Chapter 41
Gabriella felt Luca let go and then he leapt up from the bench. He was covered from head to foot in dark red liquid, like from a horror movie scene. People were screaming and Luca looked a little crazed, eyes scanning the crowd.
‘Did you see where he went? There was a man, in a black coat.’
‘Gabriella,’ Phoebe said, rushing towards her with Mr Darcy. ‘What happened?’ Then Gabriella watched her niece notice Luca. ‘Luca! You’re hurt!’
‘It’s OK,’ Gabriella said, going to her niece, waffles abandoned. She dabbed at her own coat with one of the provided napkins; the spatters of red liquid had also got on herself. ‘No one’s hurt. It’s just paint.’
‘Are you OK?’ It was Luca back, addressing her while he dripped a pool on the floor.
‘I’m OK,’ Gabriella assured. ‘But you’re not and it’s all my fault.
Cheyenne said that some activists might want to make a political statement and use me and the book to do that.
I didn’t believe her when she went on about security but I guess that’s what this was.
Although I’m not sure what message they wanted to send. ’
‘Is it blood?’ Phoebe asked, quivering a bit.
‘No,’ Luca said fast. ‘No, it’s fake blood. Like they use in movies. There’s nothing to worry about. But I should go. Get cleaned up.’
Phoebe looked at Gabriella. ‘You said it was paint.’
‘My mistake. Because I’m not an expert at… this.’
‘I have to go,’ Luca said. ‘Please, stay at the market. Let me pay for more waffles and—’
‘I don’t want to stay now,’ Phoebe said, holding onto her dog’s collar. ‘And what if the person comes back? We should call the police, right, Gabriella?’
‘Please, Phoebe, I’m OK,’ Luca insisted. ‘And the person… he won’t come back. I promise.’
Gabriella looked at him. There was something going on here. He was providing adequate calm to Phoebe but under the exterior she could see tiny nuances of awareness seeping out. He knew something about this.
‘You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep,’ she stated roughly.
He nodded. Firm. Definite. Angry. There was a distant look in his eyes she couldn’t even begin to fathom. He wiped the red off his face, covering his hands with it. ‘I guarantee it.’
Mr Darcy barked and it broke the apprehension. Slowly, people seemed to look away from Luca, becoming drawn back in to the festive atmosphere. Phoebe looked slightly less like she was going to cry. ‘Luca,’ Gabriella breathed.
‘I need to go,’ he said quickly, already backing towards the crosswalk.
She stepped closer to him, wanting to do something although she wasn’t quite sure what. But he held his hand up.
‘Please. Let me go. To fix this.’
Gabriella stopped in her tracks, saw the twitch in his cheek, the sharp set edge of his jawline. There was nothing she could do for him. She nodded and, before anything else could be said, or done, Luca had disappeared into the New York throng.