39. SAFE HOUSE
ISOLA BELLA, ITALY
GIOVANNI LAZARO AWAKENS WITH A loud gasp. His chest heaves as his body lifts itself from the bed. His sister scrambles to his side, sending an Italian prayer up to the heavens.
"Giovanni, thank God you're alive," Sofia rushes out, happily. She reaches for his hand and plants a grateful kiss on it. "I was so worried about you."
He grunts in pain as he tries to lift his arm, only for it to stiffen up in its cast. With his uninjured arm, he cradles his sister's face in his hand, "Stai bene? Dov'è Kalani?" Are you okay? Where's Kalani?
Sofia looks down, a tear escaping her eye, "Loro ... non riescono a trovarla." They... they can't find her.
His eyebrows furrow as he scans his sister's face, "Cosa intendi?" What do you mean?
"Dante tornò in Sicilia a cercarvi entrambi e riuscì a trovarvi solo sotto tutte le macerie." Dante went back to Sicily to look for you both and he could only find you under all the rubble. Sofia releases a shaky breath as she watches her brother waver. "You're lucky you're alive, brother. And still have your arm. The doctor said..."
He can't hear her over the blood rushing in his ears.
Giovanni knew that when he got the call from Dante in New York, something bad would happen. That's why he immediately sent them all off to the safe house on Isola Bella, one of the many islands of Italy. The only men who stayed at the castle were those who traveled with them to New York.
He took an oath as a Don to keep his men safe ━ to allow them to go home at the end of the day with no scratches and especially not in a casket.
Except, Giovanni watched as Angelo was shot and Franco was torn apart in the explosion.
He broke that oath.
And yet, he survived ━ only being shot and lost under the rubble. It was a miracle from God that he is still breathing but, now, as he contemplates Kalani being missing, he can't help but curse at his inability to keep her safe.
"Dov'è Dante?" Where's Dante? Giovanni asks after a minute of silence.
"He's by the door." She tells him with tear-stained cheeks. He gives her a look, earning a nod from her, "Vado a prenderlo." I'll go get him.
With that, she exits the room, leaving Giovanni to drown in his thoughts. His eyes wander around the designated medical room of the safe house.
He flings his legs over the side of the bed, his feet touching the cold floor. For the past month, he'd been telling himself that he would do anything to keep Kalani safe. And he failed. He couldn't protect her and keep her from being taken.
It could only be Kellan who took her. Her brother obviously had an agenda ━ hunt the hunter. And now, Giovanni is more motivated than ever to rip him apart.
To get Kalani back.
And to tell her how he really feels.
His thoughts are interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Dante steps over the threshold and gazes upon his boss who found himself stood in front of a window.
"Vedo che hai riacquistato le tue forze, capo." I can see you have regained your strength, boss. Dante speaks, his voice slightly shaky. He looks as if he'd been crying. "Sono contento di vederti di nuovo in piedi." Glad to see you back on your feet.
Giovanni turns and sends a nod to his best friend. He extends his uninjured arm for Dante to walk right into it. They share a loving and brotherly hug. "Quanto tempo è passato?" How long has it been?
Dante pulls away, his hand resting on Giovanni's shoulder. He hesitates before saying his next words, "Three days, my friend. You've been unconscious for three days."
Giovanni's eyes widen at the news. He scoffs, "Do you have a lead on Kalani?"
Dante stares at his best friend with a tinge of sadness. He prides himself on being an observant man so it didn't take him long to realize that his long-time best friend had fallen in love with the young woman ━ as much as said best friend didn't want to admit it. All in all, it absolutely warmed Dante's heart to see Giovanni so hell-bent on getting the woman he loves back in his arms. It reminds him of his love for Sofia.
Luckily, they had gotten a lead on her, "We had been waiting for you to wake up before we did anything."
GIOVANNI STANDS, HALF NAKED, in front of his surviving men. With his arm slung in a cast, he stares down the group of chairs that were pushed up to the table. He arches an eyebrow and huffs as he lowers himself onto the chair at the head of the table.
"So, where is Kalani?" He questions, his voice gruff with irritation.
Dante, sitting by his best friend's side, slides his tablet over to him, a stoic look on his face, "I got into contact with one of my informants who doubles as an IT specialist. He, illegally, of course, runs a facial recognition software that is tapped into street cameras, security cameras, anything you can think of... Yesterday, he came across a man that strangely resembles Kellan Reed."
Giovanni doesn't hesitate to swipe through the pictures, his nose flaring at the sight of the man who took the woman he most cares about besides his sister, "Where?"
Dante sighs and leans back, "Portofino."
Nodding, Giovanni releases a deep exhale before running a hand through his hair, "Va bene. Partiamo stanotte." Okay. We leave tonight.
oooooo giovanni finna fuck somebody uuuuuupppppppp 👀👀
im sorry it's taking me so long to update recently, ive just been spending a lot more time with my family.
also, i realized that this book is actually almost over. there a couple more chapters left ━ give or take ━ but we're almost done... that's crazy to think about...
but thank you all for all of your support, you amazing people ❤️❤️🥺🥺
and yes gio, as literally everybody has guessed, is alive. cause he a bad bitch, they can't kill him.