believe Dario was telling the truth as I scan my eyes over the extensive gelato selection. I’ve decided that being pregnant earns me the right to skip any entrées and get straight to the good stuff. Once I’ve decided what I’m having I check the time on my phone again and when I see a text from her telling me she had to go pick her brother up from school, I decide I’m excited enough about the gelato to eat without her.
I sit in the peaceful restaurant and smile at the couple beside me who keep staring at me. The more I think about it, the more I notice that everyone here is looking at me. The waiter was so on edge when I first arrived that he almost spilled the water he poured into my glass for me.
“You know what? You can all fuck off!” I hear shouting come from the other side of the room, and when I crane my neck over one of the fancy plants to see what's going on I’m surprised to see Dario’s brother, stumbling away from one of the tables toward the bar.
“I’ll have a scotch, please.” He slurs his words and I quickly pick up the menu and bury my head back inside it before he recognizes me. The men, I’m assuming he was sitting with, all look embarrassed as they shake their heads, and I feel a little relieved that everyone else's attention is on Cassio instead of me now.
“Madalina.”
My heart drops when I hear my name.
“Ahhhhh, Madalina. My brother's beautiful wife.” He heads straight for me, pulling out the chair opposite me and dropping into it. “You don’t remember me, do you?” He tilts his head and grins.
“Of course, I remember you.” I place down the menu and smile politely, very aware that everyone here is watching me, again.
“No, you were far too busy looking up at my brother with those big, doe eyes. I see he wasted no time in getting to business.” He looks down at my bump and laughs bitterly. “It seems your husband can do no wrong.” He swipes his drink off the tray that the waiter brings over and knocks it back.
“Cassio, you're drunk, maybe you should call your driver,” I whisper over the table, not wanting to embarrass him, at least not any more than he’s embarrassing himself.
“My driver,” he chuckles. “Sweetheart, I’m the bastard son. I don’t get a driver. I don’t get a pretty, little wife and a big house to fill up with children. I don’t even get a district of my own. I have your perfect husband to thank for that.” He raises his glass as if he’s toasting the fact.
“Maybe that's because it’s quarter after one in the afternoon and you're drunk.” I don’t know why but I suddenly feel defensive. I’m starting to understand why he wasn’t happy to see his brother at that party.
“What else am I supposed to do, sit around and wait for Golden Boy to fuck up?” His words come out spitefully and I decide I’ve heard enough and stand up from my chair.
“Are you going somewhere?” He laughs and I choose to ignore him. “Come on, we were having fun. ”
He calls after me as I head for the door, and when he stands up like he’s going to follow me one of the men Dario has guarding me, steps forward from where he’s standing at the entrance and marches toward him while the other one takes my elbow and guides me outside.
“I’m fine.” I take a deep breath of fresh air and stand him down. Cassio isn’t a threat to me, he’s just an asshole and I’m over-emotional these days. I barely feel like I can keep up with my thoughts.
The other guard steps outside and shakes his head at his friend.
“Did you call Dario?” he checks.
“There's no need to trouble him. I’m fine, and Cassio’s just drunk. I’m going home now, anyway.” I stand him down and head toward Lucian who’s already standing by the back passenger door, holding it open for me.
“Didn’t like the gelato?” he winks.
“It was more the company that wasn’t to my taste.” I roll my eyes at him as I slide into the backseat.
“Boss won’t be happy.” He shakes his head.
“You're right about that.” I sigh, knowing that there’s already enough tension between Dario and his brother. This incident is going to make it so much worse.
“Where to, ma’am?” He lifts his kind eyes up to look through the rearview mirror at me. I know being a driver isn’t the job Lucian is supposed to do. I’ve heard other members of staff talking in the halls and, second to Vito, he’s one of the best men Dario has. I’m sure he gets no pleasure out of being my personal chauffeur, but he never lets me know that.
“Home,” I sigh heavily.
“How about we stop somewhere and get you some gelato on the way home? I know a good, little place,” he suggests as I rest my head back and relax .
“That would be perf–”
The loud bang that comes from nowhere takes the rest of my words and turns them into a scream. All I see is red as blood splatters against me and the windows, and I grip the door handle when the car starts to spin out of control. Lucian’s head flops forward onto the wheel, and just as I notice the hole in the side of it we get shunted hard from behind. Another jolt comes from the side, crunching the bodywork and my head slams so hard against my window that I black out.
I blink as I come to, and with my body aching and my head pounding, I realize that I’m lying with my back on the tarmac.
“Madalina. Wake up!” Dario’s brother is hanging over me, tapping my face with his fingers as I stare up at him. His voice sounds so distant and all I can hear among the echoes in my head is the constant sound of a horn in the background.
“What happened?” I try to speak but I can’t hear the words come out. Cassio looks relieved as I try to wet my lips and suddenly my ears pop and the sound of chaos around us becomes scary and overwhelming.
“Cassio, what happened?” I try to look around me frantically but he’s holding my head still in his hands.
“The ambulance is coming, just stay calm,” he tries to assure me, but when I feel myself starting to black out again I start to panic.
“She’s my sister-in-law and she’s pregnant,” I hear Cassio explain as my body gets lifted from the ground. I try to open my eyes but I don’t seem to have the strength.
“Dario!” I call out hoping someone can hear me.
