Page 84 of Winter
Snowbound #4
Sorrento, now …
She sat on the stone seat that was carved into the wall of the villa and looked out over the Bay. Lights from the city, from the boats that bobbed in the marinas, from Naples across the water, twinkled in the gloom of twilight. Inca rubbed her arm absentmindedly. The wound, a through-and-through like the one in her side, had healed now, two months after the shooting, but it still ached occasionally. Mostly when she allowed herself to think about what had happened that terrible night …
Willowbrook, then …
She openedher eyes to see Tommaso, Raffaelo, and a stranger gazing down at her, all talking at once. There was pain in her side, her arm, her head and she couldn’t see out of her left eye. No, not blind, there was something …blood. There was blood streaming into her eye.
I’ve been shot.
OhGodohGodohGod … Luna. Luna shot me. Luna killed herself …
Inca struggled into a sitting position, despite the protestations from her lovers and the paramedic attending her, her one good eye searching. She saw the covered body on the marble floor, the front door to the mansion opened behind her.
No. No, please, no, Luna …
She pushed their hands away and tried to crawl towards her old friend’s body, tears beginning to flood down her face. She screamed at them, hysterical now as they stopped her. Raffaelo pulled her forcibly back against him, while Tommaso, his beautiful eyes scared, cradled her face in his warm hands.
“Bella,there’s nothing you can do,mio caro,nothing to do …let us look after you.”
Inca stared at him as if uncomprehending. “She didn’t mean it,” she whispered, eventually. “It was a mistake. Don’t let them crucify her … please, don’t let them.Oh God… Olly. Someone has to tell Olly.Ihave to tell Olly …”
“Miss Sardee, please, we have to take care ofyounow.” The paramedic exchanged worried glances with Tommaso, who nodded. Inca felt the prick of a needle in her arm. They were sedating her.
“No,” she said. “No. Please, I need to—I need to …”
She felt her body betray her again as the sedative took effect. As she lost consciousness, she felt a tear drop down her cheek, and Raffaelo’s lips kiss it away.
Raffaelo felt sick. He and Tommaso were at the hospital now, waiting in the relative’s room as Inca was being examined. When they’d heard the shots and rushed out to the sight of Inca lying on the floor, blood pouring from her side, her arm, and worse, her head, his heart had failed. Looking at Tommaso now, he could see his brother felt the same.
Tommaso turned terrified eyes on him. “She’ll be okay, right?”
Raffaelo knew Tommaso was looking for him to be the strong one again, to be the positive one, but this time,God,this time, he didn’t know if he could be. The relief at seeing that the head wound Inca had suffered was only a flesh wound despite the blood, was counteracted by how she had reacted with panic, fear, and terror. After everything she had been through lately, if she had a psychotic break, no one would blame her.
God, what a fucking mess.The horror at seeing Luna Rosenbaum, her blue eyes staring, half her head missing … what thefuckhad happened? Raffaelo felt both rage and sympathy for Olly—had he put his sister up to this? In his heart, he knew he hadn’t, butGod …
“I’m going to call Tyler.” Tommaso’s voice broke into his reverie. “He should hear this from me, not the police.”
“Good idea.”
Tommaso pulled out his phone, but before he could call Tyler, the doctor came in. “She’ll be fine,” he said, nodding to them. “Both bullets went straight through with no major damage. Her arm suffered a slight fracture but it won’t even need a cast.”
Raffaelo frowned. “I thought she was shot three times.”
The doctor shook his head. “The wound to the head was a deflection—she raised her arm like this.” He demonstrated, raising his arm in front of his face. “The perpetrator aimed at her face, and her arm got in the way. It saved her. From the trajectory, the second bullet would have hit her in the forehead and probably killed her.”
Raffaelo tasted bile then and saw Tommaso wince. “Will she need surgery?”
“Minor, just to close the wounds. We’ll take her into surgery in a few moments. Would you like to see her before we take her down?”
Inca was still drowsy from the sedative, but the blood on her face had been cleaned up and butterfly stitches across the graze on her temple. Raffaelo couldn’t help but see what the doctor had described, a bullet hole smashed into her lovely forehead, her dark eyes open and sightless.
She’s alive; she’s here …
He waited until Tommaso had bent down to kiss her before leaning in. “Ti amo,” he whispered in her ear as he kissed her cheek. He was aware of a female police officer, a doctor, and a nurse in the room; the last thing they needed now was to have the secret of their relationship out in the open. He didn’t think Inca could survive any more pain.
Inca nodded at them both. “Love you,” she whispered, and her eyes filled with tears. “I don’t understand why Luna did it …why?”
