Chapter Forty-Two Leo
Once we got to the airport, I started to come out of my stupor. Despite what had happened between us, Drea needed me. I had to be strong for her. I could go back to hating her when I knew she was safe.
When we got in the air, I called Bianca. She answered after the first ring. “Oh my God, Leo!” she sobbed.
“Bianca, how is Drea?”
“I don’t know. They rushed her into surgery when I got here, and they won’t tell me anything because I’m not her next of kin.”
I swallowed hard. “The gunshot…was it bad?”
“It was at the top of her left arm near her shoulder. It was bleeding so much. I tried to stop it with my scarf.”
I could tell from her tone that Bianca was going into shock, so I needed to hurry getting information from her. “Did you see the man who did it?”
“It was my bodyguard.”
“The man who shot Drea worked for you?” I growled.
“I’m sorry, Leo. Looking back, I see how it was a setup. My usual bodyguard, Pavel, got called away in a sudden emergency. I’d never seen Bogdan before.”
I pinched the bridge above my nose. “I’m going to need Yuri to get me all the information he can on this Bogdan fucker.”
“Of course. I’ll call him right away.”
The dread in the pit of my stomach told me there wasn’t going to be anything on the man who had pretended to be Bodgan. Whoever was tracking Drea must’ve taken out her regular guard and subbed the shooter in his place.
“We’ll be there as soon as we can.”
After filling Gianni in, he asked, “Who the hell would want to hurt Drea?”
“Someone who wanted to get to me.”
Gianni’s eyes widened. “Vincent.”
I nodded. “Without me knowing, Jack placed another bid on my behalf. Vincent must’ve thought I was ignoring him.”
“Or he’d planned to kidnap Drea all along.”
“You’re probably right considering the planning involved.”
Gianni took out his iPad. “I heard you ask Bianca to have her husband look into the bodyguard. Want me to work my magic?”
I gave him a grateful smile. “That would be awesome.”
“You got it.”
***
While Gianni worked on his iPad, I spent the rest of the flight pacing. Just as we were about to land, a thought popped into my mind, and I acted on it.
“Leo?” Vittoria questioned in surprise.
“Yes, it’s me.”
With a nervous laugh, Vittoria said, “I have to say I’m surprised that you’re calling me.”
“I’m sorry to have to be the one to tell you that Drea’s been shot.”
“No, oh God, no!”
“She’s in surgery at the moment, and I don’t have many details now. She’s in New York.”
Through her sobs, Vittoria said, “Yes, she called me from there this afternoon. What about the baby?”
I should’ve felt guilty that I hadn’t given much thought to him. Instead, my focus was solely on Drea. “They haven’t said.”
“Oh my poor lamb.”
“Listen, I’m going to send a car for you.”
“You are?” she questioned in disbelief.
“Yes, Drea needs you.”
Silence echoed on the line. Finally, Vittoria said, “She needs you more, Leo.”
I pinched my eyes shut. Shaking my head, I countered, “I can’t do this right now. Just be ready when the car arrives.”
“What about Edoardo?”
“If he tries to stop you, tell him I'll consider it the first act of war.”
“I will,” Vittoria replied regretfully.
After hanging up, Gianni dragged me down into a seat as the jet started skidding across the runway. I barely gave it a chance to taxi before I leapt out of my seat and stood by the door.
When the steps finally unfurled, I took them two at a time. Rushing over to the SUV, I threw the door open. Gianni had barely climbed inside when I ordered the driver to go.
“Jesus, Leo,” Gianni grumbled after nearly pitching forward onto the floor.
The driver probably broke every traffic law known to man while getting us to the hospital. I was going to have to get his name to give him a reward.
After dropping us off in front of the ER, we found Rafe was waiting on us. “All they will tell me is that she's in the ICU on the 4th floor.”
“Fuck. That can’t be good.”
“It could be just a precaution,” Gianni argued.
Ignoring him, I started heading to the elevator. “Do you even know where you’re going?” Rafe asked.
“I’ll figure it out.”
He and Gianni fell in step behind me. When the elevator doors opened, I saw a map on the back wall. I punched the button for the 4th floor.
