Chapter 43 Purgatorio #4
Giovanna stands near the entrance with three guards behind her. Leo stops a good distance from her as those around them, settle into positions. It’s quiet as she narrows her gaze at Leo, frowning with disappointment.
“Where’s Gabriel?” She finally speaks.
“Is that what you wanted?”
“He deserves to be buried—”
“Nowhere.”
Her face contorts into fury. “Give me my son.”
“The one who killed your brother?” She straightens. “The same who tortured me and kidnapped my wife?”
“He was still my son.”
“So was I.”
A morsel of remorse almost passes over her face, but she quickly schools her expression. “Where is he?”
A coldness comes over Leo. Worse than before as it mingles with resentment and disgust towards her pleading for Gabriel like he hadn’t been a monster.
“You’ll never find him.”
“How dare you—”
“He killed and tortured your brother. Do you not care about that?” She’s quiet, shifting on her feet. “Or you helped him.”
Her eyes flare.
They’re silent as Leo’s heart starts to pound in his chest. A deep pain forms as he looks at Giovanna, unable to ignore the pull to have what he’s wanted for so long—his mom.
“And who, Leonardo, killed Gabriel?” She questions.
The knife clanging at the bottom. Chains snapping.
“My wife.”
Darkness settles over Giovanna’s face as she takes a step forward. Mila moves closer, scowling harshly at the woman.
“She’s still alive?” Giovanna asks next.
“Hope she wasn’t?”
“Well…when she dies it will be my concern. I am the only heir—”
“You won’t receive a single penny from the Luciano estates.” Leo’s voice is sharp, the knowledge of what Autumn decided to do giving him a sense of pride, but also melancholy.
“I have every right—”
“Autumn is the sole decider of the fortune and every business attached to the Luciano fortune,” Leo explains, placing his hands into his pockets as he relinquishes to that stony rigidness.
“When she dies, most of the fortune will be divided amongst numerous charities. The rest of the businesses will be dissolved, and what’s left will receive the same treatment under my supervision. ”
Giovanna’s face turns red, fuming as she clenches her fists. “She can’t!”
“As the rightful matriarch she can decide what she wants.” Leo dips his head, becoming more menacing.
“Your plan with Gabriel of killing her would have backfired. Neither of you would have received a thing. Because if he’d succeeded in killing us both, everything that I own would be split equally with my motorcycle club.
Then they could decide to continue what I have begun or dissolve it all. ”
There’re murmurs from the Crew. Leo ignores them, knowing the only one who knew those plans were Jameson, who remains stoic beside him.
“You selfish—!”
“My empire was never yours, Renato’s, or Gabriel’s to ever touch. And I assure you…you never will.”
Ire twists upon her face, glaring at Leo. Except, even with that faint pull of wanting his mom again, give in to the want, it was easy to bury it beneath his bitter misery.
“You’re lying,” she insinuates.
“That’s your specialty, not mine.”
“You were just married in another country. She came back in a coma. There’s no fathomable way you could’ve signed—”
“Autumn has legally been my wife since November.” Leo’s statement is merciless as Giovanna slowly pales. “Marrying in Rome was a facade to lure out Renato’s plans. And you.” She gapes as shock covers her. “You lost…mother.”
Quickly, her seething anger returns as she scowls.
“I have no claim to the Salvadori fortune and want none of it. Fight with Renaldi for what’s left of the scraps Gabriel left behind.
Beg him for Renato’s body if you want. I don’t care.
What belongs to me, and my wife will never be yours.
Go back to Italy where you so desperately wanted to be. You wasted your time coming here.”
Leo starts to turn away, heading for the doors.
Suddenly Giovanna spews at him in Italian, “Ungrateful, deceitful boy! You are Riccardo’s son! And like him you’ll be a widower, left alone to suffer as you deserve!”
He stops.
Leo’s numbness is quickly replaced by the rage and torment that’s gnawed at him for weeks. The terror that haunts him. Nightmares digging at his brain with no relief in fear of Autumn’s stillness. Her heart finally stopping. Alone.
He snaps.
In the next blink, there’s gun in his hand and it’s pointed directly at Giovanna’s head.
He doesn’t know where he grabbed it or how he ended up in front of her.
There’s commotion around him as people swear and other weapons click into place.
There’s a ringing in his ears while darkness blurs at the edges of his eyesight.
Leo glares at Giovanna, hand almost shaking.
“Did you just wish my wife death?” He rasps, hot vile rage coursing through him.
