47. SCARLET
The next morning…
Antonio had to leave early for a meeting in NYC and to check on Marcello, who had surprisingly made it through the surgery. Nobody knows yet who was behind the hit; for now, it looks like his own bodyguards turned against him. Antonio thinks Carlos ordered the hit.
Gigi comes sauntering into the breakfast room. I raise an eyebrow at her. "You're up early."
"Had to see my man out," she winks.
"Have you talked to your brother yet?"
She sighs, reaching for the coffee. "Not yet. Soon. I promised Vito."
My stomach has been queasy all morning. I managed to keep it down while Antonio was still here, not wanting him to see me throw up again, but when Gigi pours creamer into her coffee, I can't stop it any longer.
I don't even know why. I love creamer, but something about it cramps my stomach and sends bile up my throat so fast that I don't even have time to run to the bathroom.
"Shit, Scarlet!" Gigi jumps off her chair as I throw up between my legs.
"Oh shit, I'm sorry, Gigi," I mumble, fumbling for a napkin, trying to swallow bile that keeps coming up in such rapid succession that I lose another round.
"Oh dear," Gigi keeps her distance but holds out a napkin and a glass of water on a long, stretched arm. "You okay?"
Embarrassed, I stare at the mess on the floor. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry."
"Oh, don't worry about that." Gigi takes my hand and pulls me to my feet while yelling, "Maisy!"
"I can clean it. I?—"
Gigi is already pulling me out of the room. "Let's get you to bed. Did you catch a stomach bug or something?"
"Or something," I mumble, leaning against the banister as I stare up the looming staircase.
Her bullshit radar must be on high, because she looks just like her brother when she repeats, "Or something? Oh shit! Wow!" she grabs my hand, looking at the ring. "So he finally did it, huh? How? Was it good? If he wasn't a romantic, I'll break his legs."
I giggle as my stomach slowly settles. "He was good. You'd be proud of him."
"This is gorgeous." Gigi all but dislocates my finger as she turns it one way and then another to scrutinize it.
"It's the most amazing sapphire I've ever seen. It matches my eyes. So you see, he's a romantic."
Gigi snorts and finally releases my finger. "Sapphire?"
I tilt my head, "What else would it be?" The only blue gemstones I know are sapphires. Granted, I'm not a jewelry connoisseur.
"Oh, sweetheart," Gigi is still giggling. “That's not a sapphire; that's a blue diamond."
"A blue diamond?" I repeat, staring at the ring.
Gigi nods. "That's… I'd say four carats?"
I shrug. "I have no idea."
"Trust me, I do." I don't doubt her for a second. She purses her lips, "Hmm, probably about eight."
"Eight what? Carats?" Even I know this doesn’t look big enough to be eight carats.
"Eight mill." Gigi clarifies, obviously enjoying my naiveté about this.
"Eight mill?" I swallow hard, blink a few times, and hold on a little harder to the banister before I look at the ring and then back at Gigi. "As in eight million dollars?"
"Give or take a couple," she shrugs.
My knees buckle. I'm carrying eight million dollars on my finger?
"Easy, there, sis, easy." Gigi puts her hands around my waist. She's astonishingly strong as she helps me sit down on the floor.
I stare at her, dumbfounded.
"What?" She opens her eyes as if this weren't a big deal.
"Eight million dollars?"
"Sweetie, let me tell you something," Gigi says, sitting beside me and putting her arm around my shoulder.
"In our world, flashing is everything, and every time you flash that ring, people will be jealous and in awe of Toni's power. You are my sister now. We’re both DeLunas, and whatever we do, wherever we go, however we look, we represent Antonio and the DeLuna name. "
I knew that. I did. I just hadn't fully considered all the consequences. I take a deep breath. "You're right." I nod.
"See, I knew you had a backbone. That's why he loves you so."
She pats my back and smacks a kiss on my cheek. "You okay now? Shall I help you to bed? Do you need Doc?"
She's right. I do have a backbone, and it's time to face this whole jellybean possibility face-on. "I need your help."
"You got it," she replies without hesitation.
"I need a pregnancy test."
Her eyes light up in joy, and she jumps up and down, clapping her hands. "Sis, I love you! We're going on a covert outing, and you may or may not be carrying my niece or nephew!"
"Psst," I hiss, as Maisy moves by with a mop and bucket, making me feel guilty because she's cleaning up my mess.
"I take it the big bad capo doesn't know yet?" she whispers with a mischievous grin.
I shake my head. "No. It's more of a suspicion of mine. I don't know. I might have a stomach bug…"
"Let's go find out," she pulls on my hand, snatching her purse up from its spot by the entrance and herding me towards where her car is parked up front. Okay, you're gonna have to hide in the backseat, I have a blanket in there; duck under it."
"Oh," I suddenly remember I'm not supposed to show my face anywhere.
"It's okay. We'll be back in no time, and nobody will be the wiser. You can stay in the car if you like. Or you can stay here, and I’ll run out on my own. I don't mind."
Suddenly, the whole secret mission idea makes me all bubbly and excited. "No, I want to go." The idea of sneaking out of Antonio's house excites me even more than the prospect of being out of the house.
I get into the back, where I find a blanket just as promised.
"Stay down," Gigi directs, sounding just like her brother.
I giggle and pull the blanket over myself while lying flat in the space between the front and backseats.
It feels like Gigi is hitting every bump in the road, but that doesn't temper my excitement one bit.
After a few minutes, she slows down. "Hmm, that's weird," Gigi mumbles.
"What?" I ask. My voice sounds muffled through the blanket.
