Fight Me Little Pearl

Chapter 47

Chapter Forty-Seven

VALENTINO

“ T he appointment is made,” Roberto says.

I nod. “Good.”

It’s time to bury the hatchet with Sal. To meet him face to face and tell him how pointless it will be to go after Franco or my wife because the land that he believes still belongs to my wife is already mine. He believed that because I deliberately kept my outright ownership of Terra De Barbieri a secret known only to Franco, his son, and I. I made that into a condition of our deal because I didn’t want Francesca to find out the real reason I married her. I wanted her to believe I married her for the land. I knew she hated me and everything I stood for so it was the only way I knew to make her mine.

But now that she’s pregnant with the little bean it’s time to tell her the truth. The thought of my pregnant wife brings a foolish smile to my lips, but I quickly push her out of my mind so I can concentrate on the task at hand.

“This will work,” Roberto says. “But I must say, neutralizing Sal will mean our last obstacle will be gone. I’ll miss having an enemy.”

“There’ll be more,” I assure him. “Make no mistakes. We can never be without enemies, so you can’t relax. That’s when you get attacked the most.”

Roberto is about to respond when the door flies open, and Vance hurries in, looking like a madman.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

“We should go now, Boss,” he says urgently. “La Signore Barone has just been in a fatal road accident. She has been rushed to the hospital. I have the address.”

I don’t respond immediately because I’m too stunned. I blink at Vance, trying to understand what he’s saying.

“We have to go,” he repeats.

“Boss!” he yells, breaking me out of my daze.

I rush to my feet and run after him, sweat breaking from my skin. “Is she all right?”

“I believe her injuries are not significant.”

“Who found her? Where was she going? Who was the fucking driver?”

“Romero was the driver, Boss.” We rush into a waiting car. My door is barely closed when Vance steps on the gas and the car screeches away.

“But it wasn’t his fault. It was an attack,” Vance says.

“I want to hear the whole truth later, but for now, keep your foot on the fucking gas and take me to my wife.”

Francesca has been taken to a hospital that I am a patron of, so as soon as I rush in, they know exactly why I am there. A doctor appears before me.

“Mr. Barone, you don’t have to worry?—”

“Get this moron out of my face. My wife has had a fucking accident, and this imbecile tells me not to worry. Get him out of my face.”

His eyes fill with fear as he is pushed away and another doctor quickly appears. Thankfully chooses to stay mute. He leads me up the first flight of steps and into a room where Francesca is lying on the bed. She looks frail and weak. I run to her, only breathing in relief when I see the steady rise and fall of her chest.

“Oh, thank God.” I kiss her forehead and entwine my fingers with her small ones.

Calmer, I turn to the doctor who stands at the door, an unsure expression on his face.

“Why is she unconscious?”

“She’s not unconscious,” the doctor says. “She’s asleep. I gave her a heavy dose of sedatives because she was in pain.”

Anger surges in my blood, but I stay calm. There will be many opportunities for vengeance later. “What about her baby?”

The doctor purses his lips and gently shakes his head. “By the time she was brought in, she had already lost it. I’m so sorry, Mr. Barone.”

The baby is gone. Our child is dead. A strange coldness moves into my chest. I take a deep breath and turn to Vance. “Call Francesca’s mom. There’s something I have to do, but I must make sure there’s someone here with her.”

“Yes, Boss.” He walks outside to make the call.

In twenty minutes, Louisa, Franco Barbieri, and Francesca’s mother rush into the room. Francesca’s eyes are still shut, and except for the steady rise and fall of her chest, she looks lifeless.

“Oh, God.” Her mother breaks into tears when she sees the state her daughter is in.

“Senora, don’t cry. She’s going to be okay.”

She glances at me with swollen eyes. “I don’t know what I would do if I lost her.”

Me too. But I don’t say this aloud. Instead, I promise, “You won’t have to find out.”

I plant a gentle kiss on Francesca’s forehead and pull away. While she sleeps, I’m going to exact vengeance on those who did this to her and be back before she’s awake.

“There’s something urgent I must do now,” I tell her mother. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. If there’s any change, call me immediately.”

“Yes,” she whispers, taking my place by Francesca’s bedside. As I head towards the door with my men, Franco Barbieri follows me.

