Turn Towards the Sun: Book Three- Forever in Bloom (The Sunflower Trilogy) (18 page)

“Don’t worry. Just be safe and call me when you can.”

“I will. Thanks, Gabby.”

“Anytime, sister.”

I hang up and turn my attention back to Enzo and Francesca who are speaking in Italian. When they both get excited I have no idea what they are talking about. I can only understand Italian when everyone speaks slowly to me. The siblings are definitely not speaking slowly at the moment. They both look over at me repeatedly, gesturing wildly. Cassie and Chris come in during the conversation.

“Come here, you two,” I say.

I explain to them that Anna is back and trying to get to me. I don’t have the strength to tell them what may have happened in Vegas. I don’t think my brain will let my lips utter those words. Maybe if I don’t say it then it really isn’t happening.

As I speak, Cassie’s face gets redder and redder. “Dammit, Ava, I’m gonna find this bitch and kill her myself!” she says.

“We need to be careful with her,” I say. “Anyone close to Enzo is in potential danger. Anything that will hurt him is her target. Obviously I am her main objective.”

“I think you should carry a gun, Ava. Just in case,” Chris suggests. “Do you guys have one?”

I start to speak, but suddenly Enzo chimes in. “Ava doesn’t need a gun. Someone will always be with her.” Enzo’s voice is tenser than I’ve ever heard.

Chris raises his hands in the air. “Cool, man. Just a thought.”

“It’s not a bad idea,” Grayson says, cautiously.

Enzo relaxes slightly. “My apologies. It’s a good thought. I just don’t like the idea of her being in a position where she would need to use it. How do you feel about it, Ava?”

“I’ve shot one before with my dad, but it was a long time ago. I might need some training.”

“Would it help you feel safe?”

I ponder Enzo’s question for a moment. “Anna is crafty. Who knows what she might do to get to me. I don’t think it would hurt to have some extra protection just in case.” I can’t believe I just agreed to carry a gun. That’s how scared I really am.

“Alright, Ava. We’ll go to the firing range and teach you what to do. I don’t like this at all but it may be the smartest thing to do.” Enzo looks at Chris. “Thank you.”

“Of course, man.” Chris smiles.

Enzo looks at me. “Except recently, you are almost always with me.” His comment attracts the attention of the others. “I won’t let her hurt you, Ava.”

He walks towards me and wraps his arms around me and I let him. In spite of my anger and hurt feelings, I find his touch reassuring.

“Do you have any idea where she is?” I whisper. “Was it her this morning?”

Enzo pulls back from me and looks in my eyes. “I don’t know. She was in Las Vegas but she keeps moving so as soon as I figure out where she’s at, she goes to a new location. She has proven to be quite elusive.”

Grayson pulls out his cell phone and starts making calls. Marisa walks over to me and rubs my back gently.

“Are you alright, Ava?” she asks with her sharp New York accent.

“So far, yeah.” Physically I’m fine. Emotionally, not so much.

“We’ll find her and we’ll keep you safe,” Marisa adds.

“I know. Thank you.”

“Of course.”

Looking around the room there is one thing I know for sure. I have a lot of people who care about me and will be protecting me full time. It’s a slight solace in the midst of all this drama.

Six people stand before me, voices raised, as questions are asked and plans are made. I notice right away that I seem to be the focus and feel like I need to point something out.

“Excuse me,” I say, getting everyone’s attention. Everyone turns to face me. “Everyone’s watching me. Who’s watching Enzo?”

Blank stares cover everyone’s face. “I’m not the only one in danger here. We have no idea what she’s capable of, but it’s obviously a lot. I want a bodyguard with you all the time too,” I say to Enzo.

Grayson speaks up. “That’s a good idea. I’ll make one more call.”

“A good point, amore. Thank you,” Enzo says.

I shrug my shoulders. “We just have to do what we have to do until we find her.”

Cassie approaches and rubs my hand. “We’ll find her and then we can get back to normal.”

Shifting my eyes to the floor, I say, “I think this is normal for us.”

