CHAPTER 26 - GRIM DISCOVERIES

Romeo POV:

I tried to call Lina to let her know there's been an accident on the road and I'm going to be about an hour but she isn't answering, I tried five times. Something isn't right, I called security and they said they can hear music playing and she's probably just relaxing or fell asleep, nothing seems out of place, only the people on the list can enter the house. Something in my gut is telling me, something is off.

"Dario, how long till we reach home?" I ask him trying Alina again.

"Five minutes, everything alright?" Dario asks, frowning.

"I can't get hold of Alina, it's not like her not to pick up, security says everything looks fine, just some music playing, nobody off the list has entered the house, but I can't shake this feeling, she said she was taking a bath over an hour ago," I say pulling my tie loose.

"Ok, don't panic, maybe she fell asleep, we are pulling up now," Dario says and we pull into the gates and drive up the long drive way.

It's just Dario and myself, the others went to their apartments. I run up to the house and I call out for Alina and Dario looks to me when we hear nothing. My stomach twists with nerves, both of us pull out our guns and we check the entire down stairs and I see her shoes by the stairs and the food untouched in the bags on the counter. I show Dario to go upstairs, and he follows me, we check the rooms as we walk down the corridor, it's all clear, the double doors at the end of the hall are ajar and we can hear the music playing loudly and I call out, "Alina? Bella?" I call but no response. We reach the door and I push it open slowly, afraid for the first time in my life for what I might find.

The doors open slowly and I look around the room there are things laying around, a broken vase and red petals lay across the floor, a broken lamp amongst it, the bedding askew, a wine bottle on the floor red seeping into the white carpet. My heart is thumping as I make my way around the huge bed, all I can hear is my breathing as the music is shut off by Dario. My blood pumping so loud taking up the unbearable silence as I make my way around to the other side of the bed in slow motion.

I drop to my knees, and I hear a scream, its probably coming from me. I crawl over to the still form on the ground, making my way through the blood staining the red carpet mixing with the red wine spilled across it. I reach the person lying on the floor, it can't be her, please God! Dario is already on the phone, I can vaguely hear him call for an ambulance.

I reach her, I see Alina laying on her back, legs slightly bent laying to the side, her robe still on her and she's not naked, but covered in blood and bruises, her face swollen, bleeding from her head into her beautiful raven hair. I can't tell if she's alive, I pull her into my arms and I scream. "Alina! Baby wake up! Please God! Wake up!" I sob, and I finally hear a whimper, and I can hear Dario speaking to someone.

"She's breathing and making small sounds," I hear him say.

"Alina, bella, you are going to be ok, I'm telling you, you are going to be fine," I feel something wet and only when I see it fall onto her battered body do I realise I'm crying. Lina doesn't move, she is just about breathing. Dario brings a blanket and covers her in my arms. "Just hold on baby, help is coming, I'm so sorry I was late, God I'm so sorry." I whisper and I swear I can feel her grip my hand very faintly.

The paramedics arrive, and tell me she's still alive, they put in an IV and pain medication into her, a neck brace and shift her onto a bed and wheel her out covered by a white sheet as they pump her with oxygen. I get into the ambulance with her and Dario follows us to the hospital. They rush Alina through to emergency and trauma, they ask me who I am and I say I'm her husband. "Sir, I need you to fill out some forms," the nurse says and I can't take my eyes off the door where they took her. It took Dario, Leo, Luc and Tino to get me away from the door. I almost shot an orderly.

They gave me a moment and the nurse came back with the forms. I filled them out - Alina De Luca. She is every bit a De Luca as anyone in my family. It took hours, how long I don't know, I never sat down, I'm covered in a blood soaked shirt. Luc comes over to me and my tears are falling. "Brother, she's going to be ok," he says trying to comfort me pulling me into a hug.

"She was barely breathing Luc," I choke out barley a whisper.

"What happened?" Luc asks leading into an empty room.

"I don't know, we texted and she said she was going to take a bath and she got dinner, she was having a glass of wine. I had a bad feeling, I tried calling her a few times and she never answered, I was late, stuck in traffic. I tried again and again, no answer. I couldn't shake the feeling, I called security, they said nobody that was not on the list entered the house, and that maybe she fell asleep, they could hear the music. The paramedics said she put up one hell of a fight." I say angrily as my tears run. "I wasn't there Luc, she needed me and I wasn't there," I say punching the wall.

"Romeo, this was planned, it's not your fault, no matter what you done this would have happened, today tomorrow, next week. It was a plan, we just need to find out who and why," Luc says trying to get me to focus. I nod.

"Luc, scour the footage, see if someone was in the house already or how they got in, anything that can give us a lead. It had to be someone we know, security said only people on the list entered the house, it's not a long list of who is allowed in the house. Check if all the men are accounted for that acted as security for the estate. Take Dario with you he saw it all with me, he will be able to help. Leo, Vince and Mari will stay with me, send some of our best men to the hospital, I want round the clock security here," I say to him and he nods and gives me a hug.

Hours have passed, and I wait. Mari sits with Leo as he comforts her. I'm still pacing and settled on looking out into the night through one of the windows near the waiting room. "Mr De Luca?" I hear a doctor call.

I turn around, my stomach churning, "Yes?" I answer, so uncertain, he gestures to a smaller more private room off the side with no patients.

