37. No Falling Apart
No Falling Apart
“Ally! What the hell?” I stormed into the bathroom with Cami chasing behind me as my best friend fiddled with her hair in the mirror over the sinks. She spun around, wide-eyed at my outburst.
Cami made her excuses and slipped into a cubicle to give us some privacy.
“Ari! You're here! What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong?” I scoffed, throwing my hands out to the sides. “I saw you. With Callum. Did you come here with him?”
She frowned. “Not exactly. He invited me as his plus-one at the last minute, and I couldn’t pass up the chance to get on the guest list for an event like this.
I’ve already taken selfies with two senators, and my followers are going crazy.
Wait... are you angry with me? Is this like a girl code thing?
You said you never had any interest in Callum, and from the last few texts you sent me, you seemed to be giving things a go with your marriage, so I didn’t think it would be such a big deal to come along. ”
“I am happily married, and I don’t like Callum,” I snapped, pacing a few steps. “That’s not what this is about. I need you to stay away from him, Ally. For your own good. Okay?”
“Why?” She folded her arms across her chest with a quizzical expression.
“He’s not a decent guy,” I said sharply, which caused her frown to deepen. “At least, we’re pretty sure he’s not. He could be dangerous, Ally.”
She tilted her head with a small smirk. “Like your husband is dangerous, you mean?”
“Maybe, but a different kind of dangerous.” I shook my head. “I don’t know. But please, just promise me you won’t let him manipulate you. I don’t trust his intentions.”
She stared at me, twisting her lips as I begged her with my eyes. “Fine. I’m not interested in him like that, anyway. If you want me to stay away, I will.”
I exhaled and grasped her shoulders. “Thank you!”
I pulled her into a hug because it felt like ages since I’d last seen her.
“I really only wanted to come and see you,” she chuckled. “Now tell me all the juicy details about being married to the sexiest man in Rome!”
“Well–”
The loudest boom thundered through the air, making us both scream. The mirrors rattled against the wall, and the ground vibrated like a small earthquake.
“What the fuck was that?” Ally gasped just as Max and Big-T threw themselves through the door. Cami quickly opened the cubicle, and Max grabbed her face to check she was unharmed, while Big-T gripped my arm and yanked me behind him.
“Are you okay, Signora?”
“Si. What was that? What happened?”
“It sounded like an explosion went off on the rooftop,” Max said, wrapping his arms around Cami and holding her close.
“What?” I gasped and immediately tried to dash past Big-T to reach the door. Santino and my father were up there. The ground swayed beneath my feet as my chest tightened and my pulse roared.
My bodyguard pulled me back, blocking my way. “I need to get you to safety, Signora. I’m under strict orders that if anything were to happen, I must take you back to the apartment.”
“No way!” I yelled, turning to Max with tears in my eyes. “Sani and my father are up there. I need to find them. I need to know they’re all right!”
“It’s too dangerous.” Max shook his head. “Our men will help them. If this was a planned attack, we need to get you two out of here right now.”
“No, not without them!” I shouted as Max nodded at Belio, who wrapped his bulky arm around my waist and literally lifted me off my feet. I kicked and tried to wriggle myself free, but the man was made of iron.
“Allegra, come with us,” Max said, grabbing her arm and hauling her out of the bathroom, too.
By the time I had been carried down the eight flights of stairs to the ground floor, emergency services were rushing in and storming towards the roof.
Police sirens and ambulance alarms echoed through the air, and flashing blue lights flickered against the darkness as Belio placed me back on my feet on the crowded street.
Many of the party guests were outside, and I started pushing through the crowds, calling Sani’s name, but I couldn’t find him.
With my heart lodged in my throat, I was struggling to breathe. Where was he?
“Signora, the car. Let’s go,” Big-T ordered, pointing towards the black SUV full of Buccini soldiers that had just pulled up on the road.
Reporters and paparazzi were already swarming, trying to get as close as possible and interviewing shaken guests in the street.
I ripped my arm out of his grip and screamed no in his face.
He paused, staring down at me, his nostrils flaring, torn between duty and how to stop my hysterical tantrum.
And then I saw him, stumbling out of the main entrance with his tuxedo jacket torn at the shoulder and debris in his hair.
“Sani!” I shouted, pushing people out of my way to reach him. His head snapped up when he heard my voice, and the moment our eyes locked, he was rushing towards me, reaching out.
