Healed By Love

CHAPTER 20

AUDELIA'S POV

“Is anything going on between you and Lorenzo?” Valeria asks as she cleans the wound on my forehead while peaking a glance at Lorenzo who was getting his wounds cleaned on the other couch.

“Huh?” I get confused at her sudden question. “what do you mean?”

“I mean that you two have spent the night together. Alone. And, he has not stopped looking at you.” She further explains her question.

“No.” I clarify. “We did not spend the night over there by choice Val. We were stuck there and it was solely for our safety. We had no clue where you guys were. We did not even know where we were.” I reassure her. “Trust me, nothing happened and will never happen.”

“Of course I trust you.” She discards the cotton wool that was in her hand. “But, if somehow you developed feelings for him" I glare at her and she quickly adds, “Which I am not saying will happen, what will you do?”

“I don’t understand your bizarre question but that would never happen.”

She lets out a small groan. “Fine but what if, I do?”

“You? You are developing feelings for Lorenzo?” I do my best to keep my tone low and the mixture of confusion and shock out of my voice.

“No!” She nearly exclaims, gaining the attention of the three others in the room.

“Then?” I inquire as the trio looks away.

She sighs, face palming herself. “Never mind. I just thought there was something between you two.” She dismisses the subject as she stands up, taking the first aid kit with her.

“Valeria-" She does not let me finish my sentence as she leaves to keep the first aid kit in its original place.

Just as I was about to get up and follow her, my father and Stefano step in the room, a sombre look on their face.

“Are you alright?” My father asks me, assessing my face for any injury.

At the same time, Ezra enters the room, cutting me off as he pulls me in a bone crushing hug.

He cups my face gently, turning if from side to side. “Are you hurt?”

“Just a few minor scratches.” I shrug.

“You scared us.”

“I am fine Ez.” I reassure him.

“What happened exactly over there?” Father asks, grabbing all of our attention on the matter we are all here to discuss in the first place.

“It was a well thought trap.” Lucas says through gritted teeth. “No wonder it was that easy to catch Igor.”

“He went to talk to your building owner for your keys because he wanted to be seen. He knew there were cameras yet still went there without bothering to hide his face.” Giovanni further explains.

“And, when they deleted the camera footage, they did a very slopy job at it.” Valeria adds. “If he actually did not want to be seen, they would have been more thorough with the process. Just like Giovanni said, he wanted to be seen and they also wanted us to find that footage.”

“He must have known we were keeping an eye on him.” I speak up. “Even if we saw him enter and leave the building in the videos, we did not see what he did in there. When we searched the building, there was not a single room where he could have been staying. However, there was that underground tunnel.” I remind them.

“Did you find out where it leads to?” Ezra asks.

“Near the highway.” Giovanni scoffs. “He tricked us into thinking that he was there all the time when all he did was enter the building through the main door, then leave through the tunnel while we thought he was still inside.”

“And he returned in the building through the tunnel, unnoticed, and left through the main door.” Lucas says, disbelief coating his words. “And, there were nobody to protect him because he was never there.”

“Why use Igor though?” Valeria asks.

“They wanted us to believe that were trying to stay hidden when they followed their plans.” I suggest. “Because if we saw Markov, who is someone of high position, we would be more suspicious on his motives. Whatever shit he spewed was what they wanted us to know.”

“They did it to play with us.” Lorenzo speaks up.

“They played and they won.” Stefano grumbles under his breath.

“One more thing,” I gain their attention. “In the blueprint of the warehouse, there was no sign of the underground tunnel.”

“It was a normal tunnel. There was not some sort of secret entrance or lever whatsoever to have to open it. It was just there.” Giovanni informs us.

“Then it should have been in the blueprint if it was part of the building.” Lucas adds. “Did they somehow manage to make us use the wrong blueprint?” He scoffs.

“Where did we get it from?” I ask my father.

“William got it.” He answers, referring to Valeria’s father. “And, he is one of my most trusted men.” He adds before anyone suggests otherwise. I sigh, not knowing what to say.

“They knew we would believe everything Igor would say and they were right. We should have checked everything properly.” Giovanni’s voice breaks the silence.

“We should have checked the credibility of the footage and blueprints before reaching any conclusion” Valeria speaks up. “Maybe we would have been able to see the trap and even used it to our advantage.”

