Chapter 43
Chapter forty-three
I’ve put bullets in people without a second thought.
I’ve commanded men to kill.
I’ve ended bloodlines.
But here in the emergency room, I’m not in charge of anything.
Hands reach for Gigi.
A gurney appears out of nowhere and I’m forced to let her go.
Nurses ask questions. Name. Age. Allergies.
Gigi’s fingers slip from my grasp.
She’s wheeled away down the hall. Her skin pale under the lights. Her eyes closed.
She disappears behind doors I can’t kick down.
Matteo and Lucia are by my side.
Monarch wings, raven feathers, and the word Nevermore haunt my mind.
A killer who thinks he's a poet has declared war on me.
And I’m losing everyone because of it.
The doors swing shut and I stare at the seam where they meet.
Mama is a wreck. I hear her crying.
“Cipi.” Lucia touches my arm.
I shrug her off. If anyone touches me right now, I might break.
“She’s alive, Cipi. That’s what matters,” Matteo appears at my side.
I nod.
Together they lead me to one of the couches in the waiting room. I sit down next to Mom. Bruno and Salvatore are seated in nearby chairs.
Placing my palms together, I bow my head, and pray.
Seconds morph into minutes as time ticks louder than it should.
All I do is pray.
After an hour and a half, the doors open.
Every muscle in my body snaps tight.
Dr. Reggiano appears.
“She’s stable,” he tells us.
The words hit like a breath of fresh air.
Mama lets out a sob and grabs my arm. Matteo exhales hard and Lucia cries, “Thank you Jesus.”
“Can we see her?” I ask.
Dr. Reggiano nods. “Only family for now.” He looks at Bruno and Salvatore.
“It’s fine.” Salvatore gets to his feet. “That’s all we needed to hear. I’m going to take Bruno to my mom’s house. I’ll text you later, Cipi.”
I nod and follow Dr. Reggiano through the doors.
“She’s still groggy and might not remember much.” Dr. Reggiano advises. “She was drugged. We’re waiting on toxicology, but her vitals are strong.” He stops by the door and opens it. “We’re going to keep her overnight to watch her closely.”
My breath catches in my throat when I step inside.
Gigi lies in a hospital bed with machines humming around her. An IV snakes into her hand. The hospital gown is too big on her. She looks pale, small, and frail.
“My baby,” Mama rushes over to her and kisses her on the cheek.
Gigi’s eyes flutter but she doesn’t speak.
I touch her hand and thank the Lord for answering my prayers.
Ten minutes pass and we don’t say anything. We just stare at Gigi who goes in and out of slumber.
“Cipi,” Mama’s voice breaks the silence. “Go home and grab some things that we’ll need for the overnight stay, please.”
“I can go,” Matteo offers.
“No. Cipi knows what we’ll need. Take Lucia with you.” Mama notes my hesitation. “Your sister is fine. She’s just sleeping for now. She’ll wake by the time you come back. And stop by and check on Nonna please. I texted and called her, but she hasn’t responded. That woman sleeps like a log.”
I know better than to argue with my mom.
Nodding, I leave the hospital with Lucia in tow. The hospital is only ten minutes from our compound.
During the drive, Lucia asks me if I’m okay. Before I can stop myself, I tell her everything that happened when I found Gigi: the butterfly wings, raven quotes, and phone call.
Pulling into the garage, I turn off the engine. My hands are still trembling.
“They want you to dismantle the family?” Lucia whispers.
“Yes.” I open the door and get out.
“And how are you supposed to give someone an empire if you don’t know who they are?” Lucia follows me as I unlock the door and step into the mudroom.
“I don’t know.” I disarm the security system.
We head upstairs. I pull a bag out of the closet and begin filling it with a few necessities for Mom, Gigi, and me.
As I pack I call Dominic again. This time it goes straight to voicemail.
“Dominic didn’t answer again?” Lucia’s back is to me as she looks out the window.
“No. I hope he’s okay.”
“I can go check on him later,” she offers.
Before I can respond my phone vibrates again.
Private Caller.
“Fuck! I think it’s that person again.” I gasp.
“Put it on speaker,” Lucia urges.
I slide to answer but I don’t speak.
The same muffled voice crackles through the speaker. “Cipriani. You’re very clever. I never expected you to find her and yet you did. Quite the chess player you are.”
My pulse spikes. “You drugged her and left her to die!”
He laughs. “You may have checkmated me this time, but you won’t a second time. It’s clear you’re going to need more incentive to dismantle the family.”
“What the fuck are you talking about? How do you want me to dismantle it?” I shout.
“You are going to give all your businesses and territory to a new family. The Marconis,” the muffled voice demands.
My stomach plummets. “The Marconis are dead. You want me to give my empire to a ghost. You can go fuck yourself.”
“Are you sure they’re dead? I guess by your response you’re going to need more incentive, stubborn woman. I didn’t want to do this, but you forced me to. You found your sister, but next time you won’t be so lucky.”
Anger boils in my blood. “I swear if you touch another person I care about I’ll…”
The line goes dead before I can finish my threat.
My fingers grip the phone so tight my knuckles turn white.
Lucia pats my shoulder. “I’ll work with AJ and see if we can try to track where the call came from. Don’t worry everyone is safe right now Cipi.”
My mind races as I think about where everyone I care about is.
Everyone is with someone right now except…
Nonna!
I look across the street at Nonna’s house.
The curtains are closed and I don’t see any movement.
Without thinking, I rush out of the room and down the stairs.
“Cipi! Where are you going?” Lucia yells after me.
I reach the front door and yank it open. “I have to check on Nonna!”
Lucia sprints after me as I race across the street.
Reaching the porch I freeze.
Sitting in front of the door is another one of Dad’s chess pieces.
It’s a pawn and a single black feather is pinned into the head of it.
“No.” I whisper.
Lucia is next to me, she gasps at the sight of the pawn.
I throw open the door and burst inside.
“Nonna!” I scream.
No answer.
“Nonna!”
Lucia runs into the living room. “She’s not there.”
I sprint into the kitchen.
I don’t see her.
Did someone kidnap her too?
Walking deeper into the kitchen, I move around the center counter and scream.
Nonna is lying on the kitchen floor.
“Nonna!” I drop to my knees beside her.
Lucia is by my side. “I’m calling 911.”
I feel for a pulse. It’s there, but faint.
Her skin is pale and clammy. In her hand is a half-eaten muffin. Her eyes flutter open and she mumbles something, but I can’t hear her.
“Stay with me, Nonna.” I pull her slender frame closer to me. “Please don’t die. I need you.”
“She might have had a stroke,” Lucia whispers.
I can’t hold back anymore.
Tears run in rivers down my cheeks. My chest tightens and it feels like I’m forcing myself to breathe.
First Gigi, now Nonna.
Two attacks, hours apart.
I don’t know how to fix this.
Sirens scream, coming closer and closer.
Lucia gets up to open the door.
Within minutes paramedics are flooding the kitchen. They take Nonna from my arms and place her on the gurney. An oxygen mask covers her face as they work to stabilize her.
Lucia and I follow them outside and watch as they load her into the open ambulance doors.
“You go with Nonna. I’ll lock up everything and meet you at the hospital.” Lucia touches my shoulder.
“Take my car,” I call as I climb up into the ambulance.
Doors close and the vehicle speeds off.
Taking Nonna’s hand, I slip her rosary in between her fingers. My lips recite every prayer I know in English and Italian.
“Please, Nonna don’t die.” I sob.
My phone buzzes in my pocket. An anonymous text message appears on the screen.
One word.
Checkmate.