I buried my face in his chest, wrapping my arms around his back as he held me close, nuzzling my hair. His hands wandered all over me, as if he were checking I was real. He held my face in his hands, gazing into my soul.
“Are you okay? Are you injured?” His eyes still frantically scanned me, even though he was the one bleeding from a cut on his forehead.
“No,” I cried. “I’m fine. I was just worried about you!” Only then did I realise the tears were rolling down my cheeks. He closed his eyes and pressed my head back into his chest, holding me there as he breathed heavily.
“What happened? Where’s my papi?”
He wrapped his arms around me and moved us to a less crowded area. I looked up into his pained eyes, and my lower lip quivered. No.
“There was an explosion,” he whispered, wiping the tears away with his thumbs as I shook my head, already knowing what was coming. “It went off on the stage during your papi’s speech.”
“Is he…”
“I don’t know,” he said, pressing his lips to my forehead. “I saw him under the podium rubble, and the paramedics were working on him. I just needed to find you. I’m sorry, Aria.”
A sob escaped ?my throat as I collapsed into his arms, unable to believe there had just been an assassination attempt on my father’s life. He didn’t deserve this. He was a good man.
“I can’t leave until I know. I need to see him, Sani.”
“I know, let’s find out what we can,” he sighed. “The emergency services are bringing down the injured, but look.” He pointed up to the sky as a helicopter ambulance approached. “That could be for him.”
Sani grabbed my hand and pushed through the crowd towards the paramedics, who were the first to arrive at the scene. “Excuse me, my name’s Santino Buccini and the mayor is my father-in-law. This is his daughter, Aria. We just want to know if he’s okay.”
Her eyes softened, and her lips dipped a little as she reached for my arm, giving it a gentle pat. “He’s alive but in bad shape. He’s being airlifted to the hospital now. You can make your way there.”
“Grazie,” Sani said, squeezing my hand as I slammed my other one on my chest in relief. He was alive. That’s all I had to cling to. “Come on, let’s go.”
“Signor Buccini,” a deep voice behind us boomed, causing us both to halt on our way to the SUV.
We turned to find the police commissioner and a line of armed police officers staring at us.
My stomach dropped, and fingers trembled in Sani’s grip despite the steel in my spine keeping me upright. “You need to come with us.”
Sani straightened, lifting his chin with a calmness that deserved a medal. I was a wreck of emotions beside him in comparison.
“Officer, could we do this another time? I’m more than willing to answer any questions you have, but right now, my wife needs me. Her father has—”
“We know,” the commissioner interrupted, and I wrapped my arm around Sani’s bicep, holding on to him as my heart pounded. “Santino Buccini. You are under arrest on suspicion of orchestrating the explosive device detonated in tonight’s event at Altezza.”
The words sounded hollow as my jaw nearly hit the floor. They thought Sani was responsible for this?
“No!” I shouted as Sani stood stoic, unmoving, and eerily calm. He raised a hand when two officers stepped forward to handcuff him.
“At least allow me to give my wife my jacket before you arrest me. It’s a cold night.
” He slowly shrugged off his jacket and placed it over my shoulders, kissing my forehead.
The two police officers grabbed him by the arms and forced them behind his back, removing his gun from his belt and slamming handcuffs on his wrists.
I ignored the flashes of cameras and murmurs from the crowd as I threw myself in front of him, shouting at the commissioner. “He didn’t do it. He was up there! You’ve got the wrong man!”
“Signora. Please step back.”
“No! I won’t let you take him! He didn’t do this! He wouldn’t!” I turned to Sani and gripped the front of his shirt. “Tell them! Tell them you didn’t do it!”
The chaos around us blurred as he pressed his forehead to mine and I whimpered.
“Look at me,” he whispered, forcing my puffy eyes to stare into his. “I didn’t do this. You’re the only person I care that believes that.”
“I know you didn’t.” I nodded and grabbed the back of his neck, kissing him hard until they dragged him away from me.
I raced after them as he was shoved towards a police car, but Max’s arms wrapped around my body, holding me to him.
Reporters were shouting questions at Sani from behind the police tape.
‘Buccini, did you plan the attack?’
‘Is this because of the mayor’s investigation?’
‘Was this retaliation?’
Sani ignored them all.
“He’ll be okay, Aria. We’ll get him out. Don’t get yourself arrested too,” Max whispered in my ear as Sani glanced over his shoulder at me.
“Don’t let her out of your sight, Max,” he shouted as an officer grabbed the top of his head and pushed him into the back seat. “Protect her with your life!”