“Where are you going?”

“Stay with your granddaughter.”

“I know what you’re planning,” he says. “I want to be involved.”

“No. This is Barone's business. You can’t?—”

“Please,” he rasps. “She’s my granddaughter.”

I hold his gaze briefly before nodding and exiting the room. The further I walk away from Francesca, the heavier my heart becomes, but I know this is a journey I must take for her. I was wrong to think I could come to an agreement with Sal. Until I wipe him off the face of this earth, Francesca cannot be safe.

The hospital's underground garage is deserted.

“Vance, give me everything you have.”

“The driver is here in the hospital,” Vance says. “He can explain better.”

“He can talk?”

“He wasn’t the target, Boss,” Vance explains, getting the hidden meaning in my question. “He did his best.”

“Bring him to me.”

Vance reappears seconds later with a trembling man who has a bloody bandage around his head. “I am so sorry, Boss. I failed you, but I really tried my best to keep her safe. Forgive me, please.”

I watch him silently. This driver isn’t my enemy. “Romero, isn’t it?”

“Yea, Boss. My name is Romero.”

“Okay, Romero…” I nod. “Tell me everything that happened.”

“We had a smooth ride from home…” Romero shakes his head as if he still cannot believe what happened. “But when we got to Westside, I noticed a car trailing us. I tried to?—”

“Westside?” I frown. “What were you doing in Westside?”

Romero frowns. “La Signora Barone was meeting someone for coffee or something.”

“What?” My blood runs cold, and my heartbeat slows. She mentioned last night that she may visit her mother today and go shopping with Louisa for baby things, but she didn’t mention anything about meeting anyone for coffee. She was travelling in the opposite direction from her mother’s house if she was going to the Westside. Then I remember. The first report Vance did on her detailed her meetings with Thomas. A small café in the Westside.

My heart shatters, but I don’t let it show. “Okay. Go on. What happened next?”

As Romero explains, the hurt spreads across my body until I’m numb. Francesca was going to see Thomas when the accident happened. She was going to have coffee with Thomas with my baby in her belly?

“Then another car appeared from the side and tried to ram into us; I swerved, and they missed. They missed a few times before they finally hit Signora Barone’s side of the car.

“Dutch, sweep Westside city and get me CCTV footage; we’ll need it to identify the vehicles.”

“Yes, Boss.” He slinks away.

“Vance, put together your fucking best team. I want Sal dead today.”

“Right.” He walks away.

I turn to Franco. “I will get divorce papers drawn up to end my marriage to your granddaughter.”

“What?”

If my heart weren’t hurting so badly, I would have laughed at the shock on his face.

“You heard me.”

“Is this about the little rat she was meeting with,” he asks.

I laugh darkly. “You’ve always been a smart man. It makes up for all your other shortcomings.”

Franco Barbieri grunts. “What do you want to say to me, Valentino? You orchestrated this whole mess so you could divorce her at the first hurdle? I didn’t peg you as the type of man to get jealous of a useless piece of shit.”

“Yes, Franco, I’m jealous. I burn with jealousy. But you know what? I’m done being jealous of that little maggot. I’m done letting Francesca turn me into an insecure mess. She wants Thomas so badly, let her have him.”

“You know you love her,” he says. “We both know you do. You always have. Don’t deny it to me.”

I purse my lips. “That doesn’t change anything.”

“Are you going to let go of someone you love so easily?”

There is no point in trying to explain a thing like love to Franco. He has never experienced it. I shake my head. I’ve endured this marriage with the ghost of Thomas lurking in every corner. Francesca brings him up in every disagreement, and it kills me.

Just three nights ago she fucking apologized to me. She said I never have to worry about Thomas again and that she’ll never bring him up. I believed her. I thought it was for real. But she was still seeing him in secret. She accuses me of cheating on her all the time, but she’s the one who is cheating. No wonder she’s so quick to point accusing fingers. I should have known.

Franco opens his mouth to speak, but I raise a finger to stop him and turn to my car.

“I want her out of my house as soon as she’s well. Also, the divorce process starts as soon as she can talk. I’m done with this.”

Before he can say anything else, I slip into my car and pull away.