“Maybe if you all focused on doing the work properly instead of just boasting, none of this would happen.” Stefano says, glaring at Valeria who looks unbothered by his stare.

“You are the ones who caught Igor.” My father argues. “You should have gotten all your information properly. If it was not for you, we would not have sent you all on this suicide mission.” I release a breath, pinching the bridge of my nose as the bickering grows more serious with each syllable.

“You were there when we got the ‘information’ out of him.” Stefano quotes the word with his hands. “You did not find anything suspicious about it then. You just believed him. And, your man brought the blueprint.”

“You could have checked it but you didn’t!” My father’s tone rose as the rest of the room kept quiet, looking at the exchange.

“If you were capable enough, you would have double checked it yourself!” He mirrors my father’s expression. “But you didn’t since you are so full of yourself!”

“Watch your mouth Stefano.” Ezra warns him.

“Coming to your daddy’s rescue?” He mocks Ezra and I let out an annoyed sigh.

“Fucking watch your mouth or you will not have a tongue.” My father threatens him. “Speak to any of my family like that and consider this deal broken.”

“It’s not like we are doing wonders by working together.” He scoffs.

“They have lost their mind.” Valeria says, annoyed. “If they even had one to begin with.” She adds.

“Then feel free to leave.” Father says, his anger getting the best of him.

“You two need to calm down before taking any decision.” Ezra intervenes, his voice hard as he grows sick of the two men arguing like kids. “You two wanted us to work together.” He reminds them.

“Well, I did not know that I would be signing up to work with such incompetent people.” Father speaks up. “I wonder how you are at the top.”

“Because we are better than you!” I run a hand through my hair they go back and forth, throwing whatever insults they can at each other.

“This is all your fault!”
“No, it’s yours!”

“Enough now!” I nearly exclaim as I stand up, facing my father and Stefano who both look like they are about to explode.

“It is everybody’s fault.” I say firmly, not allowing anyone argue. “We have been working together. Anything we planned or anything we found had been approved by all of us. Now that one thing goes wrong, you cannot go ahead pointing fingers at the other. If you two keep doing this, then we will destroy ourselves before the Russians.” I say, exasperated.

“Is it really that hard to get it in your thick skulls that we are working as one and that if anything goes wrong, everybody is responsible and not just one?” I let out an annoyed breath as my father looks as me, a stunned look on his face and Stefano glares at me, hatred in his eyes.

“You two need to grow up and learn how to put your differences aside for the sake of others. So, quit acting like stubborn children and own your decisions.” I state.

As soon as the words leave my mouth, I find myself facing the barrel of Stefano’s gun, causing everyone to jump on their feet.

"Put that gun down Stefano.” Ezra warns as he steps closer.

“Your daughter needs to know when to shut her mouth.” He directs his words at my father who has an unreadable expression on his face.

“And you need to control your actions.” I say through gritted teeth.

“Your entire family is so full of yourself.” He lets out a dark laugh. “Maybe its time to show you that you are all normal people who can die”

“I dare you.” I cock my head to the side, raising a brow at him, riling his up further.

“You don’t know what you are saying.” His finger hover above the trigger and I get a sense of deja-vu from my apartment but unlike that night, his hold is firm and I can tell he will not think twice before pulling that trigger, though I am close enough to disarm him before he has the change to do so- something he is either oblivious to or he simple does not care.

The moment I feel like he is about to press the trigger a gunshot goes off in the room.

Stefano lets out a groan as he drops the gun, inspecting his hand where the bullet grazed him. We all look to the side to see Lorenzo holding a gun pointed at Stefano.
“Cosa pensi di fare” Stefano says through gritted teeth.

“Impedendoti di commettere un errore.” Lorenzo says calmly yet his eyes convey another message. “Audelia is right.” He nods towards me. “All of us are to blame for our failure. Also,” He looks at everyone. “The deal is not off yet.”

“But-“ Stefano starts to speak but Lorenzo ignores him.

“I am the leader of the Italian mafia.” He glares at his father. “And, I will decide when this deal will be over. Not you.” Stefano’s jaw ticks but he stays quiet.

“The same goes for you.” He says to my father. “Ezra is the leader and he decides.”

“Just don’t speak this time dad.” Ezra says pointedly at my father when he is about to speak.

“You may have wanted us to work together but we will be the ones to decide when this will be over.” He directs word as Stefano and dad.