by J. L. Drake
Suddenly, the restaurant where we had our first date popped in my head. She didn’t know many people here, but she had really liked the owners. “Tell Papa I can’t wait.” I grabbed my keys and raced out.
“Ouch.” Pain flickered across my eyes as I tried to pull myself from a groggy sleep. My entire body felt like lead, and when I tried to move, the pain that shot from under my right lung made me gasp and break out in a sweat.
With all my might, I pushed the heels of my hands into the hard mattress, and I pulled myself up against a wooden headboard.
Thump, thump, thump, the hammer in my head was relentless. When my vision finally cleared, I looked around in confusion. I took in the room. It was tiny. A small bookcase sat by the door, and next to that was a rocking chair with a wicker basket full of yarn. Paintings sprinkled the walls, and an old square rug lay in front of the television. A delicious smell of some kind filled the room and heightened my senses. My eyes went to the door that looked like it led to a kitchen.
“Rest, dear, rest.” An older lady hobbled in holding a tray with a teapot and cup. “You have been asleep for a long time.”
“Where am I?” A bubble of panic rippled through me. “Who are you?”
“A friend.”
“I don’t have any friends here.” I tried to move again and winced at the deep burn.
“I didn’t say I was a friend of yours.” She poured the tea and set it on the table next to me.
“Drink.”
Suddenly, the day came rushing back to me, and I swallowed back the fear that someone had tried to kill me.
“If I wanted to hurt you,” she sensed my fear, “I would have by now.”
How comforting.
I did another quick assessment of the room and saw two possible ways of escape. My heart beat loudly in my chest, and I wished the pain in my head would leave so I could think.
“Where is my purse?”
“Here.” She pulled it off the table and handed it to me.
I dug through it. “What happened to my phone?”
“I have no idea.”
Tears quickly formed, and I knew this was it. All my years on the streets, and this was how I was going to be taken out? By some wizened old lady.
“I’m a friend of the Capris.” She eased into the rocking chair, reached in the basket, and started to knit. “I was told to keep you hidden until they came to get you.”
“How long was I out?” I didn’t believe her. Elio would have been here within an hour of hearing the news.
“Five hours.”
Sweat broke out across my neck, and I tried to keep calm, but my shaky hands gave me away, and she glanced at them.
“Have some tea, Sienna. They’ll be here soon.”
What the hell was happening here?
My mouth was like cotton, so I took a few sips, desperately needing to wet my throat. I knew I needed to keep sharp. The warm liquid felt nice as honey coated my taste buds, giving me a natural boost of sugar. When I was finished, I leaned back and wondered how I was going to get out of here. I knew I could take her out. She was old, and even in pain I could outrun her, I thought as my eyelids got heavy. The sound of the chair as it rocked at a steady rhythm made me drift off.
“How much?” I heard her say as I started to come to. The hands on the clock were hard to focus on, but after a few blinks I caught it for a split second.
Four hours. I’d been asleep for four hours!
“You better make this right. If I’m going to go against the Capri family, it better be worth it,” the old lady’s voice snarled from another room. “She’s out like a light, so I suggest you come now.”
That was all I needed to hear as I ignored the pain and sat up. I slipped on a pair of shoes, briefly wondering where my own were, grabbed my purse, and raced out the door. I stopped at the top of some stairs as a wave of dizziness came over me. I shook it off and used my hands to guide myself down then out the main door to the street. The smell of baking was almost overpowering.
I knew she must have drugged the tea. I could still feel it in my system. Not knowing where I was, I decided on a direction and hobbled away as quickly as I could. My battered body protested at every step. I quickly realized it was the wrong decision. The smell of smoke and beer hit my nose, and I opted to cross the road to keep in the shadows of the side streets. The thought of the old biddy following me or in case she had someone else follow me had my nerves on edge.
The sun was setting. It would be dark soon, and the last thing I wanted was to be out here alone at night with a bunch of drunk people as they headed home from their barstools.
“Hello there, darlin. Where are you off to tonight?” a man called out and whistled for his buddies. I stumbled over my heavy feet and used one hand on the wall of the building for support as I hurried away. Everything hurt, but I sure as heck wasn’t going to make it easy for them to catch up.
Keep moving. One foot in front of the other.
Two more turns, and I found a small opening and tucked myself into it and held my breath as I knew the group of them were headed in my direction. I realized the light above me might give my location away, so I pulled off a shoe and shattered it just in time. I dug in my purse and fingered the rip in the fabric at the side seam and eased my phone out. It often slid inside the fabric, and for once I was pleased I never got that purse fixed.
“Shit.” I wanted to scream. The phone was dead.
I could hear their footsteps and their drunk mutterings to each other about how fun their night had been. One kept calling out for me, and I shut my eyes and prayed for them to leave. I didn’t want violence, but it wouldn’t be the first time I’d fought for my life.
Not long later, I risked a peek and saw they were now headed back toward the main street.
Thank God.
I took off up the hill farther and farther away from anything that looked remotely familiar. I kept reminding myself that I’d survived for years on the streets, and although I was strong mentally and could be scrappy when I needed to be, I was much happier with who I’d become. I loved having a home, with a lock, fresh clothes, and food to eat.
