“What? They’re going to shoot at me?”
“I don’t know. All I’m saying is you stay inside. You’re safe there.”
I listened to Domenico, hearing a ringing in my ears. My heart was pounding. I was holding on by the barest thread. Shooting a glance at the mirror, I saw the lights of the car following us slowly disappear. I picked up speed. Either I’m going to die in a car crash, or they’ll shoot me dead, I thought. Then a sign appeared on the road. The exit.
“I can see the exit, Domenico!”
I heard him saying something in Italian before speaking to me, switching back to English. “Good. My people are nearly at the tollbooth. A black BMW with four people inside. You already know Paolo. When you see him, stop as close to him as you can.”
I started braking to take the exit from the highway, praying for Domenico’s men to hurry. Passing the turn, I saw the black BMW stopping, and the four men jumping out. I stepped on the brake pedal and the car skidded to a halt, nearly hitting the security detail.
Paolo opened the door and pulled me out of the Porsche. I was shaking uncontrollably. He tossed me back inside, to the back seat, got behind the wheel, and drove through the tollbooth, tires screeching. I was doing my best to breathe steadily, to calm down my racing heart. I heard Domenico’s voice calmly explaining something to the driver.
Where was Olga? I completely forgot about her. I looked up and saw her sitting in the front passenger seat, looking straight ahead. “You all right, Olga?” I asked, grabbing her by the arm.
She turned abruptly, and her eyes were full of tears. She unfastened her seat belt and scrambled to the back seat, pressing herself into my arms, crying. “What the fuck was that, Laura?”
We sat hugging each other, tears streaking down our cheeks, and shaking as if the interior of the car were minus twenty degrees. I felt how absolutely terrified she was. I had never seen her like that. Despite feeling like that myself just a moment ago, I knew I needed to support her now.
“It’s okay. We’re safe now. They only wanted to scare us.”
I didn’t really believe that, but I had to calm my friend down.
Domenico was already waiting for us when we got back to the mansion. As soon as the Porsche ground to a halt, he opened the door for me. I slid out, falling into his arms.
“Are you all right? How are you feeling? The doctor is on his way.”
“I’m fine,” I breathed, holding him tight.
Olga stepped out of the car and snuck into our embrace, joining us.
Domenico took us to the grand lounge on the ground floor. The doctor arrived twenty minutes later, checking my blood pressure and giving me some heart pills. I wasn’t hurt. Then he turned his attention to Olga. She still couldn’t cope with what had happened, so he gave her some tranquilizers and sleeping pills. Domenico took her to her bedroom. When they disappeared, the doctor told me to see a gynecologist right away, to check if the child was okay. I felt all right, as much as one can feel fine after experiencing something like that, and I was sure the baby was okay. The collusion with our car wasn’t that serious. The seat belt only grazed my collarbone, not really tightening over my belly, but better to be safe. Domenico returned after a while, and the doctor said goodbye and left.
“Listen to me, Laura. You need to tell me what happened. All of it.”
“We left the spa, the valet passed me the keys to the car—”
“What did he look like?” he cut in.
“I don’t know. Like an Italian. I didn’t take a look. When we got into the car, a dark SUV started following us. I thought it was the security. Then we drove to the highway and it all started. You know the rest. I talked to you the whole way.”
Domenico’s phone rang, and he left the room, fuming. Worried, I followed him. Domenico nearly ran through the main entrance, heading toward my bodyguards, who were just parking their car on the driveway. When the men stepped out, he slammed his fist into the first one’s face, toppling him to the ground, and then did the same to the second one, kicking him as the man went down. The men from the BMW parked a couple of feet away stepped in and held the driver to the ground, while Domenico pummeled him with his fists, furious.
“Domenico!” I screamed, terrified at what I was seeing.
He slowly rose from the ground, leaving the poor man unconscious, and headed my way.
“My brother will kill them anyway,” he said, wiping his hands on his pants. “Come. I’ll take you to your room.”
I sat down on the bed while Domenico went to the bathroom to wash his hands. I felt my medication starting to work, feeling dazed and sleepy.
“Don’t worry, Laura. This will not happen ever again. We’ll find whoever chased you.”
“Please, promise me you won’t kill them,” I whispered, looking Domenico in the eyes.
His face crumpled in an ugly grimace as he leaned against the doorframe.
“I can promise you that, but the decision is Massimo’s. Don’t worry about that now. The most important thing is that you’re all right.”
I heard knocking on the door. Domenico went to open it and returned with a mug of hot cocoa.
“Normally I’d have given you some alcohol,” he said, putting the mug on the nightstand. “But the situation is what it is, so you’re left with milk. I’ve got to go now, but I’ll wait until you change and lie down in bed.”
I went to the wardrobe and put on Massimo’s T-shirt, went back to the bed, and slid under the duvet.
“Good night, Domenico. Thank you for everything.”
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly, going down the stairs. “Remember, there’s a button by the bed. If you need anything, just press it.”
I rolled over and turned the TV on, used the remote to switch off all the lights, and put my head on the pillow. I started to watch a news channel, but fell asleep quickly.
I woke up in the middle of the night. The TV was still on. I turned to grab the remote, which lay on the nightstand, and froze. The armchair next to the bed was occupied. It was Massimo, watching me closely. For a moment, I stayed still, unsure if I was still asleep or if this was really happening.
A few seconds passed before Massimo rose, only to fall to his knees by the bed, resting his head on my stomach.
“I’m so sorry, my love,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around me.
I slipped from his embrace, got out of bed, and knelt on the floor by him, hugging him tightly. “You can’t kill them, okay? I’ve never asked you for anything, but now I’m begging. I don’t want anyone else to die because of me.”
Massimo didn’t speak, keeping perfectly still in my arms. We stayed like that for a very long time, with me listening to his calming breath.
“It’s my fault,” he said finally, pushing himself away and lifting me in his arms.
He lay me in bed, covering me and sitting down at my side. I shook off the remaining sleepiness, watching him. It was clear Massimo had come in a hurry. He hadn’t even had the chance to change clothes and was still in his tuxedo. I caressed the lapel of his jacket.
“Was there a party?”
The Man in Black dropped his head, pulling at his bow tie.
“I’ve let you down. I promised I’d protect you and that nothing bad would ever happen to you. I went away and you’ve just barely avoided death. I don’t know who sat behind the wheel of that car or how this all happened, but I swear I’ll find the one responsible,” he growled, and rose.