Mafia's Redemption: Terzo - Chapter 35: Chapter 35

DANI
“Terzo!” I gasped, jolted to sit, and sobbed. Did I sob in my sleep?
“Hey, hey.” I didn’t realize I wasn’t alone. Celestina held my arms and put me back down. And I was back in bed. The same bed I slept in.
“Where’s Terzo? Tell me he’s okay?” Hot tears formed in my eyes again and streamed down my face.
“He’s fine.”
“He’s—” I hiccuped. “He’s—” I threw myself at Celestina and hugged her tight. I sobbed in her arms for I didn’t know how long.
She let me as she rubbed my back. I felt like I just found my big sister in her. I continued sobbing until I felt like I couldn’t breathe anymore.
“Dani, don’t pass out again.” Did I pass out? “Drink water.”
I pulled away and took the glass she offered. My hands were still shaky, and she helped me put the glass to my lips. I drank a little and breathed deeply.
“Terzo is fine,” she said calmly.
I met her gaze. “How could you be so calm when he almost died because of that stupid book? I—” I swallowed hard, realizing who Terzo was in my life. “I almost lost my husband, Celestina.”
She wiped the tears from my face. “I can’t be mad as a bull while your life is falling apart. At least one of us should be calmer. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to be the one to pull the trigger, but I wasn’t there.”
“I’m not sorry for what happened to them. They were going to kill us anyway. Were those my father’s men?”
Celestina nodded. “Yes.”
“God, he’s such a monster. He chose to kill us for that book?”
“Maybe he ordered to kill Terzo, but to take you alive. He didn’t trust your word because you didn’t have the book.”
“Who went there to rescue us? How did they find us?”
“The car. All the cars we owned not only have GPS, but it come with a tracker. And do you think Gio and Marco would let you both go without tailing you? My brother is the most important figure in the business, aside from my father. Do you realize what would happen if they killed my brother? The Siciliano will wage war. Our soldiers will kill everything on their path.”
“But they were going to.”
“Yes. I have a feeling the book is your father’s leverage, more important than you. I’m sorry, Dani, but you have to hear this. The book is more important than his children, his money, or his life.”
“Son of a bitch.”
“We have ledgers ourselves, we locked them in a safe, in safe deposit, and other places. My father makes sure it won’t fall into the wrong hands. They’re like a blackmail file to every member of the organization.”
I swallowed hard and breathed deeply. “I’m sorry your brother got all the punches. Is he really okay? Can I see him? Where is he?”
“He’s with Papa.”
“Why didn’t he go to the hospital? He probably has a concussion or something.”
“Our private doctor has seen him. His cuts are mended. Don’t worry. He’s gonna be fine. A little drop of alcohol and a kiss to numb his pain are all he needs.”
My stomach twisted in a thousand knots. “It’s all my fault.”
“What made you say that?”
“If I didn’t ask to meet him, none of this would have happened?”
“Are you crazy?” Celestina shook me. “He wanted you to be found. He arranged for you to marry a madman. He’d rather have that stupid book than his only daughter. He wanted to save his own ass than saving you. Who does that?”
“Do you know that madman?”
“We have some suspects that it might be Alonzo Moretti, a terrible, terrible man, Dani. You don’t wanna even sit next to a man like him.”
The door swung open. Terzo walked in and met my gaze. He seemed to have sucked all the air and energy in the room that had me held my breath.
I didn’t know how I got up so fast, ran in his direction, threw myself at him, wrapped my legs around his waist, and squeezed him into a tight hug.
He caught me just right and wrapped his arms around me. Without a word, we stayed like that for a while until I heard the door shut behind us.
“Oh, God.” I quickly unwrapped my legs and tried to stand on my two feet after realizing he was beaten and probably had a few broken bones.
He let me go and stared at me. He even looked confused. “What’s wrong?”
“You.”
“Me?” He was even more confused.
“Oh, my God.” I cupped his head and inspected his face. He cleaned up, but was pretty beaten up. His eyes, nose, and lips were busted. His eyebrow split. All I could do was shake my head in disbelief and pain. “I’m so sorry.” I pressed a soft kiss on his lips.
I knew he was in pain, but he didn’t even show it to me. “I’m fine.”
I glared at him. I felt hurt that he had to hide his pain from me. “No, you’re not. Can you be a little vulnerable right now? You almost died, Terzo.”
In just a split second, his features softened. His eyes flickered with emotion I couldn’t quite name. For a moment, he was vulnerable. He dropped all his guards down and allowed me to see who he really was.
It was beautiful and took my breath away. I smiled before I wiped the tears from my eyes. All I could mutter was thank you, and he smiled at me— a smile full of joy and pain mixed together, but I was okay with that.
“I failed you, Dani.”
“Shut up. Just shut up.” I sucked in a breath. “You’re not a superhero to save the world, Terzo.”
“But I am your husband, and watching you with a gun pointed at your head.” He locked his jaw hard. His nose flared. He struggled so hard to express his words, but the message was pretty clear. “All the women in life.” He paused. “I failed them. And I thought I could protect you.” He briefly looked at me before he dropped his gaze.
Then the thing that I feared most for us just happened right before my eyes. He stepped back and walked out the door.
“Terzo, don’t go, please?” I stood there for I didn’t know how long, waiting for a miracle and hoping that Terzo would walk in, but it didn’t happen.
I went back to bed, curled up, and cried to sleep. My penny was for this marriage to fail, but I was pretty sure the fault would be mine. Not in the slightest, it would easily come from Terzo. I couldn’t blame him, though. He almost died because of me and my father.
Did he deserve it after what he did to my brother? Probably, but he’d been trying his best to make things right by protecting me because he felt like he was obligated to do so and could redeem himself.
I would have been dead by now if it weren’t for him because I was naive about how his world and my father’s world worked.
Now my life might just be truly over. I wouldn’t be surprised if he used me as bait to get to my father. But I knew him, he would never use women to get to Francesco Giordani.
I woke up to an empty bed for the second time. No Terzo, no Celestina. The entire house was silent as if everyone had left but me. And I couldn’t find my phone.
I didn’t even know where the kitchen was. The last meal I had was dinner. It was past nine in the morning, and my stomach just growled.
“Oh, you’re finally up.”
“Celestina.” I smiled even though it was too heavy for me.
“Follow me to the kitchen. I know you’re starving. What we have here is the best coffee in town.”
“You’re very chirpy today.” I followed her, and she acted as if nothing had happened last night.
“You’re worried about T? Don’t be. He’s just wallowing. He blamed himself. He always does that. He’ll be back in a few days.”
“A few days? Where did he go?” I stared at her in shock while he was busy with the high-end coffee machine. “To the States?”
“Why would he go to the States? Is there something in there that I should know about? Or you’re afraid that he might cheat on you?”
I shrugged. “That’s his decision.”
“Oh, boy.” She sighed. “T is the most loyal person I know. You can take that doubt away. He would never break his vow.”
“I’m more worried about what he’s gonna do, Celestina.”
“Me too. I think he’s up for vengeance. I know the look in his eyes, the same look he had when my ex beat me, but he also promised Papa last night that he won’t do something stupid and reckless.”
“I wanna find him before he gets himself killed.”