“It won’t be like this forever, amore. I promise,” Enzo says.

Yeah, okay
. I want to believe him and part of me wants to be close to him right now, but the fact is I can’t. I’ve had this woman try to kill me once. Then there was the book scandal, the miscarriage and now my husband has lied to me. So much to deal with. Sometimes my boring pathetic life before Enzo was a lot easier.

I don’t respond and simply look away. Cassie leans closer to me. “Are you still upset with Enzo?” she whispers.

“Yes, I am. I’ll tell you more later.” Much later.

Checca approaches me tentatively. “Yes, Ava, are you alright?”

“Oh I’m perfectly wonderful,” I reply, sarcastically. It doesn’t escape me that she also lied to me. I avoid looking at her too. She sighs and returns to her seat on the couch.

Finally, four men show up, who I presume to be our bodyguards. The four of them will stay at the house, replaced by another four every eight hours. Grayson and Marisa will always be with Enzo and me, and two other men will be with Francesca at all times. Another man will accompany me if I ever have to be separated from Enzo. Tomorrow morning, I’ll go with Enzo to select a gun and go to the firing range. Yes, all of this is very normal.

After everyone leaves and Cassie and Chris go to their room, Enzo and I sit in the living room, the tension between us heavy and palpable. Enzo speaks first.

“I should have told you sooner.”

“Yes you should have.”

“I didn’t know how. I’m so sorry.” He runs his fingers through his hair. “Can you ever forgive me, my love? I won’t keep anything from you ever again, I swear on my mother’s grave.”

“You can’t lie to me ever again,” I whisper. “The best chance we have for success is trust. If you break that we have nothing. We have to do this together.”

“I know. Can you forgive me?” he asks again.

“I will try.”

“Do you want me to leave?” he asks and his soft, sweet tone tugs on my weary heart.

Do I? I was miserable last night and that was before today’s events. Trying to sleep peacefully knowing she’s out there is going to be hard enough. Add us being apart and it will be impossible.

“No, I don’t want you to leave.”

Enzo rushes towards me and pulls me into his arms and I let him. I lay my head against his chest as he holds me tight. I have no idea how we’ll recover from this. I don’t know if our love will ever be the same when it’s all said and done but I do know one thing- I love this man. I will fight for this love until my dying breath. Anna will not win.

“I love you, Ava, so much,” Enzo whispers.

“I know, Enzo. I do.”

“ENZO! HELP ME!” I scream and shoot up straight in the bed, sweating and breathing hard.

“What is it, amore?!” Enzo’s startled voice cries out in the dark, before switching on the side lamp. He rubs my back as I sit trying to orient myself.

“It was just a nightmare,” I realize once my brain understands that I’m safely in bed next to my husband.

“What happened?” Enzo asks.

Shaking my head, I rub my forehead. “I thought she was here. I thought she was going to hurt me.”

Enzo pulls me in his arms and holds me, stroking my hair. “You’re safe here with me. She’s not here. It’s just me and you and the security guards are outside.”

“Okay.” I lie back down and try to calm my now jangled nerves. Enzo rubs my hand until I drift back to an uneasy sleep.

When morning comes, I climb out of bed exhausted. It was a restless night. I woke up constantly, positive that I heard a noise, even though I knew the security system was on and the guards were outside. Enzo sits in one of the armchairs in our room, typing on his laptop. Looking up at me, he smiles.

“Good morning,” he says.

“Well, it’s morning at least,” is my reply. “I didn’t sleep well.”

“Nor did I. After you dress, we’ll go do what we need to do today.”

“Yep.”

I enter the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. I honestly can’t believe all of this is happening. Now that I know just how crazy this chick is, I know I can’t let my guard down for even a minute.

I pick out a pair of jeans and blouse after putting my hair in a ponytail. I really hope this doesn’t go public. The last thing we need on top of all of this is another media circus to manage.

We wait patiently in the living room for Grayson and Marisa to arrive. Walking out to the car, I see the two armed guards standing at opposite sides of our property and assume it’s a similar arrangement in the back. Enzo opens my door for me and I climb into the car. As we approach the gate, I look around nervously for paparazzi but breathe a sigh of relief when I see none.

