I don’t know when I made the grave mistake of trusting people, of believing they would return my children. I slipped up with my words and now…now I’m struggling to survive. I don’t know how much fight I have in me, but I must amplify it.
My biggest fear is that I’m not alone down here.
I can’t lose Oscar and Slonne.
Not like this.
Not ever.
I still have the tracker on, it’s my only hope that the police are alerted and on their way, but my chest burns from the anxiety just the same. I persist, kicking my legs frantically to swim down the deepest I can. I want to get up for air, a single breath, but I need Oscar and Slone more. I’ll never forgive myself if they’re…I fight against the freezing water yet can’t feel anything from where I am. The additional fear factor is all I see is darkness.
Are they here or did SPD get to them?
How long has it been?
I surface, gasping for air as I brush my short hair out of my face. My top and jeans cling to my body. In the far distance, there’s a small white boat speeding away from me, and that’s when it dawns on me that I must have been thrown off by the culprits.
They left me to die.
I’ll never make it to them. Not with their quick departure, and especially not when the boat turns and disappears behind a bend.
My shattered heart oozes in these clear, reflective waters. I could be at some lake, but I don’t recognize it. I can’t see anybody. The eerie, bracing breeze makes the dark skies more ominous. I glance at the stars and immediately remember what I’m fighting for…
Giulio and our children.
Freezing water surrounds me for miles. I can’t do this. My energy is fading. There’s no pier or sense of impending rescue and while my main objective is to not stress because my ability to swim will weaken, I’m still stuck in the middle of nowhere, treading water to stay afloat.
Breathe.
What if Oscar and Slonne are here too? What if they need me?
Fuck.
I plunge underneath one last time. I feel nothing again and it ruins me because all I want to do is find my babies but can’t. I come back up, struggling to breathe. Maybe SPD saved them. Please. They don’t need this memory to hold on to. They’re too young and are already fighting through so much.
I resurface and scream out for help, praying somebody can hear me.
A motor roars in the distance. It’s them. They’re coming back. They’re going to finish me off. I can only barely see the boat coming up behind me. They’ve done a loop—Wait. Wait a minute. A floodlight blinds me for a moment and then…flashing lights.
Red and blue flares illuminate the water’s surface. Coast Guard—police!
An angel has answered my prayers.
My angel.
“VALENCIA!” I recognize Giulio’s shout of haunting desperation. “LENCIA?”
“I’M OKAY! DO YOU HAVE OSCAR AND SLONNE? ARE THEY SAFE?”
“THEY’RE SAFE. WE’RE COMING TO GET YOU, BABY.”
They’re safe.
Thank God.
Coast Guard inches closer and a man speaks to me through a megaphone, promising everything’s going to be okay and giving instructions on the next step. A lifesaver is thrown into the water, but I can’t summon enough strength to reach it as my heartbeat grows thick in my ears…and then I feel myself going under.
I’m drowning.
I want to hold on.
I want to have enough fight in me. I need to, but my limbs are numb.
Hold your breath, just a little longer.
And then I feel it. Somebody sinks down beside me. I can’t see who it is. I’m pulled up until we surface and I’m coughing out water.
Giulio.
He holds me flush to his chest and pushes back my hair from my eyes. His own is slicked back from the plunge. Water drips from his face as he frantically looks me over to ensure I’m safe. I am now. Against the moonlight, a gentle smile crawls up my lips.
He saved me.
We’re going to be okay.
Giulio’s terrified gaze meets mine and without saying a single word, he kisses me. Desperately. It’s everything I need and more. We have our twins back. I have him—forever.
“Oh my god, I thought I lost you. I thought I lost all of you. When SPD entered the property they had already taken you but left the kids. I thought you had—” His voice breaks, incapable of continuing. I’m right here with his every emotion. “I thought you had died.”
“I’m here. I’m right here. Don’t ever let go of me, Giulio.”
