29. Antonio
Chapter twenty-nine
Antonio
T hump!
What the fuck was that? All of my senses go on high alert from being woken up by an unfamiliar sound.
Thump! There it is again—there’s someone on the balcony. I place my fingers over Lucia’s mouth, then whisper in her ear, “Luce, don’t make a noise, but I think there’s someone on the balcony.”
Huge eyes stare back at me in the sliver of moonlight sneaking between the curtains.
“Really quietly, I need you to slide out of bed onto the floor, crawl to the bathroom, and lock the door until I come for you.”
She shakes her head furiously.
“Luce, you and the baby need to stay safe.” At my words, her eyes shine bright with unshed tears. “Okay?”
This time, she nods.
“Real quiet, okay?”
She nods again, then slowly shifts to the edge of the mattress and disappears off the side. I watch her crawl the short distance to the safety of the bathroom and silently close the door. The snick of the lock being engaged barely audible.
I roll off the bed the same way, and by the side of the bed, hidden from the window, I check my phone. Instantly, a message from Will pops up saying he’s outside the bedroom door. I reply, and the door silently opens at the same time I hear the handle of the balcony door being turned.
Holding my breath, I wait for the lock to catch, knowing I secured it just before I climbed into bed. The handle turns again and again. The fucker is pissed he can’t get in. Good.
Will signals that he’s going to the side of the door and for me to stay. And he’s just about there when all hell breaks loose.
A small iron chair from the balcony smashes through the glass, and Bruno barrels through the broken shards into the room, the stench of stale alcohol and sweat wafting off him in nauseating waves. “Where is that bitch?” he shouts.
Will is on him immediately but staggers backward just as quickly. “Knife,” he roars.
And that’s when I see it, too, the sharp steel blade glinting as Bruno raises it, preparing to lunge at Will again.
I jump up from behind the bed. “What the fuck do you want, Bruno?” I shout, hoping to distract him.
His head swivels my way, and that’s all it takes for Will to land a single blow to Bruno that knocks him out cold.
Parker rushes in from the balcony, rolling a still-unconscious Bruno onto his front and zip-tying his hands behind his back.
“You okay, Will?” Parker shouts over his shoulder.
“The fucker got me.” Will groans.
I flick the light on. “Oh fuck, man.” Thick red blood seeps through the denim of his jeans. I grab a sheet from the bed and rush to help Parker, who’s already tying a tourniquet high on Will’s thigh before using the same knife to cut the denim away from the wound.
“Fuck, those are my favorite jeans,” Will complains, and I stare at him. How the fuck is he not crying like a baby with that much blood.
“Will, lie the fuck down and shut up,” Parker says before turning to me. “Ant, call an ambulance,” he adds in the same calm way as he applies pressure to the wound.
And by the time the carabinieri arrives, I’m downstairs, with Lucia tucked under my arm, to let them in. Sirens blare, and the ambulance pulls up soon after.
Leaving the professionals to it, I take Lucia into the kitchen and sit her on a stool at the island. She’s still trembling as I hand her an extra-sweet hot chocolate.
“Thank you,” she murmurs after she’s taken a few sips and looks up at me. “It’s over. They’ve arrested him.”
“Well, he might have to be conscious before he can be arrested, but yep. It’s over.”
“That’s good.” She takes a sip of the drink, held tightly between both hands. “I guess this isn’t going to stay out of the media now.”
“I guess not. I’ve spoken to Gio, and he said he’ll handle it.” It’s going to be a fucking mess. “I’ve also spoken to your father and told him what happened. He has asked us to stay with them after we finish with the carabinieri. Is that okay?”
“Sì, and thank you.” She places her mug on the counter and stands, sliding into my open arms. “Thank you for keeping us safe,” she mutters into my chest.
Lucia might not have seen what happened, but she heard it all from behind the locked bathroom door.
“Protecting you has become part of my DNA, as essential as taking my next breath.”
“I love you.”
“And I love you too.”
I need to find the guy in charge so I can get us out of here and safely back to her father’s place.
***
Fuck, for once, I’ve got no idea how to help her.
Lucia stands at the bathroom sink, arms wrapped around her waist, her posture stiff like she’s afraid to move a muscle. It’s been a rough wake up, with morning sickness having taken a toll on her body, even though it’s late afternoon. I guess with everything else going on, it’s not surprising.
While I’m confident in my ability to keep Luce safe, make her happy, and love her the way she deserves, knowing how to help my pregnant wife now is well beyond my skills.
I hate watching her battle against the waves of sickness that had her racing from the bed, barely making it into the bathroom before she lost last night’s dinner.
“What can I do, sweetheart?” I ask from behind her, my hands on her shoulders.
Her eyelids flutter open and our gazes lock on each other in the mirror’s reflection. A faint smile tugs at her lips.
“Crackers and water,” she mumbles. “The crackers are in my tote bag. But let me brush my teeth and get back into bed first.”
I stride back into the bedroom, the same one she had during our summers as a teenager, and which luckily has a double bed. It doesn’t take me long to find the box of crackers, and I’m placing them on the bedside table as she walks back in carrying a glass of water.
“You’re looking a lot better already,” I say, noticing the color has returned to her cheeks as I pull back the covers and adjust her pillows.
“The queasiness goes just as quickly as it comes. And the crackers seem to settle my stomach, so I normally keep them beside the bed.”
“Right, noted. Crackers and water by the bed every night before we go to sleep.”
She gives me her first smile of the day, and it goes straight to my heart. “This should get easier when I reach the twelve-week mark.” She sits propped up in bed, nibbling on the unappetizing cracker, a few flakes falling onto her tank top. She glances down. “And then no more crumbs, I promise.”
