AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I’m out of the car before I’ve even fully taken in what’s in front of me. The other Land Rover, crashed head-on into a tree, the hood crumpled. I can see the puffy white shape of the airbag, and then, as I get closer—the limp form of the woman in the front seat.
“Bella!” I shout her name, running for the car. I grab the handle, yanking open the door, and she slumps to one side, falling into my arms as I catch her.
Shit. I’m acutely aware that she probably shouldn’t be moved, and that I have no idea what injuries she might have sustained, but the weight of her body falls against me, and my only choice is to carry us both down to the ground.
“Bella.” My chest tightens as I look down at her, her hair tangled around her face, a bruise blossoming on her forehead, on her cheek, blood running down from her nose. She’s passed out cold, and the only thing that tells me that she’s still alive is the shallow rise and fall of her chest, the slow pulse that I feel under my fingertips when I press them to the side of her throat.
I fumble for my phone, calling Gio as I cradle Bella against me. “I need help,” I shout as soon as he picks up, the phone held in one hand as I brush her hair away from her face with the other. “I found Bella. She wrecked one of the cars, trying to get away. Get someone down here so we can get her to a hospital.”
I only vaguely hear Gio’s answer. I can feel tears on my cheeks, and it feels as if it’s hard to breathe. “I’m so sorry,” I whisper, my fingers brushing against her forehead. “Please be okay. I can’t do this again. I can’t lose someone else I love—I love you, Bella. I should have told you before I left. I should never have left at all—” The words spill out, tumbling over each other as I hold her against my chest.
I feel her breath stutter, hear a low, soft moan of pain. Her eyelids flutter for just a second, and my breath catches in my throat as I cup her face against my palm. “Bella? Can you hear me? I love you, Bella. Hang on. Gio is bringing a car—we’re going to get you to a hospital. Just hold on?—”
I repeat it, over and over, as I feel her go limp against me again. And I cling to her, hoping with everything in me that it’s not too late.
That I haven’t lost Bella before I’ve even really had a chance to have her.
—
The trip to the hospital is a blur. Gio helps me get her into the car, telling me as we do that Edgar and a few more of the men found Agnes, Aldo, Cecelia, and Danny sheltering in the stables. They’re safe, and staying in the large office there, until the worst of the carnage in the house can be cleaned up.
I hold Bella for the entire ride to the hospital. She doesn’t open her eyes again, or move, or make a sound. Her shallow breathing is the only thing that tells me for certain that she’s still alive.
She’s taken to surgery as soon as we get checked in. I end up in the waiting room, fighting back the flood of memories of other hospital waiting rooms, of waiting for news about Delilah, of the heartbreak that all of that ended in. I try to think of better memories, of waiting for news about the births of my children, the utter joy that those days ended in. I try to think of the possibility of happiness, of everything being okay, but it’s hard to hope for it. It’s hard not to think of how much worse it will all feel if I allow myself to hope for the best, and the worst happens anyway.
Agnes calls at one point, offering to come and wait with me, but I tell her to stay with Cecelia and Danny. I don’t want them here, waiting and worrying about Bella—I’d rather have them stay at the bed and breakfast that Gio took them to, surrounded by security and comfortable.
I told Gio, before he left, to track down Igor by whatever means necessary. I want him dead. Whatever the consequences of that, he’s broken the truce first. And I refuse to leave him alive to continue haunting my family.
He made it very clear, today, that he won’t stop. A promise, a piece of paper, a handshake over a truce—none of that will be enough. He’s not a man honorable enough to make a deal with.
I’m going to put an end to this, as soon as I know Bella is safe.
It feels like hours pass before a doctor comes out to the otherwise empty waiting room. I’m on my feet the instant I see him walking towards me, and he gives me a reassuring smile that instantly slows the furious beat of my pulse.
“She’s going to live,” he says calmly. “She came through surgery with no difficulties. Her leg was broken, but it will heal cleanly now that we’ve set it, and repaired the small bit of internal damage caused by the accident. She will be completely fine once she’s had a chance to rest and heal—and the baby is fine as well.”
I feel all the blood drain from my face as I drop back down into the seat, staring at the doctor. “You’re—you have the right patient? Bella D’—Bella Esposito?”
The doctor’s mouth turns up lightly in an amused smile. “Yes, I have the right patient. And you are Gabriel Esposito?”
I nod, feeling a numb wave of shock roll over me. “I am.”
“Then congratulations.” The doctor’s smile spreads. “Your wife and child are both safe, and will be fine.” He chuckles. “I take it this comes as a surprise.”
“You could say that.” I run a hand through my hair. “Can I see her?”
“In the morning. She’s resting, and she hasn’t woken yet. She hasn’t even come out of the recovery ward yet. Tomorrow, you can come back and see her.”
I’m tempted to tell the doctor that I’m going to see her regardless, that I’ll wait until she’s back in a room, and then I want to see my wife. But just as I open my mouth to argue, my phone buzzes in my pocket.
I reach for it, and see Gio’s name on the screen.
“Give me a second.” I get up, feeling slightly off-balance, and walk towards a nearby window as I answer, far enough away that the doctor can’t hear my conversation.
“We have Igor,” Gio says without preamble. “We tracked him to a nearby location, presumably waiting for Bella to be brought to him. We took out his remaining men and have him cuffed. Where do you want?—”
“Bring him to the estate. One of the buildings far away from the house.” My jaw tightens. “I’ll be there shortly.”