Those bluish-grays light up. “I never will. You are mine, Lencia.”
“And I am yours. Until death do us part.”
“No. I’ll be haunting your dreams even then, darling.”
We manage to break out in a small laugh through our heartache. Our intimate embrace only intensifies. We kiss. Again and again. The sensation is indescribable.
I can’t believe he’s right here.
Giulio Giannotti makes me feel so damn complete.
We share an agonizing stare, realizing this is far from over. Our story doesn’t end here. Addilyn. Why couldn’t she have been with the twins? Why do we still have this agonizing hole in the middle of our hearts?
But we’re closer to the finish line.
I can taste it.
The events of tonight only mean one thing; soon the final showdown will come.
Giulio reaches out for the lifesaver and holds onto it as they pull us to the boat. He then hauls me into the arms of one of the Coast Guardsmen. Sergeant Flynn pulls out his hand to pull my husband on board, all while the team quickly wraps my shivering body in a warm blanket.
The boat turns around.
Giulio sits beside me and when he hugs me to his chest, I open the blanket to cover him too.
“You were so strong for the twins. You got them back. You saved them.”
“It was teamwork.”
“It’s us, darling,” he whispers against my lips. “It’s you and I. It’s us.”
It always will be.
“I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
That smile I adore breaks out on his lips. “I love you, Valencia Marie Giannotti. I love you and our family. You’re all I ever want. I’ll continue being in awe of your bravery every single day.”
I am willing to fight through it all for him.
For our children.
For myself.
I am.
“Amore mio?” That voice I adore soothes me awake with a kiss to my forehead.
My eyes flicker open to Giulio’s compassionate gaze. “Hi.”
“Hey there. How are you feeling?”
“Not too bad. Did I…pass out?”
“You were explaining to Sergeant Flynn what happened and by the end of it you passed out in my arms. Apart from a few bruises, the doctors cleared you. They did run tests and found chloroform in your system. He said within a few hours under observation you’ll be okay and be discharged.”
“What time is it?”
“Just after noon.”
Noon? A third of the day has passed since I entered that basement at 4 A.M. this morning!
“Could you…” My throat is parched. “Could you please turn on the light and get me a glass of water?”
Against the drawn shades, brightness fills the sterile hospital room. Giulio returns to my bedside and I thank him when he hands me a cup of water. The liquid purifies me.
The two reddened cuts by his cheekbones where Blue Eyes sliced him yesterday are closed wounds now. Emotions still consume me because of it—also because of his red glassy eyes.
He’s been crying.
“Lencia, darling. I…” Giulio exhales a sharp breath, his face crumbling.
I pat the sheets beside me and he carefully lies down. His head rests upon my stomach as my fingertips slowly run through his thick black hair. It’s enough to bring an optimistic smile to my lips.
They tri
ed to kill us.
They attempted to take out an entire family.
They failed.
“I was terrified, Valencia. My heart broke when you weren’t in the basement with Oscar and Slonne. This could have been much worse if we didn’t have a tracker on you.”
“I know, but I’m okay now. How are Oscar and Slonne?”
Please let them be okay.
“They’re both well and are in good spirits. The perpetrators are still at large but they didn’t injure or harm them. They’re healthy. It’s a miracle that they’re still smiling. They’re with Helena now. She’s outside. But I…if you drowned, I wouldn’t have taken it.”
A groan escapes at the sharp pain to my ribs, causing Giulio to jerk up. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I just have to get used to it.” I rest my head on the fluffy pillow, motioning for him to settle back down beside me. “I’m here now. I’m right here, Giulio. We just need to find Addilyn now and we’ll be okay for good. We can’t give up on that.”
He kisses my hand. “We’ll never stop looking for her. I was wrong, Valencia. I was so damn wrong when we decided to get a separation.” His fingers weave through mine now and he takes my ring finger, kissing where the diamond once rested. “I am sorry so for everything. I am sorry for hurting you. For the lies. For scaring you. For losing you. For believing a separation would fix everything. I never thought it would come down to this.”
