Page 129 of Bellini Bound
A heavy exhale sounded from my husband as he rose from his seat, leaning in to press a kiss to my forehead before walking into the hallway to secure my discharge paperwork.
My head fell back against the pillows, my eyes sliding shut.
It was going to take all my strength to get through this; something that I was already in short supply of.
I balked when Enzo’s hand landed on the handle of the front door.
Taking two giant steps back, I shook my head. “I thought I could do this, but I-I-I can’t.”
“Hey, hey, hey, it’s fine.” Enzo slowly approached where I stood, lacing his fingers with mine. “Let me get you settled upstairs, and I’ll handle your father.”
But when he began to tug me toward the door, I dug my heels in. “No, I mean, I can’t go inthere.” Not when the first thing I would lay eyes on inside that house would be the place where my baby’s life was taken from me.
He peeked back at me with his eyebrows raised. “In thehouse?”
Eyes brimming with tears, I choked out, “I want to help, but it’s where—it’s where—” I couldn’t even finish that sentence aloud.
Understanding dawned, and Enzo pulled me into his arms, his touch only a small comfort. “All right, all right. How about this? You keep your eyes closed, and I’ll carry you to the basement. After we’re done, we can leave and never come back again.”
I nodded weakly against his chest. “Okay.”
“Close your eyes and take a deep breath for me, sweetheart,” he coached, and I obeyed. “On the count of three, I’m going to lift you up. One. Two. Three.”
I was swept off my feet, held tight against his chest in a bridal hold. There was some discomfort tugging at my incision in this position, especially on the bumpy trek down the stairs to the basement, and I gritted my teeth against the pain.
Finally, I was set on my feet, and thumbs stroked my cheeks. “It’s safe to open your eyes now.”
My lids lifted to find we were outside a metal door, though it was different from the one I had encountered the last time I was down here. That one had been solid; this one had a window set at eye level, allowing a view into the room behind it.
I gestured to the door. “He’s in there?”
Enzo nodded. “You can look inside. Get an idea of what you’re walking into before we proceed.”
Stepping closer, I gazed through the glass to find my father, bloodied and bruised and missing all of his fingers—proof that Enzo had done everything he could to prevent my presence being needed here—lying motionless on a thin mattress in the corner.
“You sure he’s still alive?” I cast a doubtful look in my husband’s direction.
With a fist, Enzo banged on the door, and my father sat up with a gasp so sharp I could hear it through the thick barrier between us.
“Looks like it,” he remarked dryly. “Are you ready?”
“No.” I shook my head. “But I’m not sure I’ll ever be, so let’s just get this over with.”
Taking my hand, he gave it a squeeze. “You’re in charge here. If at any point you say we’re done, that’s it, we’re done. No questions asked.”
Swallowing, I pulled in a deep breath. “Got it.”
Enzo unbolted the door, and he guided me inside.
My father’s eyes lit up as he eagerly rose to his feet. “Allie,” he said on a rushed exhale. “Thank God you’re okay.”
“No thanks to you,” I spat, venom lacing my words. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
He held both mangled hands up in a placating gesture. “Allie, I swear, you were never supposed to get hurt.”
I huffed in disgust. “Seems to be a common theme with you, Dad. You come gunning for a Bellini man, and innocent people get hurt. No, not just hurt; theydie.” Tears spilled down my cheeks as my hand grazed the spot where our baby used to be. “There is no world in which you can be forgiven for stealing our future, and the only reason I’m down here is because you are withholding information that my family needs to protect themselves.I’ve upheld my end of the bargain; now it’s time for you to spill what you know.”
Dad’s eyes shifted to Enzo at my side. “This goes deeper than the warehouse.”