In silence, we took the trip upstairs. My heart was beating so loud I was sure my brothers could hear it. When we got off, I headed back through the doors and straight to the nurses’ desk.
“Can I help you?” a nurse asked.
“My wife…”
Suddenly, my strength faltered, and I couldn’t find the words. Something about saying them out loud to a stranger made them seem more real.
Rafe placed a hand on my shoulder. “His wife was brought here from the OR. Andrea Neretti.”
She gave me a sympathetic look. “Yes, she’s in room 9.”
“What happened?”
“I’m afraid a doctor will have to explain that to you.”
Glancing around, I asked, “Where can I find one?”
“I’m sorry, but they’re not on rounds at the moment.”
My patience snapped. Leaning over the desk, I jabbed my finger at her. “Find me one,” I snarled.
She narrowed her eyes. “While I’m sorry for what you’re experiencing, you just can’t come in here making demands,” she shot back.
With a cruel smile, I said, “Obviously, you didn’t recognize my name, or you would be doing everything within your power to help me.”
At the commotion, another nurse came over. “What is the problem here?”
“I’m Leandro Neretti, and I demand to see a doctor about my wife’s condition.”
When the nurse’s face paled slightly, I knew she was aware of who I was. “Yes, sir. We’ll get someone for you right now.”
“Thank you.”
After pulling back from the counter, I smoothed down my suit. “Can you please tell me the direction of my wife’s room?”
“I’ll be happy to escort you there.”
“Thank you.”
With every step I took down the hallway, my heart beat like a cannon in my chest. When we reached Drea’s room, I peered through the sliding glass doorway. At the sight of Drea hooked up to all the machines, my knees buckled, and I sank to the floor.
“Fuck,” Rafe muttered before quickly helping me to my feet.
Every shred of strength I had evaporated in that moment. I’d never felt more helpless in my life. As I started walking to the bed, tears started streaming down my cheeks. I took her hand that was wrapped in IV tubing in mine.
“Drea, I’m here. It’s Leo,” I choked out.
Instead of her voice, the only sounds were the symphony of machines beeping. “This is all my fault,” I said both to Drea and my brothers.
“No, it isn’t,” Rafe argued.
I shook my head. “If we hadn’t fought…if I hadn’t told her I never wanted to see her again, she wouldn’t have gone to Bianca’s.”
“Why did you tell her that?” Gianni questioned.
My shoulders drooped in defeat. “I found out Luca isn’t mine.”
“What?” Gianni and Rafe both demanded.
Although it pained me to talk about it, this was more than just airing dirty laundry. This was a betrayal that was originally going to be perpetuated on Rafe.
When I finished, Gianni stared in shock while Rafe muttered, “Jesus Christ.”
“Even though I’m so hurt and angry with her, I can’t bear for anything bad to happen to her.”
Rafe exhaled a ragged breath. “As someone who has dealt firsthand with Edoardo’s wrath, Drea isn’t to blame.”
My brows shot up in surprise. “You’re joking, right? She was going to pretend the baby was yours.”
“I’m aware of that.”
“The Neretti heir would’ve been a lie.”
“She didn’t have a fucking choice, Leo. The man was holding the life of her nanny over her head. You told me what he did to her boyfriend. Do you honestly think Drea wasn’t terrified?”
Shaking my head, I said, “I can’t do this right now.”
“You have to. You’re going to have to let all your animosity go.”
At a voice clearing behind us, I whirled around. A man in surgical scrubs and a cap stood in the doorway somewhat out of breath. Glancing between us, he asked, “Which one of you is Andrea’s husband?”
“I am.”
“I’m Dr. O’Shea. I was the surgeon who did your wife’s c-section.”
“C-section? She isn’t due for three months.”
“You’re aware that your wife was brought in with a gunshot wound to the shoulder?”
“Yes.”
“While the injury wasn’t critical, we found it necessary to take the baby. Unfortunately during the C-section, something went wrong, and she began to hemorrhage. While we were able to stop the bleeding, her body went into shock.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
“The next twenty-four hours are very critical to her survival.”