Giovanna almost flinches but holds her ground. Surprise upon her face, but mostly smugness. Leo blinks, seeing Gabriel there instead.
“Be like your father. You’d make that bastardo proud,” she taunts.
Leo clicks back the safety.
“Sir.” A voice breaks through the chaos. He’s not sure if the noise is from those around him or within his own mind. Leo glances over to where the voice came, finding Xavier with a concerned expression. “I don’t believe Mrs. Luciano would approve. For your sake.”
Leo flicks his gaze over Xavier. The anger inside him begins to cool as he puts the safety back, bringing the gun down.
Slowly, one last time, Leo looks at his mother, scowling heavily.
And then in a bitter voice he says, “I’m exactly what Riccardo wished for.
So, if you ever come back to New York…no one, not even my wife, will stop me from sending you to hell with Gabriel and him. ”
He turns on his heel, shoving the gun at whoever is closest. His steps are heavy as he gets to the elevator, getting on and making the doors shut before anyone else can join.
The ache comes back, squeezing his chest as panic sets in.
His hand rubs harshly at the feeling, ripping open his shirt, struggling to breathe as the sudden need to see Autumn engulfs him.
She needs to be alive. What if she’s not—
The doors open and he almost sprints out to the penthouse door. He slams through, rushing to the television room and clutches the door frame as he comes around the corner. Autumn’s there, still in the bed with Alba next to her who rises from her seat.
“Mijo? Por que? What happened?”
The monitor beeps.
He slumps back against the wall, breathing erratically as he shakes his head and steps to the side of the bed. His eyes flash over the monitors, going over ever vital.
“She’s alright,” Alba says quietly. “We had a nice conversation about dinner, which I’ll go start, now that you’ve returned.”
“Gracias,” he murmurs.
She walks out of the room, passing him.
Instinctively, Leo’s hand reaches out. Except, there’s only air.
Alba gone from the room. He glances down at his hand in mid-air, reaching for someone. Something. Alone.
He clenches it into a fist, walking around the bed to Autumn’s side as he leans over to press his forehead against hers.
He whispers brokenly, “My dear Watson.”
Sixteen
He’d fallen asleep while the nurses moved her limbs and checked all her IVs. Leo slept on the couch, no one daring to bother him except his nightmares.
Giovanna’s screams from across the villa. Him at her supposed deathbed, crying for his mother. Wanting his mother. His father. Anyone to comfort him. All he heard were screams. Then came his own from the scorching pain as he fought to get loose. Gabriel’s sneers, echoing in his head. His plans to—
“You fucking bitch!”
Horror grips him as he’s forced to watch Gabriel yank her pants down, and then—
“No!” Leo sits up on the couch, sweating profusely as his heart pounds. It’s dark as the panic ensues when he realizes he can’t see Autumn.
He stumbles up, tripping over the coffee table as he practically crashes into the room.
The faint beeping of the monitor, once haunting, now the only thing reminding him she’s still here.
His hands fall upon the edge of her bed, clutching the blankets as he crumbles to his knees.
His thundering heartbeat drowning out everything as he feels nauseated.
Leo buries his face into the blankets, gripping them. Every breath agony. The helplessness gnawing at him deeper and deeper. Alone. It swallows him up as he falls deeper into that dark well.
“Red…red…red.”
Leo’s voice is faint as he repeats the safe word.
No movement from Autumn. No noise. Nothing.
His body rocks in silent suffering. The night wears on as his cries are muffled by her blankets. It’s too long before the paralyzing aftermath settles in, wrapping around him as his tears stop. His throat hoarse.
He falls completely to the ground, kneeling as his hands clench achingly. Isolation twisted with desperation, Leo suddenly brings his fists up and slam them into the ground. Pain radiates up through his arms as quiet tears fall.
“Please don’t take my wife,” he begs, voice drifting to no one. “Please. Don’t take her. Please.”
His forehead touches the ground. His pleas vanishing into the night, left only with silence in response.
Joints creaking and limbs heavy, he drags himself back up, stumbling to his feet.
Leo makes it over to his usual chair, slumping into it.
Exhaustion weighing. He focuses on her; the softness of her skin as the bruising heals on her face.
Her hair showing signs of where it’s been colored.
Faint freckles. Every soft breath as her chest rises.
“Wake up,” he begs in whispers. “Wake up, sweetheart.”
Silence greets him once more.
Leo doesn’t move. Unable and unwilling to go back to sleep.