I thought of how close I’d been to losing my life today in that bomb blast. I remembered it all clearly now. Elio was right. I was in this deep, and I knew it was because of who I was to him. I knew the life he led was scary, but the feeling of that blast as it shot toward me was a fear I could definitely live without.
Just as I reached the top of a hill and the pain in my ribs could no longer be ignored, I allowed myself to stop and rest. I was holding on to a wall for support when a set of headlights lit me up. I knew I could run no farther as the car stopped a few feet from me, so I slowly turned, wondering what I’d have to fend off now.
“Sienna, is that you?” Ugo, the new cousin my mother had introduced me to, squinted at me then pulled his phone out and made a call. “Yes, ma’am.” He hung up and made another call. I was so relieved to have found someone I knew I let myself go. I pressed my back to the wall and slid down until my bottom felt solid ground. His voice seemed a million miles away. Another car came roaring down the street in the opposite direction, and when I heard his voice, I broke out into a sob.
“Sienna!” Elio raced toward me and dropped to his knees. He began to pat me all over. “Are you hurt?” He turned and spoke to Vinni and Niccola. “Give us a minute.” I was a mess and could barely understand him.
“I’m okay, but I think my ribs are bruised.” He grabbed my hands and held them tightly. “Please, Elio, get me out of here,” I sobbed, and he wasted no time lifting me into his arms, then he sat in the back seat of the town car still holding me. I tucked my head under his chin before he ordered Vinni to drive.
“Where to, boss, the hospital?”
“Yes, she’ll need to be seen.”
As the car sped away, I allowed myself to totally relax and pressed my face into his neck.
I was examined by a very kind doctor who, I was sure
, was worried for his own life by how intense Elio was being. The doctor began to give me the results of the x-ray and exam when Elio stepped impatiently from behind the curtain. He hesitated and licked his lips but continued, only this time he spoke directly to Elio.
“She has two bruised ribs, a good bump on her head, some bruising to her left shoulder, and a first degree burn on her arm. She will need rest and should be watched for signs of a concussion.”
Elio nodded as the doctor handed him a prescription for pain meds and began to explain how they should be taken. I drifted off a bit, grateful to have Elio handle all the information. They had already given me something for pain, and I was beginning to feel the benefit of it.
“Thank you, doctor,” was the last I heard as I drifted off.
The next thing I remembered was being back in the car. Elio’s arm was around me.
“You scared me.” He leaned in and hugged me gently.
Andrea and Francesco met us at the door, and he reached out to hug me.
“Careful, Francesco,” Andrea warned, “she has bruised ribs.”
Elio shot me a concerned look, and I closed my eyes, not wanting any further attention.
“Really, I’m fine,” I tried to reassure them, but I could see it wasn’t working.
“Come on,” Elio wrapped an arm around my back and moved me toward the stairs. “We can talk later, but you need to lie down.” I nodded and glanced at Andrea. She smiled and put a hand on Francesco’s arm to draw him back.
With Elio clucking away like a mother hen at my bruises in the shower, I finally felt half-human again. I lay down in bed, and he covered me with a soft blanket then lay beside me. He didn’t ask any questions, but I knew they would come. I knew they would need the details of what happened. At the moment, I just needed time to breathe, now that I was back within the protection of the family. He slipped his fingers through mine and squeezed my hand as if making sure I was really here. With the warmth of his body molded to mine, I let go and gave in to sleep.
When I woke, Elio was gone. I clipped up my hair, as I’d fallen asleep with it still wet, then slipped into a new dress and flat shoes. The painkillers had done their job, so I felt better as I made my way downstairs. Even though it was around ten at night, the house was wide awake and in full swing.
Andrea started to rush to my side, but Piero placed a hand on her shoulder to give me a moment. I gave him a thankful nod as I came into the kitchen where Elio was sitting at the island. As he looked up, I could see he was fit to kill. Not sure exactly what the conversation was before I arrived, I decided to speak up.
“I promise, I will share everything with you, but first, is Jimmy, the driver, all right?”
“He’s been dealt with.” Elio’s tone made me shiver.
“And what does that mean?”
“He’s alive but won’t be able to walk for a while.” I shook my head at Piero, confused about what Elio meant.
Piero spoke up. “He broke a number one rule. He left the car alone, out of sight. That’s forbidden.”
“So, he was,” I tried to find the right word, “disciplined?”
“He’s lucky that’s all that happened,” Elio barked. His dark expression told me he was in a bad place. “You could have been killed.”
“There are rules, Sienna.” Piero gave Elio a look. “Our drivers are responsible for the safety of the family. Breaking a rule, especially such a basic one, is completely unacceptable. The only reason he is still breathing at all is because of Vinni.”
“You must be starved. Here, try these, Sienna.” Andrea stepped forward with a warm plate of pastries.
“Thanks.” A few bites in, and I felt mildly better. More than anything, I wanted my nerves to settle, but I figured that would take a few days.
