27. Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Seven
PLAYING GAMES
Aaliyah
The doctor’s assurance that Tony’s surgery was successful brought me immense relief. All that was left was to wait. The doctor believed he wouldn’t be at risk of paralysis as long as there were no complications.
As of right now we were just waiting for him to wake up. They were gradually bringing him out of sedation, and I hoped to see him before the night was over. I just wanted him to know he wasn’t going through this alone. Although I was mad, he kept me from going with him to Grasso’s estate, I understood why he did what he did whether I agreed with his decision.
“I’m going to get some coffee,” I said as I stood.
“Let me get that for you, Donna,” Luca said, standing.
I waved him off. I needed to walk. I needed time to myself. The constant stares and inquiries about my well-being were wearing me out. I had no choice but to portray the strong and capable Donna, even though all I desired was to be his wife.
Chantal and Daniel had left a few hours ago. Alessandro would return later tonight, and these men had been here with me 24/7, taking breaks only for food, a few hours of sleep, and showers. They shared responsibilities, ensuring I was never left alone. At this moment, Luca, Franco, as well as a few more soldiers were here. I’d already sent Abel away so he could get some sleep even though he was also reluctant to do so. While I was glad to have all their support, I just needed to be alone to just act like a wife who had experienced one of the worst moments of her life, not the Donna of the Rizzo family.
“I need some time to myself, Luca. I promise, I’ll be fine.”
Even though he didn’t look happy about my decision, Luca nodded.
I left the waiting room, walked past the nurses’ station, and reached the elevators. When I pressed the button, the elevator door immediately opened. I entered the elevator and pushed the button for the cafeteria on the second floor.
“Could you hold the elevator!” someone shouted, her voice thick with an accent.
I used my hand to stop the door from closing. In a hurry, a tall woman with dark skin and long hair that nearly reached her waist made her way to the elevator doors. She was impeccably dressed in a black pantsuit and strappy stiletto heels.
I stepped back so she could step on.
“Thank you,” she said, breathing a little hard.
“No problem.”
Resting against the elevator’s rear, I inhaled deeply, mentally planning all the preparations needed for Tony’s arrival. Our home here in Italy, as well as the one in the United States. The doctor mentioned that he would need to use a wheelchair for a few weeks during his recovery. Which I knew he was going to bitch about, but he’d have no other choice.
The doctor insisted we stay in Italy for a few more weeks before we returned to Chicago. I wasn’t too happy with that decision because I was ready to return home. If I had the choice, we would have taken the earliest flight back to Chicago, where he could recover in the comfort of our own home.
“How is your day going?” the woman asked, pulling me from my thoughts.
Her accent was very thick, but I could understand her.
“Good, considering,” I said.
“I hate hospitals,” she said, taking a step back and getting way too close to me.
There was something unsettling about the way she smiled. The hairs on the back of my neck stood upright. I shifted to the side, creating some space between us. The elevator was spacious, and it was just the two of us inside. There was no reason for her to stand so close to me.
“You’re not the only one,” I said. “I can think of a million other places I rather be.”
“Are you visiting someone?” she asked.
I let out a sigh. “I’m sorry. Not to be rude,” I said when the elevator reached the second floor. “I’m not in the talking mood, so you’ll have to excuse me.”
I exited as soon as the elevator doors opened.
“I will be seeing you soon, Mrs. Rizzo,” the woman said. “You’ll pay for the sins of the father.”
I spun around quickly. “Ghost?”
Her smile transformed into a more menacing expression as the elevator doors closed before I could reach them. I pressed the elevator button, hoping for the door to open, but it didn’t.
I took out my phone and called Luca.
“Donna?”
“Luca, she’s here,” I said with a hint of anger.
“Who’s here?” he asked, his voice trembling with panic.
I observed the numbers positioned above the elevator. She had already made it to the first floor, where the elevator appeared to be stopped. I hurried towards the stairwell, forcefully opened the door, then descended the stairs.
“Luca, I need a few of you to go the first floor, but make sure some of the men stay behind to protect Tony. You are looking for a black woman, black pantsuit, long black hair, with an accent. I’ll meet you there.”
“I’ll take care of it, Donna,” he assured me before I hung up.
This bitch must think she was untouchable to show her face here. As soon as I got to the first floor, I hurried out of the stairwell and searched for her in the reception area, but she wasn’t there.
I quickly left the hospital through the front doors and glanced in both directions in search of her. I sensed that she was close. I could feel her.
Luca quickly joined me by my side. “Donna?”
“She was here,” I said, pacing the sidewalk. “She was right here!”
“Who?” Luca asked.
“The woman who is supposed to kill me,” I said.
A look of surprise caused his eyes to widen. “Come on, Donna,” he said while trying to push me back inside the hospital. “You can’t be out here.”
But before we reached the inside, the glass window beside us shattered and Luca landed on top of me. “Stay down,” he grunted as another window shattered, then another.
Around us, screams filled the air, and the sound of shattering glass rained down on us. I could hear the sirens sounding in the distance but no more gunshots.
“Luca, I think it’s over,” I said, but he didn’t say anything. “Luca,” I called his name again.
I used all my strength to push his heavy body away from mine. A deep, guttural groan escaped from his lips. As I sat up, my eyes immediately fixed on the crimson stains covering my body.
“Help!” I shouted; the desperation clear in my trembling voice as I kneeled beside Luca. “Someone, please help me!”
Franco rushed up to me, then pulled me inside the building. “Donna,” he said urgently, “you need to keep away from the windows.”
“Luca. He’s been shot.”
“I know,” he said. “I’ll go get him, but you have to stay here. The shooter could still be out there.”
I nodded, then watched Franco rush back outside and pick up Luca from the sidewalk in front of the hospital, covered in glass, then rush back inside with him draped over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry.
Nurses rushed up to Franco, pulling a stretcher. He laid Luca on the hospital stretcher, and in an instant, the nurses whisked him away. With swift strides, Franco closed the distance between us, his firm grasp on my arm propelling me towards the elevator.
“It’s safer on the floor with the Don,” Franco said.
I agreed. We had men up there protecting Tony. “Where’s everyone else?” I asked.
“Down,” was all he said.
“Shit!”
I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone, then dialed Abel’s number. On the third ring, he picked up the phone. “Nzuri,” he said, his voice groggy from sleep.
“We’ve been attacked. I need every man you can get up here to the hospital now.”
“On the way,” he said, ending the call.
We had to leave immediately. There was no way we could stay here. We were exposed and defenseless. I knew the doctors wouldn’t approve, but we couldn’t afford to stay here. I would feel safer if we were back in the States, surrounded by familiar sights and sounds.
This bitch was toying with me, and it really bothered me. If she wanted to kill me, I’d already be dead. She could have done it at my wedding. She could have done it in the elevator. So, if she wanted to play fucking games, I’d meet her head on. But we’d do it on my terms, not hers.
“Franco, once Abel gets here, make sure every available man is ready to go. We’re going home.”