“He’s going to meet us at the hospital, but I’m right here.” I feel a hand clasp tight around mine. “I’m here and you're going to be okay.”
“My babies, what about my babies?” Panic forces my eyes to shoot open and the bright lights almost blind me. Some guy I’ve never seen before is standing over me and when I look down at myself, I’m covered in blood.
“Don’t panic, it’s not yours, at least I don’t think it is.” I turn my head to the side and see Cassio sitting beside me. “We’re in an ambulance, we’re going to the hospital,” he tells me, and I can see how hard he’s trying not to sound scared.
“Lucian.” I remember the loud bang, and all the blood, the hole in his head… “Someone shot Lucian!” I try to sit up but get forced back down.
“Madalina, you have to think of your baby, just stay calm.” Cassio reminds me, keeping a firm grip on my hand and looking panicked himself.
“What happened?” I do as he says, laying still, and willing to feel some movement inside me so I know my babies are okay.
“Some guy on a bike came out of nowhere just after Lucian pulled onto the street, he shot him and when the other cars crashed into you, the bike sped off.”
“Is he…?”
“Don’t you worry about that, just stay with me, no more blacking out, okay? It’s scary. But it is one sure way to sober a man up.” Keeping hold of my hand he manages a smile for me.
“How many weeks pregnant are you, ma'am?” The medic checking my vitals asks.
“Twenty, and it’s twins.”
“Twins?” Cassio must be hearing this for the first time because he looks shocked.
“Dario really does do things properly.” He laughs, flicking his eyes between me and the medic in concern.
“Twin girls.” I close my eyes and pray that they are okay, suddenly I feel awful for every moan and argument I’ve caused with Dario over him getting me pregnant.
“Okay, well you stay awake for them, we’ll get them checked out as soon as we get to the hospital, won’t we?” The look he gives the medic dares him to say otherwise and when he nods his head back at me it does nothing to ease my nerves.
“Listen, Madalina.” Cassio holds my face in his hands and forces me to focus on him. “Your little girls are going to be fine. DeMarcos are made of tough stuff,” he promises me.
When we arrive at the hospital I’m wheeled straight into a private room. Cassio insists that he stay with me while the doctor examines me and I get frustrated when she wastes time asking me all the same questions that the guy in the ambulance did.
“I just want to know that my babies are okay.” I slide my hand over my stomach as I watch Cassio pace the room, scrubbing his hand through his stubble. I can see he’s genuinely worried about us, and I’m starting to wonder if his arrogance and hatred toward Dario is all part of an act to salvage his pride.
The door eventually bursts open and when Dario comes rushing in toward me I reach out to him and burst into relieved tears.
“Madalina! What happened?” He grabs my head in both his hands and searches me over. He looks scared, hurt, and furious all at once when he sees that I’m covered in blood.
“It’s not mine. The blood, it’s Lucian’s,” I quickly tell him.
“ Fuck!” He shouts so loud it makes me jump. When he throws his fist at the wall and Cassio steps forward, he pushes him away.
“Dario, you need to calm the fuck down,” Cassio tells him, but Dario blanks him and focuses his eyes on the very worried-looking doctor.
“Is she okay?” He manages to calm himself down enough to ask.
“She’s taken a knock to the head, but apart from that she’s been very lucky,” she assures him.
“And the babies? We’re having twins.” His hand drops to my stomach and all I can think about is how happy he looked when he felt them move the other day. The thought of them not being okay makes it hard for me to breathe.
“As soon as I’ve done all my assessments on Mrs. DeMarco I’ll have her taken upstairs to gynecology so we can check in on them. She’s had no stomach pains or signs of bleeding, so we have every reason to believe all is well,” she assures him. “I must ask you to control your temper, here is not the place for it.” She nervously picks up her file before she scurries out of the room.
“What are you doing here?” He waits until she closes the door before he turns his attention to Cassio. He’s standing in the corner of the room looking like a spare part and I can’t help feeling sorry for him.
“I was at the restaurant, she left because I was drunk and making her feel uncomfortable, and when I heard the crash outside I–.”
“Get the fuck out of here!” Dario races over to him and grabs the front of his shirt.
“Dario, stop,” I call out, but he ignores me as he shoves Cassio out the door.
“Stay the fuck away from my wife!” he yells down the corridor before turning back and closing his eyes. I watch him take a few steady breaths before he comes closer, and take a seat beside me.
“I really need you to stay calm. I can’t have you getting kicked out of here.” I don’t even care that I sound reliant on him as he kisses my hand.
“That won’t happen, do you know how much money we donate to this place, annually?” He looks back toward the door and snarls.
“Don’t be mad at Cassio, he helped me. Someone shot at Lucian, and?— ”
“I know what happened. Dev briefed me.” He slides his hand through his hair and takes another one of those deep breaths. “It should have been me. I should have been the one protecting you. I should never have let you out of my sight.” He stares at my hands as all that frustration starts to build in his eyes again.
“You can’t be with me all the time,” I remind him.
“You want to bet on that?” He manages to smirk.
“Dario, I’m scared,” I admit. “What about the babies, what if something has happened to them?” I feel the tears building in my eyes as a fear like I’ve never known before clenches my guts.
“They’re going to be fine.” He takes hold of my face, again. “I promise.”