“Nobody stood out to me,” I started mid-thought. “I didn’t feel like I was being watched. I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary at all. I just made my way over to Jimmy as he was coming out of the coffee shop. He pressed the unlock button on his key, and boom.” I swallowed hard, hating that I felt tears coat my eyes. “You hear about those people who go through something traumatic and they lose the memory of what happened…” I trailed off, thinking how different my situation was. “Why couldn’t I have that? I remember every single detail of that blast. The way the blast looked, and a second later the ear-piercing sound, the moment my feet lifted off the ground, even the impact of the steel mailbox. I must have blacked out for a few seconds, and when I woke, I…” I looked at Elio as I remembered something, but as I started to speak, there was a noise at the door.
“Where is she?” I heard my mother’s voice in a high shriek. Her shoes clicked as she hurried across the floor.
“Please, Elenora, wait!” Francesco was on her heels, and I met them both in the hallway.
“What happened? Are you all right? Do you have any idea who did this?” Elenora came at me like a firing squad.
“I’m okay,” I assured her as I felt Elio come up behind me. “It was close, but I’m all right.”
“See,” Francesco threw his hands up to calm everyone, “she’s okay, you’re okay. We’re all okay.”
“We,” she spun and pointed a finger in his face, “are nowhere near okay.” She turned back to me and gave me a pointed look. “I think it’s time we spoke.”
I looked at Elio, whose jaw was flexing, and his neck strained with the effort to keep calm. “I’ll be right back. I promise.”
“She must not leave the property.” He spoke over me, and my mother’s face twisted in anger.
“She can leave at any point.” Elenora stepped forward, but Francesco pulled her back as Piero joined my side. “She is not your family. She does not need to obey your rules.”
“Elenora,” Francesco warned, “you’re in their house, and she is very much a member of the Capri family. Whether you choose to recognize that or not.”
“That was your doing,” she shot back, and his face turned to stone.
“Don’t,” he growled, and I felt like leaving the entire lot of them to find a quiet corner.
“Everyone, please.” Andrea came to my rescue. “Elenora, of course you can speak alone with your daughter, if it’s all right with her.” I nodded. “Feel free to go out by the pool, and I’ll make sure we all give you the privacy you need.”
“Thank you.” My mother muttered as she immediately headed for the big French doors that led out to the pool.
“It will be fine.” I ran a hand up Elio’s vibrating chest, and his hand covered it and gave it squeeze.
“Not too far away,” he grumbled as I gave him a reassuring smile.
Elenora paced by the marble stairs that led down into the shallow end of the pool. She looked pale and stressed.
“You wanted to talk?” I wasn’t sure how to start the conversation.
“There’s something you need to know.”
“All right.” A quick response about there being a lot of things I wanted to know leapt to my tongue, but I didn’t want to risk that she might change her mind. I twisted my hands together nervously, yet relieved she was finally going to share something with me.
“I’m worried that the people I’ve been running from might be the same people who blew up your car.”
“What?” I was completely thrown that she might have a connection to all this. “I need to tell Elio.”
“Sienna!” She grabbed my arm, and I cried out at the sudden stab from my ribs. “I’m so sorry!” Her eyes went big, but she didn’t let go. “I think,” she rushed her words when Elio suddenly stepped out of the house, “these are the same people who killed your father.”
“My father is dead?” I whirled and found Francesco had also appeared next to Elio. The worry on his face mirrored my mother’s.
“Enough!” I ordered once I saw Sienna’s white face. “She’s been through enough, and whatever the hell is happening here needs to stop!”
“Who are you to get in the middle of me and
my daughter?” She lifted her chin at me.
“I’m the man who has loved your daughter my entire life.” I moved inches from her face, and her mouth dropped open as she looked from me to Sienna.
“Elio.” Sienna’s face was shocked that I would boldly share such a fact in front of the others.
“I’ve tried to be patient with this entire situation, but I’m done,” I said to both of them, then I addressed her mother one on one. “The secrets you keep are damaging, and you picked the worst time to show up here. You have horrible timing.”
“You can’t love my daughter.”
“You don’t have a say in the matter.”
Sienna had whirled around with a hand over her mouth and tears streaming down her face. “Please, stop,” she pleaded with her mother.
“What did you say to her?” I yelled at Elenora. I was wound so tightly I could snap her neck right here in front of everyone.
“I didn’t want her to find out this way,” she pleaded. “Sienna. If you just come with me, we can talk more about this.”
“No,” Sienna took a step back, “I need a moment.”
“You’ve overstayed your welcome, Elenora.” I nodded at Francesco, giving him a warning that if he didn’t deal with her I would.
“Sienna?” Mama called after her as she ran inside. I wanted to follow, but I also wanted our guests to leave.
“How could you?” Elenora marched up to Francesco and stuck a finger in his face. “You knew letting her near the Capris was the one thing I could never handle. The one thing you promised me you wouldn’t do.”
“What choice did I have?” he snapped. “You might’ve been able to walk away from her, but I couldn’t.”
Hang on, what?
“That’s unfair.” She drew back as though his words had hit deep. “You were the only one I trusted. The only one who truly knew what was happening.”
“And I was the only one who kept her safe.”
“Safe?” She looked around at all of us with a dark chuckle. “Yeah, I can see that.” She motioned for her two men to follow as she left by the side gate.