All I Believe (Firsts and Forever, #10)(70)
“I had a colleague leave it and the car at the airport for me. I have no idea about its history,” Andreo said.
I didn’t notice that Dante had a backpack with him until he pulled it out from under his chair and unzipped it to reveal a gun case. “This is the same make as the gun you used and it’s registered in my name. We’ll dispose of the other one just in case it’s linked to other crimes. I discharged one bullet from this before I followed the ambulance to the hospital. They don’t run forensics in a case like this, so they won’t realize the bullet wasn’t from this gun. You should be fine.” He slid the backpack across the floor, and it stopped beside Andreo.
“I can’t believe you’re doing so much for your enemy,” Andreo said. “What’s the catch?”
“No catch, and you’re not my enemy. Your father was, but not you.”
Luca’s brother looked at the linoleum and said, “I never expected kindness from a Dombruso.”
“You heard your brother. He loves my cousin, and for their sake, we need to let this feud between the families die out. It’s been going on far too long anyway. I bet no one even remembers what started it,” Dante said.
Andreo smiled humorlessly and told him, “It was over two cases of wine.”
Vincent raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“In the early eighteen-hundreds, my great-great-great grandfather, Vido Natori and yours, Mauritzio Dombruso, were the best of friends and heads of their respective clans. I’m probably leaving out about a few greats there, but you get the idea.” Andreo sat back in his seat and continued, “Both of our families were heavily involved in organized crime, as I’m sure you know, but they were allies all the way. The families had divided up Viladembursa and the surrounding territory years before. No one dared horn in on their claim, because the two families united were the strongest force in the region.
“The way I heard it, one day a wine delivery to Mauritzio’s grandmother’s restaurant came up short, and he accused Vido of skimming off the top since he was overseeing the delivery. This outraged my ancestor. A lot of harsh words were exchanged, and the two went from best friends to bitter enemies, just like that. Soon the families began to fight for control of Viladembursa. It all spiraled out of control from there. I don’t know how many lives have been lost along the way, but I’m sure it’s well into the double digits on both sides.”
Vincent shook his head. “It’s all so pointless.”
“Most feuds are,” Andreo said. He turned his head and stared off in the direction they’d taken his brother.
We were soon joined by a police officer, who looked skeptical as she took Andreo’s and Dante’s statements about the gun accidentally going off. She inspected the weapon and its registration card, and took it into evidence. She then wrote some information on a little notepad, including everyone’s name, address and phone number, and said she’d be in touch. When she left, Dante said, “It’ll be fine. All our stories will be the same, including Luca’s when he’s strong enough to talk to the police.”
“Where’d your men go?” I asked Andreo idly. I’d only been partly paying attention to what was happening in the waiting room. Most of me was focused on an operating room somewhere deep inside the building.
“I sent them to find a hotel. They’re not needed here,” he said.
Dante checked his phone, and Vincent asked him, “Did the work crew show up?”
His brother nodded. “The wall to the furniture store is being replaced as we speak. I’m glad I don’t have to be the one to clean up all that glass.”
I listened to my cousins chatting for a while, trying to let it distract me from worrying about Luca, but it didn’t help. I kept picturing his face right after he was shot, the color draining from it, his eyes wide with shock. And I kept hearing his voice as he said, “Because I love him.” I wrapped my arms around myself and pressed my eyes shut.
I shouldn’t have been surprised by those words. He’d already shown me he loved me by not giving up on us, even when I refused to answer his texts, and by flying halfway around the world just so he could talk to me. But to hear him say it, right after he’d actually taken a bullet for me, took my breath away.
It just killed me that he didn’t know it was mutual. I’d fallen in love with him back in Malta, but I’d barely admitted it to myself, let alone him. I’d tried to protect myself from heartache. I didn’t tell him how I felt because I was terrified of getting hurt again.
And now he was in an operating room, bleeding, possibly dying, and it was all because of me. Why the hell couldn’t I just have answered his texts? Why did I have to make him suffer for not telling me about his father, especially since, once the initial shock wore off, I understood why he kept that information to himself? I doubled over, head to my knees, my arms still wrapped around myself, and started to cry. He couldn’t die. He just couldn’t.
Once the tears started, it was hard to stop them. My body shook from the silent sobs. It was several minutes before I realized someone was sitting right beside me, comforting me by rubbing my back. When I finally got myself under control, I sniffed and sat up, then turned to the person beside me. I’d expected it to be one of my cousins, and was startled when it proved to be Andreo, his hazel eyes full of pain.