Chapter 14
Chapter
Fourteen
AURORA
I watch, gripping my bleeding stomach, as Beatrice opens the door and stabs Jeremy in the neck before he can react. He stumbles into the room, grabbing for his gun, but Beatrice knocks it out of his hand. Pushing on his shoulders, she forces him to the ground, where he bleeds out.
“You’re not going to get distracted with a baby,” Beatrice warns me. “You’re going to kill Nico.” She makes a phone call, telling someone to come clean up Jeremy’s body, before she leaves me lying on the floor.
My own aunt is willing to let me die. I need help.
I need Nico.
But Nico is in jail right. I have no one else.
An idea hits me. There’s one person who could probably get Nico out of jail. One person who’s protective of Nico and wants to make sure nothing harms him.
Andrew.
I have his number because Nico gave it to me in case of emergencies. My hands are bloody as I grab my phone from my bag and call him. This is a risk. Andrew could leave me here to die, but then Nico wouldn’t be happy about it, and I don’t think Andrew wants to piss off Nico.
“Who is this?” Andrew asks after answering.
“It’s Aurora. I’ve been stabbed. I need help.”
He’s quiet for a long time. “I’m working on getting Nico out of jail. Call 911. They’ll be able to you better than I can.” Then he hangs up on me.
I roll onto my back, tears streaming down my face. Never in my life have I felt this alone. I work up the strength to call 911 and tell them where I am. The dispatcher talks to me on the phone, but I can’t hear her because everything starts to go black.
NICO
“Assaulting a police officer.” Detective Chase clicks his tongue. “Not a smart move.”
I’m sitting back in my seat, still wearing handcuffs, as I stare at Chase and Morgan. The small interview room is hot, and all I can think about is wanting to get this damn tie off me and returning home to Aurora.
“I’m not saying another word without my lawyer,” I respond. I know Andrew will get me out. I have a lot of power in this city, including within the police. It’s just a matter of waiting.
“While we’re here,” Chase says, “mind telling us how you killed Giovanni Costa?”
I level him with a long stare and don’t say a word.
“You can tell us. We’ll make sure you’re taken care of, Nico.”
Bullshit. They want me in prison. I’ve built the life that I live without regrets, and I won’t let some small time scum-bag detectives ruin everything I’ve built.
The door opens, and the police chief walks in—we play golf together. He’s one of those cops on my payroll. Johnson is his name.
“Gentlemen, Nico Mancini is free to go.”
Chase sits up straighter. “But he attacked me. I’m pressing charges.”
“No, you’re not.” Johnson turns to me. “Come on. Let’s go.” He uncuffs me and leads me out of the room. I smile smugly at Chase and Morgan on my way out.
Chase looks like he could run across the room and attack me again. Johnson doesn’t say a word as he walks me out of the station, where I see Andrew waiting for me.
“That was fast,” I comment.
“Not fast enough.” Andrew can’t quite look me in the eye.
“What’s going on?”
“Aurora called me. She’s hurt. I told her to call 911.”
I grab Andrew and push him against his car. “Why the fuck didn’t you help her yourself?”
“I knew an ambulance would be faster. I needed to get you out of there.”
“Where is she?”
“I didn’t get an address. I’m not sure where she was.”
I stare down at the face of my second-in-command. “You know, sometimes I don’t like you very much.” I shove him away from me and pull out of my cell phone. I dial Aurora’s number but don’t get an answer.
“She probably went to see her aunt,” I say slowly. “I have the hotel address. Let’s go.”
Andrew doesn’t say a word as we get into his car. I take the driver’s seat. Within minutes, I’m at the hotel. I’ve always known the hotel room she goes to meet her aunt. I had Enzo, before he was fired, take pictures of her aunt, but I didn’t recognize her. I just needed to be sure Aurora wasn’t going to see another man.
But I trust my wife now. We’re going start a family together, and nothing could be better than that.
I run to her aunt’s hotel room and stop when I see the bloodstain on the carpet outside the door. I don’t have the key for the door, so I step back and kick it down. Once inside, I see more bloodstains on the ground but no sign of Aurora, Jeremy, or her aunt.
“Let’s go to the nearest hospital,” I say to Andrew.
Andrew has a look on his face I can’t quite understand.
“What?” I growl as we run back downstairs.
“I’m just curious to know what happened here.”
I am, too, but I’m not going to say that to Andrew. For some reason, he’s been annoying me lately.
At the nearest hospital, I ask for Aurora Mancini, and fortunately, they tell me she’s here. I rush to her room and find her lying in a bed, a bandage wrapped around her stomach.