I would’ve collapsed to the floor again if Rafe hadn’t caught me. Although the fear had been there, it wasn’t the same as hearing it from the doctor. “Drea could die?”
“We’re doing everything we can to ensure that doesn’t happen.”
“Oh God,” I murmured.
“What about the baby?” Rafe asked.
Despite my distress, I threw him a disgusted look. Why should I care about a baby that wasn’t mine? A baby whose delivery had caused Drea’s condition.
Dr. O’Shea smiled. “Despite the trauma of your wife’s delivery, he’s doing remarkably well. He’s being well taken care of in our NICU.”
“Luca is alive? But he's two months early.”
Frowning, Dr. Shea said, “Actually, it’s only a month. Perhaps the doctor had the dates wrong.”
And then it hit me. The dates were wrong because of when Drea had actually gotten pregnant. Just one of many lies she’d told me. “Maybe,” I replied.
“He’s what we consider a late preterm. They’re basically just monitoring his temperature and giving him some breathing support. I don’t think he’ll require it for long.”
“That’s good to hear,” Rafe replied when I didn’t.
“If you would like, I could have someone escort you to the NICU?”
Apparently, Dr. O’Shea had gotten the message loud and clear about who I was. “I don’t want to leave my wife,” I lied.
“I can assure you she is getting the best care.”
Rafe stepped between Dr. O’Shea and me. “Go check on Luca,” he demanded.
After scowling at him, I stepped around him to nod at Dr. O’Shea. “I’d appreciate that.”
“We’ll stay here with Drea,” Gianni said.
“Fine.”
As we made our way back to the nurses' station, Dr. O’Shea said in a low voice, “My father is an accountant for the Mallon family. I believe they are allies of yours.”
“They are. I will make sure they know of your support.”
“While I’m an outsider, I know my father would appreciate it.”
“In the meantime, I want you to locate the best specialists in the world for Drea’s condition. Money is no object.”
Dr. O’Shea’s green eyes widened. “Yes, I’ll get right on that.”
“Don’t you have other surgeries?”
“I can find another surgeon.”
“That’s a very good answer.”
The nurse who had escorted me to Drea’s room stared apprehensively between Dr. O’Shea and me. “Did you need something, Mr. Neretti?”
“I’d like to see my son in the NICU.”
She smiled. “Certainly.”
When the elevator doors closed leaving just the two of us, the nurse tensed beside me. “What’s your name?”
“Angela.”
“An Italian name?”
“Yes.”
“Is that how you knew who I was?” At her nod, I smiled. “You have nothing to fear from me, Angela.”
“I hope not.”
“I don’t hurt women, least of all the ones who help others.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“Will you make sure the rest of the nurses know that you’re going to be taking personal care of Drea?”
Her brows popped wide. “Me?”
“Yes. I appreciate loyalty.”
“Then I’ll do it.”
“Thank you.”
The doors opened to the maternity floor, and I followed closely at Angela’s side. When we got to the nursing station, Angela did the talking for me. “This is Mr. Neretti. His son was just brought up an hour or two ago. He would like to see him.”
“Of course.”
Angela gazed up at me. “Would you like me to stay?”
“No. I’m good from here.
Once Angela left, the other nurse came to meet me. When I reached out to look at her badge, she took a step back. “What is your name?”
“Margie.”
“Margie, I’m Leo. I’m going to need you to find a private room for my son.”
Frowning, she said, “I’m not sure–”
“You can, and you will. You see my wife was just shot, and I have no idea what the man who shot her is capable of. So he will have a guard on him at all times.”
“Yes, sir.” With a shaky hand, she motioned me to a doorway with a keycard. “If you’ll follow me–”
“No. I don’t want to see him right now.”
“You don’t?”
“I just want to make sure he’s protected for his mother’s sake.”
“I will take care of that immediately.”
With a nod, I walked off. I didn’t go back upstairs. I didn’t want to be interrogated by my brothers about Luca. I didn’t have the emotional bandwidth at the moment to handle it. Instead, I went to the one place I knew would be private and quiet.
The chapel.