A Ring for Vincenzo's Heir
“The police are on the way, Mr. Borgia,” Beppe said.
Scarlett heard the distant whine of a siren. She knew the steps in front of the palazzo would soon be covered with medical and police personnel.
Blaise lay faceup, flat on his back. Unmoving, he wheezed, “You... You...”
Vin looked down at him coldly. “You are going to prison, Falkner. For a very long time. You should pray you never get out.” As bodyguards surrounded him, Vin turned to Scarlett. His expression changed. He reached for her. “Scarlett—”
“You saved me,” Scarlett choked out, pressing her cheek against him. Then she drew back, frowning. “But you’re wet. You...” There was a darkening patch on his right shoulder, and another on his left thigh. With a gasp, she lifted the lapel of his tuxedo jacket and saw red blooming across his white shirt, like a flower. And it was in that moment she realized why she was still alive. Vin had taken two bullets for her.
* * *
When Vin saw Falkner put his finger on the trigger, everything had become crystal clear.
He would either save his wife or die with her.
Their son would know that his father had loved his mother enough to sacrifice his own life to try to save her.
That was the best legacy any father could leave his son. The only real legacy. It had nothing to do with leaving a fortune, or a billion-dollar company. A man’s true legacy was his example, of how a man should live—and how he should die. For the ones he loved.
“Cara.” Vin pulled Scarlett into his arms, holding her like the precious treasure she was. He felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, and another in his thigh. He gritted his teeth against the pain. “He was right about one thing. If anything ever happened to you, it would utterly destroy me.”
“Vin, we need to try to stop the bleeding until the paramedics...”
“Not yet,” he breathed. He curved his hands around her, needing the feel of her body against his. “Everything you said was true. That’s what I came to say. I was afraid to love you.” He searched her gaze. “Now the only thing I’m afraid of is not having the chance to love you for the rest of my life.”
She looked closely at the holes in his jacket. “It looks like this bullet went straight through your shoulder and out the back. But your leg...”
He was barely listening. “I was a coward.”
“Coward? Vin, you took two bullets for me!”
“It’s true,” he insisted roughly. He was still shaking. It was only now that he held her, now she was safe in his arms, that he could admit how terrified he’d been. “I promised myself long ago that I’d never love anyone—never give anyone that kind of power over me. Then on Christmas Eve, after I told you I loved you, I was afraid. I was desperate to regain control.”
“Control over what?”
“You, me, everything. Life.”
“Oh, Vin,” she whispered through cracked lips. “No one can control all that.”
“I realized that today.” His lips twisted as he leaned on her. He could no longer put any weight on his left leg. He wondered how much blood he’d lost. But he couldn’t let her go. Not yet. “I’ve made so many mistakes. I just found out Giuseppe has always known he’s not my biological father. He just didn’t care.”
“No!”
He gave a low laugh, swaying on his feet. He was starting to feel dizzy. “Control is an illusion. I understand that now. All I can control in life are the choices I make. The man I choose to be.” He took her hand in his own, pressing it against his chest. “You have my heart, Scarlett. No matter if you hurt me. No matter if you leave me.” Her beautiful face blurred in his vision as he whispered, “After the way I tricked you into signing those papers, I wouldn’t blame you.”
Paramedics and firemen and policemen were swarming the street, and inquisitive wedding guests were pouring out of the palazzo. But all Vin could see was Scarlett’s pale, determined face.
“You listen to me, Vin Borgia,” she said hoarsely. “This is something I want you to remember for the rest of your life.” She took both his hands in hers. Her green eyes looked enormous. “You’re safe with me, Vin. As long as I live, I’ll watch out for you.”