“Baby, we’ve already gone through this. None of this is your fault.”
“Then why do I feel like it is my fault? If I believed in hope from day one we would have never spent these past months apart instead of spending them together.”
“We don’t know that. There may still have been issues. Addilyn could have still been missing. The ransom call could have still occurred. You could have still lost your car and money. I could still be in this hospital gown.”
“That’s true…I guess the most important thing is somehow we found a way back to each other.” Giulio shakes his head. “You’re too good for me.”
“No, I’m not.” My chest rises and falls with passion. Passion for him. “You were scared and your childhood is a big part of what made you into the man you are today. I understand that now. It will always be a part of you, but you need to have some acceptance and empathy for yourself too. You went through hell and back, Giulio. You deserve to clasp happiness now. It’s your birthright.”
My voice lowers as a nurse passes outside. “You have three beautiful children and an alright wife. We’re your life now. We’re together in this. We’ll never suffer alone. I want to be a part of your past, your present, and your future. So when you are feeling this way, when the anxiety sinks in, talk to me like you always encourage me to. Talk to me baby, because you mean the world to me.”
The healing has been within each other’s hearts this entire time. We were both hurting and instead of confiding in each other, we built barriers. We needed this separation to understand just how deeply our love runs and just how connected our hearts truly are.
The devil laced us with evil but goodness always seems to find its way back to us.
“Thank you.” Giulio looks at me as if nothing else matters. “I don’t want anybody but you, Valencia. After these past twenty-four hours, I know we can surpass anything. You’re the only one who understands me for me.”
“You’re the only one I want. Nothing matters more than family.”
“Thank you for saving me last night.”
A crooked smirk pulls on my lips. “And thank you for saving me this morning.”
“I’m so proud of you. You’re a fighter, the way you risked your life for me and the twins…”
“It’s a mother’s instinct.”
Giulio grins. “And you’re more than just ‘an alright’ wife; you’re the most beautiful person I’ll ever meet, inside and out.”
“I’m looking forward to starting this new chapter of our lives.”
“As am I. We began believing in ourselves and each other, and we conquered. The past twenty-four-hours only confirm just how short life is and how unfinished it would have been if we didn’t grasp our second chance.”
I want to hold on to his words forever.
They unlock a world of emotion within me—good emotions.
I want this. I never want to live without this feeling in my chest ever again. The adoration laced in his eyes is a replica of mine as our smiles entrap us in a world of hope.
“I hate life without you. I haven’t wanted anything more in my life. Except, of course…”
“I know.” Giulio understands perfectly. “And we will get Addilyn back. Even if the night terrors never go away, we’ll be right here holding each other to sleep. We’ll overcome this. I know we will. It’s you and me against the world, amore mio.”
He seals his promise with a kiss that has me grip his damp t-shirt to pull him closer. I cannot stop smiling through it.
Yes, baby. It’s you and me against the world.
“Aye, who wants me handmade extra sweet bread and butt’er pudding with raisins?” The familiar voice has us breaking away and we turn to find Bryce entering the hospital room. He’s grinning wolfishly with a cake box in hand.
The moment my sister trails behind him, Giulio seems to already smell trouble between them as he averts his gaze to me, smirks and resumes kissing me wildly. We rebel against the audible distraction that works as a soundtrack to our kiss.
“You’re the worst, Bryce!” Helena gasps. “I have a sugar free zone. It drives the kids wild!”
“How about I drive ya wild instead?” Bryce chuckles loudly.
“Yeah, have fun attempting that. I swore off interior designers the moment you arrived.”
“Damn, sweetlips. There’s nothing sweet about ya these days, innit?”
“Never ever call me that again.”
“Alright…sweetlips.”
Giulio and I pull away from each other in laughter.
