“You can’t blame yourself, Alessandro. This isn’t your fault. Don’t feel guilty. You needed to know that she was a snake, and if I have to die to show you that so that she can’t hurt you or your brothers, or my sisters, then I’m glad to do it.”
“Denise, please,” Alessandro begged. “Please don’t take her from me.”
Denise ignored him with a nasty smile on her face. “What a touching speech.”
I looked up at her, took a deep breath, and then smiled. “You won’t make it out of this garden.”
“We’ll see.”
I closed my eyes, and the next thing I heard was a gunshot. I was glad that death was painless, at least. I didn’t feel anything. I still felt tethered to my body, to the reality around me, but I knew that was impossible. I’d heard the gun. I knew that I was dead. So, there was consciousness after death. I wished I could talk to Stacy about it.
Arms wrapped around me, warm and comforting, and they smelled like Alessandro. Of course he was what my personal heaven was like.
“Willow?” I could listen to his voice for eternity, too. How nice. “Willow. Look at me. Open your eyes.”
Hands settled heavily on my face, and the feeling of them jolted me. I peeled open my eyes, and Alessandro let out a sigh of relief. He dropped his forehead to mine and started sobbing. I was too shocked to understand what was going on. Was I dead? Was I actually in purgatory, forced to relive this moment forever?
“Sandro?” I asked. He just hugged me tighter. The chill of the air and heat of his body against mine took over, and I realized I wasn’t dead. I was alive. “How?”
Another gunshot made me jump, and both Alessandro’s and my head whipped around. Molly was grunting on the ground. Alessandro grabbed the gun nearest him and lifted it, sending out a shot, but it must have missed because he swore.
“Gabe! Stace! She’s getting away!” He looked back at me. “I have to—”
“Go!” I screamed.
Alessandro let me go and crawled over to Molly’s side. He rolled her over, but he let out a sigh of relief when he noticed she was only bleeding from her leg. She’d need attention, and fast, but she wouldn’t die.
“Fuck!” Molly barked, slamming her fist against the ground. “That bitch shot me!” Alessandro pressed his hand down on her leg, and she let out a loud screech. “Fuck!”
Gabriel and Stacy came running around the corner, both of them with guns in their hands. “Denise got away, but Stace and I—” He looked down at Alessandro and Molly. “Shit!”
He and Stacy dropped to their knees next to Molly. Alessandro looked up at Gabriel. “Take care of her. Call a doctor, and bring him here. Do not leave the property. Do you understand?”
Gabriel nodded. “Yeah.”
“I have to take care of Willow,” Alessandro said.
I shook my head. “No, Sandro, you need—”
Molly looked up at me, her warm, brown eyes landing on mine. “I’m fine. Go. Fix it.”
My jaw dropped before turning into a smile. “Thank you.” I shrugged. “I guess that means we’re good?”
Molly smiled back. “Yeah. We’re good.”
Gabriel nodded at Alessandro. “Go. We got this.”
Alessandro stood up and walked over to me, reaching down to take my hand. I took it, and he pulled me to my feet and lifted me into his arms. I wiped the tears away from his eyes while he carried me through the garden, expertly navigating the hedges, and immediately setting his destination for our bedroom.
23
Alessandro
I was just a young ten years old when I first met Willow.
My dad, as much of an ass as he was, really cared about his staff. He knew that caring for his staff was the key to making sure that none of them ever felt like they wanted to turn on him, and it was also the key to making sure they would be willing to take the fall for him if need be. Once a year, in the middle of the summer, he would rent out ten acres of land and throw a huge summer carnival. It would have rides, food booths, and places to drink, and it was free for all of my dad’s staff. They could bring their families and enjoy a day of no work and lots of fun. We were always allowed to go, too. My dad would set us each loose, and Luca and Marco typically stuck together while I usually dragged Gabriel onto rides that he would otherwise avoid.
During the summer carnival shortly after I turned ten, my dad didn’t release my brothers and me immediately when we got to the carnival. He kept us close by his side and introduced us to the newest member of his staff, Raphael Moretti. Raph had two kids my age, twins, Willow and Ricky. Ricky was bouncing around his parents like he had ants in his pants, but Willow was situated behind her dad, holding onto him tightly and peeking around his waist as she was introduced.