Enzo squeezes my hand and I wonder if he was thinking the same thing. We drive to a gun shop that Enzo selected and pull into the parking lot. Grayson and Marisa exit the car first, and then hold the doors for us. We go inside and I’m suddenly intimidated by the entire process and task ahead of me. I’ve always ignored the ongoing gun control debate because I never really thought it applied to me. Now here I am, selecting a gun for my own personal use.

The store owner, Ernie, personally assists us, explaining all the different features. He holds out a gun for me. “This one is nice for a woman, good hand feel and control. Would you like to hold it, Mrs. Milano?”

Ernie hands me a small, compact .22 caliber revolver. I nervously take it and hold it in my hand, practicing how it would feel if I really had to use it. “It feels fine.”

“Here, let me show you how to load it. Then we can take it to the firing range and you can practice shooting. Sound good?”

“Sure.”

Enzo watches me carefully but allows Ernie to do all the speaking. After a thorough explanation, I’m finally ready to try it for myself. We head outside to another building that contains the firing range. Ernie shows me how to prepare the gun, turn off the safety, and after putting my headphones on, I prepare to shoot it.

I practice shooting it for one round as I get used to what it feels like in my hands. My shots are all over the target but at least I hit it.

“I’d like to try one more time if I can,” I say.

“Of course,” Ernie says and loads a new target sheet.

I close my eyes for a moment, imagining Anna standing before me threatening me. If it comes down to her or me, it’s definitely going to be her. Opening my eyes, I focus on the target and shoot. One. Two. Three. Four. Five.

Ernie pushes the button to move the target sheet closer to us. I’m surprised to see that I fired all but one shot straight in the heart. The final one was right between the eyes. Enzo looks at me with awe on his face.

“Brava, amore.”

“Thank you.”

“Yes, impressive, Mrs. Milano. You can come here anytime and practice, but I think you have a pretty good handle on what to do. You’ve used a gun before?”

“Yes, my dad wanted me to know how to use one, but I never owned one before.”

“You’ve got a head start then,” he says, smiling.

We finish the paperwork and wait for the background check to run. Moments later, I’m the proud owner of a brand new gun. I take my license and put it in my handbag. What a strange feeling carrying a loaded gun with me, but oddly, it does make me feel just a little bit safer.

“Are you okay, amore?” Enzo asks as we walk back to the car.

“Yes. I’m fine.” Not at all true. I’m just processing what is happening to me right now. It feels like a movie. I’m completely numb.

“I didn’t know you could shoot like that.”

“Neither did I but I won’t hesitate to use it if I have to, Enzo.”

“I have no doubt. I will do everything in my power to ensure you never have to.”

“That would be preferable. Anna better hope I never have to. I’ve had enough of this bitch trying to ruin my life.”

Enzo leans over and kisses my cheek. “Do you ever wish you didn’t sit next to me that day? You can tell me the truth.”

His question is tinged with such a deep sadness it kills me a little inside. There was a time that I could answer that without hesitation but now I take a moment to consider his question.

“Enzo, I can’t remember when you weren’t there. I can’t even imagine what my life would be like right now if I hadn’t meant you that day. I won’t say that any of this is easy and I’m still upset that you lied to me…” I stop before finishing my sentence. “But I will say that I believe you are worth it. Our life and this love are worth it.”

Enzo sighs and kisses me once more. “Thank you for believing. I would cease to exist without you in my life. Your love is everything to me.”

“I know, Enzo. We’ll get through this somehow.”
We will, right?

Pulling into the drive at La Bellissima, we prepare to try and work as though nothing is happening. Enzo doesn’t even want me to answer my own phone in case she attempts to call me again. I do my best to distract myself with work as we all do. The hours pass and I start to feel closer to normal. Just before going home, my cell phone rings and I hesitantly answer it. Grayson stands right next to me as we wait for Enzo to wrap up his day and join us.