Bryce and Helena continue their bickering until Giulio clears his throat and their attention snaps to us. McCarson hands over the delicious smelling pudding with a wink and a side hug. “Hope ya feel better soon, Valencia!”
“Thank you so much. Wow, you made this?”
“Sure did, you’ll love it! Just hide it from this sister of yours; she’s turning me into a nutter.”
“You already are a nutter.” Helena glares up at him, popping out her hip towards his before she turns to my bedside. “Honey, how are you? I’ve been worried sick since the news!”
I go on to tell them both I’m doing well. The feeling intensifies when Oscar and Slonne run inside my room and into my arms with wide smiles.
“Mommy!” They gently climb up on the bed and I pull them into a hug. A damn tight one. I could have lost them today. Kissing the sides of their heads, I thank God that they’re okay.
“I’ve missed you both so much. I love you all.”
“Me too, Mommy. I was scared but not anymore!” Slonne smiles cutely, brushing a few strands of her soft brunette hair from her face. “Daddy said you saved us. Thank you, Mommy.”
“I did all that I could, but I think we all saved each other out there.”
Oscar beams, curling his nonexistent bicep. “Yeah, I was like Spiderman out there!”
We burst into laughter and I pull them in for a second embrace, knowing that I will never take a precious moment like this for granted. It will take a while in therapy for them even if they seem okay now, but soon we’ll all achieve that ultimate healing.
“Group hug!” Giulio wraps his arms around all of us while Helena rushes to set down her bouquet of yellow roses.
“Wait for your favorite aunt! Yes, now it’s perfect!”
There’s a knock on the slightly ajar door. “Almost perfect. How dare you all forget me!”
It’s Lance’s voice that has Giulio turn his head towards the door. “Hey, aren’t you supposed to be on the work site across town?”
La
nce smirks before joining the group hug. “Well…it’s a good thing my boss isn’t a big pain in the backside and won’t fire me for skipping work for family. Isn’t that right, boss?”
“Giulio, don’t answer, it’s a trick question.” Kayla’s voice enters before she does. She sends a playful wink our way, sets down ‘Get Better Soon!’ yellow balloons, and joins us too.
I cast a glance at Bryce who stands awkwardly with his hands inside his jean pockets in the corner of the room. Just then Marcus steps in with a bouquet of lilies. They acknowledge each other with curt nods before looking our way.
I smile and through my intertwined hands wave for them to partake in our embrace too.
They do but with reluctance. After all, we are family, and Bryce…well, he is somebody that I have learned to trust and appreciate over the past six weeks working with this entire crew.
My eyes shut and I take in their comfort.
I believe in myself.
These people here believe in me.
We will be okay soon. I just feel it.
We will find Addilyn and it will all be okay.
All of this supportive warmth around me right now is not an illusion, it is not a curse or too much—it’s enough. It’s enough because I am enough. This is my life…and I love it dearly.
Giulio
“Do you trust me?”
“Well…I’ve been blindfolded for the past ten hours, so I’m obliged to say yes.”
The twins giggle in the backseats at Lencia’s response. I’m left smiling, crazy in love with us. Fanning out my fingers against the heated leather-wrapped steering wheel, I touch on the brakes at the end of the cobblestone driveway and kiss Valencia softly. “More like twenty minutes. You have nothing to worry about, amore.”
Today, Friday the fourteenth of October marks Valencia’s twenty-eighth birthday and I went all out. We’re on Mercer Island and this luxurious modern house in front of us…it’s ours. Of course Lencia doesn’t know it yet, but Oscar and Slonne do. It’s been our little secret for the past few days as we recover from the shocking aftermath of self-defense, kidnappings, car theft, and attempted murder.
The twins’ eyes widen in awe through the car windows. I ended up getting another Porsche Cayenne. The dealership and my insurance had an incredible turnaround time after my last car was found torched.
Merciful Vows: A Bittersweet Second Chance Romantic Suspense (The Giannotti World Book 1) Page 37