"Sir, your wife is stable for now, she sustained a really bad head injury, a fractured skull, we have done an MRI and she has some swelling on the brain. She also sustained a broken wrist and two fingers, three broken ribs, a sprained ankle, cuts and lacerations. She was severely beaten, and has a broken nose which we have reset, no other severe damage to her face except some lacerations, it's just very swollen, she lost a lot of blood from her head injury. Also we had to do a **** kit, It's positive, there are some cuts and bruises. She's in an induced coma at the moment, to reduce the swelling on her brain and she's on a ventilator to help her breathe. She is in bad shape, and the next twenty four hours is crucial. She has been moved to a private room on a secure floor, and nobody can get in without signing in, staff included. You can see her now, but only two at a time, and keep it brief. If you want I can arrange for you to stay with her, she put up one hell of a fight sir," the doctor finishes.

I stand in shock, unable to speak just nodding. I walk over to Mari and I nod at her to follow me, I can't speak. I should have been there. We follow the doctor to her room, and I already have security there, Vince has said he will be her personal security and called Al and he will be here in a few hours. "Now Mr De Luca, don't be alarmed at what you see, she is in good hands." I just nod again. Mari grabs my hand and holds it tight as we walk in, I hear her sob and she goes limp and I catch her holding her up, I gesture for Leo, I don't think she can handle it and he takes her away, I close the room door and walk to the bed.

I don't even recognise her, she looks like Alina, but doesn't. I sit in the chair and sob. "I'm so sorry bella, it's my fault, I should have had someone with you, more security. I should have left earlier and been there with you. It's all my fault baby so, so sorry," I say breaking down.

I don't sleep at all, just sit and stare at her all night, the guilt consuming me. Someone I know done this to her, why? Why would they hurt her, to get to me no doubt. I just keep staring, thinking of when I saw her last, the last kisses we shared, the smile on her face, how we were going to leave for Italy this morning. My phone rings and I check the ID.

"Papa?" I answer hoarsely.

"Son, Luc called and told me what happened, your mother, Issy and I are on the plane now, we will be there in a few hours, hold on son. I'm coming and I promise you, this sick fuck will feel the wrath of a De Luca." Dad says and I barely answer, my voice cracks. "Don't say a word son, we will be there soon, we love you." The line goes dead and my tears run.

My phone rings again, I don't check and just answer. "De Luca," I answer.

"Romeo, it's Dimitri, Dario called us and told us what happened, we are flying out and will be there soon, we need to see our sister."

"Ok, see you soon," I drop the call. How do I look at my family and Alina's family knowing I wasn't there to protect her? I hold onto her small hand, stroking her perfectly manicured fingers on her uninjured hand. She will be ok, but I don't know how we will get past this. Will she resent me? I don't know how she couldn't, I just don't want to lose her in any way. "God why was I late! I should have been there to pick you up baby, I'm so sorry," I say out loud to her.

The doctor comes in to check on her, he says she's doing ok, and one of the nurses will be in to give her a sponge bath. "Doc with all due respect, I will have one of my own come and do that", I say with no room for argument, and the doctor says nothing, I'm sure by now he knows who I am, or thinks he does.

"Mr De Luca, can I suggest you go home and look after yourself too, a shower and change maybe?" Doctor Monroe says. I look down at my appearance and I'm still in the bloody clothes.

"I will get someone to bring me what I need I'm not leaving her," I say deathly cold and he nods. I call Luc. "Luc, get me a change of clothes and some toiletries, I need a shower and I'm not leaving, also get me Lupe, one of our private nurses to come and look after Alina, she needs to be cleaned." I say exhausted.

"I'm on it bro, be there soon and I can tell what we know so far," Luc says.

"Oh Luc, I need Dario and you to look after things while I'm here, I need to know that people I trust with my life is looking after things," I say a bit broken.

"Don't worry Rome, we are on top of things," Luc says and I feel a bit better, he ends the call.

Within the next hour, Luc, Dario and the nurse arrive, Leo, Mari and Vince go home to change and take care of things and be back later tonight. After a shower and a change of clothes a black long sleeve jumper, dark blue jeans and black boots. Dario brings us all some breakfast and we settle in the private waiting room next door to Alina. Luc tell me what they have found. "Rome, Dario and myself went over every inch of your house, no forced entry, we think one of the guards is dirty, a guy named Henry. He's in lock up right now, he wouldn't talk much, but it definitely is someone in the trusted circle. Now we are all accounted for, Dario, myself, Leo, Tino and Vince. The cameras caught someone slightly shorter than all of us. He had on a black hoodie, couldn't see his face. Mari was at home so she never saw a thing. Whom we couldn't account for... "

I cut Luc off, "I have a feeling you are going to say Angel and Daniel. Alina was uneasy around Angel, so was I, after she met him, she never seemed comfortable, and quite frankly neither was I. He kept looking at her, Daniel wouldn't hurt her, I'm sure, but bring them both in, lock them up. Nobody else is stupid enough to do this, not in my home," I say coldly. Dario and Luc nod.

"We are searching for him, Vince and Al are on it, our families are almost here, they are all a half hour out." I nod and sigh deeply.

God help you Angel, if you done this, you will fucking pay.