“Aurora.”
She opens her eyes. “Nico?”
“You’re safe. Thank god. I went to the hotel and only found blood. What happened?”
All the color drains from her face. “You … went to the hotel?”
“Yes. What happened? Where’s Jeremy and your aunt?”
Before she can answer me, a doctor comes into the room. “Sorry, is this a bad time?”
“No,” Aurora says. “What is it?”
“I take it you’re her husband?” The doctor holds out her hand. “I’m Dr. Anderson. I did the surgery on your wife. It was a fast procedure.”
“Thank god,” I breathe out.
“But there’s something I need to discuss. Were you aware you were pregnant, Mrs. Mancini?”
“Yes,” Aurora whispers.
“I’m so sorry to tell you that you lost the baby. You were stabbed in the stomach. There was no way to save the baby. It was only a few weeks old. There was nothing we could have done.”
Everything in me falls to the floor. Aurora looks even more pained by the news. “So, I’m no longer pregnant?”
“Yes.” Dr. Anderson hesitates.
“Spit it out,” I growl.
“We’ll have to do some tests, but, given where you were stabbed, I worry the likelihood of conceiving again may be slim.”
“Where was she stabbed?” I ask.
“In her lower abdomen, right where her womb is.” She turns to Aurora. “We had to stop a bleed in one of your fallopian tubes. We were able to do it fast, so you didn’t lose much blood. But we don’t know the full extent without doing more tests. I know it’s easy to worry, but until we can know for sure, I don’t want you to panic. We’ll start on the tests while you’re here.”
“You do that,” I snap.
“Nico,” Aurora says gently, touching my arm. “She’s just doing her job.”
Dr. Andeson nods. “I’ll leave you two for now.”
“We lost the baby,” Aurora whispers right before she begins sobbing. I don’t have words either. All I can do is hold her in my arms.
AURORA
Nico doesn’t question me until the following day. I’m still stuck in the hospital, but at least, I’m starting to feel better.
“Aurora, you need to tell me what happened.”
There’s no point in saving Beatrice. She literally killed my child—all for her stupid vendetta.
“My aunt stabbed me.”
He blinks. “What?”
“She was angry with me for being pregnant.”
“Why?”
I can’t tell Nico the full truth, so once more, I lie to his face. “I’m not sure. My aunt has always been a little unhinged. She just lost it. She stabbed Jeremy, too, then called someone to come clean up his body. She’s rich. She has … connections.”
“What kind of connections?”
“I’m not sure.” And that’s the truth. I never met the people who worked for Beatrice and my father. “I called 911, but before they could come, a man arrived and got rid of Jeremy’s body. I was still lying there when the paramedics arrived and got me out of there. I was in and out of it. I don’t know where Beatrice is.”
“I’m going to kill her,” he growls.
“No!”
Nico stares down at me. “Why not? She tried to kill you, Aurora.”
“She’s the last family I have left.”
“I’m your family.”
I know he is, and I know Beatrice can’t live any longer. I signed her death warrant when I told Nico her name and what she did to me.
“I have to ask,” I say slowly. “If I can’t give you children, do you still want to be with me?” I made my choice to go with Nico, but if he doesn’t even want me after this, then I’m not sure what I’ll do.
Nico’s eyes soften. “I care deeply for you, Aurora. I know that. And yes, I do still want to be with you. The doctor didn’t say children was an impossibility. We need to wait until the tests come back. But I chose you that day because there was something about you I needed to get to know. I wanted you in my life. I still do. We just lost our child. We don’t need to worry about children right now.”
“How are you so kind?” I ask around the tears that start to fall down my face.
“You make me that way.” He sighs deeply. “I don’t have to kill your aunt. But I do need to find her and question her. Why exactly did she want to hurt you? It doesn’t make sense.”
It does make sense. She didn’t want me to get distracted with a baby. She thought if I lost the baby, I would try to kill Nico again. What Beatrice didn’t understand is that while me getting pregnant helped me to choose Nico, it wasn’t the only reason I wanted to be with him.
I want to be with him because I’m in love with him.
It has nothing to do with a baby.
“I—” I stop abruptly when I see Beatrice standing in the doorway. Nico’s back is to her. I quickly look away from her so Nico doesn’t turn around.
“What?” he asks gently.
The look of anger on Beatrice’s face rocks me to my core. For a moment, I think she might try killing Nico, but then she turns and walks away.
My aunt is dangerous. She’s already proven to be a problem. She’s the reason I’m in this mess to begin with.
And now, I know I’ll have to make a choice—let my aunt die or let Nico die.
I already know what I’ve chosen.