After I Fall

Ch 12: Lex

A fucking ambush!

Someone on my team is a rat. A dirty fucking rat. My heart is still beating frantically in my chest. My ears are still ringing, and my blood is pumping full of rage. Someone doesn't want me back in Italy and is making it known. If it wasn't for this arranged marriage, I would still be in Asia. Singapore, to be exact. My plan wasn't to stay in Italy after the wedding, but now it is. Whoever is trying to challenge me in my Kingdom has a death wish. A wish I will make come true.

I noticed an SUV circle the restaurant twice, but it never circled back. I didn't think twice about it as Caterina and I started to open up more to one another. My focus was on her and every word that left her mouth. Fuck!

My hands grip the steering wheel, making my knuckles turn white. Caterina could have been killed if I didn't have a fast reflex. The same SUV made a sharp turn with another one right behind it. The windows started to roll down, and that's when I pushed her back. A little too hard, but at the time, I needed to protect her.

I grab my phone and dial Dante.

"How is she?" I ask as soon as he answers.

"The doctors are prepping her for a CT scan now. She hasn't woken up, but there is a steady heartbeat." Dante answers. "She does have a few scratches from collapsing into the bushes. Did you need me to get more men over to the restaurant and—"

"Matteo and Rafael are on their way there. Just stay with Caterina. I have another call coming in. I'll be there in ten, D."

My Papa's name flashes across the screen, and I hesitate to answer. I can only deal with one fire at a time. I need to make sure Caterina is okay and keep an eye on her for my sanity. My position as Don will be questioned if something happens to her. Papa firmly believes in not having men in powerful positions who can't keep their wives safe. The call ends and then starts to ring again. I decline Papa's call once more.

I'll deal with him later.

The hospital aroma invades my senses as I enter. I don't stop at the front desk and make a beeline to the elevators. I don't need anyone telling me where Caterina is. The stares from the staff and patients don't go unnoticed. If I were in their shoes, I would be staring, too. My suit is torn, and I have blood trickling down the side of my face. My lip is busted, and I have a gunshot wound to the shoulder. With my adrenaline at an all-time high, I feel nothing. But getting shot doesn't have much effect on me. I'm used to it now. This is a pass-through. I know it has to be looked at, but Caterina comes first.

"Boss," Dante pushes off the wall as I step off the elevator.

"Where is she?"

"Inside." He points to the door across from him. "They just brought her back from doing the CT scan. The doctor said they would have the results in thirty minutes. Dr. Tran says that it seems like she passed out from an alcohol overdose. Something about her BAC levels was high. I'll go grab the doctor."

She was downing glass after glass of wine. Between the two of us, we finished two bottles of wine. She had more than me. I didn't think she was drunk at first, but then she started to speak to me but kept switching between Lex number one and Lex number three.

Quietly, I enter the room, and my chest tightens.

Images of Freya come to mind. Her passing away happened years ago, but the images of her lying on the hospital bed are still fresh. When we found her, she barely had a pulse. The entire family thought we made it in time. We thought we saved her. She was in the hospital for two days before she succumbed to her self-inflicted injuries. I'm torn between feeling somewhat of satisfaction that it's a Marchetti laying in this bed, and then, on the other side, I'm pissed that it's my Marchetti laying in this bed.