Page 36 of Solace

I turned around to see Carlo, he looked so tried, upset and unkept.

“What has happened? No one has told me anything,” I asked curious.

Carlo stood staring unfathomable like he didn’t even know where to start.

“Carlo, what has happened? Is Antonio, okay?” He lowered his head to look down at the floor. “Carlo, please you have me worried.”

“The boss, sorry Antonio, he promised me not to mention anything about you and him to the guys and that I will respect,” he said in a whisper.

“Thank you, I appreciate that, but right now I don’t care if the world knew. What has happened? What is going on? Where is he? I haven’t seen him since you all came back,” I said frantic.

“He is in the best possible hands by the doctor. He is at the moment being operated on.”

“What? Why?” I held my hand across my chest. My heart thumped against my ribcage.

“Look he’s in the best hands,” he told me not reassuring me at all.

“Carlo…what has happened?”

“He was shot, twice.”

My entire body was ready to shut down. My knees turned to jelly close to collapsing on the floor.

Shot, he was shot twice.

Every limb in my body hurt, shattered, leaving my mind in a state of panic. The room started to spin as I feel suffocated, like someone has a loaded gun pointed at my head.

“Is he…”

“He’s alive, shot in the shoulder and his side. The doctor is working on him, I am sure we will know more soon. Go to your room and rest,” he said calmly.

“Are you nuts, I cannot rest knowing he is a mess and has been shot, twice. Was this all Ricco, I heard you say his name,” I said, covering my tracks.

“Yes. We never saw him until he took a pop at the boss. Look go to your room, and I will inform you of any updates,” he said, giving a half smile.

I had no idea what to say to him, my heart was crushed and now I had to pray his injuries weren’t as bad as I was imagining. In slow motion, I edged out of the room and dazingly wandered to my bedroom with tears running down my cheeks. I saw no one, the house had gone quiet, almost like a thick cloud hung over the top.

Ricco shot Antonio; he fucking shot my lover.

I curled into a ball on the bed hugging myself, trying to beat the horrendous pain that owned my body. All I wanted to know was if he was okay. The man I cared about had been shot, and I had no idea how bad those injuries were and who the hell was the doctor operating on him?

After a while, I climbed off the bed to remove my work dress and put on my nightwear, shorts, and vest top. I huddled back onto my bed, just staring through the window with my teary eyes. I longed to hear a knock at the door, Carlo’s to update me. I wanted to hear something even if nothing had changed, I had to have some form of reassurance.

I made my way to the bedroom door to see Cecco standing outside Antonio’s bedroom. I go back into my room for my cardigan to cover me up a little. I sped to the room as Cecco moved to stop me from getting closer.

“Cecco, it’s okay,” I heard a throaty voice. I turned to see Carlo. He nodded his head to Cecco, and he stepped away from the door. “Layla, he’s resting. He’s lost a lot of blood and needs much care.”

“Okay,” I didn’t know what else to say, my mind was in a spin.

I took my hand to the door handle. I pulled the brass handle down and entered the room to see Antonio with a drip in his left hand, a bandage across his upper chest and his lower abdomen, guessing they are where he took the bullets and thankfully not in any internal organs. Breathless, I looked at his helpless body. I padded my feet on his carpet to move closer to him. My eyes on him as I sucked in a deep breath, my tummy somersaulting. He was so pretty and vulnerable, I so wanted to kill Ricco for what he had done.

Removing my cardigan and placed it on the chair beside his bed. I climbed carefully onto the bed and rested on his good shoulder. I am not leaving his side until he wakes up. Tears welled in my eyes thinking how close I came to losing him. If Ricco had stolen him from me, I would have been after him myself.

Laying and thinking about the situation and the fact Antonio’s life was always and would always remain in danger, especially with Ricco or even my papa being in it. I had no idea the real extent of the hostility but not doubting each one wanted the other dead and me, I feared the moment the truth would come out. Do I take a chance and tell him, admit everything as so far with him my life’s a lie. One lie has led me down a road I never saw coming.

Never, understooding why people could hate someone so much, to kill or conflict such evil pain. My mamma brought me up to respect, and care for others and I guess that was why I felt the way I did. I didn’t approve of Antonio’s world, in fact I wish his bad mafia life would be left behind, but we live in a world where evil and good was needed to make the world go around.

I know my mamma and papa’s relationship wasn’t touchy, in fact, I often thought Paul her driver touched her more and she certainly smiled more around him. I never understood why she remained in a marriage with papa, they argued all the time, not that they knew I could hear them. I didn’t want a relationship like that at all. I want a man who would look after me, treat and spoil me, keep me safe, share all those good and bad times, and trust one another, my mamma had always stated a good relationship involved compromises. I feared I was asking for too much from any man, then my papa never allowed me near any men, apart from the one beast he expects me to marry. Antonio gave me all the feels, especially when he held me tight, and we made love.

---