I give her a cheeky grin. “Let me help with that.” Leaning forward, I start to lick up the bits that have fallen. I’m extremely thorough in my cleanup, swiping my tongue over what sections of skin are exposed, and placing kisses over her nipples, which have formed peaks underneath the thin cotton.
“So very helpful.” Her voice is raspy and soft.
“What else can I do to make you feel better?” I ask, lifting my head. Her grin tells me all I need to know; she likes my brand of distraction.
Slowly, I trace a path down her body, rolling up the cotton to reach her smooth, warm skin. Lucia’s fingers thread through my hair, urging me lower. But right as I reach the band of her sleep shorts, my cell buzzes.
I try to ignore the noise, but as soon as it stops, it starts back up again. “Fuck!”
Luce’s hold tightens as she lifts my head up. “You should probably get that. It might be important.”
She’s right. We’ve been deliberately blocking out the events of last night—or, more accurately, the early hours of this morning. By the time I finally climbed into bed beside my sleeping wife, the sun had been up for a couple of hours.
Dante and Lucia’s father wanted a full rundown on what had happened, while her mother insisted on being the one to help her to bed.
Parker had messaged to say that Will was doing okay.
Luckily, the knife hadn’t hit any major arteries, even though the pools of blood around him seemed to indicate it had.
Then Gio called. He and Nico were going to fly to Capri today.
And knowing that my brothers would be here soon was the only reason I was able to eventually climb into bed and fall asleep.
I groan as I stretch my arm out to grab the annoying device off the bedside table.
“It’s Gio,” I say, flipping onto my back and shuffling up in the bed, before answering the call on loudspeaker.
“Hey, bro. Where are you?” I ask as Luce turns and my arm wraps around her, pulling her flush against my side, her head resting on my chest.
“Nico and I are at your villa, and the carabinieri have just left. Sorry, but your bedroom is a fucking mess.”
“I’ve got you on speaker,” I warn him. After everything we’ve been through, Lucia’s still holding strong, but if she’s anything like me, we’ve still got a lot of processing to do to understand exactly what happened in those terrifying moments.
“Are you both okay?” Gio asks, and I expect he means Lucia and the baby, so I look to her to answer.
She focuses her gaze on me as she says, “Sì. We’re all fine. It was scary at the time, but now I’m glad it’s finally over.”
“It’s definitely over. Bruno has confessed everything to the carabinieri. And I mean everything. He hasn’t stopped talking,” Gio says.
“Good,” I growl. “He fucking deserves to suffer under the full weight of the law after what he did last night.” In my head, I add, and for what he did to Lucia in the past .
“I agree, bro. Bruno always was and always will be an A-grade asshole. But this time he’s not getting away with it. He’s been arrested, and because they consider him a flight risk, they don’t intend on letting him go,” Nico chimes in for the first time.
Holding the phone away, I whisper, “He can’t hurt you anymore, sweetheart.” Luce doesn’t look up but snuggles in closer.
“Is there any update on Will?” I ask, not wanting to discuss my cousin anymore.
“All stitched up, and according to Parker, not very happy at having to stay in the hospital another night. The carabinieri want them to stay around a few days in case they have any more questions, so I’ve arranged a villa for them.”
“Thanks. I owe those guys more than I could ever repay.” My throat closes around the words.
“We all do, brother,” Nico says.
I bury my face in Lucia’s hair, drawing in a deep breath. This is my reality; she’s here with me, safe. And I can’t let my mind dwell on what could have happened. Thank fuck for Will and Parker.
The sound of Gio clearing his throat comes through the speaker.
“Have you spoken to our father?” I croak out, still feeling emotional.
“I called him just after we spoke this morning. He’s sent out an email to the executives, calling for a virtual emergency board meeting tonight and stating that Bruno and his grandfather have been removed from the board, effective immediately.”
“We don’t know if Great-Uncle Paolo was involved, but it’s hard to believe he wasn’t, with Bruno being his grandson,” Nico adds.
“That should be an interesting meeting. Let’s do it together from my study, G.”
“And Nico too. I want to nominate him to the board,” Gio says.
I choke out a laugh, expecting to hear Nico joining me, but instead there’s silence on the other end of the line. “Nico, are you still there?”
“Still here, and I don’t appreciate the laughter,” he grumbles.
“You’re seriously interested?” I ask.
“Yep. I’ve learned more than I ever knew about the company over the last week, and I think I can help. In fact, I think you need me to sort the shit out at the Port of Naples.”
He’s not wrong. Nico’s connections might be dubious, but they were spot on with their information. “Well, I’d be very happy to have your help.” A smile stretches my cheeks wide. “And I can’t wait to see our father’s face when Gio nominates you and I second it.”
This time, Nico chuckles along with me. I think I can even hear Gio laughing.
“We’ve got some work here to prepare. And we’ll see you in a couple of hours,” Gio says.
“Thanks, guys. For everything.” I say the words knowing they fall short of how grateful I am to my brothers. But they know, and that’s what matters.
Luce lifts up to place her hands on my chest and rest her chin on them. Emerald-green eyes stare at me, and I soak up her gaze, flames of desire sparking to life in the depths. Blood pumps through my body, heating my skin. I’m on fire at every point where our bodies touch.
This is the woman I’ve always loved, who’s now my wife, the mother of our unborn child. And she owns me.
“I love you, Lucia Barbieri. Ti amo, amore mio. And after everything, I think it’s time I reminded you just how much.”
“Sei il mio tutto, tesoro mio. I’m all yours, big-guy.”
Her everything. I like the sound of that.
And we come together in a kiss that holds all the emotion of the last twenty-four hours, and all the love of forever.