“I know. I feel the same way.” I lean forward, my temples throbbing. “But we have to be strong for each other and for ourselves.” I cup Sofia’s quivering chin in my hand. “You have always been that way and now, more than ever, I need you to dig deep and find that strength. Whoever did this, whatever they want…we need to be smart and careful.” I turn to stare at them. “I will do anything to protect you girls from whatever is out there. Anything. I will hire a team of assassins to keep you safe. I promise.”
“But you can’t hire anyone to fix our hearts,” Maria says. “What do we do about those, Kristi?”
We huddle together in the pew for what seems like hours, recounting our favorite memories of happy times since that’s all we have left to cling to.
We are broken now…but I pray that one day, we can become whole again.
That is, if we can stop whoever is out there trying to shatter whatever is left of us.
I leave the girls awhile later to get some air, staggering out of the chapel and into the waiting room. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Uncle Frank talking into his phone in a far corner. Massimo insisted on staying here at the hospital until my uncle showed up, but even with Uncle Frank here, the cold chill of loss settles deep in my bones.
I narrow my eyes at my uncle as he covers the side of his mouth with his hand, anger bubbling deep in my chest.
He definitely took his sweet ass time getting over here, and I couldn’t even decipher a single trace of remorse in his voice when I told him about my parents.
Why the hell did he leave the house at all? He and Dad never had the best relationship so yeah, he might have been pissed off about their conversation, but to blow off his niece’s party because he got his dick in a twist over some bullshit reason?
I rub the back of my neck, massaging the stress lodged at the base of my skull.
And what did Dad want to tell me?
Another secret he didn’t want to risk me uncovering on my own?
Uncle Frank looks up, his eyes wide when they connect with mine. My vision is so blurred, I can’t be bothered with trying to decode what the hell that look means, so I ignore it.
He swiftly turns his back to me and I head for the courtyard outside, my chest heaving from the panic flooding my veins. I shove the door open, short, sharp gasps slicing away at my lungs like tiny shards of glass.
Dusk has fallen, the sky a purplish blue. The path toward the courtyard is dark, the lush foliage contributing to the privacy of the area. I grip the sides of a wrought iron bench, collapsing onto it as I bury my head in my hands, crying like my heart is being slowly and excruciatingly crushed inside of my chest.
“I’m sorry,” I weep. “I’m so sorry for wasting all of that time.”
I rub the heels of my hands against my eyes. Last time I looked, mascara trails streaked the sides of my face.
God only knows what I look like now after this fresh torrent of tears.
I guess it’s a good thing that it’s so dark out here.
When the grief releases its tight hold on me, I sit back against the bench, my shoulders quivering from the chill that slithers through the fabric of my dress. The hairs on my arms stand at attention, a faint voice whispering in the early evening breeze.
“You should have been there, Kristina. One of those bullets was meant for you…”
A yelp escapes my mouth and I leap off of the bench, swiveling around in the paved garden surrounding me.
I’m still alone.
Or am I?
That voice was so clear. It couldn’t have been my imagination.
I clutch my chest, giving my head a good shake.
“Maybe I’m just losing my fucking mind,” I mutter.
A strong hand grabs the back of my head, tugging hard on my hair and dragging me across the stone before slapping a gloved hand over my lips.
“Or maybe your mind is very much intact,” a deep voice hisses against my ear. “You heard what I said, Kristina. Don’t try to convince yourself you didn’t.”
My body stiffens, my spine taut against a muscular form plastered against my back. I scream, the sound muffled through the leather clapped against my mouth. Something cold presses against my cheek, and I claw at the man’s hands when I see the gleaming steel tip of the knife coming dangerously close to my throat.
I dip my head for a beat, slamming it against whatever part of him is pressed to the back of my skull.
Turns out it’s his chin.
Fuck me, that hurt.
But it catches him off-guard enough for me to scream and spin around to see the face of my assailant…
Covered by a black ski mask.
I drive a fist straight into his throat, but before I can connect, he does a whole Mr. Miyagi thing with his arm, effectively blocking me from my target.
I let out an angry cry of frustration, throwing caution to the wind and running toward him and the knife he’s wielding like I was a fucking ninja in a past life. I leap into the air and kick out my legs, connecting with his balls and sending him to the ground with a loud grunt. I shove him backward, and he doubles over on the pavers, panting.
I yank off the mask, staring into a set of beady black eyes glazed over with malice. “Who the fuck are you?” I scream as he staggers to his feet, a sinister chuckle slipping from his lips. I throw myself at him and he stumbles backward in shock as I wrestle the knife from his hand.
He captures me around the waist, shoving my head straight into the arm of the bench.
I blink fast, hanging onto the metal as stars explode behind my eyes. The world spins like a top, my body swaying left and right, ignoring my weak attempt to steady myself.
I slowly rise to my feet, my legs wobbling like they’ve morphed into strands of Jell-O. My head throbs, the searing pain exploding throughout my skull. I press my fingertips to my temples, my voice tight, teeth gritted.
“You pathetic piece of shit,” I growl, staggering toward him. “You killed my parents. And now I’m going to—”
Another roaring siren jolts me, and two ambulances careen into the parking lot. The shit-for-brains assassin who thought I would never put up a fight flashes a menacing smile at me, holding the knife against his face. “This isn’t over, Kristina. We will win. And you will die.” He backs away and darts into the darkness that’s fallen around us.
Gone, with zero clue as to who he was and who he works for.
All I know is that he’s got close-cropped, dark hair, a hook nose, and rat eyes.
Well, screw that!
I can’t let him get away.
He may have a knife, but I have a whole shit ton of rage ready to be unleashed.
I run after him, my feet pounding on the concrete until I reach the expansive lawn surrounding the hospital. My heels sink into the thick grass, slowing me down as if I’ve just wandered into a tub of molasses and am unable to push my way through the gooey muck.
I pull off my shoes, my eye still on the rapidly shrinking form peeling out from the perimeter of trees up ahead. “Somebody, please help! He attacked me! Stop him!”
Two orderlies appear out of nowhere and dart in his direction, but they’re a few seconds too late.
In the distance, I can see a black sedan waiting at the edge of the parking lot. Ski Mask jumps into the passenger seat and the driver presses the gas, the tires squealing on the pavement. My calves burn, aflame as I speed up my gait in a futile attempt to stop my attacker. I finally collapse onto the dewy grass, my hands and knees breaking my fall.