"I do, God, I do. So don't! Please don't do this. If you love me so much, don't leave me alone!" My fingers dig into the material of his shirt, my eyes pleading with him.
"That's just the thing, Lina. I love you too much to stay." He blinks twice, trying to clear his eyes. "I'm not afraid of dying. Not anymore." His lips make an attempt at a smile.
"Time's up." Nicolo suddenly interrupts.
Marcello winces and leaning forward he brushes his lips across mine.
"I'll always love you, Lina. Even with my last dying breath." I want to reply to him, but he leans back, struggling to his feet.
He takes the blade from Nicolo and positions it at his neck.
"No. You should kneel. Die even lower than her." Marcello doesn't argue as he stoops down, his knees hitting the hard floor.
He gives me one last look, mouthing Don't watch. But I can't! I can't just stay still. I propel my body towards Nicolo, my only thought to stop him.
Just as I am a foot away from him, he raises his gun, aiming at me.
"No! I'll do it." Marcello yells.
"Hurry, boy, or our bargain will become invalid."
I think I hear some noise from the outside, but everything pales as I turn horrified and watch Marcello do the unthinkable.
Lifting the knife just under his jaw, he digs the blade into his skin until a small trickle of blood pours down his neck. With steady fingers, he drags it across, lengthening the wound until he reaches the other side.
Blood gushes out of his throat. Like a waterfall, the scarlet liquid bathes his skin, painting it red – redder than it was.
"Nooooo!" I yell, rushing towards him, not caring if Nicolo shoots me or not, death a small mercy at this point.
"No, no, no." I mutter hysterically as I reach for him. I put my hands on the wound, trying to stop the bleeding.
"Don't you do this to me, damn it."
His mouth moves a little, and he seems to want to say something.
"Don't speak. Please!" I take what's left of my dress and press over the wound. It immediately soaks up the blood. He can't die here. He simply can't!
"Dear God, Marcello, please don't leave me! I'm begging you." I can't even see straight for the of tears leaking from my eyes. But I don't let go.
Somewhere in the distance, a succession of gunshots permeates the air. I hear it, but I register nothing but my darling Marcello, whose eyes are still wide open, staring at me in wonder.
"Please, love. Please, stay with me." I wail, my voice hoarse.
"Lina! Lina!" My brother is suddenly by my side, shaking me.
"Let go! I can't let him die..." I don't think I'm making any sense, but my tunnel vision includes only Marcello.
"An ambulance will be here shortly. Let me help." He presses his hands on top of mine, helping with the pressure.
"Fuck!" I hear another voice.
"What the fuck is wrong with him? Going by himself fully knowing Nicolo was gunning for him? Damn, Marcel, you really did it, buddy." Another man speaks, his voice full of despair.
"The ambulance should be here soon. I'll take Nicolo and Franco to the car." One of them adds.
"Fine. I'll keep you updated."
I don't know what happens next. A flurry of people are suddenly inside the crypt, and I'm being separated from Marcello.
"Miss, please, let us do our job."
"He'll make it right? Please tell me he'll make it." I beg the paramedic. He purses his lips.
"We still have a pulse, but I can't vouch for anything. We need to hurry him to the hospital for an urgent transfusion."
"B, his blood is B." I call out, remembering that snipped of information.
"Good. We'll hook him on blood as soon as we get to the car." He assures me, and they put him on a stretcher.
Enzo is still holding me, tugging my head under his chin.
"He won't die." I say, willing myself to believe it too.
"He won't... he won't." He hugs me tighter, trying to comfort me.
THE RIDE TO THE HOSPITAL is tense. We're both aware that we may get there and he might be... dead.
"What did they do with the bodies?"
"Vlad cleaned up the scene and got rid of them."
I grunt an acknowledgement. Then I ask what's been on my mind all along.
"Why didn't you come earlier?" Enzo notices a trace of desperation in my voice, and he grimaces slightly.
"We didn't know the location." He admits. "Marcello left an automated message to be sent after a certain amount of time had passed."
I take a deep breath, things becoming a little clearer – and more alarming.
"He came here to die, didn't he?"
Enzo doesn't answer, but the tight clench of his jaw tells me he agrees with me.
"He... Nicolo was behind everything. The incident ten years ago, Father Guerra... every single thing." I say, closing my eyes, overwhelmed at everything that had happened.
"Does it matter?" Enzo asks after a pause, his eyes focused on the road. "Does that make Marcello any less guilty? God, Lina... He raped you." He groans, emotion rolling off my brother like I'd never seen before.
"I don't think it's as black and white."
"Sure, he just raped you a little." He laughs derisively.
"Stop... please. I can't do this right now." I whisper.
"Sorry." He apologizes, and we drop the subject altogether.
We get to the hospital to find out he's been admitted into surgery. The doctor on call proceeds to tell us it was a miracle he survived this far considering his extensive injuries and blood loss. From the way he's recounting it, it seems that that the wound in his throat wasn't too deep.
"There are lacerations at the level of the trachea, and it might cause some vocal impairment, but the esophagus is intact, and that's the good news. As to the other wounds. We've administered a tetanus shot, and we now have a joint team working on his throat and his shoulder."
"He'll make it, right?" I ask, a glimmer of hope blooming inside of me.
"I can't promise anything, but it looks like it. It could have been much worse."
We thank the doctor for his time and we head to the waiting room. Enzo is glued to my side all throughout, as if he's afraid I won't be able to handle this.
"I'm fine, really." I try to assure him, but he doesn't seem convinced.
"What happened there, Lina? Did Nicolo..." I quickly shake my head.
"But there's something you need to know." I take a deep breath. "Allegra was the one who took me there." His expression is tense as I tell him what happened, from the lie she'd told to get me out of the house, to the weird way she was talking.
"I'm sorry, Lina." He sighs. "I'll take care of it. I've been ignoring her for too long." He shakes his head.
"But why? What happened to her?"
"She's not well... mentally. I tried to make excuses for her because of that, but it's one thing to do crazy shit all the time, and quite another to betray the famiglia. When she took up with Nicolo, she knew what she was getting into." He mutters a curse under his breath.