"There's like a whole garrison of guards here," Gigi explains. "Way more than normal."
Oh shit.
"Maybe we should forget about the whole thing," I suggest, feeling queasy. This is starting to feel more and more like a big mistake. If Antonio got more guards, that means he must be worried about something.
"We're already at the gate," Gigi says, followed by the sound of her rolling down her window.
"Good afternoon, Miss DeLuna." A male voice says.
"Good afternoon, Al, just running down to the pharmacy," she replies. "Is everything all right?"
"You know the boss's orders, Miss DeLuna." I can almost see his head shaking while saying this.
"Oh, for crying out loud, I'll be back in ten minutes. Fifteen, tops." Gigi argues.
"I'll have guards ready to accompany you in one minute, please wait." Al is not to be deterred. Sweat builds under my armpits. Does that mean Antonio's soldiers will join us?
"Fine, but they're not riding in my car," Gigi sounds exasperated.
Not even a minute goes by before I hear the roaring of two engines.
"Tell them to stay behind me," Gigi says, putting her foot on the gas. The SUV takes off like a rocket.
"Alright, come on out, but stay low, we have company," Gigi announces after a few seconds.
"Maybe it’s better if I stay in the back," I suggest, turning to look out of the rearview window and seeing two black Escalades behind us.
"Yeah, those guys sure are some party poopers."
"Antonio is worried," I caution, and another wave of sweat breaks out over my body. This was a bad idea. Very bad. There is a reason Antonio ordered Gigi to stay at the mansion for the time being. Marcello was just gunned down. "Maybe we should just call it a day?"
"They'll get suspicious if we do that now. We're almost there anyway," Gigi says, taking a sharp right turn. True to her word, the small town of Warwick comes into view. She's about to make a left turn when several more black SUVs come into view ahead of us.
"Oh for fuck's sake!" Gigi exclaims, hitting the gas.
I keep my eyes out the back, wondering why Antonio would send more cars when one of the SUVs behind is about to make a left turn like us.
Only it doesn't make it. One of the large vehicles ahead of us slams right into it, T-boning it.
The impact is so hard that both vehicles slide to the sides, and one rolls down an embankment.
I let out a stifled scream while Gigi curses.
"Better get buckled in, this is going to be a rough ride," she advises coolly.
However, her perceived coolness evaporates when the second SUV behind us is hit by something and engulfed in flames. "What the fuck?"
"Shit," I mutter, pulling the seatbelt on just like Gigi advised, while she hits the gas. She goes down Main Street at over ninety miles an hour, and I pray she won't hit any of the many people milling around.
"Call Antonio," Gigi says, making a sharp left.
I fumble for my phone and, with shaking fingers, press his number.
"Hey, I was just?—"
"We're in trouble," I cry out.
"Where are you?"
"Warwick," I push out, just as Gigi makes a right that pushes my head into the window and pulls the seatbelt tight.
"Fuck! Stay on the phone. Vito," he yells.
"Toni, they have some kind of bazooka or something," Gigi calls, and I push the speaker symbol. "I'm trying to lose them and get back to the house."
"They're going to anticipate that. Vito, have Umberto send cars out. Now! All of them."
We're going down a narrow side street when one of the black SUVs comes into view in front of us.
"Shit," Gigi yells.
"We're on our way, but we're in the city," Antonio yells back, sounding breathless. He's probably running.
Gigi hits the brakes and reverses. Another SUV blocks the rear.
"We're trapped," Gigi calls.
"Listen to me, Gigi. Your car is bulletproof; lock the doors, and don't let them in. Al is two minutes out."
"We don't have two minutes," Gigi says.
"Alright, listen. The Maybach can take a hit. Don’t fucking hesitate?—"
"Already on it," Gigi cuts in, eyes narrowing as the SUV behind us creeps forward, pinning us in.
"Then move, Gigi. Now!" Antonio barks.
I barely have time to register Antonio’s words before Gigi throws the car into reverse.
The Maybach lunges back, slamming into the SUV behind us.
The impact moves me from right to left and left to right.
My head slams into the window, but the seatbelt keeps me in my seat.
Metal shrieks. Dizziness overcomes me, but I don't miss Gigi's determination as she fights the airbag that has exploded into her face.
"Good," Antonio breathes over the line, eerily calm. "Now forward. Take out the one in front."
My eyes widen as I watch several men exit the SUV ahead of us. "There are guys—they're getting out?—"
Antonio’s voice drops, lethal. "Gigi. Run. Them. Over."
Gigi doesn’t flinch. My hands clamp around the seat in front of me as I watch Gigi slamming the gear shift into drive and hitting the gas.
The Maybach surges forward like a battering ram, clipping the men before they can aim.
One hits the hood, rolls over the windshield, and crumples to the ground.
A second jumps to the side, and the third…
the tires protest as they run over an obstacle.
My stomach turns. But neither do I want to be captured by these men.
Gigi's car hits the other SUV. Again, metal screeches, the Mercedes slows, and the impact throws me forward. Gigi keeps the pedal pressed to the ground, and slowly, the Maybach pushes the SUV out of the way. A repeating pinging sound makes me turn. "They're shooting at us."
Torn, damaged, and scraped, the Mercedes gains speed as soon as our obstacle is out of the way. I'm about to breathe a sigh of relief when I notice two more blacked-out SUVs turning the corner, coming for us.
"Gigi!" I yell.
"I see them."
"Al is one minute out, Gigi. Get back to Main Street." I can barely hear Antonio over the rotor blades. He must have made it to the helicopter. Please hurry , my mind prays.